The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-07-28
EIGHT GAS BAGS
FLOATING HIGH.
National Elimination Race Started
Last Evening at Kansas City
Under Most Favorable
Conditions.
HEA 80 FOR CANADA
= Was Blowing Twelve Miles Per
: Hour and Toward Northwest
When the Balloons
Rose.

United Press Leased Wire Service
KANSAS CITY, Mo-, July 27.-With
a crowd of $4,000 persons present, the
balloon contestants In the national
elimination race were sent away from
the river front late this afternoon.
Weather conditions we're ideal. All
the big bags found good strong air
e.-rrent at two hundred feet up. 1t
carried them almost due north at a
speed that promised broken records.
At $40 o'clock Million population bal
loon No. 2 of St. Louis was sent up.
1t took course due north. Earlier
In the afternoon the pilot balloon,
Kansas City Ill went up bearing DR..
diately following the ceremony OF
these two, the balloon crossed the
river and sank rapidly. The basket
struck the ground, rebounded and the
balloon ascended rapidly apparent y
| having been relieved Of ballast. 1t
took northwesterly course.
The pilots and aides who participa-
| ted in the national elimination bal
loon race which started late this aft
ernoon are determined to break worlo
records in distance and endurance
4 The wind was blowing about twelve
miles an hour from the southwest and
| the balloons were sent off to the
northwest with the prospect Of land
4 ing far UP in Canada.
& There were nins balloons in the
race and they all got away with the
exception of st. L.tuis w, which with
in the last few minutes of the start
was discovered to have four large
holes in her and the starter refused
] tr allow her to leave.
4 The first balloon to get away was
the Pilot balloon, Kansas City III
Frank w. Jacobs, pilot, non-contesl-
ant, Kansas City Aero Club. This
was followed at $50 by balloon Mil
lion Population No. 2; Paul McCul
lough, pilot; Lieutenant John Hart
aide Million Population club, of st
Louis; Balloon Uncle Sam, Captain h
3. Honeywell, pilot; Roy F. Donald
: son, aide, Kansas City Aero cIun;
Million Population club No. /, Captain
John Berry, pilot; Albert Won Hoff
man, aide; Million Population club o
st. Louis: Balloon Cole, DR.. L. r
Custer pilot and Andrew Farrell
aide, indianapolis Aero club; Balloon
Drifter. Albert Holtz, pilot; Charles
!. Strantman, aide, Cincinnati Acre
!, club. Balloon Kansas City; No
2, John Watts, pilot; G. e. Quinsberry
aide Kansas City Aero club; balloon
: Good year Captain G. l.. Rumbaught
pilot, R. M. Upson.
!. The last balloon got away at 6.15 r
M They will take northwesterly di
q rection.
q At 6:12 four balloons were sighte'
n at Smithville, Mo, twenty miles from
Il Kansas City, sailing in a northwestei
9 ly direction. Apparently northeast
erly current was struck soon after, TO
\ at $50 p. m. two balloons were sigh
. ed at Dearborn, 25 miles southeast G
r st. Joseph, Mo.
All were sailing northwest and wer
SO high that their names could not b
made out
At 1925 p. m. three balloons wer
Y sighted at st. Joseph, 65 miles frol
Kansas City, all going northeasterly
- At TAO p. m. three passed owe
Clarksdale, Mo, ten miles northeast
st. Joseph. Two of them We're trave
ing northeast and the third eastward
Kansas City III landed at smitl
j vile, Mo-, 20 miles from Kansas Cit
ls at $50 p. m. 1t reached an altitude
N eight thousand feet.