The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-06-23
BRIDAL COUPLE SPEND THRILL
ING NIGHT ABOVE CLOUDS.
They Make Trip Across the Bay
State and Land Safeiy.-Bride's
Face Powder Used in Emer-
gency When statoscope
Failed to Work.

honeymoon above the clouds" of Mr..
and Mrs. Roger n. Burnham, who
chartered the balloon Pittsfield, Heart
of the Berkshires, for an ascension on
their wedding night, lasted three hours
and fifty minutes. The thrilling ride
was begun at 1910 a. m. in this city
and the landing was made on the
farm of Ralph Gilkey, at Holbrook,
fourteen miles from Boston Common.
The great balloon practically crossed
the state.
The courage of Mr.. and Mrs. Burn
ham, the former a prominent sculptor,
of Boston, and the latter an author,
was put to test repeatedly. At the
start an excited crowd of 5000 persons
threatened to imperil the lives of the
bridal couple eAd their pilot by jump
ing over the ropes into the danger
zone, where explosions could easily be
caused by a spark form a cigar. The
balloon lifted itself to an elevation of
$500 feet and then began to it's drift in
total darkness.
Half a mile below the voyagers
could see the electric lights of the
towns of Adams and North Adams, as
the balloon took a northerly course.
Face Powder Used in Emergency.
Then all lights faded from view and
something that balloon pilots dread
most at night occurred-the state
scope, which indicates the rise or fall
of the balloon, refused to work.
Billy Van Sleet the pilot making his
thirty-fifth ascension in one year, call
ed for tissue paper. Mrs. Durham
had her travelling bag a package of
papier poudre, an imported prepare
ton of face powder spread on thin
paer, and Van Sleet eagerly seized
uon this to test the rise or fall of the
balloon.
The party scarcely had been up an
hour when the better of the two cleo.
trio flash lamps carried by the aero
maui became exhausted and only the
dim light of the other remained for
use in case of their approach to earth
At 8 o'clock the bridal couple, who
had been seated in the bottom of the
car for an hour, decided to enjoy Their
first honeymoon breakfast, which con
sisted of sandwiches and hot coffee
and a little MADEIRA wine of the vint
age of 1887, which had been around
the world in the cabin of asailing
vessel, carried by relative of the
bride.
Daylight Showed Boston Harbor
About 4 o'clock, just as daylight
was breaking, Van Sleet sighted {
huge observatory and then water. Thi.
was the Blue Hill Observatory ant
the water was Boston Harbor. HI
lost no time descending and threw ou
the anchor as they settled down owe
an orchard. The anchor held on to ;
tree and the balloon descended 81
lightly there was not jar as tn,
basket came to earth. The rip core
was not used.
Mr.. and Mrs. burnham took photo
graphs of the pilot and the deflatioI
of the balloon. Mrs. Burnham insist
ed Eon assisting the pilot to pack vi
theSballoon for shipment, after which
they all went to the Gilkey home
where the farmer entertained them a
breakfast.
The Burnhams found that they wer,
back to within forty-seven miles from
Woods Hole, Cape Cod, the place
where they had been married the da.
before. They had crossed the stat
to- make the ascension from Pittsfielt
and now had recrossed in the ba
loon.