The San Francisco call., 1909-10-11

SClcQutS
1T came near being unpleasant. said
Captain Baldwin. II had made UP my
mind that we would have to swim for
it and was thanking my stars that the
night was warm. when the launch hove
in sight
Jack Irvine held similar views. j
did not know so many thrills could be
encompassed in such a short time, he
said. I'VE first drifted toward the
ocean and then headed south for San
Jose. We were making the race in
beautiful style when a puff carried us
out over the bay. We therefore de-
scended to within about 200 feet above
the water, dropped our trailing anchor
and settled down to see ourselves win
the race and to watch Van TasseIl try
ing to find suitable currents at an alti-
tude of about 5000 feet. The day was
a wretched one for ballooning, how
ever. There was no wind and try as
we would we could not cross to shore.
Then we hung over the water and be-
gan to settle. Darkness came on and
pOe,dH W SiSe up HOpc-
Saved in Nick of Time
When within a few feet of the waters S
edge we heard the chug of a launch
and let out a shout which brought
Maston and Bradley to US. They were
in the very nick of time, as another
half hour would have seen us swim
ming
The original intention was to have
the balloon pilots accompanied by Miss
Margaret Miller of Oakland and Miss
G. Shaffer of San Francisco in the
balloons of the respective clubs. AT
the last moment, however, the MEM
bers of the Portola committee giving
the silver cup, learning that the indi-
cations were that the balloons would
be blown seaward, refused to assent to
the girls joining in the race.
The. two pleaded hard to be allowed
to ascend. but the Portola committee
refused point blank, declaring that IL
they did the race would be declared
off and that the Portola management
would have nothing to do with the
competing clubs. In the face of this
stand the girls stepped aside.
Scars to 5000 Feet
]. c. Mars, in the basket of the tiny
one person balloon. the Fairy, which
piloted the racers, landed at Dunbar
ton bridge at 5:45 p. M, 33 miles from
his starting point. The last he saw
of the balloons was shortly after this
time. Van Tassell in the City of Oak
land was veering over San Francisco
from the ocean to the bay at height
of about 5000 feet
Baldwin and Irvine in the Queen of
the Pacific he lost in the haze at about
4:S0 p. m. At that time they were
passing along the bay about 200 feet
above the waters edge, trailing their
water anchor.
The following is Mars log:
Rose at 2:30 p. m. with eight bags of
ballast and went to height of 5000
feet. Noticed Baldwin heading toward
the ocean.
3:15 p. m. Baldwin 5000 feet high.
and travelling toward the bay. Van
Tassell below him, travelling toward
the ocean.
500 p. m. Van TasseI rose to Bald
wins altitude.
$3.50 p. m. The Fairy 5000 feet high.
Three bags of ballast left Baldwin
sailing between Goat island and Golden
Gate narrows. Van Tassell over Golden
Gate park
$3.50 p. m.-Baldwin dropping. Threw
out water anchor in San Francisco
bay about three miles this side of the
entrance. Judged him to be about 200
feet above the waters edge Van Tas-
sell at height of 5000 feet heading for
ocean.
3;45 p. m.-Fairy at height of 4.ooo
feet. Two and half bags of ballast
left. Van Tassell 5000 feet high. stilI
leadlng' for ocean. Baldwin over bav
going toward San Jose with his water
anchor trailing
p. m.-Fairy 750 feet above bay two
L.
oags OF ballast left. Van Tassell over
city, flying high. Baldwin lost ~
maze toward San Jose with water on
Choir trailing
From 4 p. m. to 5:45 p. m.-Fairv
.raveled up bay, trailing water ancbor
Tor about % miles. Landed safaIv
Il railway bridge near Dumbarton.
van Tassell then drifting between
ocean and bay over the city.
Hundreds Cheer Start
The race opened amid the cheers of
lundreds of spectators. The fret -
Use was the tiny Fairy, a one ner-
son palloon, shimmering mass of
iiik. 1t swayed daintily as II rose
men sought the upper heights. gingerlv
ihuiiis the currents, acting as pilot
OF .he monster racers straining and
.ugsing at their moorings below. The
aeronauts on earth watcbasI
I dip and rise. A puff from fl,e bav
'ent the little air craft careenin, 70,
Vard the Twin peaks, a shower of sand
uttered oversize, and rising tirbar a.
struck out almost due south, heading
or San Jose.
The Queen Of the Pacific followed
" nile the Fairy was singing ont the
Ilr currents the San Francisco aero
lauts were going through the formalitv
II christening their balloon. The cere-
nony lasted but few minutes. Miss
]. Shaffer, sister of one of the pron,-
nent members of the Pacific aero cIIb.
racked bottle of champagne across
is anchor, declaring:
-hristens Child of Air
New born child of the air, I chris
en- thee Queen of the Pacific" A brief |
'rayer from Rev. III. J. Pierce. also a I
Iaring pioneer aeronaut, followed and
carcely had the Amen" fallen from
lis lips when Captain Ivy Baldwin and
ack G. Irvine. president of the Pacific
ero club. swung themselves over the
ides and into the basket
Let her zipr' said Baldwin.
The attendants fell back, the last I
nooring was parted and the newly /
hristened monster of the air hurled /
tself through space. Its rise began at I
:46 p. IN.
The Queen of the Pacific shot upward I
nti1 it felt the touch of the south
yestern current and swerved toward /
win peaks. 1t. did not. however. go
outhwest long Baldwin hurJed o,,t