The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-06-16
BY BALLOON TO BENNINGTON
To Spot Where Molly Stark Was
Made a Widow

maze WIDOW
It has been more than a hundred
years since Molly Stark was not made
a widow. Her energetic husbands
expression just before the battle of
Bennington, is well known all over
New England and since 1777 people
have been going to the spot on his
torical pilgrimages. They have been
in various methods during the past
hundred years-frst by stage coach,
and then over the "corkscrew rail
road" which lives up to its name and
twists about the hills and valleys just
like a real corkscrew Finally the
trolley has been brought into play and
by broom tick train the tourist can be
whlzZed rom North Adams to Ben
nington with breath-taking rapidity
Now new method of approach has
been brought into play, and twice this
summer the balloon Massachusetts, of
the Aero club of New England has ta-
ken advantage OF the air currents of
the Berkshire Hills and has carried
its passengers from Pittsfield to Ben
nington, the first time landing there
some distance from the town, but the
last trip ending only short distance
from the great monument which
marks the site Of the battlefield.
Surely that was an historical pill
! grimage by balloon of unusual inter-
est, especially since it also included
westward trip almost to the Hudson
river and then back again to the Mas
sachusetts hills
1t had been planned to make an all
night ride in the balloon but when
darkness came the wind was blowing
in an unfavorable direction. Al
though it was light at the time and
gave every indication of diminishing
it was not a feasible thing to start
when Long Island Sound would be
reached some hours before dawn.
wait till two o'clock was the
word and at two o'clock the little
party assembled by the Aero Club
park, where the Massachusetts was
all ready to start upon her journey
upward. A few curious spectators
had been waiting for hours and kept
on patiently until the passengers
climbed into the basket all ready to
cast off the ropes. They were Frank
c. Bowker of Boston, William Van
Sleet OF Pittsfeld who had made Sc
many trips as pilot in the past two
seasons and the writer
There was no confusion I'm getting
away from the ground for the balloon
tloated placidly in the air, requiring
only the casting off Of a few bags Of
sand 10 counter-balance the weight
with the pulling powers Of the gas
Throwing away one bag of sand, bai
and all, sent the Massachusetts up il
the air. not too far but just higf
enough so that the long trail rope.
would not drag over the housetops Of
Pittsheld, as the basket iloated about
almost like Mahomet's coffin and witt
no apparent desire to move away II
any direction.
The electric lights in the city below
still cleaned with brilliancy under
meath but up overhead the dipper anC
the other stars We're beginning L
grow dim, for the darkness of nigh
was almost at an end. 1t was no
dawn by any means. and as the bal
loon floated about IL was necessary
to flash tiny electric lights upon tn,
instruments so as to catch the read
ing on the aneroid barometer and t
see by the dagger on the statoscop,
whether the balloon was rising, sink
ing or keeping its position unchanged
as 1t has way OF doing for a lonl
time when q journey is made b,
night.
Then the moon came up in tn
east, giving q bit OF change to tn
scene. Some readers found faul
i with II Rider Haggard when he mad
I the hero of one Of his stories see tn
! crescent moon rising in the east, bu
4 that was exactly what the balloo
4 viewed at this hour of the morning.
> When the streaks of light began {
: appear In the east and from the era
:, obscurity black specks resolved then
selves into farmhouses on the hill
sides, Pittsiield put out its lights an
III all was ready for the day to com
X The balloon had slowly moved alon
III to the westward and was high enoug
so that a fine view could be obtaine
II of the hills and valleys OF the Der
shires. That Is hardly correct. 7,
the hills were plainly to be seen b.
III many OF the valleys were filed wit
III the thick mist which had been risir
wherever a body OF water was reat
TO supply moisture TO the air. /
deed, the fog had been rising in u
early morning dawn over Pittshe
until finally It's arc lights had look,
as II they were diamonds shinil
II through n thick veil OF white gauz
II The effect Of the different patch
II OF fog scattered all about the movii
II landscape gave the illusion OF gre
II height In the air. and to all inten
II and purposes the Massachuset
II might have been a mile from Il
II ground floating above banks OF clou
II almost totally obsouring the ear
II from view. The effect was precise
II the same.
II Passing on farther TO the westwa
II the balloon reached comparative
II dry section Of ground and the simuI
II ton OF cloudscape was over. The d
II lance above the ground was a sea
II half mile and az times the bask
II dropped until the trail ropes near
II touched the ground, but then the TO.
II Ing out OF a handful OF sand won
ii send IL back up again to the pla
II where the best current OF air con