The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-07-23
AVIATOR CARRIED OUT TO SEA
BY A RUNAWAY BALLOON
A THRILLING EXPERIENCE
Gust Of Wind Tears Rudderless Diri-
gible From Hands Of Men Holding
1t, and Youth Has Narrow Escape
Rescued, Nearly Exhausted, At
ter Jumping Into Sea.
ter Jumping Into Sea.

After hair-raising flight in run
away dirigibie balloon over a section
of New York city and Long Island
sound, Frank M. Gay, an aviator who
has just turned his majority, was res.
cued from the waters of the sound by
a motorboat just as he was about to
sink, exhausted by his twenty-five
minute struggle to keep himself
af1oat.
The dirigible in which Gay made
his adventurous trip was a new one,
and the youthful flyer was making
experiments with 1t on the New Jer-
sey side of the Hudson when a strong
gust of wind blew the ropes from the
hands Of the five men who were hold
ing it. Released, the balloon shot
upward and drifted toward the ocean.
no one paying any attention to IT.
until Gay succeeded in bringing his
craft down near the ground while
passing over the golf links on the
Howard Gould estate,
Several Of the employees Of the
place were on the golf links at the
time, and their interest in the strange
craft was doubled when they heard
the man on the framework shout:
"Come on out to sea and get me in
boat"
The men in the party jumped into
two motorboats and gave chase to the
fleeing air craft. They succeeded in
locating Gay and rescuing him just
as he was about to succumb to ex-
haustion.
The dirigible consisted of gas
bag sixty feet long, containing 1000
cubic feet Of gas, to which was sus-
pended by cords light framework Of
bamboo, fifteen feet long. 1t was
without engine, rudder or propeller.
Gay had planned to use the cigar
shaped dirigible in exhibition races.
On the afternoon Of his unexpected
flight he had gone over the cliffs to
make some tests to see what amount
Of ballast was needed to equal the
weight of motor. The big gas bag
was caught in a sudden gust of wind,
hurting to the ground the men who
were holding 1t with ropes, and the
balloon shot over the bluffs.
At first the suction Of the air drew
the balloon down to the tree tops and
the roofs of houses. Gay, desirous
of saving the balloon, threw out some
ballast. Then the craft began to rise
like shot and to make beeline for
Long Island sound. AS he passed
over New York city the heated air
caused rise still further until, he as
serts, he must have reached height
Of 10000 feet.
Then the balloon began to settle
and Gay had to let out gas. With the
craft going at a rate Of about forty
miles an hour and the framework
fitting and spinning, Gay declares he
had his hands full and failed to real
ize his predicament until he neared
the Gould estate on Sands Point.
There he called for help.
The balloon soon dropped after
passing the golf links and shot into
the water with a splash. Then 1T
arose to a height Of fifty feet and
dropped again with great speed. Al
ter this happened fifteen times or
more, Gay declares, he made up his
mind it. was case of being drowned
or letting the balloon 60. and he cut
loose, dropping into the sea. He
swan for twenty-five minutes with
the bamboo frame before rescuers
arrived. Gay is twenty-one years OF
age, native of Newark, o., and has
been in the flying business five years.