The New York herald., 1921-01-05
BALLOONISTS TELL
OF FIGHT FOR LIFE,
DEVOURED PIGEONS
Hope Almost Gone After
Wandering 2 Days, When
Tracks of Indian Were
Seen i'm the Snow.
LOST WAY IN CLOUDS
Thought They Were Still in
New York State on Sec
ond Day When They
Descended.
FOOD SOON WAS ALL GONE
Had Difficulty i'm Getting Ma
tive Indian, Who Was Sus-'
piciOus, to Lead Them
to Safety.
FOOD SOON WAS ALL GONE
BIZ the .Associated Press.

CoCHRANE, Ont, Jan. 4.-First details
of the experiences of the three Ameri-
can naval balloonists who suffered un-
usual hardships while wandering for
four days in the dense Canadian woods
and were forced to eat their carrier
pigeons to subsist, were received here
tonight from the Anglican minister
at Moose Factory, the Hudson Bay
Company's trading post where they
found shelter.
The minister reported that the ball
loonists who left the Rockaway, n. Y,
Naval Air Station at 1915 p. Nj. De-
cember 13, landed sixteen miles north
west of Moose Factory in the after
noon of the next day. They thought
they were still in New York State,
having been in the clouds most of the
time since leaving Rockaway.
They came down, the minister said,
because they thought they heard a
dog barking. They were lost in the
deep underground of the region for the
next two days and had about given up
hope of ever reaching civilization.
Fortunately on December II they
came to the Moose River and found
tracks Of human feet through the
deeply packed snow. Later they caught
I'D with an Indian, Tom Marks, who
was out hunting. one of the three
aviators was using suit of under
wear as an outer garment and the
others were in uniform. Marks. taken
by surprise by such a meeting in that
desolate section of the country, is re-
ported to have at first resisted their
efforts to frarernize with them Event
ually they succeeded in convincing him
that they mean no harm. and he
guided them to the Moose Factory
trading post
Absence OF severe frost during the
time of their wandering in the forest
undoubtedly saved them from perishing
They had eaten two of their three
pigeons when they arrived at Moose
Factory. where they were cared for py
the inhabitants of the trading post ana
soon recovered from their privations and
hardships The eating. of the pigeons
apparently explains the mystery Of why
the men had not communicated with the
outside world after leaving Rockaway.
A trip was made to recover the bal
loon in an effort to salvage its contents.
hut Il was unsuccessful. Another trip
To the point of descent was planned.
but it's success is not known. The three
aeronauts had planned 70 leave Moose
Factory for Cochrane on December 70 or
o.. Barring unfavorable weather con-
ditions. they are due here the end OF
this week.
The Anglican minister. the Rev. Mr..
Haythornthwaite. in n letter dated De-
cernber %. stated that the aeronauts
could not have stayed up in the air much
longer. ss they had thrown overheard
ALI their ballast and many of :he NOV
able objects that they carried in the
basket of their craft
The aeronauts reported that they had
been anxiously looking for some haoita-
ton for several hours before they
finally landed. realizing that they could
not keep their craft in the air much
longer. The Rev Mr.. Haythornthwaite
expressed the opinion that II they had
stayed In the air another hour they
would have drifted over James Bay and
would undoubtedly have perished In the
loosely picked snow which covered It's
surface TO depth Of several feet