Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-05-26
Daredevils Of Air
To Man Gas Bags
In National Race

1
Milwaukee. Wis. May 25-(By the
defiance Of death while soaring
thousands of feet above the earth has
brought them thrills almost un-
dreamed Of by personss who keep
their feet on the ground. are among
those who will man the giant gas
bags entered in the national balloon
race which starts here May 80 and
ends whenever and 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
flying pilots and interested in air work
since shortly after the Civil War,
modestly tells questioners that he
never had any real thrill. in the sky,
but the story Of his miraculous fall is
told by G. Y. Morrison, aide to the
rupted by lightning and who also mi
raculously escaped serious injury in
the downward plunge.
| The fight was in the national bal
loon race held from Portland, Ore, in
1914. Captain Berry, who was Amer
ica's first national champion at bal
loon flying by virtue Of winning the
first national race, held from Indian
apolis in 1909, took off with Morrison
as his aide June IL 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 south and
southwest l noticed great banks of
clouds. l did not figure on anything
but drifting peacefully over the
mountains with the beautiful Villa
mette and Columbia rivers beneath
us.
! about P. NJ. we saw the balloon
| Uncle Sam land a little distance
ahead. We promptly dropped ballast
to make sure that we would surpass
| it's fight.
| ''The big gas bag shot up until we
| reached an altitude of 1900 feet
| Then we hit the storm. The balloon
twisted and rocked like living thing
| Big black clouds We're all we could
see on every side; it seemed as if we
We're hurting through a black space
| shut off from the entire world. A
| cold wind blew snow and rain on us
and there was nothing at all reas-
surfing in our position. The crash of
| thunder sounded like the boom of
thousand cannons right in our ears.
| don't know anything about bal
| looming, l shouted to Captain Berry
"'but l know we've got to get out of
here
| "We've got to so down. he shout
ed back, but l dare not open the gas
valves or they'll catch fire from the
lightning
Down we went, however, finally
{ being only $500 feet up. Suddenly
there was terrific blaze and l re-
ceived an awful shock. Before /
could move, the big bag burst, the
top being torn off by the lightning
and draping itself over our basket.
What was left checked our descent
somewhat, but we We're hurting at
what seemed to be terrific speed
| toward the ground.
| "'Throw over everything shouted
the captain and over went ballast.
| clothes and anything we could get
| cur hands on. Still we plunged
downward. Around us was nothing
but clouds and rain with no ground
visible. Long fingers of lightning
| seemed to reach in and wrap them
selves around US. Suddenly there
was a crash as we hit a tree. | Slid
| down the trailer rope to the ground
which never had felt so fine. Later |
found Berry in the basket uncon-
scious but not seriously hurt. l re-
vived him with snow and released
our carrier pigeons with messages
We were rescued by a search party"