New-York tribune., 1910-07-14
FELL FROM A BALLOON
Continued from, first pag-.

row margin. On the first attempt at 2 de-
scent the Pom-11ern's trailing rope caught
in tree They rose again to find q better
place, and when they finally stepped OUT on
firm ground they were only g couple Of
hundred yards from the ocean. According
10 official figures the Ponmern had made
873 miles while her nearest rival, the
French balloon lie de France was six
miles behind.
Erbsloeh attributed his victory to a fort
unate shift OF the wind Soon after start
ing he went up FIVE thousand feet. and
struck swift. steady easterly breeze The
next morning they went ID fifteen hundred
feet further At Fort Washington, Ohio
they had to descend little TO recover their
bearings. and then gradually rose again TO
the five thousand foot level until they
reached Philadelphia. There they hung for
over an hour between attitudes of three
hundred and ten thousand feet jockeying
for wind that would take them to New
York. but finally had to abandon the at
tempt for want Of northerly breeze
The Pommern was subsequently sold 70
Dr. Julian P. Thomas who used il in sew
eral fights Last summer she broke from
her mooringS at Steeplechase Park, Coney
Island. and was picked up a wreck al
RoCkawaE Point After repairs were made
the balloon was taken to Europe, where she
made several flights.
On April of this year the Pommern ran
away just as her ballast was being put
aboard. was driven across country and fell
into the Baltic Sea, killing three of her
four rassengerS-Hugo Delbrueck. a Well
known scientist and member Of the Reichs-
tag; Herr Semmelhardt, a banker; Herr
Benduhn, an architect. and q man named
Helm She was at the gas works at Stettin
Germany, when the wind tore her away
HcTTen DelbrUeck and Benduhn were
drowned and Helm died from injuries after
being rescued.
rr5sloeh had made many. daring ascen-
sions since becoming interested in aero
nautics in 1904. Before winning at St
LOUIS ne had made many free public ascen-
sions, landing in Germany, Holland.
France and Belgium. His most noteworthy
achievement was his trip over the Alps in
February of last year His balloon. the
Berlin. remained in the air thirty hours,
reaching q maximum altitude Of about
eighteen thousand feet. He experienced
an average temperature Of about u de-
grees below zero.
His hobby was the long distance flight.
He heartily indorsed the plan Of crossing
the ocean in a dtrigible and was also in
terested in the project OF flying from
France TO Russia.
Erbsoeh had a tilt with the German
custom house officials when he returned to
Germany in 1907 with his St Louis prize.
He was held up in Bremen until he had
paid customs duty on the trophy.
Herr Erbsloeh was born at EIberfeId in
1919 He served in the army and had a
name as successful horse show exhibitor
Pef"re ne took up flying. He qualified as
an air pilot in 1905
The tragedy OF yesterday Increases the
death roll of aeronauts killed since Sen+ern-
Der L. LSos, TO seventeen. Seven of these
deaths have occurred in the last ten da,-s
on July Charles Wachter fell to his death
at Rheims. Day before yesterday Charles
Stewart Rolls died under the wreck Of his
machine
Since ballooning received a new impetus
ten years ago, with the experiments of
SantosDumont with the dirigtble and tba
recent vogue of long distance balloon flv-
ing, the lighter -than-air ffier has made q
long death roll. Particularly has this hean
true in the last three years. On March
1907, Lieutenant OliveI was killed at Rome
"
lightning ON September Of the follow
ing year {. o Jones. one of the Ham
mondsport. \. Y. aeronauts, fell from the
Boomerang at Portland. Mo. a distance Of
five hundred feet. Fire Of unknown origin
was the cause.
In 1893 there were two tragedies. the
chief one being the destruction of the di
rigible Repubique, which fell from a height
of six hundred feet At MouIinS France
when her propeller broke and pierced the
envelope Lieutenant Phaure lived a few
minutes after the faI, but Captain Mar
chaI and b-LieuIenants Vincenot and
Reux were killed Instantly
ON November o Of the same wear DR.
Breuckman and Hugo Francke we're found
dead near their balloon at Fume on the
Aus1ro- Hungarian coast. They were mem
bers of the Berlin Aero Club It was be
Iieved that their balloon had been struck
by lightning
This wear aside from the accidents al
ready mentioned. four men were killed
when the peutsch was struck by lightning
At Peichesachen. Germany. on April 8