Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1918-05-24
Twelve Observers in One Day
Trust to Parachutes in
Leaps for Life.
PERIL IN BURNING GAS BAGS
Flames Likely to Overtake the De-
scendng Observers-Many Mar
row Escapes From Death-One
Relates Experiences.

Behind the British Lines In France.
| ton balloons when attacked by Ger
man airplanes were described by OBJ
servers of the British Royal Flying
! corps to an Associated Press CORE
| spOndent when he visited one of their
camps behind the lines few days ago.
A balloon ascent at the front is new
er light undertaking. and on one day
recently when the correspondent Wis
tied station in n fairly inactive part
Of the line six balloons containing II
men were shot down by German air
planes, all within sight of one another.
One Of the II officers who were COM
PEELED TO reach terra firma by the para
chute route told the story of his trip.
'We were perched at $500 feet" he
said. sand had been up only half an
hour when a column Of smoke two
| miles southwark attracted our notice.
There goes No 16" said my observer.
1.-Two white flecks floating earthward
| told us that the two passengers of the
balloon had got clear in time. Just
then two similar specks appeared sud-
denly from under. another balloon
warning us that the BOche was out for
a wholesale killing this time. Six
more white specks now appeared, and,
since II was evident that the entire
line was being attacked. l gave the
order to haul down.
-
AT 1000 feet. l ordered the winch
stopped. No more balloons had been at-
tackled, and although ours was now
the only one up. / could see British
fighting planes ascending from the air
dromes behind us to chase away the
enemy. So l decided to venture up
again. We assembled to 5000 feet this
time, and soon were at work again.
"Then suddenly something happen
ed. 1t happened swiftly as in dream.
We didn't even see the German Alba
trOsS approaching. but our ground off,
Ger and his scouts gave us the alarm
just second or two before the hawk
was on us. l heard my observer, at
the telephone, say suddenly. What's
that? Stand by, Good Heavens =
Then he turned calmly to me and said
with smile, Sorry old man. we must
get out at once He helped me over
the side first.
II dropped and heard 'wumph' as
the parachute left its case. This was
the last sensation / attempted to ana
lyze as l fell like stone for 300 feet.
l saw the balloon shoot violently up-
ward, and then my view was blotted
out by large white umbrella which
suddenly appeared above my head, and
l realized that the parachute had open
ed. / didn't look down, as l felt my
body swaying easily in the breeze. The
roar above told me that the Albatross
had done its work and the balloon WIS
afire. You cannot, of course, maneuver
a parachute. and there is always the
possibility of the burning balloon over
taking you and burning your only
means of escape.
But before / reached the ground
saw far in front the AlbatrOsS crash
ing to earth minus wing. She had
been hit by cluster of antiaircraft
shells.
"The next thing I knew was that
wa lying in the middle of a plowed
field, while short distance off l saw
my observer coming across toward
me-"
All IL of the officers of the wrecked