New-York tribune., 1922-05-28
Federal Tests
Add to Thrills
In Balloon Race
Government Evinccs Great
Interest i'll Hazardous
Contest of Air Naviga,
ton To Be Held Tuesday
Noted Pilots in the Event
Start Will Be Made From
Milwaukee and End When
Last Craft Is Forced Down

Last traft is Forced DOWT
MILWAUKEE, Wis. May 27.-Th
government is taking a greater interes
ir the national balloon race TO be hel,
from here May 30 than it has eve
taken IN balloon race before. 70
not only viii the hest pilots of th'
army and navy be entered, but variou,
officials and departments will take :
personal interest in the hazardous con
test of air navigation.
The army's representation exceed,
any similar turn out in the past Tht
pick Of the pilots was selected after
elimination races held on May 10 owe,
various fields, but interest in the pilots
end aids is not all tina. adds zest t.
the army representations
With the pilots and aides there VII
come TO Milwaukee a staff OF officers
to make observations. Major General
Mason NJ. Patrick, Chief Of the All
Service, will be here with members OF
his staff. Brigadier General William
Mitchell, assistant chief Of the All
Service, Will fly from Washington, &C
companied by two planes.
Tho navy will have two balloons on
hand, one of them of new design, car
rying q radio outfit. This bag will be
shipped from the Philadelphia Navy
Yard 10 Milwaukee. The navy per
sonnel Of officers and pilots Will be
under the commanding officer, Lieuten-
ant Commander J. 2. Norfeet. The
navy, like the army, will make OBJ
scrvations.
Weather Bureau Interested
Another branch Of the government
which will have special representation
s the Weather Department. W. P.
Stewart, local forecaster, will have spe-
ciaI representatives from Washington
here to assist him. A branch of the
Weather Department will be estab-
iished on the First Wisconsin National
Bank Building, where forecasts and
observations will be made with expert
ment balloons to test the air currents
and give the pilots information. John
+. Lockwood. the assistant to Mr.. Stew
art at the local Office, is expected to
he one Of the aids in the balloons and
make the trip as the Weather Bureau
repre- entative. letter just received
from c. W Marvin. chief Of the bu'
reau. says that he will make every en-
deavor to come TO Milwaukee, if pos
able
Ralph H. Upson. chairman Of tho
balloon committee of the Aero Club of
America has written to Washington
to the Weather Bureau, Offering the
services Of all offcials connected with
the race for the purpose of making 1t
OF the utmost value from meteorolog-
zeal standpoint.
Ar pilots whose defiance OF death
while soaring thousands of feet above
the earth has brought them thrills al
most undrcamed Of by persons who
keep their feet on the ground are
among those who viii man the giant
gas bags in the race which will end
whenever ard wherever the pilot no
longer can keep his ship in the air.
One Of these is Captain John Berry,
Of St. Louis. pilot whose many years
Of air work include being struck by
lightning three thousand feet above
the ground and falling to the earth
without serious injury.
Captain Berry, one Of the oldest Of
flying pilots, and interested in air work
since shortly after the Civil Var, mod
cstly tells questioners that he never
had any real thrills in the sky, but the
story Of his miraculous fall IS told by
G. y. Morrison. aid to the captain in
the flight which was interrupted by
lightning, and Wno also miraculously v
escaped serious injury in the down
ward plunge.
Battle in Air With Gale
The flight was in the national bal
loon race held from Portland. Ore. in
1914. Captain Berry. who was Amer
icas first national champion at balloon
flying by virtue Of winning the first
national race, held from Indianapolis
N 1909. took off with Morrison as his
aid June II. and reached the Cascade
Mountains OF Oregon that night. As
Morrison tells the story:
The sky above US was beautifully
clear, but away off to the south and
southeast noticed great banks Of
clouds. did not figure on anything
but drifting peacefully over the noun
tains, with the beautiful Willamette
and Columbia rivers beneath US.
About : p. m. we saw the balloon
Uncle Sam land little distance ahead
We promptly dropped ballast to make
sure that we would surpass It's flight.
The big gas bag shot up until we
reached an altitude of 10000 feet.
Then we hit the storm. The balloon
visited and rocked like a living thing.
Sig, black clouds were all we could
zee on every side; II seemed q. if we
we're hurtling through black space