Omaha daily bee., 1910-09-19
Only Two of Thirteen Starting from
Indianapolis in Long Race
Report Landing,
THREE STATES HUNTING THEM
Light Wind During Night and Gas
Bags GO Slowly,
TOPEKA COMES DOWN IN SHOWER
Aeronauts Travelled So Closely They
Could Talk to Each Other.
.DRIFTER LIGHTS IN W. VIRGINIA
At Dusk Last Might Three Were
sighted az High Altitude Through
smoky Hrzc over Pitts
burg.
THREE STATES HUNTING THEM
RITTER LIGHTS IN W. VIRGINIA

smoky Hrzc over Pitts
burg.
PITTSBURG, Sept iS.-At least three of
the thirteen balloons that asconded from
indianapolis between ana o'clock yes
terday afternoon, passed over the environs
and Pttsburg late this afternoon and at
dusk tonight were reported as stin pur-
suing course east by north at a rate OF
from ten to twelve miles an hour. In the
twenty four hours since the ascension the
aerorauts have covered about 400 miles.
The only landing reported was from
WASHINGTON, Pa, this evening The
Topeka had come down at O'Clock this
afternoon seven miles south Of Washington
on account of shower. Pilot r. $. Cole
land his aide. f. NJ Jacobs OF Topeka,
Kan, reported that most of the night they
had travelled so closely to the others of
the big aeronautical party that they could
talk from basket to basket. The Topeka
was entered in the free-for-all event
Eastern ohio, western Virginia and west
/ ern Pennsylvania, all are balloon hunting
| today All afternoon local newspaper Of
| fices we're advised from outlying districts
that three balloons, sailing high and sepa-
rated by about ten minute intervals, had
! been sighted.
sighted at WaShinRton.
The first report here came from WASH
inGton, Pa. The balloons had been sighted
| there at I o'clock and the third had passed
They wereat 1850 p. m. They were all
over l,COO feet high At Cannonsburg, just
northeast of Washington, Pa, the balloons
were sighted by hundreds of people and
one man got so excited he turned in a
fire alarm. over the junction of the
Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers the
aeronauts evidently encountered trouble
with the lower air currents and avoided
them by mounting 10 height of nearly
a mile.
At this attitude they sailed up the Monon-
gahela valley. over the fire and smoke of
numerous steel mills. Between ? and 3
o'clock the balloons were sighted from the
southern suburbs of Pittsburg, at McKees-
port. Elizabeth Carrick and Mount Oliver
At the extreme height II was impossible TO
Identify the balloons and as dusk closed
in they reported barely visible as
they proceeded northest along the course
of the Allegheny river.
During the afternoon showers threatened
several times and at S o'clock some rain
fell here, but at that hour no report had
been received of any of these three bal
looms landing. The wind held steady at
about twelve miles an hour as II had all
day. The local weather bureau reported
not have had a wind much better than
four miles an hour but at daybreak 1t was
more brisk.
Driftcr I'm West virginia.
INDIANAPOLIS. Ind, Sept. 1S - The
, Drifter, entered In the freefor all event
and the first to leave the Indianapolis
motor speedway in the balloon meet yes
terday. landed late today al Uniontown,
w. Va, according to dispatch received
here tonight. The balloon was piloted by
Albert Holz of Cincinnati and carried
n George r. Howard aide.
No reports have been received from the
, other twelve balloons
A light breeze was blowing to tha
northeast as the first balloon the Drlfter
left the indianapolis Motor Speedway at
1858 yesterday and was carried rapidly
away, but the breeze died down and the
last balloon to leave the course. the New
York which rose at 5:55, was slow in
travelling after it's companions.
Only the long delay I'm sending up the
first balloon due to failure to have the
gas bags properly inflated and the bas-
kets provisioned on time, marred the
start of the great contest.
Travel 20 Northeast.
All of the balloons Travelled to the
northeast with the exception of America
. H. which, pIioted by August Post, has
made two lighJs In international con-
tests in Europe and It took a more east
> erly course. Alan II Harley is the pilot
now drifting with the America II, and
August Pest is his aide
The balloons at latest reports were
. racing in a generally easterly direction.
Z probably over toward Ohio. dispatch
= from Winchester, Ind. near the Ohio state
line said that six balloons had passed
over that neighborhood bound east These
balloons probably were the same that had
been sighted at Muncie earlier in the
night The pilots OF four OF them dropped
cards Identifying them the America III
- Of New York, the Indiana ii OF Indian
: apOlis the Buckeye OF Cleveland and the
= Centennial OF St. Louis. All proceeded in
;. the direction of Winchester
- No information had teen received from
: any other OF the thirteen air crafts, al
though the pilots had arranged TO send
kilograms to this city as soon they
should land.
May Make New Records.
Wind conditions were perfect There was
a slight breeze from the southwest that
suggested delightful journey and It is
; thought some Of the balloons may establish
a worlds reco'd for distance II the cur
rents become a little stronger. 1t is ex-
pected that Cleveland or Buffalo will be
: reached by tomorrow morning. All the
pilots figured that they might cross Lake
n Erie some time tonight and their baskets
e.I were equipped with life buoys. All carried
enough food and water for three days. II
p the wind veers more 10 the north some OF
II the entries may land IN the 81. Lawrence
" valley. but when they started II was hardly
4 strong enough to carry them at more than
e ten or fifteen miles an hour.
n All OF the starters except Charles Walsh.
/ Kingston, n. y, and Colonel Sam Heber,
J. known the "HODsler," flew away as near
n the ground as possible, intending 10 remain
n low through the night and then be raised
r by the warmth of the morning sun. Walsh
apparently had less ballast, as he mada