The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1909-02-08
AIR RIDE OVER THE ALPS.
Two Germans Obtain Novel
Photographs From a Balloon.

Ten years ago an aIIeIlpI W
make balloon journey over the
Alps would have been regarded
as a fool-hardy enterprise. To-
day ballocning is a popular pas
time, the great bags have tloated
triumphantly over the top OF the
Jungfrau and daring aeronauts
from their wicker baskets have
looked down upon the dazzling
snow and ice that crown the
summit Of Mont Blanc itself.
The first balloon passage Of the
Austrian Alps was made in Au-
gust last from Innsbruck in the
north of the Dolomites on the
edge of Italy. The journey was
made by Germans, old timers in
balloon ascents. They were
Capt. f. Hartel and DR.. Brock
elmann.
Their great balloon Augusta
rose into the air from the gas
works on the Pradle at 10 a. m.
and all Innsbruck was out to
cheer the voyagers as favoring
breeze took them southwark out
of the Inn valley toward the
mountains. Just as the setting
sun was gliding the jagged peaks
of the Dolomites in southern
Austria and as majestic Marmo-
lata, the browning summit of the
limestone mountains rising from
Italian soil, was seen before them
the ballOonists alighted at the
little Town of BriXen.
The journey had been a great
success. The day was perfect,
the atmosphere was clear, the
valleys, rivers, lakes, hamlets
and snowtops were bathed in
sunshine and from heights of
from 5000 to 1909 feet Won
derful panorama was constantly
in view. The varying air move
ments had zigzagged the balloon
east and west, but the general
direction was only a little east of
south and the distance travelled
was about $50 miles.
The aeronauts had with them
a constant companion of which
little is heard on journeys of this
kind. 1t was the shadow of then
bag balloon which logged then
constantly from the Inn river tt
the Dolomites. 1t was an inter
teresting sight and gave the
voyagers a vivid sense of the
varying rates of speed at which
they were travelling as the shad
ow crossed the forests and field:
and steep snow slopes.
The higher the balloon ros,
above the ground the larger wa
the shadow, and nearly all tn,
time it was easyto distinguish thi
moving dark spot two miles O
more below them. To cap tn,
climax they caught a photograph
Of the shadow when they wer
about 5000 feet above the cart
just as they were slowly descend
ing, at the end of their journey
The Photographic results o
this journey were excellent an,
exceptional in their way, becaus
most of the balloon pictures o
Alpine regions have been disaI
pointing. A number of Capital
HartePs photographs have bee
published with his description Q
the journey, in Natur and Kunst
and they give an impression {
the mountains that can seldol
be derived from other Alpir
photographs.
From the high point of val
tage that the balloon offered tn
whole furrowed surface of tt
earth below was brought I'M
view from the depths of tt
wrinkles to the mountain top
Captain Hartel says that this
the great novelty of the view
seen from a balloon; and a flu
thur advantage is that the vie
is more widely extended and Il
observer is in the centre of
panorama dropping to the hol
zon on all sides, while as
stands on a mountain top
may have a good view only
one direction.
So the tourists saw the bottc
as well as the top of the mou
tain complex as long as tn
lowered over the ranges of t
Alps. But they did not gu.
reach the Dolomites, and thou
they obtained a magnificent vi,
a~of the castellated SUBMITS tn
could not look down upon
wild valleys between the ridg
There was one ticklish nome
during the air ride. They we
absorbed in a charming expar
of wide, flat valley, with fie
and villages and a lake or tv
when they were drifting rie
toward the upper wall of A
tnorspitze, only a little 0,
5000 feet high, but they w,
sailing rather low and it seen
as though the next moment tt
would be dashed against
rock. Overheard went a lot
ballast but the balloon CO
scarcely have cleared the obstr
ton if an eddy in the air curr,
had not swerved the travel
just around the top of the mo
tain.
They met another surpl
when they began their desce
There was dead calm in the
and their drag rope, catching
a tree, anchored them over
forest. They would have lit
tree tops, but they lightened
balloon so that it pulled az
from the traa opd 6poll,,