The New York herald., 1921-08-06
BLIMP, RID OFCREW,
GOES ON A JOY RIDE
III. Smallest Lighter Than
Air Craft in Navy, Dumps
3 Then Scars AlOft.
DODGES ALL PURSUERS
Tired After Long Trip. 1t
Makes Perfect Landing on a
Farm at Scarsdale.

The pony blimp HI, the smallest
lighter than air craft in the United
States Navy registry, and mean in
inverse proportion to her size, yester-
day afternoon while flying over Ja-
maica Bay near the Rockaway Naval
Air Station suddenly developed
streak of temperament.
The first result of the HIS tantrum
was that one officer and two men who
had the temerity to try to fly her were
flung into the fragrant marshes Of
Barren Island. The second result was
that everything that floats or flies in
the Third Naval district was ordered
out to grab the runaway blimp, head
ing north, south east or west, or some
where between these points And the
climax came when the blimp. after
establishing a new norman duration
flight record of about fifty miles, gave
some residents of Scarsdale. y. -, an
opportunity to drag her, uninjured out
! Of the sky before any of the navy men
pursuing on sea. air or land could
reach her.
Objected to New Motor.
Lieut.. Charles Bauch. test pilot. T. s.
~. came up from Washington to take
fali out OF the pony blimp HI. and
more particularly e. try out IN the air
a new three cylindA: motor which was
/ to lcl; her through the air. After the
I tiny blimp had absorbed full meal Of
I $1,000 cubic feet OF hydrogen Lieut.
Bauch, l.. A. sullivan, machinist's mate,
first class and p. Z. Kenny. chief avia-
tion riggcr. climbed aboard. They hadn't
gone far up or away from the station
\ when the motor stopped
That was all Bauch wanted to know
about the motor. anyhow. so he threw
the guide rope overheard. Waived a little
OF the $1,000 cubic feet Of hydrogen and
\ let the craft drop downward over Barren
! island. The guide rope trailed along the
+ island but not one of the thirty inhab-
+ itants could catch Il. so. not wishing to
go to sea or to Canada. Bauch Waived
some more gas. The pony blmp came
down suddenly. Her car hit the marshes
i with crash. and Bauch. sullivan and
Kenny unanimously and simultaneously
were bounced out of their seats.
/ When they arose and got the water
and other things out or their eyes the
4 lightened pony blimp wes 5000 feet high
I and getting smaller every minute. y
would seem that Barren Islands per-
vadine atmosphere was more powerful
than hydrogen In speeding the blimp on
its way Kenny, who hit the motor on
his way out Of the car suffered lacera-
tions OF the tendons of the right leg
hut the Others were unhurt. physically
/ speaking.
Even the Cops Got busy.
II was e:t5 when the blimp started
on her own. and not many minutes after
that Lieut.. ". r Eddy and Chief Ma
chinists Mate O'Conneil had cranked up
4 seaplare and started after her. Later
other ships" took the air. but none
could do more than circle around her.
The bilmp pursued tantalizingly
leisurclS course across Long Island. ~
New York naval communications gere
wirelcssitEy u warning O. all ships sua
stations 20 look out for the binp. Polio.
lIcadquartcrs ~as notifying .olicc pre-
cincts TO notify police 70 pinch all stray
ing bIimps on sight Nccks were cranins
o,.eryv'nere and thoughtful druggists
we're raising the price Of liniment ac-
cordlrgly.
Ignoring all thls fuss tine pony blimp
pursued It's course across Long Island
over Flushing Bas. over thc Sound. over
Mount Vernon. ever onward, but for
tunately no; ever upward. AS II reached
rarcr air tho gas within tho envelope
expanded and this brought into auto
matte operation hcr valves. hydrogen
flowed out the blias1 descended. little
by little with intelligence worthy Of a
more ladylike ship. tho blirup picked out
u big farm near thc TuclSahoc line "a
scarsdaie and landed ne lightly a. a
feather. With Il little assistance from
men who grabbed her rope.
Although no navy mon were al hand
wher thr blimp landed Lieut. Grant Car
rcntc~. IN command ~ u fast motor truck
and crew. was within rive miles 81 The
ship after . hard chase from tho Rock.
away station. When the truck reached
the landing place on the farm ~ col.
Alexander - Crane the navy men found
the blimp had beer rorcd thrown and
dcflatcd b. cucer volunteers Tho ~or1i
" loading her aboard the truck was be-
cum q grgp