The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-09-25
FIVE P|LO, IIIal
 AS BALLOON A.utS END IN DISASTER
Six Ships Destroyed Or Dam- aged When Fury Of The
 Storm Turned AIooSe

BRUSSELS. Sept. 24.-(By the As- sociated Press.) )-The International balloon race for the Gordon Bennett cup developed into an international disaster. Already five men have lost their lives, one is believed to be fatally injured and no fewer than six balloons were destroyed or bad ly damaged.
 Lieutenants Olmsted and Shoptaw of the United States Army S-6 are among those who perished, but the United States Navy A-669 made a safe landing at Putten, Holland.
 Some of the contestants have not been heard from they may have escaped the fury of the storm. or met the same fate as the British balloon Margaret, the latest to be reported, which fell into the sea, off Denmark.
 The casualty list is as follows:
 United States Army S-6, struck by lightning and burned; Lieutenants Olmsted and Shoptaw killed.
 The Spanish balloon Polar caught fire from a lightning bolt and fell near Heyst- Goor; Pilot Barca killed and his assistant, Gomez Guillamon badly injured.
 The Geneva, Swiss, struck by lightning near Beverloo and burned in mid-air Her pilot Von Grun- ingen and Wehren killed.
 Vile de Bruxelles, Belgian, dam aged before the start and with drawn
 Maragaret, British. fell into the sea near Swagen, Denmark, Pilots Allen and Berry saved
 Saint Louis, American, burst be- fore start.
 Make Safe Landings.
 So far as reported late tonight, the following balloons had made safe landings:
 United States Navy A-6699. Lieu terants Lawrence and Reichelderfer, landed at Putten, Holland.
 Fernandez Duro, Spain, at schryck,
 Banshee III. British. at Rersel. Holland.
 Zurich, Swiss. at Eersel, Holland.
 Savoie, French, at Turnhout, Bel gium.
 Fernando, II. French, near Ant werp.
 The 'Belgica, Belgian, Is reported to have landed, but this is not con firmed.
 A message from Pilot veenstra, of the Belgian Prince Leopold, report ed "all we'll"
 The Picardy, French, piloted by
  Swiss. Armbruster and Bachman, and the Espheria, Spanish. piloted by Cullen, have not been heard from
 BRUSSELS. Sept 24.-Brussels newspapers declare that the ill fated United States Army balloon S-6, whose crash carried two America n officers to their death took off in the Gordon Bennett balloon race against the pilots wishes,
 There was a high wind, and the landing ground was confined The storm which spread havoc among the contestant balloons was brew ing. Lieutenants Robert Olmstead and John Choptaw opposed starting under such conditions. according to the local press, and finally got away after a minor accident.
 The SC crashed to earth in flames at Nistleroode, Holland, falling wi, terrific speed from a great height.
 IAis believed that the balloon was struck by lightning. and apparently the bolt that wrecked the craft also Killed the officers.
 The United States naval balloon A-6699 descended safely a Rutten, Holland. near Builder Zell. The Brit ish balloon Banshee also landed in Holland as did several of the conti- henial entrants, The rest of the en- trants are still in the air, and be- heved to be drifting in northeast erly direction.