Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1921-01-21
j, 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--ThriIllno Story Of
Trip Told by an Officer.

Mattice, Ont.-The three American
naval officers, Lieuts. Hinton, Farrell
and Klo0r, who abandoned their
wrecked balloon near Moose Factory
on the shore of James bay on Dec
IA, arrived safely here. The follow.
Ing story of the balloon trip Of the
airmen was told by Lieut.. Stephen
Farrell:
Lieut.. Farrell's story of the flight
and wanderlngs Of the trio begins with
the morning hours in Rockaway naval
mir station on December 10 and goes
on through the flight, the landing, and
up to the meeting with the Indian at
Moose Factory who saved their lives.
1T was just an ordinary balloon
mop" Farrell begun. ut was for train.
Ing. Hinton told me after we left
that the gas In the balloon was ten
days old, stale and impure.
Hinton called me up at about TWEEN
~ minutes to II December 49, and
told me | could come on fight II l
wanted to. No special orders are
needed. We Just got permission from
Commander Cummings OF the post
and Executive Officer Douglas.
Il am senior officer Of the three,
but kloor was In command OF the
flight, as he Is a balloon officer and
am gunnery officer. have been In
aviation for three years and have
flown In every kind of aircraft. We
left at p. M
Left With Four Pigeons.
1--WE had four pigeons; we let the
first one go with message for the
Brooklyn navy yard
Hinton and Kloor had heavy TN
derwear and uniforms under their n.y.
Ing suits. had only the underwear
and the flying suit. had a grip with
my uniform and some other things In
1t. We had eight sandwiches and two
thermos bottles of hot coffee. None
of the underwear was electrically
heated.
1--WE expected to land next morn
Ing In upper New York state. We had
no maps or charts except a railroad
map of the Canadian Quebec Central
line. which bought. We had three
chances to land before we did We cid
stop once at Wells, N. Y.
I'VE made fast to a tree near a
light. 1t was in window of farm
house. A man came along and we
asked him where we were. He told
us, but he could not say what big town
we were near.
kloor Game to Go On.
ave cast loose and went up again.
1t rained and blew during the night.
We could have landed at Ottawa ut
ii p. m. We saw the lights OF big
city. But KloOr is just a kid and he
was enthusiastic about a long flight.
We all agreed that we ought to do a
decent flight. There had been rain
from Wells on.
1.-THE wind was north by west. That
night 1t blew hard and rained. There
was no sign Of civilization. But we
thought II would be all right In the
morning. At daylight we saw only for
ests. The rain had Gained down.
There were low clouds and fog.
1.-The rain stopped at 8 q. m. (De-
cember 14). We ate all our food dur
Ing the night We had two packages
of cigarettes and one box Of matches,
but you cannot smoke In a hydrogen
balloon We realized we were in bad
that morning."
At IL a. m. the sun came out and |
heated up the gas in the balloon;
that makes the gas expand and sends
the balloon up.
I'VE were fighting to keep In the
air. All we saw was trees, lakes, and
snow. II was about 80 p. m. that
we saw shack In the woods. At
least we thought II was shack. We
were in doubt about this until we
heard dog bark.
II took bearings with the compass
on the shack and the place where the
dog barked. We decided to land. We
were In low clouds about 1000 feet
high. The wind was north by west,
the sun had been heating up our bag
and We began to go up. We reached
$500 feet. 1t takes a long time to so
from that height.
Make a Bad Landing.
The clouds we're below us and
above us. We got down about two
o'clock. II was bad landing and we
we're pretty badly shaken up. We
we're not hurt or thrown out, but the
basket was smashed against the
ground.
The balloon caught between the
rees. We had taken the pigeons into
he basket to protect them from the
anding. Usually they ride In cage
fed outside of the basket. The wealth
# was clear and nearly freezing.
"All three of us stepped out of the
'asket In our flying clothes. took
he grip. We were soaking wet Kloor
ook the pigeon cage. We started off
I a terrific pace to get where the 4,
log barked. We did not stop to in !
pect the balloon. From the bearings !
took in the balloon we figured the
og to be south by east from us.
Start on Long Trek. s
"We started through the forest on {
hat line. l carried my grip for one q