Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-06-13
Two Aircraft in Competition
Not Heard From Since
Thursday Night.
OPERATORS ENCOUNTER
HEAVY ELECTRIC STORM
Capt. Berry Found Only Slightly
Hurt in Canyon of the
Cascades.

PORTLAND. Ore, June 13.-Although
every town, settlement and ranch where
there Is telephone or telegraph service
in C1ackamas. Marion, Multnomah and
other counties has been communicated
with and the dense forests and rugged
mountains In Clackamas county have
been combed by forest rangers no au-
thentic reports since Thursday night
have been received Of two of the balloon
parties which left Portland Thursday at
4 o'clock in n long-distance balloon race.
Shortly after their departure the air
craft were caught in terrific thunder
storm and great anxiety prevails. Def
mite knowledge Of the storms treat
ment Of the balloons is confined to a
single case.
Late yesterday carrier pigeon flut-
tered into its cote here. Tied to 1t was
a bit of paper and on it was written
Balloon struck by lightning. Berry
hurt; come quick. MORRISON.
One Balloon Sighted.
Reports from Oregon City early to-
day were that what seems to have
been the Berry balloon million Popu-
lation Club. which later met with dis
aster. was sighted between and pm.
Thursday night, going up Mill creek can
yon. thirty miles southeast of Portland
and in the most desolate part of Clacka-
mas county. The report came from
ranchers Acting thereon, a rescue party
left Portland early today to search the
Milk creek canyon district.
With Capt. Berry in the Million
Population Club when it left Portland
was George Y. Morrison of Portland.
Capt. John Watts, in the Kansas city
III, had Roscoe Fawcett. a spceing
writer, as assistant, and Wilbur Hen
derson of Portland accompanied Roy
Donaldson in the Springfield.
The fourth balloon, Uncle Sam
landed fey hours after the start.
Capt. Berry Rescued.
ST. LOUIS. June ia private tele-
gram has been received here, according
to a local newspaper. stating that Capt.
John Berry and the balloon Million Pop
uIation Club, had been found in a can
yon in the Cascades. and that Berry
was only slightly injured.
Story of Flight Through Storm.
OREGON CITY, Ore. June 13.-Capt.
II. E. Honeywell of St. Louis. pilot of the
balloon Uncle Sam, who arrived in Oregon
City yesterday, after spending the night
at a farmhouse near here, told a graphic
story of his flight through storm with
Dr. W. f. Stewart, after ascending from
Portland.
The ascent was his 195th and the ex-
perience he had in a heavy electrical
storm was the first of it's kind.
After travelling four hours from Port
q "a a IN Ia
foot level and tried to run in between two
storms, which were east and west Of US.
Soon we were In a great vortex, the storm
from the west going southerly and that
from the east going northerly. The
counter current forced US back. Finally
the two storms merged overhead like a
canopy, with lightning playing between
both Of them. We decided to take ad-
vantage of the north drift and back out.
Encounters Bolt of Lightning.
AT this time the first bolt of lightning
struck US. We could feel the shock, for
it vibrated through our bodies like a
current Of electricity from voltage ma
chine. 1t was especially noticeable in
our hatbands, which, of course, were
moist. We trailed, not thinking of any
danger, in a northerly direction and five
minutes later a heavy bolt struck us,
causing fire to fly from the rigging of
the car. The shock passed through our
bodies, terminating In the ground
through our trail rope, which made a
perfect conductor, being west.
I've decided that this was too in
teresting for comfort and concluded to
land, out before a suitable place pre-
scented itself. we were struck again by
a light bolt, causing us to make a hur-
red descent on the Lindsey farm at AS
o'clock.
1--WE came down in peach orchard
just as bolt of lightning struck a
large dead tree within forty yards of
us and set fire to it,