Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-03-03
LIFE IN OBSERVATION
BALLOON IS THRILLING
1t Is Always Game of Tag
With Death the Other
Fellow In the Game
BY william Philip simms.

/
Then YOU re it.
"Get the Major to tell you about the
time he was carried across the German
lines and back again all in one night, >
said the young lieutenant, as we tuggcd
at the end but the major was too mod
est. He said:
"Oh, all right. I'll tell YOU about il
after dinner tonight" He did not like
to talk about his own exploit though he
mentioned several of his men who had
beeen the heroes Of adventurers in the
clouds. But l did not get to read the
official report of the incident and this
was the story
Shortly after midnight one night the
Major, after carrying out certain ex.
pertinent at about mile high, signalled
that he was ready to come down. The
winch on the big lorry in the road be.
gan to grind and at l2;l7 a. m. the saus.
age was swaying just out of reach OF
the landing squad. Then "by an error
of Judgment as the report puts it,
the winch turned a revolution too far.
The metallic V, where balloon s short
cord was splieed to the wire cable, we'd
ged in the opening leading to the revol.
wing drum, or windlass, and the cable
parted like piece of sewing thread.
With q bound that jerked the basket
this way and that like a ball on the end
of an elastic string, the balloon went
skying.
Up Nearly Three Miles.
At 1921 a. m. the balloon was a mile
high. The Major had not used his para
chute, to which the harness about him
was still attached, because the wind at
o mile and below, was away from the
German lines which ran some two miles
away. Instead he pulled at the valve.
cord to let out gas in the sausage.
Still "valving', to use the vernacular
of the game, the officer, at 1927 a. m.
found himself at above 10000 feet or
about miles above the sarth 1t was
bitter cold and getting colder every in
stant.
At 12:40 a. m. he passed the $4,000
foot mark. Though he had been keep
ing the valve wide open all the time,
the balloon still scared.
How he looked downward. There were
lights below, lights which flared up for
a minute and then went out, great, white
balls of light hanging in the air and il
Eliminating the countryside beneath
them. ia.r.
The Major, in his sausage, was cross
sing the line" He knew in an instant
what had happened. He had risen to
high cross,current of air and was being
swept over the German trenches into
German territory.
1t was too late to jump now. II heI
tried the parachute and landed safely,
it would be only to be taken prisoner
by the nemy.
Could See Nothing.
So cold that his marrow seemed fro
zen, he now set about to tear up his
maps, notes and everything which might
help the Germans. Leaning out of the
basket and peering down he could no
longer see the flares sent up to light
the trenches. The indicator showed
that he was falling now, rather rapidly.
Making sure that he had destroyed
all papers, he waited.
Still falling, the major threw out
some ballast to check the rapid descent,
one faint hope still was left him; he
might be blown across his own lines
again by the air-eurrents nearer the
ground.
So as much as he could be husbandcd |
MS ballast and get his gas, jockeying
the balloon like IN aeronaut in an in.
race, his prize for winning
being his freedom. If he lost, the best !
ne could hope for was prisoner of war
FOR the duration of hostilities There
could be no halfway.
At mile high, the balloon was still
lropping, though slowly. No lights were
visible anywhere. The sky was murky I
Ind there were no stars to serve as
guides. 1t was to be a fight in the dark,
J hit or miss without seeing what he was
loing. The absence Of trench flares
ooked bad. He must have drifted far
behind the German lines.
1t Was English Voices.
After time the faint outlines Of
'ields, houses, trees and haystaeks be-
gan to loom up and presently, with q
'airly hard bump, the basket struck
he earth, bounding up again some 200
eet After few Of these bounds, the
,fficer, calculating the right moment
IS best he could in the dark, pulled the
ip-cord to let out the gas
The rip-cord broke at the point where
t entered the ballooni
Suddenly the balloon came to a halt
ust above the ground. There were
'oices beneath. There was a moment
i suspense then the Major heard in
.ood English
"Lively therel Get onto those ropes,
.ou blighters." A squad of British
'ommies soon had the sausage anchor,
d. 1t had been blown back over the
ines into wide salient occupied by the
English.
The official report, Of course, merely
arratcs the plain facts in plain ay, L
ust as the captain Of fire company /;
would tell how the blaze his men had (,
nut out started. The adventure, this
anne of tag with Death, was ali part
f the day 3 work. So it had to go down
n the records quite as ii it had been a
equisiton to the commissary depart.
lent for another crate OF pork-and.
cans.
The past few days, the Pendlcton