Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-09-14
| THRILLING STORY
-~-=-e---~-
or Shearman's Balloon Trip
Into Maine.
He Had, As an Amateur, About
All That Was Due.
Perfectly Satisfied..No Doubts As
To His Having Qualified.

! hoiu tne record Tor TINS year, al
though someone may beat me out be-
fore the close of the season. re-
marked II. Percy Sherman, the
aeronaut. just before his departure
from Auburn. at II o'clock. Tuesday
| evening.
Mr.. Shearman's landing on the H.
i. Estes farm on the West shore of
Lake Auburn and his removal 10 the
c. NJ. G.. hospital. Lewiston, have
been told already. 1t was expected,
from his exhausted condition, that the
| aeronaut would be unable to leave
the hospital before Wednesday, but
! his condition improved so rapidly In
| the late afternoon that his physician.
| DR.. John Sturgis of Auburn, allowed
him to go about the city
| DR. Sturgis is a member of the Wa
| SEGA club of Auburn and il occurred
! To him that the aeronaut could give
an account of his experiences at the
| entertainment which the club was to
| hold that evening. Very few of the
members knew that Mr. Sherman
| was able to leave his cot and fewer
still knew that he was to address the
club.
But the big living room Of the club
was fiilad by IS o'clock and the num-
hcrs increased as the news spread
! about the city. Club members. only
! We're admitted however The aero
naut was received cordially and he
was escorted later to the railway sta
| ton.
Il was trying to beat the record
| made by Leo Stevens on his flight to
| Canada" said Mr.. Sherman, II ac-
| eempanied Stevens on this trip and
as that was my only entrance into
Canada. so this today is my first en-
rance into Maine. | did not intend
20 stop here, but you see, the spot
! looked so favorable that / could not
resist il. Uaughter)
Il had planned to make the trip
with n companion from Pittsfield
! Mass. but at the last moment he dis
appointed, so / decided to go up
alone 1 left about o'clock or a
quarter before 2 this morning. My
balloon was filled by the gas people at
Pittsfield."
Here the speaker explained to the
| club members the appendix of a bal
/ ipoIt. lildt pCillS lftt pibJtNlioti
| or sleeve at the bottom which allows
/ for the expansion of gas.
Il neglected to pull the appendix
cord and as I left the ground, they
cried to me to pull the cord. thought
everything was all right until | had
! gone up about 1000 feet. when l no.
| ticed that the balloon was swelling and
seemed ready to burst.
There was only one thing TO do, for
when / rugged at the rope frantically 4
/ broke, so | climbed up with the sheath
| knife in my teeth and cut the appendix
! cord. That is the last thing that / re-
member for <some time. | fell into the
basket. fortunately. The escaping gas
had nearly asphyxiated me. suppose.
When l regained my senses 1 ascer-
tanned that I was about 5000 feet above
| the earth. l put the balloon in equiiib-
| rum and. to avoid accidents. / threw out
| some of the sand | had for ballast.
/ found that ] was travelling northeast by
| east | kept well up above the clouds
however.
Il did not see anything of the earth I'M
| til after o'clock. | had been warned
by Leo Stevens 10 keep away from the
sea, for that was what Iwould have tc
fear. For an hour | trailed along ant
| tried to find out where / was.
II called to the farmers. who looked
mp in tile air in surprise. a number oi
times / hollered: Where am /? Wha
i state is this? What town is this?' Blu
could get no answer and l got reail,
sore.
ut reminds me of story Leo Steven
tells me. He was flying one day whei
he hollerea 10 some of the farmers ans
asked Where am T.? and a man replied
/. 'You are up in the air. you d fool
Where do YOU think YOU are?' Qaughter)
:, "But the farmers in this vicinity wer
not so impolite as that. / knew that
; must be in New Hampshire. by the mum
Der of lakes and the general characte
4 of the country over which l was travel
ing I was then going northeast by cas-
, and I realized was nearing the sea.
heard disturbing sounds from the storm
clouds.
, 1T was a magnificent sight whicl
Il saw this morning. ] could see tn
moon and at the same time / coul'
see the sun, a great red ball rising on
} of the midst. 1t seemed to hang Their
: flor gully 10 minutes. | did not see
lagain until / awoke in your hospital
J. Then ! got in the storm clouds and
2 know that I was going toward the sea
/ couldn't see the earth and ii scenes
to be getting stormy. could see wa
tier ahead. but | dared not risk it.
1T was stormy after that and / RAJ
5 into the storm. which proved the un
: ldoing of my trip. The clouds belos
5 Ime were just boiling and seathing.
never heard anything like it before /
llny life. 1t was like the shimmerin
Iof a shroud. That may sound rathe
> lfantastical but it was so wierd tina
. that is the only way / can describe i
81 could see water and by the dee
! lblue knew it was lake and not tn
sea. / tried to land again, but l wa
e lin the center of huge storm cups.
: IcouId see the circulation of air frol
left to right. The edges of the cloud
e Hooked like the edges of roun
e saucer. began TO rise and fe
:. Isiddy. / passed under three forms
tons of air. 1t was interesting, but
IL