The sun., 1909-06-21
BALLOON HONEYMOON ENDS
IT WAS A CASE OF LAND or
60 SAILING OUT TO SEA.
Burnham and Bride Had Travelled lsS
Miles st night and Had Been Up
q Hours and 20 Minutes When Water
Was sighted and Anchor Low cred.

hOurb eUu - Mhuutc8 Vues Vetus
Was sighted and Anchor Low cred.
PITTsPIELD. Mass. June 2O.-Roger N.
Burnham and his bride ended their honey
moon balloon trip at Holbrook. II miles
from Boston, early this morning. While
they were in the basket Of the balloon
Heart OF the Berkshires they saw the sun
rise and they were approaching the At
lando Ocean so rapidly that Pilot Vao
'Slest could smell the salt air
The honeymoon In the skies lasted just
three hours and fifty minutes. In that
time the balloon travelled ITS miles, or
IFS miles by airline from Pitts6eld. The
highest altitude was $500 feet.
Although fraught with dangers from
the very getaway Of tho balloon, both
the bride and bridegroom enjoyed every
minute Of the night above the clouds.
After having escaped the jam and crush
OF a curious crowd at Aero Park which
threatened to prevent the proper balano-
ing Of their craft. they found at height
Of half a mile above the earth that the
statoscope on which they depended to
tell IL they were rising or falling had
become useless This was oircumvented
by the novel method of using tissue paper
as test,
Van Sleet after the landing said that
had the balloon got away at midnight
as was planned they would have been
carried far ont to sea. as forty minutes
more In the current they were travelling
would have taken thom thirty miles be-
yond the shore, After getting away the
balloon rose to 2.5OO feet and then began
it's drift in total darkness. A half mile
below the voyagers could be seen the cleo
trio lights OF the towns Of Adams and
North Adams as the balloon took north
erly course. Then all lights faded below
and the worst thing that can happen to a
balloon pilot at night occurred. The
statoecope. on which the balloon pilot
depends for the knowledge OF the rise and
fall OF the balloon, refused to work.
Van Sleet, making his thirty ascen-
sion in one year. called for paper to test
the direction Of rise and fall Mrs. Burn
ham had in her travelling bag some thin
paper, and Van Sleet discovered that they
were rising. The party had scarcely
been up an hour when the best OF their
two electric fash lamps became exhaus
and It was only by the dim fash OF the
other that the altitude could be sscer-
tanned.
Az so'ciock the bridal couple, who had
been seated In the bottom OF the car for
an hour. decided to enjoy their first honey
moon breakfast. which consisted OF sand
wiches and coffee and little wine OF the
vintage OF 1887, which has been around
the world In cabin Of sailing vessel
OF q relative of the bride.
About 4 o'clock just as daylight was
breaking Van Sleet discovered huge
observatory and then water, Later he
found that this was the~Blue Hill OBJ
servatory and that the water was Boston
Bay. He began to prepare for descent,
and approaching the Ralph Gilky farm he
let out The anchor over an orchard.
The anohor held to g tree and the bal
loon descended 30 lightly that there was
not a Jar as the baske. came to earth.
The rip cord was not used.
Mr.. and Mrs. Burnhsm took photo
graphs OF tho dsaation of the balloon and
the pilot. Mrs. Burnham insisted in as
sisting the pilot to pack up tho balloon
for shipmcnt. after which they all went
to the uilky house. where the farmer
entertained them at breakfast. Later Mr..
and Mrs. Burnham went to Brockton by
trolley. where they are at hotel. They
will 90 to Mr.. Burnham's studio in Mag