The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1921-01-28
OFFICER TELLS
OF BALLOON TRIP
Naval Officers Lost to the World
for Twenty-Five Days.
ARE FOUND BY AN INDIAN
Wandered Four Days In the Dense
Woods and Were on Verge OF Death
When Rescued--Thriilina Story Of
Trip Told by an Officer.

Mattice, 0nf.--The three American
naval officers. l.ieuts. Hinton. Farrell
and Kioor. who abandoned their
wrecked balloon near Moose Factory
on the shore OF James bay on Dec.
IL. arrived safely here. The follow
ing story OF the balloon trip OF the
airmcn was told By Lieut. Stephen
Farrell:
Lieut.. Farreli's story OF the Night
and wanderlngs of the trio begins with
the morning hours Ia Rocknway naval
air station an December IL and goes
on TIA, ,ugh the flight, the landing. and
up Il the meeting with the Indian nj
Moose Factory who saved their lives.
at was just an ordinary balloon
bop" Farrell began. lit was for train
Eng. Hinton told me after we left
that the gas In the balloon was ten
days old. stale and Impure.
Hinton called me up al about TWEEN.
" minutes to II tDeccmhcr ia) and
told me ! could come ON flight II
! wanted to. No special orders are
needed. We Just got permission frcm
Commander Cummings OF the post
and Executive Officer Douglas.
Il am senior officer OF the three.
hut Kloor was In command Of the
hight. as be Ii n balloon officer and
am gunnery officer. l. have heen in
aviation for three years aud have
Gown In every kind Of aircraft. We
left ut p. m.
Lsft With Four Pigeons.
~we had four pigeons: we let the
drst one 20 with a message for the
brooklyn navy yard.
Hinton and kioor had heavy un.
derwear and uniforms under their fly.
Eng suits had only the underwear
and the flying suit. had grip with
my uniform and some other things In
a. We had eight sandwiches and two
thermos bottles Of hot coffee. None
u the underwear was electrically
heated.
We expected 10 land next morn.
ting In upper New York state. We had
no maps or charts except railroad
map Of the Canadian Quebec Central
tine. which ! bought. We hnd three
chances 10 land before we did. We did
stap once at Wells. N. Y.
we made fast To tree near q
light. II was In window OF farm
house. A man came along and vi
asked him where We were. He TOLD
IN. but he could not say what big town
gre were near.
kioor Game to Go On.
ave cast loose and went up again
II rnin~d and blew during the night
We could have landed ut Ottawa al
IL y. m. We saw the lights OF bis
city. Bu, kloor IL just a Kid aud h,
was enthusiastic about long flight
W. nil agreed that We ought to do i
decent flight. There had been ralr
from Wells on.
'"rhe wind was north by west. Tina
night II blew hard and rnined. Thers
was no sign Of civilization. Hut VI
thought II would be NIL right in III,
morning. Al daylight we saw only for
ests. The rain had claimed down
There were Tow clouds and fog.
The rain stepped NJ A. M. tDe
r~snher Ia, We aie nil our food dur
Ina The night. We had tho packages
Of cigarettes and one box OF matches
but you cannot smoke In d hydrogei
balloon. We realized We were In ba,
Hti'nt morning"
"a IL n. m. the sun came ont an,
heated up the gas In the balloon
thar makes the gas expand and send
the balloon UP.
we were fighting 10 keep In tn
air. All W. saw IVES trees. lakes, ant
SNOW. II was about I 10 y. m. tina
w. saw a shack Ia the woods, A
beast We thought IL was a shack. w
N~r. ia doubt about this until ",
heard a doc bark.
Il took bearings with the compass
an the shack and the place where, sh'
clog barked. We decided TO land. VI
~er~ In low clouds about 1850 fee
high The wind WAS north by west
she sun had been heating up our hal
and We began TO go NJ. We reaches
Goo feei II takes long time Ia q
from that height.
Make . Bad Landing.
The clouds yer. below us an
shove us. We got down about tw
o'clock. II WIS bad landing aud "
~ere pretty badly shaken up. W
were not hurt or thrown out. hut IA
bsskef was smashed against III
ground.
The balloon caught between N
trees. We had taken The pigeons In,
:. the basket 10 protect them from III
landing. Usuasly they ride la a cas-
tied outside Of the basket. The weati
~ WAS clear and nearly freezing
IAN three Of us stepped out OF N
t,ssket In our flying clothes. too
the grip. We were soaking wet. klos
took the pigeon cage. We sta rted o
~ . terrific pace TO GET where h
Dog barked. We did not stop 10 II
spea the balloon. From the bearins