Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1921-01-21
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 DEMONSTRATING Story of
Trip Told by an Officer.

wren rescued HFtliin9 SIcTy OF
Trip Told by an Officer.
Mattice, 0nt.-The three American
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.. Farrelis 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.
1T 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.
Hinton called me up at about twen-
ty minutes to II December 49, and
told me could come on flight If
wanted to. No special orders are
needed. We just got permission from
Commander Cummings of the post
and Executive Officer Douglas.
II am senior officer of the three,
but Kloor was in command Of the
fight. 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.
I'VE had four pigeons; we let the
first one go with a message for the
Brooklyn navy yard.
'1intOn and Kloor had heavy un
derwear and uniforms under their fly
ing suits. had only the underwear
and the flying suit. / had grip witt
my uniform and some other things In
1t. We had eight sandwiches and tive
thermos bottles of hot coffee. Nont
of the underwear was electrically
heated.
1--WE expected to land next morn
Ing In upper New York state We ha(
no maps or charts except a railroad
map Of the Canadian Quebec Contra
line, which / bought. We had tire,
chances to land before we did. We dix
stop once at Wells, N. Y.
I'VE made fast to tree near /
light. II was In WINDOW OF farm
house. A man came along and WI
asked him where we were. He tol,
us, but he could not say what big tow
we were near.
Kloor Game to Go on.
I'VE cast loose and went up again
1t rained and blew during the night
I'VE could have landed at Ottawa a
II p. m. We saw the lights of a BIZ
city. But KloOr Is just a kid and h
was enthusiastic about a long flight
We all agreed that We ought to do
decent flight There had been rall
from Wells on.
1.-THE wind was north by west. Tha
night It blew hard and rained. Their
was no sign of civilization. But vi
thought 1t would be all right in tn
morning. At daylight we saw only for
ests. The rain had Gained down
There were low clouds and fog.
1.-THE rain stopped at a. m. Ode
cember 14l. We ate all our food dur
Ing the night. We had two package
of cigarettes and one box of matches
but you cannot smoke In a hydroge
balloon. We realized we we're In bal
that morning"
At II a. m. the sun came out an
heated up the gas In the balloon
that makes the gas expand and send
the balloon up.
I'VE were fighting TO keep In tn
ctr. All we saw was trees. lakes. an
snow. II was about 80 p. m. tina
we saw a shack in the woods. A
least we thought 1t was q shack. W
were in doubt about this until W
heard q dog bark
Il took bearings with the compass
on the shack and the place where tn
dog barked. We decided to land. w
were in low clouds about 1000 Zee
high. The wind was north by ives
the sun had been heating up our ba
and we began to go up. We reache
$500 feet 1t takes long time to &
from that height.
Make q Bad Landing.
1.-The clouds we're below us an
above us. We got down about tw
o'clock. II was a bad landing and "
were pretty badly shaken up. W
were not hurt or thrown ont. bur th
basket was smashed against III
ground.
'The balloon caught between III
trees. We had taken the pigeons int
the basket TO protect them from III
landing. Usually they ride In a Gag
tied outside Of the basket. The weatl
er was clear and nearly freezing.