The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-06-02
National Balloon Races Viewed
by Reporter in Balloon.
He Was Aid to Captain Berry
of st. Louis on His Flight.
FIRST DUCKED AND DRAGGED
Other Balloons Coming Down
Now With Only Few Up.
Helium Filled Bag Had to Land
Because of a Leak.

Salina, Kan, June Capt H z.
Honeywell. civilian entry in the bal
loon race yet apparently in the air,
is a Kansas product. His first home
was at Brookville. and when a boy he
came to Salina with his family
Honeywell enlisted from Salina in the
Spanish-American war and later went
to St Louis. His mother was buried
here two months ago.
(By the Associated Press)
Chicago. June 2.-Reports of the
progress of the balloons in the ma
tional balloon race which started at
Milwaukee wednesday virtually as
sure Capt. H. E. Honeywell of st.
Louis of becoming one of the three
Americans to take part IN the inter
national contests in Switzerland In
August Indications are that Major
Oscar Westover of the army and Lieut..
W. F. Reed of the navy will be the
other two qualifying. Captain Hon
eywell. a civilian, was sighted over
Joplin, Mo, early today and had al
ready Travelled farther than any big
which has landed. He is virtually in
a calm. however, and probably VIII
make little further progress according
to a prognostication issued by the To-
be sailing almost due south from Jop-
lin Mo. in a wind which will carry
him only a few miles an hour
The helium filled naval balloon pi-
Ioted by Lieut.. Commander J. P. Nor
fleet, actually landed at Hancock.
Mo. at noon yesterday. He reported
that his gas bag had Travelled 425
miles. A leak forced his landing.
Capt. Harold f. Weeks of the army
was forced to land near Witt, Ill.
Ward T. Van Orman, Akron, civilian,
landed last night at Fayette. Mo, al
tho it was not reported until today.
(By the Associated Press)
Milwaukee. June 2.-Thrills of n
national balloon race, which ranged
from duckings in Lake Michigan to
being thrown sprawling on the ground
from a bag being blown forty miles
an hour in a squaII were related in a
copyrighted dispatch to the Milwau-
kee Journal yesterday from Irving
Ramsdef1. a reporter who acted as an
aide to Capt. John Berry of St. Louis.
in the air pilgrimage which started
here Wednesday.
Berry and Ramsdell came down at
Monticello, Ill. after ESQ mile jour
ney lasting more than twenty hours.
I'VE passed Racine, Wis. at a 500
foot altitude. about an hour after our
hop off" Ramsden said. Captain
Berry was jockeying for a good wind.
'I looked over the side and saw
Lake Michigan. a short time ago
a about a half mile beneath US, appar-
emily rushing upward at what seemed
a mile A minute rate. When we had
fallen to within fifty feet of the wa
ter. / yelled and we struck. The bas-
ket was half filled with water. The
balloon skipped from wave to wave.
us.
''The captain was floored by the
crash, so 1 grabbed an axe and began
chopping away the sand ballast bags.
The bag, released of this weight,
leaped upward.
I'VE were in a haze until we
reached Chicago. when we swooped
down, tearing off a piece of the roof
of a house
Some time later freak wind shot
US into air eddy and half the COW
ering of our basket was torn off when |
we scraped a hay stack in a field. We I
huddled in the basket shivering for !
the rest of the night
They Scraped the Earth.
'+Soon after dawn, we purposely |
Indiana about one hundred miles
south OF Chicago. We were forced |
to release all ballast and baggage to |
keep up. About IL q. m yesterday !
morning We were caught in a squal |
and then a treacherouS wind ended |
our journey.
Three times we were nearly spilled !
as we were whirled back and for /
the big bag shot downward at what
sc emed to be at least forty miles IN I
hour.
Duck yelled the captain just be- |
fore we actually hit ground. but in I
the next two minutes we covered more /
han a mile, bounding along. tearing !
down fences. trees and telephone
wires. with Captain Berry vainly try .
ing to get hold of the ripping card to |
let the gas out and stop US.
'The next thing I knew, we were !
thrown sprawling in an oat field. Both +
Of US were bruised by not seriously /
aurt.''
Joplin. Mo. June "A large bal I
Don passed over Joplin at $50 o'clock (
his morning. 1t was travelling in a /
iouthwesterly direction None of the
on it were distinguishable.
Kansas City, Mo. June Balloon /
10. u, the Goodyear entry in the na
ionaI balloon race which started from
Wednesday afternoon.
anded two miles south of Fayette,
Mo-. at 8 O'Clock last night, according
% word which reached here today.
An ideal landing was made and the
occupants are safe, the report said.
COBURN TO QUIT KHAN
1os Angeles County Grand Jury Today
Takes Up h. H. h. Probe.