The New York herald., 1921-01-06
.BALLOONISTS DUE
TONIGHT TOREACH
CANADIAN TOWN
Mayor of C0chrane Will
Direct the Welcome for
Lost Airmen.
SAVED BY DOGS BARK
Believed to Be Coming In
With Government Mail
Packet Party.
WEATHER Is FRIENDLY
Drop in Temperature Has
Frozen Trails and Made
Them Safe.

SPECIAL Despatch TO THE NEW York iiEaALp.
CoCHRANE, Ont. Jan. 5.-The Ameri-
can naval balloonists are rapidly near
ing the railroad line and ii may be
possible for them to reach New York
by Saturday Indian runners who
came in from the north to-day said
that the officers and the guides who
helped rescue them after their air
craft had been swept almost 70 the
shores of Hudson Bay are travelling
now under ideal conditions and that
they might reach the town Of Clute by
tomorrow night. Clute will be the
first town they strike. the guides hav-
ing selected that trail, according to
the latest information.
1t is believed that Lieuts. Hinton.
with the Canadian Government mail
packet. which was scheduled to leave
Moose Factory on December 2I. If
this Is so they are in the care of the
the Dominion, men who were prac-
tically born with snowshoes strapped
on their moccasins.
Mayor Prepares Greeting.
All Ontario--and a good part OF New
York city--seems to have gathered here
TO receive the aeronauts when they
reach town Cochrane has mushroomed
In the last few days. It's new population,
numbering more than ESQ, includes re-
porters, photographers, motion picture
camera men. railroad officials. Govern
ment officials, telegraph operators and
| couple of airplane fiers, who want to
know how il feels to duet along toward
/ the North Pole in balloon basket.
| Mayor Rothschild Is to greet the
! three ILcutenants OF the American Navy
at the Cochrane railroad station. He VIII
be attended by the entire Board OF
Trade His address of welcome will ex-
press the admiration of the northland
for the heroic battle which the three
men waged with the elements and for
the courage and resourcefulness which
they showed in the face Of great peril.
! Tonight the thermometer started 60
ing down and the thaw. which 1t was
feared would slow up the travellers and
keep them out In the timberland possibly
for two more weeks, apparently Is at an
end. It is we'll below zero now. and
there is a fne hard crust on the top
of the snow. This will make fine
surface for the dog sleds.
The next twenty -four hours going will
not be easy for the American airmen,
however They will hnd It difficult to
make twenty miles, despite the fact that
some of their guides have been known
TO travel fifty miles in the same time.
! Into Cochrane tonight there filtered
further details of the hazardous. trip
which started from Rockaway on De-
cember 13. Six or seven hours after
! leaving the Rockaway air station, Lieut.
Kloor and his comrades found their big
gas bag was running wild, high above
the clouds. The earth was not In sight,
and after little while they had not the
slightest idea Of the direction In which
they were moving. Night came. and
| with Il conditions that we're almost in
| tolerable. Ii was intensely cold, ac-
| cordlng to statements contained in a
letter which the Rev. A. G.. Anderson
| OF this town has received from a mis-
sionary at Moose Factory. Every article
| OF clothing I'm the basket was put TO use
Dropped Message over Side.
To keep themselves awake the three
officers searched their pockets for odds
I and ends they old not need. fastened
them to bits OF paper, upon which they
/ had written messages, and tossed over
/ the side Somewhere between Moose
I Factory and points south these notes
| are lying, useless now. but at the time
| they we're written were OF vital inn
portance
About noon on December IL. twenty
four hours after they had waved good
| bye to Rockaway. Lieut.. kloor calcu-
| lated that the balloon was still some
where over New York State. He Is
said TO have agreed with the others
! that they probably were in the vicinity
of the AdirondacKs. SO they ripped"
the bag and with the hydrogen pouring
out the balloon began TO settle. They
heard the barking of dog some dis
! tance off and dropped out couple
| OF sandbaes In order to rise and drift
nearer TO the Hound. Down they went
n second time The balloons basket
| caught on the tops of some of the snow
| laden pines and firs, the bag was rippeS
badly, but the men got 10 the ground
| safely.
| They left the wrecked balloon aftes
anchoring the remnants OF silk and
| started 70 search for n habitation. They
still believed they were in New York
state. The walking was difficult. but
| they made good distance. They ate
their carrier pigeons. Stacked their thirst
with little handfuls OF snow--and then
they walked right Into an Indian. He
was Tom Mark. wrinkled old chap
who IL credited with having the biggest
appetite in all Canada. lie gave them
their first meal and then took them TO
the factory.
! broadway Magic In North.
Old Tom wasn't too friendly when
! they first confronted him. He slung his
pack up on his back and took TO his
/ heels.
Lieut. Kloor went after him. Come
back here. bo." they say he yelled.