The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-18
TO SEEK
MISSING BALLOON
Two Giant De Hayilands Start
for the Adirondacks Early
This Morning.
NO TRACE OF NAVAL MEN
Probably Deep in Sn0wbound
Canadian Vilds, Opinion
Of Experts.
NO TRACE OF NAVAL MEN

Two army planes of the De Haviland
type, with powerful engines and a
great wing spread. will leave Mitchell
Field, Long Island, at Z o'clock this
morning to search the snowbound Ad-
irondacks for trace Of the missing
naval balloonists who left Rockaway
Air Station Monday.
Arrangements for the air search
were made yesterday with the army
authorities This was after thirty-six
hours Of wireless signalling had failed
to bring response from any Of the
official or amateur stations of northern
New York or the Canadian border that
the gale swept balloon had been sighted
anywhere along its course.
report that an exhausted carrier
pigeon that might have been one OF the
four carried with the balloon had
dropped near a farmhouse near Parish
vile. ST. Lawrence county, Tuesday
afternoon, was regarded as SO impor-
tant that a naval officer was despatched
from Watertown to investigate.
Opinion at the Rockaway station after
a description of the bird had been re-
ceived was against the likelihood of its
being one of the naval pigeons. The
despatch stated that there was a scar
on the left foot from which an identi-
fication tag might have been torn. The
Rockaway officers said stamped bands
are put about the left leg of naval car
rier pigeons when they are very young
and could be removed only with tho
leg itself.
The De Haviland planes will be pilot
cd by Lieutenants Lucas V. Bau and
George c. Mcdonald. They will make
Albany their headquarters. returning
there nightly. They will be able to
cover 400 to 500 miles of territory easily
every day.
All yesterday the Rockaway wireless
kept sending messages TO others in the
broad sweep of territory north and
northwest Of New York city az far as
the Hudson Pay region In Canada. No
word cnme through the air. however,
that the balloon had been sighted.
THE most likely thing that has hap
pened In that they drifted far. more
than 200 miles. Up into some Canadian
wilderness. where they are cut off from
civilization" one officer said yesterday.
"One thing is certain. They are out of
the air now. for BY this time the gas
left in the balloon would not be suf-
ficient to keep II UP. They are not
likely to starve to death yet. for they
carried dozen sandwiches, a number
Of bars of chocolate. two vacuum bot
ties OF coffee apiece and some cakes, so
that will last them. IL necessary, for
days yet.
There is always the chance OF some
disaster 20 the balloon, OF course. but
that is most unlikely. for Lieut.. A. l..
Kloor is a very skilled baIloonist. Last
year he made a hight from Rockaway
20 Quebec In a similar balloon and he
has many hours In the air to his credit.
His companions, Lieut.. Walter Hinton,
pilot of the NC-4. and Lieut.. Stephen
A. Farrell. gunnery officer both are as
much at home In the air as men can be.
One pigeon Is still unaccountcd for. and
Il may bring definite word of the land
Ing place. The men were equipped in
the warmest OF fur garments for the
trip. so they are not likely to die from
exposure yet In trying TO find their way
out OF the woods"