The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-07-17
Aviator Fell Into the Ocean and Was
Able to Swim to Land With
tho Aid Of
Log.
JP IN A BALLOON
FIoated Around In the Air All After
noon and Evening and Then
Had to Abandon

ASBURY PARK, N. j., July IA
man In dripping clothes was found on /
the sand at Deal, just out of reach of
the breakers at o'clock yesterday
morning. He was lying face down and
appeared exhausted and in a partly
unconscious condition James De For.
est. trainer of Pal Moore and other
lighters, discovered the man. De For
est and William Clark gave the man
first aid treatment and revived him
He said he was A. ]. Roberts, an Eng
lish aeronaut and that he had dropped
from a balloon a mile off shore and
had swum in with the help of log
He was carried to the Casino and la.
ter told the story Of the balloon trip
and it's ending
/ He started from New York about
/ II o'clock Saturday morning, he said,
in flight to Philadelphia The news
papers had been informed of the pro
/ iected flight and had been told it
would take place Saturday afternoon.
When reporters got to the starting
place, however, they were told that
the Englishman, despite the announce
ments, had climbed into his airship
and had sailed away in the morning
1 There was good deal of haziness
about the means employed for inflat-
ing the gas bag and it was finally de-
4 cided that compressed air had been
the lifting medium.
1t was an exciting trip as Roberts
pictured it. He had been in the air
only few minutes when the air cur
rents went wrong and he descended,
but said he was unfamiliar with the
vicinity of New York and could not
tell where the place was. After few
minutes he got away again, ran into
more favorable currents. and sailed
all the afternoon and the early part
of the evening,
AS near as he could come to the
, hour. it was around 8 o'clock at night
when he heard roaring sound be
: low him and found himself over the
r open seas. He tried to make for shore
e but there was a stiff northwest breeze
e blowing, and against this he coulo
e make no headway He threw out bal
e last and rose considerably, but fount
e the wind still stronger up there.
o The jockeying off the Jersey coas
consumed close to two hours, Roberts
g said 1t was terminated by the skip
q ming of the engine because it was no
y getting gas enough. Roberts took of
Q his shoes and a part of his clothinl
4 and pulled the rip cord. He was CLOS
! To the water when he dropped an
a succeeded in getting out of the way 0
= the gas bag as it settled on the water
Roberts was born in New zealano
> he saws, and is an experienced swim
: mer. but he had not been in the WE
/. fer more than fifteen minutes befor
q. he felt himself getting numb. He ma
4 nresence of mind enough to catch hol
!. Eof a floating log about Is feet Ions
: and then he said he did not remembe
= ANYTHING more until he was revive
= at the Deal Casino. He offered Sl,oo
i reward for the recovery OF MS nalloo
end fishermen worked hard all day I
qet hold of it. They did not find It,
- Roherts SAYS his balloon was II
70 feet long, with diameter of 20 Tee
y and was equipped with forty hors
is mower motor. He says he is membt
Up of the Royal Aero Club OF Great BIT
n, ain and that he has flown an aer
IN nlane. as well as various sorts OF be
,.s ue ia thirty-two years old.
at No one on the course from ne
Id york to Asbury Park has report'
II having seen balloon passing ov'
ed him Saturday.