The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-10-09
BERLIN WINS BALLOON RACE
HANS GERICkE, THE GERMAN
ENTR ANT, COVERS $50 MILES.

ENTRANT, COVEWS 900 MILES.
-\iighted without Mishap Seven Miles
From Heioomhe. Wts.. on saturday
News Delayed BY nemoteuess of
LandtnG Spot-LAhm's o Balloon second
KANSAS CITY. Dot. s.-The balloon
Berlin H.. representing Germany and
piloted by Hans 0erioke. who finished
second in tho international race last
year. won tho international balloon classic
started from Kansas City by covering
distance Of 40 miles.
The balloon Berlin II. landed seven
miles northeast Of Holcombe. Wis. with
out any mishap at o'clock Saturday
morning. but the news was not received
BY tho Kansas City Aero Club until mes
! sage arrived from Gericke shortly before
2 o'clock this morning.
Gerioke's telegram said he had landed
ina wilderness. He had difficulty In send-
Ing the news Of his trip. owing TO the
remote spot where he and his aid landed
and to his inability to speak the English
language and make himself understood
to the natives.
Gericke travelled approximately ninety
/ Ave miles further than his nearest COM
| petitor. Lieut.. F. P. Lahm. Americas
representative. In the balloon Buckeye.
which landed at Millston. Wis. 3oS miles
from Kansas City, whence the balloons
started at dusk last Thursday evening.
The country where the German aero
nauts landed is the district made famous
by the battles Of the outlaw OF Cameron
I nnv Irk Snt- hat L.
sufficient to explain that had the Germans
waited much longer before descending
they might have starved to death in the
wilderness. for It il the widest part Of
Wisconsin. Holcombe Ia hamlet Of 100
people. Had the bslloonists landed
ten miles further west they would have
been In q part Of the State never reached
except by deer hunters.
The German balloon was once near the
Canadian line. az nearly as the aeronauts
can judge. but was driven back over the
desolate Minnesota iron ranges and cut
over pine land of Wisconsin
The gas was becoming exhausted and
the aeronauts decided to descend in the
first spot they could find that seemed to
promise q chance Of reaching civilization
The balloon was finally landed in a plain
Of pine barrens. cut over pine forest land
and the aeronauts after debating the
! balloon started to walk through ths
jungle to Holcombe.
Before landing Lieut.. Geridke hae
taken the direction OF Holcomb. which
he had seen earlier. and then ran a COM
pass line from the spot Of his landing t.
the town. The underground was so thicl
that he and his assistant had to prac
! tically hack their way with axes the en-
tire distance. 1t was not until they wer'
! a mile from the village that they fount
, the first road. They reached here lat
last night and then prepared to return
for the balloon to-day. The village hunter
; knew of trails and roads which made !
possible for a wagon to bring in the gas
bag. and tonight II Is in the railroad sta
ton waiting for shipment tomorrow.
1 They got a telegram at the Aero Clu
. Of America yesterday morning whic
said that Lieut.. Hans Gericke. with hi
2 German balloon. the Berlin H.. ha
8 landed at Holcombe. Chippewa county
: in the northern part OF Wisconsin. OF
: Saturday after covering a distance G
: $50 klometers in his race for the inter
/ national cup Gerickes $ wherea bouts ha
= been worrying the balloon fans. as wor
had been received from every othe
!. balloonist.
Every one in the clubhouse got ou
2 pencils and there was a crowd aroun
the map in a moment. After lot o
figuring and poring Alan r. Hawley. VIII
won last years balloon race after man
, | l.,o hxx-,fh A,,r
tus Post, Strengthened up and announce
= that we would have TO hand the victor
I to the Germans.
According to the map they figured tina
the German balloonist was too modes
: in his figuring; $50 kilometers is 464'
miles. but the measurements done by tn
q club folk on the map gave the Lieutenan
I nearer 400 miles.
@ But he won the race even at his owl
figures. for his nearest competitor wa
:, Lieut. F. p. Lahm, who dropped down il
his Buckeye at Millston. Wis. 3e5 mile
v from Kansas City.
Everybody who had ever had anythin
to do with balloons felt the keenest sor
!, Of interest in the international race thi
I year. for il the Americans had won tn
J.. Aero Club Of America would have keE
8 the trophy. This Is the second victor
. for the Germans. against three for tn
- Americans. since Lieut.. Lahm won
d Paris in 1904 The club sent a telegraI
e of congratulaton to Gericke at Holcomb,
g MIR. Hawley said last night that ever
u bit Of credit for winning the race shoul
q go to the German. He had bad tri
through a heavy storm that made tn
years race one Of the most trying eve
held. and I am sure that all America
p balloonists agree that he won ver
pluckily Gericke has always been
= dangerous competitor in the interna ton
II races. The Germans have this advantaG
W over Americans. particularly those Of ,
d that have to fly near the coast, that the
n are up getting experience pretty near
# all the time. while with us it is only occI
sonaly that we can make ascents. La
o year when l came down In Canada wit
e Mr.. Post and was able to get to telegrar
>, !. Office found that it was Gericke who WI
my nea rest rival and who had been pushir
me all the way. He was only fifty mile
g behind me when he had to come down"
d Hans Gericke has been in nearly all
~ the international races. Last year
,r went 1927 miles in his Dusseldorf II