The Marshall republican., 1913-02-14
Terrible Experience In a Balloon

- AHH
Augustus Post, writing the expert
ences of-an Airman,' in the February
American Magazine, tells the. follow
ing story OF a thrilling adventure he
had in a balloon during a thunder
storm:
After supper was over and our
things slowed away. we noticed what
seemed TO be occasional flashes o. |
h~eat-lishtning far off on the horizon, |
but we thought little of 1t. Soon
these became frequent. and we saw
that a storm was gathering. but. as
II was far to one side of the direction
in which we were going we thought 1t
would pass around us. However. We
began TO hear the rumble of thunder
and knew that the tempest was near
ing. The air grew chill, and before
we could realize what was happening
the balloon, pitching and swaying.
was sucked into a mighty vortex
where midst the ~deafening roar of the
thunder and the lightning's vivid
! glare surging and swinging and spin
ming around aud around. the balloon
shot right up to the very heart OF
a cyclone. Every flash of lightning
blinded us and each clap of thunder
felt like the blow OF a mighty ham
mer on the side OF the ear. We had
70 hold TO the edge of the basket to
leeep f%ror-tnine hurled out. The hal
icon bouncing and tossing rose and
fell thousands or feet with frightful
rapidity in the vhirr Of the msels-
from.
1--WE rose Thirteen thousand feet.A
over two miles, then east ogt ball
asst to try to,rids b6Ge Che storm
ttut II waS impb3sibfc. we fosrall con
J troll of.thoi extraordinarily 50 amen
t9AlG t9ogpdaeesy was poSalibeso
chip In the gorge OF Niagara. It's. up-
ward PUSHES were like those OF o roc
ket, through y darkness black IA ink,
changing now and again TO q binding
glare as the lightning, more vivid
than we had ever seen. turned night
into n strange and lurld day. For
wo were not watching the lightning
rom aiar. rs one does on tho earth.
whore It IL like n light q through
a window-wc were inside OF It, en-
v%eloped In its binding glow.
/, Through u rift In the clouds We
caught sight OF the earth Tar below.
aud saw that We were dashing down.
r ward With such violence that IL seem.
ed as IL the ground were rushing al
ut us. We saw too that the basket
was going to strike. Just as the
shock came we pulled the valye-rope.
and the huge balloon started on .
mad dash across the fields, dragglnr
Us with terrific speed after Il.
: ctaWlcd out into the cencontratlnQ
Iing AT the risk OF falling out on IN,
I around or OF getting my legs caught
= under the basket Grasping the rip
! cord. I pulled Il with all my hight
J II slipped through my fingers. ant
tore of a ring I was wearing, taklui
the flesh With H.. Just then my com
pGnion. Mr.. Harmon, nearly fell out
and pulling him In we crouched n
: the bottom OF the basket.
"The balloon dashed on. crasLlng
A., right through two b~arbed-wire fences
2, tearing down two telegraph line
smashing a telephone-pole to splin.
tiers. bounding on into patch OF woods
over a farmhouse, and landing In q
corn-field fully two miles from where
Il first struck the ground.
/, I'VE made up II minds then ant
there that the next time we were In .
balloon and saw a cyclone coming
, we would come down.
There Is an interesting sequal tC
this adventure. which shows that the
unexpected sometimes happens, ant
; that some OF the Arabian Nights
Tales may he founded on fact. Some
time afterwards Mr.. Harmon .recely,
ed a letter from the farmer who lived
, near where this occurred, saying thai
while blowing in his field he had
found n ring. and asking II we had
either OF us lost ne. We told him
that n Of us had, he Sent It on. and
so ! have my seal-ring again as a uni,
que souvenir of this experience"