The Topeka state journal., 1911-06-14
AR view OF CITY
Real Way to Appreciate Topeka
is From a salloOn.
State Journal Reporter Tried 1t
and Knows.
STAID NEAR THETOWN
The 'Topeka" Refused to Go
Out of Sight.
An Exciting Landing Made Near
Mission Center.
STAID NEAR THETOWN

sprinkle it around the crumpled mass.
Stand back a few feet, squint your eyes
and look at your handiwork-
It will look much like the city OF
Topeka from a balloon.
With the state house in the center
and the thousands of homes showing
up white in the sunlight sr'finkled here
and there with the green trees, Topeka,
with her area of several miles. LOOKS
like a toy city-from an altitude OF
1000 feet. =.
Last evening the balloon Topeka I,
with Frank NJ. Jacobs as pilot, George
S. Badders and Arthur j. Carruth OF
the state Journal as passengers. left
Westlawn park at b:3o anG. aIter an
hour and a half of floating slowly at an
altitude of from 1000 to 1000 feet, 1t
landed six miles southwest of Topeka
in an alfalfa field owned by w. L. SEQ
field.
From the seeing-Topeka standpoint,
Pilot Jacobs said 1t was the prettiesl
flight he had ever taken. At no time
was the city out of sight, anG the hum
of the street cars, the factory whistles,
the shrieks of the trains ana the monk
of the motor cars could pc olstlncrly
heard even at an altitude of 5000 feet-
The evening was perfect for balloon
ing. Not a leaf stirred and when the
big balloon left its starting point IN
WestIaWn park it shot up into the air
2,5OO, feet before the city limits were
reached. From that time until tne
landing was made six miles away the
gas bag fioated gracefully above tne
CITY while thousands Of suppers re-
mained cooling on the table as the
people watched the balloon from their
porches and yards.
How 1t Feels.
The first question that is asked OF
one who has made balloon ascension
is: t'Iow did it feel?" Well, here is
what Mr.. Carruth says:
The answer is-''It don't feel"
I'll admit that when craWieu
through the little hole into the basket
before the crowd around the big bag
let it loose last evening, l was asking
myself the question, 81 wonder If I'll
be dizzy" And when the struggling
balloon had been. turned loose and
made a squirt for the sky, L looked
down at the rapidly fading crowd be-
low and wondered If there was any
danger connected with an ascension OF
1000 feet into the air.
But it didn't -taket long to forget 1t.
AS soon as the city spEead itself out
in all it's beauty before the occupants
of the hanging basket and the mag
nificent country around began peep
ing up through the trees, all thougnrs
of danger and fear were expelled. The
revelation and the sensation of actu-
ally taking birds eye view of city
and a country was too wonderful to al
low any other sensation to creep in.
You often hear of visitors praising
the beauty of Topeka-tclling Of her
wide streets, her large trees ana her
public and private. buildings. But
person doesn't know the real beauty
of city until he is poised over 1t at
the height of about 2, 900 feet and looks
down at the crawling street cars. the
tiny white houses. the ant-like people
on the streets and the squares fringed
with green.
Everyone will admit that the Kaw
river winding around through the hills
like a snake with the gun rejecting
frCm its waters is beautiful from above.
The country around Topeka, in all the
known shades of green, and the fields
form a more magnificent picture than
anyone may imagine.
That isn't what a person wishes to
know about balloon flight So. tax
ing it for granted that the trip last
evening portrayed to the passengers a
panorama of the beauties of nature. 1
will try to tell few features-a few
mysterious freaks in connection with
ballooping.
No Sense of Motion.
In the first place-while riding in a
balloon you don't have any sense of
motion. You are unable to feel the
motion of the balloon in the air. The
reason is simple. The balloon travels
with the air. Instead of feeling your
basket flying over the country, the
country flies under the basket.
It is like sitting up on a pinnacle
with the earth revolving beneath. And
unless the gas bag is travelling at a
high rate of speed it is impossible to
tell which direction you are going.
Are we moving at all?" asked Bad
ders of Pilot Jacobs after we had lifted
above the city ami Seemed suspended
over Washburn college. rs
"Oh, yes, we are moving slowly"
came back the answer.
Not wishing to ger into any mortal
argument with the piiot-he was the
man who handled the ballast and
watched the gas in the bag above, we
refrained from telling him that we
knew the balloon was not moving. AT
ter he had looked at his statusscope
and his barometer he pointed down be-
low to a section of land near the Santa
Fe- tracks as they turn into Topeka
from the southeast
There crawling along the ground was
dark shadow-it was the shadow OF
the balloon.
to tell how fast and in what direction
the balloon was travelling. Not long
ago they were in a high wind, he said.
and by timing the shadow as 1t passed
the section lines they could tell the
rate of speed the bag was travelling in
the air.
1--WE made mile in 43 seconds few
weeks ago. said Pilot Jacobs.
And when the landing was being
made with the anchor dragging across
the country jerking the balloon at ev-
cry fence and tree, Badders and I
thanked our lucky stars that We were
not travelling a mile in 43 seconds.
Another Questioner has asked if it
was cool up in the air 4.080 feet.
1t is both hot and cool. After we
had been up about 40 minutes Badders
complain cd of it being hot. He was
facing the sun. The pilot solved the
problem. He told Badders to get in
the shade of the basket or of one of the
passengers. He did. In three minutes
the secretary of the Commercial club
was shivering.
In the face Of the sun it is hot hut
in the shade the atmosphere lis cold.