The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-10-10
GIVEN A SHAKING
HaiIeonists Have an Exciting
Start in Topeka.
Basket Drags Through Trees
and Hits House.
NO ONE Is HURT.
Great Excitement Among Spec
tators at Westlawn.
Air Men Lcza Hats and Part OF
Ballast.

Five men in the balloon TOpeka IL
crouched in the basket at noon today
momentarily expecting to be dashed TO
the earth. They were dragged through
the tops of trees near WestIawn park
and then crashed against the roof of a
house. Bags of ballast were torn from
their fastenings and the big drag rope.
600 feet long, fell in a gigantic coil to
the ground. One end was fastened to
the basket and it uneoi1ed like Il
gigantic snake as the balloon assembled.
Women screamed and men stood in
silent awe, expecting the occupants of
the basket to be thrown out, but all
kept their places and the big gas bag,
lightened shot hundreds of feet into
the air and was carried north by a a5
mile wind which blew from the south.
Damage Was small.
The balloon and its occupants seem
ed to take the incident as a part of
the flight In three minutes the big
bag was far to the north and only II
bright sphere could be seen in tho
hazy sky
After the excitement at West1awn
park had subsidized it was found that
the damage was small The noise of
the big drag rope humping over the
house tops and the crash of the few
shingles on the house owned by j. Y.
Niles at l037 Arch street. augmented
by the yells of the crowd had created
a sensational scene.
On the ground around the Niles nome
were found the hats of three of the
members of the air derby party. Two
sacks of sand were sprinkled over the
roof. few shingles torn off here and
there and the ripping of ridge board
constituted the damage done to the
house.
Frank NJ Jacobs the registered pilot
of the Topeka II who did not make the
flight today stood on the grounds and
laughed until he had to sit down for
relief
There was positively no danger in
the ascent" said Jacobs. Unless the
passengers of the basket had been
hanging far out on the edge they could
not have been dumped to the ground
No one was hurt and after they had
cleared the hOusetOps and trees the
flight was perfect Those are the little
things that make balloon flying inter
esting. Without a little jerking now
and then and q sensation to shake TIL
basket of the balloon, a fight would
be without its thrills.
But say, did you see the look on thu
faces of those fellows-man. mani.
And Pilot Jacobs sat down on the
ground and roared.
The cause of the freak ascension of
the Topeka II and her actions in sway
ing her basket full of passengers
around in midair like d tail of a kite
is laid to what is known as local air
currents. The prevailing wind was di-
rectly from the south, but just as the
big balloon was released the swirling
local current carried it to the west
against the trees and the house on the
west side of the park.
When the basket hit these trees it
tipped. allowing the sand bags to be-
come released from their fastenings-
at least two of them. The small cord
holding the 500 foot yrail rope in a ball
was torn and this rope fell to the
ground, trailing over the roofs of near
by houses as it sped on its way to the
north.
All foreign balloonists allow their
drag ropes to hang to the earth in the>1
flights. There was no special disad-
vantage to this feature.
The balloon was occupied by VIII
liam j. Leighty. who acted as pilot
A. w Whiteford, B. w. Benedict, r.
F. Whalen and Jim Johnson. Mr..
Whiteford is from Pittsburg, Pa.
Leighty. Benedict and Whalen are To-
peka Santa Fe men. johnson is chef
at the Country club.
Lands Near Valley Falls.
Valley Falls, Oct. 10-The balloon
Topeka II landed safely three miles
northeast of this place.