Los Angeles herald., 1910-04-04
THREE DIE AFTER
FEARFUL FLIGHT IN
WRECKED BALLOON
Two Drown When Gas Bag Drops
Into Sea; Third SuCCumbs
After Being Rescued
GERMAN NoTABLES VICTIMS
Wires and Chimney Tear Netting
and TangIe Valve Cord at
Start of Journey
GERMAN NoTABLES VICTIMS
ASSOCIATED Press1


~ TETTIN, Germany, April 3.-The
German balloon Pommern, which
~ made an ascension here this after
noon, met with a series of accidents
which ended in disaster in the Baltic
sea under most tragic circumstances
Three men lost their lives, including
the Radical member Of the reichstag,
Werner Hugo del Brueck. Herr Del
Brueck and another member of the
party were drowned; third occupant
of the car was picked up unconscious
and died from his injuries, while the
fourth man was rescued in a serious
condition.
The Pommern, carrying Del Brueck,
who was acting as pilot; a banker,
Herr Somme1bardt; an architect, Herr
Benduhn, and a man named Hahn,
ascended early in the afternoon at the
gas works. The wind at the time was
blowing a gale and the Pommern broke
away before she had been completely
ballasted.
The chapter of accidents began i'm
mediately. The balloon collided with
telegraph wires, which broke, almost
overturning the basket.
II then dashed against the roof of
neighboring factory, destroying the
smokestack. With the basket swinging
wildly and half It's ropes cut, the bal
loon scared to a great altitude and
disappeared in the clouds at a terrific
speed.
Thousands of onlookers, including
a detachment of soldiers who had as
sisted in the descent, ran along the
roads, expecting the basket to break
away. The balloon, however. was not
seen again until it reached SWINE
munde, thirty-six miles northwest OF
Stettin, over which it passed at a
height of 5000 feet In the direction of
the sea.
TWO DROWNED QUICKLY
Tugs followed in its track, and one
OF them, which had outdistanced the
others, was almost directly under it
when suddenly the balloon fell into the
sea. The tug steamed to the spot
quickly. but the work of rescue was
difficult. Already Del Brueck and
Benduhn had disappeared, but Som
the ropes and were dragged aboard
the tug
Describing their terrible experience,
Herr Sommelhardt, when he had been
somewhat revived. said:
Our collision with the telegraph
lines and the factory roof had the most
horrible consequences. Del BrueclZ
Sustained a broken leg and a severe
injury of the head. Benduhhn had an
arm and leg fractured. Helm received
bad contusions of the head. I was
knocked senseless, but recovered in a
moment to find had a crushed knee.
Half the ropes around the envelope
were torn In such a manner that we
feared every moment that the gas bag
would slip out and that we would
crash to the earth from a height of
5000 feet, to which we had ascended
like a flash.
"Del Brueck, in spite of his awful
condition, vainly endeaVored to open
the valve, the cord of which had be-
come entangled.
1--WE knew not what to do, but mere
ly awaited our fate. In the meantime
we passed over Swinemunde at a great
altitude and soon found ourselves above
the sea. We thought possibly that we
might land in Sweden, but the balloon
was caught in a rain cloud which
drove us down until we were within
$50 feet of the water. Del Brueck was
suffering agony, but he succeeded in
pulling the rip cord and we fell into
the water like a log. All managed to
get clear of the basket. I. with Helm,
swan and caught hold of the network.
but Del Brueck and Benduhn sank. I
remembered no more until found my
self in the boat which rescued us"
Helm died soon after being taken on
the tug and Del Brueck's body came
ashore this evening.