New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-09
pitts6eld Contest Capt
ured by Philadelphia
AerOnautS.
AIRCRAFT ASCEND TO
HEIGHT OF $4,000 RI
Tribune Man. in Pilot Car, DC
scribes This Wonderful
Sight.

titudes varying Ito" ,.. Gazing
test kent Berkshire County gah,s
heavenward for alihos'
this afternoon. ho o,-
Those among the inhabitants VINO az
+.untad 10 relieve the strain on the,i
spinal columns for rev seSo"..
dronned their eyes to earth, oniy 70
h.hnfd s,reaks Of dust along the nigh-
wsvs indicating the progress OF lor.!
.ntomobilists. as they lodged aoou.
through the Berkshire HIS, IN pursue
of the drifting aircraft. e ,hs
IL was a great race, IN Spl'c VI
failure of two balloons TO aIrNc ~
time for the ascent. ne r. hai' L.
Higgins cup. for the balloon In" Wnis
80. won hv Robert Golden aud Siohe!
Welsh 81 Philadelphia. Their craI''
No I;Erureuil. came 20 rest near Oum'-
u,;ncton Mass. only one-thrd OF mile
froT where the Dancing Doll mad Ianu-
A ton minutes earlier. Alan h. raw
Low and George Won Utassy, OF New
Ncrl were second. They landed apouo
vile swav. while the third competing
t.sm Dr. Jerome kingsbury, OF New
YorI and William II. Richardson o.
BrattIeboro, VT. brought up IN
meadow five miles distant. g.
The winner Of the cup given ny Cort-
lsndt Field Bishop for the automoolIe
reaching the Dancing Doll hfst WSs
Roy Bridge. Of Pittsheld, accompan,eu
~. Peacock. Bridge drove ms
urnmohiie 70 within thirty feet oil the
biy Gas bag as it lay expiring IN
Gstle clearing surrounded by the gor,
eeous Berkshire woods. lie srrlNeu
Two minutes after the balloon toucheo
earth. ,,. E;eld
R;,bon. forty cars were lined up when
the balloons left the aero PARK just
after 1890 o'clock this afternoon
Mr. Bishop's big car dashed about
over the hills and through the cross
roa6s all the time the balloons VIZ
On high. He advised or direeteo wv
contestants. his knowledge OF aero
rautics being Of great service III SGs
casting means of outwlttlng the aeiia'
opponents. &c NOS
.ihle IN the hope that the missing pal
Ioors would turn up. But the dey wa
an Doll one. barring the lack OF wlno'
and At noon il was decided 10 sehu lhe
Balloon. which were ready into the an
Correspondent with Pilot.
r.. writer of this article accom-
named A. Leo Stevens IN the pilol
fslloon. We slipped away, lightly as
leather. At exactly l2:35.
The neonle cheered and hundreds OF
eutonobile horns hOnked farewell
FOR six miles along the road the cars
uere lined up. The housetops OF rus
te1d were alive with spectators Gnu
Directly under our basket the remaining
balloons rugged at the sandoags tha'
we're holding them. ....
II is hard to do justice TO the picture
The huge hollow square OF peopie "aV-
ing hats and handkerchleis' tne cars
lied with gayly dressed motorists
"a "a far as the eye could see IN
every direction the wonderful gold ana
% ne autumn as il rested on the
soliage of Berkshire Hills.
One bv one the balloons lett Inc
,srth until they formed gigantic SET
or stems far up into the blue "lhree
tbou.and feet" said the paragraph /,
THE din was fainter. The feecy CLOUDS
a,iftine lazily through the sunlight
yeemed coming down 10 meet US. SIC
vens scooped up a handful of sand and 1
,et IL filter through his fingers over
-be side. The balloon shot higher. we
h,d ONLY three bags of ballast and our
only hone Of remaining up until the
znpojnted hours o'clock-lay IN
reaching q high altitude quickly and
maintaining II.
sFar. far below the roads. like miles
u9 white tape. stretched away until
they vanished into nothing. The SILVER
ribbons We call rivers wound along
with delightful carelessness. Inc
hills were gone and the whole world
sd become beautifully varlegated
CARPET. And. above all, there was the
intense silence through which we were
sailing. Words were as pistol shots
the creak Of the wicker basket IKE
snusketry fire.
What The Scout Sees.
So much for the Joys Of the flight.
had zone up there to observe care
tnlly the altitude at which one loses
tho poyer 10 discern what happens on
the earth. Experts, commenting on
.erial work in the war, have varied
widely in their opinions, As we passed
he 6,5OO-foot mark, which is conceded
10 he out of cannon or rife range.
cooked through binocular. But IT was
unnecessary. Clearly and distinctly,
with the naked eye, one could see auto
n obiles crawling along the roads.
Small buildings stood out plainly
against the green Of the farms. With
the glasses il was easy to make out
people as they stood about their door
yards. gazing up at us.
At 500 feet We were bccaim"d. and
for forty minutes We hung mot'onless
IN ore spot. There was a faint blue
haze creeping over from Mount Grey
lock. hut even then II would have beer
impossible for trio % horsemen or a
COMPANY OF infantry 20 escape our no
ace.
fhe stslemeu. made by some So
called authorities that military Obser-
vations from aircraft Al 5000 feet are
worthless : the widest sort Of TO-
nance. am positive that. with the
use o. glasses. the movements Of
troops could be reported in detail from
observations taken al height of l5-
100 feet. This, of course. would not
mold on cloudy day, for the craft
would then be far above the clouds.
Armies Need Aircraft
For more than an hour ! tried all
sorts Of tests. observing objects and
ife near and far from where We
Noated The results were all alike, 100
much so TO go into detail. The army
aoing into battle without aircraft is
beaten before the night. Airships eau
he considered in no light save that Of
necessities.
The wind freshened bit and a cold
current broke upon us. The car shot
down at the rate of 500 feet minute.
stevens WAS throwing over ballast rap
idly, but the contraction of gas caused
br the cold blast kept US descending.
Finally. At 1000 feet, strong cur
rert caught us and we were waited to
tho cast OF fifteen-mile wind
stevens glanced az his watch. Il
ras Grc rninl1fex of three rhn nfher