Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-20

out a regret. IneTe wash l thlHs oH
| her I would have saved. We have the
| Junk from two other campaigns in our
| yards in Paris, and l don't want any
more.
LAS for towing her to shore. we had
| one experience of that kind in the arctic,
| and we never want another.
Crew Held Council.
I'VE could have stayed up in the air
for some time. Everything depended on
the weather and the weather reports
| were favorable. 1t was simply a matter
of precaution.
I'VE held a council to decide If We
would take the steamer and abandon our
own ship, or if we would stay with the
America and take our chances on being
blown on to the Atlantic coast.
The engines were in working order
and at the time we were picked up the
snip was sailing beautifully. But we
knew what she would do when the wind
was not right.
I'VE knew from our experience that if
we encountered another storm she would
go down. SO. as q matter of safety, all
agreed that the ship would be abandoned.
''Of course, l wouldn't say that our
trip, was. a success. or that 1T was al
together a failure, any more than l would
saw that the eQuilibrator was a complete
success or a failure. We learned many
| things, and the next ship will be large
enough and light enough to rise that
she may take advantage Of the east
winds.
TT was a wonderful trip all the way
through. l was watching the, engine for
nine hours without interruption, from the
time that we left Atlantic City on Satur-
day morning. During that time the en-
CINE missed only twice. That night had
seven hours of unbroken sleep. One in
cident, however, on that night, furnished
the greatest thrill of the trip.
Nearly Fouled Schooner.
1--WE were failing off Long Island. ST.
mon the engineer, was at the wheel. l
was cooling off the moor with sulphur.
"Suddenly Through a break in the fog
bank, we say lights on our port side.
Then a four-masted schooner came intot
sight. My motor was burning red hot and
as we sailed through the air a stream of
sparks followed in our wake. We heard
shouts below and L guess those startled
sailors believed that we were the comet.
II cried a warning to Simon. / guess
he saw the schooner as soon as |. for
he put his wheel far to the starboard and
the big ship minded we'll and turned al
most a half circle. At that. We had a
close call, for we almost crashed into her
masts and sailed right over her spanker.
''Our landing was most exciting. We
all got into tie small boat and l at
tached a line to the escape valve in the
gas bag At the end of the line l fas-
tened an oil can so that when We dropped
into the water the valve would be opened
and the ship would drop into the water
Loud and Simon stood at the ropes and
at given signal they cut the lines.
I'VE were just four feet above the
water and the little boat met the Onrush
of the euuilibrator, coming at full tilt.
and the result was that hole was stove
in her, but above the water line. 1t was
Ivxx-i in md
struck by the equilibrator and received
minor injuries.
after we boarded the steamer we
turned to have a last look at the Amer
lea 1t was. wonderful sight. The
ship. lightened of our weight, rose in
the air Then the gas commenced to es-
cape through the. open valve and grad
ually the ship, which had been our home
in the clouds, began to wobble. =
Last Sight of America.