The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-10-09

AOCI lOOkl4S up into the Dag anu
watching the instruments to see if we
were descending. Then I heard the
sound again. I knew in an instant
What It was It was rain beating on
the big bag above u.s. I told Webb
and he gave a sigh of relief.
"A little later / was awakened by a
clap of thunder. This was followed
by more thunder. Then the lightning
began to play around u.s. First a
flash would appear on one side of the
basket and then it would zigzag down
the other side. When the flashes came
an ear-splittng noise-it sounded diff
ferent from the thunder we hear on
the ground.
For an hour the rain and hail
drummed on our balloon and the
lightning and thunder blinded and
deafened us. The water flowed down
the balloon until it reached the ap-
pendix, then it came down on us like
it was flowing from a spout and We
were soaked. After the rain ceased it
grew cold and the water frOze on
our clothes and bodies. It was neces-
sary for US to beat each other over
the backs that we might keep warm.
Our instrume ents We're water logged
and We caught water in our cooking
utensils and instead of throwing over
ballast we would throw out water. At
times the water was ankle deep in the
bottom of our basket"
Above the Clouds.
Finally Pilot Jacobs was able to get
his balloon above the clouds. Here
the moon was shining and both pas
sengerS of the Topeka II say it was
the prettiest sight they had ever seen.
The clouds below them were tossing
and rolling and waving like an ocean
The moon shone on them from above
making them as white as snow. AL
most ghostlike they watched the won
derful working of nature below them.
Meanwhile they were trying to squeeze
the water out of their clothes and re-
vive their instruments.
'sYou should see the eastern star
above the Clouds" said Pilot Jacobs.
1T was shining so brightly that morn
ing that we were not sure that it was
a star. It was SO light in the basket
of the balloon that we were able to
read our instruments without the aid
of our electric flash lights It was
good thing because our lighting system
was out of commission on account OF
the rain and storm
The crew of the Topeka II had a
close escape in landing. Not a close
escape from being injured but from
being rushed through the air attached
to the pilot of a locomotive.
They were drifting at a good rate of
speed going south when they cut the
small ropes holding up the drag rope.
The 600 feet of heavy rope dropped
toward the ground and dragged along
its surface. In a few minutes they
came to a railway track which they
& St Louis. The drag rope
jumped telegraph wires and started
1own the roadbed.
Nearly Caught by Engine.
The crew thought nothing of this
until they heard a whistle far off
across the country. In a few minutes |
hey saw coming down the track an
express train at full speed. Not until |
he train had almost reached them did |
hey realize that their drag rope was
1obbing along the ties in front of the |
Visions Of the rope catchingl
n the pilot of the locomotive and the /
balloon being yanaxed across the coun-
ry like a toy balloon in the hands of |
/ small boy came to Pilot Jacobs.
Reaching out over the basket he
brew out a half sack of ballast. With |
leap the big balloon shot heaven
ward and the smolzestack of the loco
motive barely missed the knot on the
nd of the drag rope.
The engineer leaned far out of his
alb and waved a red handkerchief to |
he balloonists- But he received no
wave in return. The pilot and aide |
we're too busy thinking of other things.
There are a hundred more expert
noes told by the crew that will make
heir grandchildren drop their stick
andy in awe. For instance, when the
alloon was bouncing on the clouds
nd slowly settling as the crew i'm
gined that beneath them angrily
waited Lake Michigan. Then when
hey heard the welcome bark of a dog
nd the crow of a rooster.
And while they were descending
trough the clouds when a small boy
4 a country barnyard first saw huge
nakelike rope. then a basket, then a
as bag-and how he threw off his lit
e cap and coat and ran over chick
ms, stumbled over pigs and dove into
he back door of the house
How the farmers disregarded their
uestions as to their locality and ran
1doors to awaken the family that they
light see the spectacle. How the bas-
ct of the balloon finally touched
round and for three hundred yards
ug a trench in the muddy field as it
ragged under the force of the wind
6Cor+s-n.ed On Pa E.in1,t L