The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-01-04
TRAVEL ABOVE EARTH
Landowner MADEL|A
Military Party Made the Trip
From Omaha In Air
HITTING UP HIGH SPOTS
Taking 1t Altogetherthe Journey
Was Very Pleasant, Say
Participants
HITTING UP HIGH SPOTS
From Fridays Daily.

From Fridays Daily.
Madelia, December 2S-The News
publishes this story: Considerable
interest was aroused here yesterday
afternoon when the report reached
town that big balloon had alighted
at the Roman Gappa farm in River
dale. L. E. Lambert was one of the
first to report it, since the balloon
sailed over his head as he was re-
turning in his automobile from a trip
to st. James and he watched it until
it came to earth.
1t later transpired that it was a
military balloon from the station at
Omaha. In the basket were five United
States army balloon men, one officer
and four cadets, men who have been
learning ballooning and will presently
receive commissions in that depart
ment
Made Rough Landing.
The balloon made a rather rough
landing, the anchor catching in wire
fence and tearing it up for distance
and the balloon came to rest on wire
fence, although it was not badly torn.
The basket was quite badly broken by
the force of the blow when it struck
the ground and one or two of the men
were slightly bruised and scratched
in the rough housing they got in
making landing.
Immediately upon alighting, the
men squared up with Mr.. Gappa for
the damage done to his fence and en-
gagged John Colebank to haul the bal
loon to town. 1t was folded up and
packed and by six o'clock the party
and their big gas bag were in town
ready to take the train back to
Omaha. They arranged for a special
stop of Train No. /, and left at mid
night.
Left Omaha At 1915 In Morning.
In an interview with a member of
the party, we were informed that
they left Omaha at 1915 in the
morning, and, favored by good stiff
breeze from the southwest, sailed
briskly along at a height varying from
1000 to 5000 feet and making as high
as seventy miles an hour at times.
They alighted at 3:45, the trip being
exactly five and one-half hours. They
estimated that their average speed of
travelling was sixty miles an hour,
and they were quite confident they
had established a record for the sta
ton.
Most of the training received at the
balloon stations is with captive bal
looms, which are held fast by cables
and lowered at will, and also an i'm,
portant part of their training is par
~ i,,r nj h1.on IF hn
service is engaged, when in actual
warfare, in observation duty wholly,
and is most useful and highly haz
ardous occupation. The cross country
trips, such as the one which brought
the party here yesterday, are under
taken to teach the men how to prop
erly land upon such an occasions as
the balloon breaks loose from it's
moorings. 1t has happened on the
fighting front in France that as many
as twenty of the observation balloons
have been torn from their restraining
cables in single day by a high wind.
In such an emergency it is up to the
man aboard TO see that the balloon is
brought down without wholly destroy
ing it and also if possible to avoid be-
Ing carried 1nIO the ou0ull0S lines anu
both himself and the balloon cap
tured.
Very Pleasant Trip.
The party which landed here re-
ported very pleasant trip, the upper
air being not nearly as cold yesterday
as the ground currents. And since the
balloon always travels with the wind
and practically as fast, the pass
engers are riding in calm air. So
when there is a warm, bright sunlight
they keep very comfortable. When
the balloon is captive and not permit
ted to travel it is a different matter
and the man in the basket frequently
has cold time of it, thought not as
much so as the aviator who is flying
at tremendous speed and creating
breeze of his own.
The balloon crew were all mighty
fine looking, clean young men and
were exceedingly pleasant to meet,
talking enthusiastically of their trip
and their work generally, seeming not
to mind answering. the numberless
questions of the curious.