The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1921-01-05
EXPLOITS OF
BALLOONISTS
TRAGIC TALE
Marvellous Escape of Naval
Birdmen as Pieced Together
by Reports, Constitutes
Thrilling Aerial Drama.
ARE BUFFETED BY GALES
(By Associated Press)

NY ASSOCIATED PreSsD
| HEARST, Ontario, Jan. 5.-The aer.
| ial drama of the three American naval
| balloonists mushing down from Hud-
son Bay territory after a marvellous
| escape from death is being pieced to-
gether here today from the tales of
Indian trappers snowshoeing into the
! outposts of civilization.
| From the story of these Indians and
| letter from the Anglican minister at
| Moore Factory has been obtained q
skeleton account of how Americas in
| trepid airmen stared into the face OF
| death a few hours after their starr
| from Rockaway, N. Y, on Dec 13.
| until they staggered into the little
| Hudson Bay trading post on the shores
of James Bay FIVE days later.
Five days of terror these men swept
along at the will of the wind: at times
almost skimming the surface of the
| earth, but forced to rise again by for
ests closely knit; cold and so hungry
that even carrier pigeons were forced
into the scanty mess; finally dropping
to earth after striking a clump of trees
and tearing their clothes from their
bodies; and then the long tramp
| through a wolf inha bited wilderness
for four days. before reaching safety
Buffeted by Gales.
1t was an adventure to try the
nerves of such an adventurer as Lieut..
| Walter Hinton, a member of the first
aerial expedition to fly across the At
| jantic. A gale encountered near Wells
| n. Y, was the first item to be entered
on the aernouts'log.
Over the Adironacks they swept
across the International line and to-
! ward the northland. Three times they
+ tried to descend but were forced to
toss ballast overheard
Then. hungry, exhausted. cold. they
heard the baying of a moose dog
caught in a trap. Down came the
aeronauts. lost on earth as in air, but
as unconquerable.
Meet Aged Indian
On through the woods they pressed
until they met an aged Indian, who,
only with difficulty, could be per-
suaded that ii was not an insane jest
| for white men, strangely clad and
speaking of gas ships" to be wan
dering through Canadian forest lands
But the trio convinced him they
were not bad spirits, and finally they
threw themselves down on the floor
of the red skins hut to rest until his
/
| Factory for help.
The three men are now slowly wend-
ing their way back to civilization by
] dog train, with the thermometer reg
| istering so degrees below zero. Unless
unusual storms are encountered they
should reach Mattice no later than
Friday. A Pullman coach will be
placed at their disposal when they
| leave the trail there
Men in Good Health.
The men are in good health ana
spirits, the trappers say, with the ex-
ception of Lieutenant Stephen 4.
| Farrell, the leader of the trip. who
suffered greatly from frost-bite and
shock.
! According to the stories of the In
dians, the bowling of a moose dog
caught in a trap at Shipsands, the
original trading post of the Hudson
Bay company, was responsible for the
safety of the airmen last Sunday.
When they heard the dogs cries the
balloonists decided to land. The
great balloon struck in a clump of
its occupants were almost stripped of
their clothing in the perilous descent.
Ten Degrees Below.
At the time of the landing the mer-
| curry was only ten degrees below zero,
the mildest weather for this season of
the year in the history of the trading
post. When the men extricated them
| selves from the wreckage the first
| words were uttered by Lieut.. Walter
Hinton, veteran of the historic trans
| Atlantic fight in the No. 4. who ex-
tended gracious thanks to the AL
| mighty for their existence"
The next thought of the airmen was
to express thanks to the unfortunate
dog whose howls caused them to de-
scend. For almost forty hours the
Americans had mocked death in rag
ing storm high in the air, and for the
time being they were too exhausted
to do any thing but congratulate them
selves upon their safe landing.
Drenched to Skin.
The airmen had been drenched to
the skin and icicles hung over their
| torn clothing. For four days they wan
dered aimlessly in the wilderness and
| were at the point of despair when they
were discovered by frightened Indian
| trapper. George Mcleod, the Indian
mail carrier, who brought the news of
the mems landing to the outside world
said that their first desire was to not
ify their wives and relatives of their
safety.
George McClelland, who has been
hitting the trail between Moose Fac
tory and Mattice for seventeen years,
said today that had the balloon dristed
ten miles further north they would
not have lived to tell the story. More
than one hardy trapper has met his
} fate in that desolate region rarely ever
trod by human beings, he said.
i