New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1922-06-02
DARING AVIA7ORS
ENTERED IN RACE
Men Who Have Experienced all
Sorts Of Thrills TO Man Balloons

Milwaukee, Wis, june 2,--tBy AS
ISOLATED Press AIR pilots whose de-
lance OF death while soaring thous-
nnds of feet above the earth has
brought them thrills almost undream-
cd OF BY persons who keep their feet
on the ground, are among those who
are manning the giant gas bags en-
tered in the national balloon race
which started here May 80 and ends
whenever and wherever the pilot no
ongcr car keep his ship in the air.
Captain John Barry
| one of these is Captain John Barry
OF st. Louis, n pilot whose many years
of air work include being struck by
lightning, three thousand feet above
the ground and falling to the Garth
without serious injury
Captain Berry, one Of the oldest OF
! hying pilots and interested in air
work since shortly after the civil war,
modestly tells questioners that he new
er had any real thrills in the sky, but
the story Of his miraculous fall is
told Ny G.. Y. Morrison, aide to the
plain in the flight which was inter
rupted by lightning and who also
miraculously escaped serious injury
in the downward plunge,
story or Flight
| The fight was in the national bal
loon race held from Portland, Ore,
| N 1914 Captain Berry, who was AM
erioa's first national champion at bal
| loon flying by virtue of winning the
! first national race, held from Indiana
| polls in 1909, took off with Morrison
as his aide 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
southwest I 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.
Dropped Ballast
"About p. m, we saw the bal
loon Uncle Sam. land little dis
lance ahead. We promptly dropped
ballast to make sure that we would
surpass its flight
The big gas bag shot up until we
Then we hit the storm. The balloon
twisted and rocked like a living thing.
Big black clouds were all we could
see on every side; it seemed AS if we
were hurting through a black Space
shut off from the entire world.
cold wind blew snow and rain on us
and there was nothing at ali reassur-
ing in our position. The crash of
thunder sounded like the boom of
a thousand cannons right in our ears.
81 don't know anything about bal
! looming l shouted to Captain Berry.
but | know we've got to get out of
here
We've got to 60 down" he shout
ed hack, but l. dare not open the gas
valves or they'll catch fire from the
| lightning
Hit BY Lightning.
Down we went however, finally
being only $500 feet up. Suddenly
| there was a terrific blaze and / 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 some
what, but we We're HURTING at what
seemed to be terrific speed toward the
ground.
The Descent.
Throw over everything shouted
the captain, and over went ballast,
clothes and anything we could get our
hands on. Still we plunged down
ward. Around us was nothing but
clouds and rain with no ground Wis
ible. Long fingers of lightning
seemed to reach in and wrap them
selves around us. Suddenly there was
a crash as we hit a tree. l slid down
the trailer rope to the ground which
never felt so fine. Later I found Eer-
ry in the basket unconscious, but not
seriously hurt. | revived him with
snow and released our carrier pigeons
with message We were rescued by
search party"