The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-10-09
FLYING DUTCHMAN
WINS THE RACE
German Balloon Berlin II Travered
4ss Miles and Takes the James
Gordon Bennett
Trophy.
FELL IN WILDERNESS
Took Whole Day for the Men to
Reach Telegraph Station and
Announce Their SAFE
Drop.

KANSAS CITY, Mo-, Oct. s.--In
winning the James Gordon Bennett
trophy in the international balloon.
race which started from this city
Thursday Lieut.. Hans Gericke, pilot
Of the Berlin II, was lost to the
world for the third time.
After all the other entries in the
race had been heard from, a tele-
gram was sent by the Aero Club OF
Kansas City to Fred G. Ainsworth,.
adiutant general of the United States
army, asking that all life saving sta.
tions, signal corps and others in the
government service in the great
lakes region be requested to look for
the German balloon and to give as
sistance to its occupants when found.
Shortly after this telegram was
sent a message was received from
Lieut. Gericke telling of his landing
at Ladysmith. Wis. at o'clock Sat-
urday morning. He had travelled 468
miles
Gericke and his aide, F. o. bunker.
who came from Germany, with the
pilot, landed in wilderness uniniur-
ed, but were unable to reach tele-
graph station before midnight
4 Lieut.. Gericke was also given up
as lost last year in the International
race which started from st. Louis. In
the German balloon Dusseldorf III.
he was in the air forty-two hours,
travelling 1,100 miles and landing in
j the wilderness of Canada, from
which he and his aide emerged FOUR
days later. after a thrilling adventure
and narrow escape from starva.
ton
Gerickes second time to be given
UP for lost was last summer when
he went up from Berlin in the Ger
man elimination race. He drifted out
over the North Sea. He was sighted
in England, but was again lost from
view over the North Sea. He finally
] landed in France.
The nearest rival of the German
balloon in this years race was the
i Buckeye, piloted by Lieut., Frank n.
Lahm of the United States Army. 1t
landed near La Crosse, Wis, $40
miles from Kansas City,
Lieut.. Lahm and his aid, j. H.
Wade, landed in a swamp, suffering
4 greatly from the cold, having encoun-
tered severe storm, after having
passed over Chicago and drifted out
over Lake Michigan. They met a
southwark current which completely
changed their course. They tried to
rise above this, but succeeded only In
finding a current which carried them
westward. They were both worn out
and exhausted with their nine-hour
1 vigil and decided to land,
E. r. Hunnewell, who went up as
aid to Arthur T. Athholt, pilot of the
i Pennsylvania, returned to Kansas
4 City last night. He says that when
they decided to come down their
valve failed to work and they resort
4 ed to the ripcord at a height of g.
coo feet. The balloon fell like rock
4 ct and hit the ground with terrific
force
In winning this years race Gericke
has taken the Bennett cup from
America, into whose possession it
would have permanently fallen If
this country had been victorious.
American had won the championship
for two successive years and VIC
tory this year would have ended this
International series The next race
will be held in Germany.