Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1921-01-20
OFFICER TELLS
I 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 Reseued-ThriIlino Story Of
Trip Told by an officer.

naval officers, Lieuts. Hinton, Farrell
and KloOr, 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.. Farrelrs story OF the flight
and wanderings Of the trio begins with
the morning hours in Rockaway naval
air 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.
ut was just an ordinary balloon
hop" Farrell began. ut was for train
Ing. Hinton told me after we left
that the gas In the balloon was ten
days old, stale and impure.
clinton called me up at about twen-
y minutes to II December 13) and
told me l could come on flight If 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.
Eve had four pigeons; we let the
drst one go with message for the
Brooklyn navy yard.
clinton and Kloor had heavy I'M
lerweGr and uniforms under their fly
ing suits. ! had only the underwear
and the flying suit. ! had a grip with
ny uniform and some other things in
IT, We had eight sandwiches and two
hermOs bottles Of hot coffee. None
~ the underwear was electrically
heated.
I'VE expected to land next morn
ng in upper New York state. We had
10 maps or charts except railroad
nap of the Canadian Quebec Central
Inc, which / bought. We had three
dances to land before we did. We did
top once at Wells, N. Y.
1--WE made fast to a tree near a
light. 1t was In window of a farm
aOuse. A man came along and we
sked him where we were. He told
Us, but he could not say what big town
lie were near.
kIoor Game to Go On.
"We cast loose and went up again.
/ rained and blew during the night.
I'VE could have landed at Ottawa at
a p. m. We saw the lights Of a big
lily. But KloOr is just kid and he
'as enthusiastic about long flight.
We Oll agreed that we ought to do q
ecent flight There had been rain
rom Wells on.
"The wind was north by west. That |
light 1t blew hard and rained. There
fHs no sign of civilization. But we |
bought II would be all right in the |
corning. At daylight we saw only for
SITS. The rain had Gained down.
1.-The rain stopped at a. m. Ode
elnber 14l. We ate all our food dur
pe the night We had two packages
= cigarettes and one box of matches,
ut you canpot smoke in hydrogen
alloon. We realized we were In bad
eat morning."
At II a. m. the sun came out and
aated up the gas In the balloon:
Eat makes the gas expand and sends
be balloon up.
I'VE were fighting to keep In the
IL. All we saw was trees, lakes. and
low. 1t was about 80 p. m. that
e saw a shack in the woods. At
Rst we thought II was O shack. We
lere in doubt about this until we
aard dog bark.
III took bearings with the compass
~ the shack and the place where the
ag barked. We decided to land. We
ere In low clouds about 1000 feet
Oh. The wind was north by west.
& sun had been heating up our bag
I'd we began to go up. We reached
500 feet. 1t takes long time to go
ON that height.
Make a Bad Landing.
''The clouds were below US and
owe us We got down about two
flock, II was bad landing and we
Pre- pretty badly shaken up We
IRE not hurt or thrown out, but the
sket was smashed against the
Dund.
The balloon caught between the
les. We had taken the pigeons into
basket to protect them from the
hding. Usually they ride in cage
d outside Of the basket The wealth
was clear and nearly freezing.
Fan three of us stepped aOut Of the
sket IN our flying clothes. took
grip. We were soaking wet. KloOr
* the pigeon cage. We started of
terrific pace TO get where the
barked. We did not stop to IN
Sct the balloon. From the bearings
ook IN the balloon we figured the
70 be south by east from Us.