The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-05-25
Air Pilots Have
Thrills Undreamed of


soaring thousands of feet above the
Garth has brought them thrills almost
undreamed of by persons who keep
their feet on the ground, are among
those who will man the giant gas bags
entered in the national balloon race
which stars here May 30 and ends
whenever and wherever the Mot no
longer can keep his ship in the air.
One of these is Captain John Berry
of st. Louis, pilot whose many ycars
of air work include being sick by
lightning three thousand feet ,11va
the ground and falling to the eadtn
without serious injury
Captain Berry, one of the oldes. q.
flying pilots and interested in -"
wori since shortly after the Civil Wa,
modestly tells questioners ,n.,: il e..
never had any real thrills in the ekv
but the story of his miraculcu5 fan
is told by G. Y. Morrison, aide to the
captain in the flight which was inter
rupted by lightning and who also mi
raculously escaped serious injury i,
the downward plunge.
The flight was in the nationa! bal
loon race held from Portland, Or. -,
in 1914. Captain Berry, who Wa
Americas first national champion -.
balloon flying by virtue of winning t.,
first national race, held from Indr /,
apolis in 1909, took off with Morris >.
as his aide June II and reached IN,
Cascade mountains of Oregon that
night. AS Morrison tells the story:
"The sky above us was beautifully
clear, but away off to south and south
cast I noticed great banks of clouds.
l did not figure on anything but drift
ing peacefully over the mountains
with the beautiful willamette and Co.
lumbia rivers beneath us.
"About p. m. we saw the balloon
"Uncle Sam" land a little distance
ahead We promptly dropped ballast
to make sure that we would surpass
its flight.
"The big gas bag shot up until we
reached an altitude of 10000 feet.
Then we hit the storm. The balloon
twisted and rocked like living thing.
Big black cloude were all we coull
see on every side; it seemed as if VIC
were hurtling through black space
shut off from the entire world. A
cold wind blew snow and rain on us
and there was nothing at all reassur-
ing in our position. The crash of
thunder sounded like the boom of a
thousand cannons right in our cas-.
"1 don't know anything about bal
looming / shouted to Captain Berry
but l know we've got to get out of
here
"'We've got to go down. he shouted
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 a terrific blaze and l &c
ceived an awful shock. Before coulc
move, the big bag burst, and top being
torn off by the lightning and drapine
itself over our basket. What was left
checked our descent somewhat, bu
we were hurtling at what seemed e
be terrific speed toward the ground.
Throw over everything sholtet
the captain and over went ballast
clothes and anything we could get oul
hands on. Still we plunged downward
Around us was nothing but clouds anl
rain with no ground visible Lons
fingers of lightning seemed to reacl
in and wrap themselves around us
| Suddenly there was crash as we hi
a tree. l slid down the trailer rop:
to the ground. which never had .c.
so fine. Later / found Berry in n
basket unconscious but not seriousl,
hurt. | revived him with snow ant
released our carrier pigeons with mes.
sages. We were rescued by search
party"