Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-22

bodies. Through hail and snow they
stuck 1t out and landed the following
morning on the Virginia Cape, the
winners.
In the international race that started
from Detroit last year they took off
under q tremendous handicap. The
average racing balloon and basket, COM
from 800 to 1000 pounds. The only
80, 000-cubic-foot balloon owned by the
Army was an Anticipated craft that
weighed / 400 pounds. At the start
Kepner and EareckSon were therefore
penalized 400 pounds of potential bal
last. suf1cient to keep q balloon in the
air "a hours longer under normal condi-
lions.
Sailed without Ballast.
For almost A hours they drifted
through the skies. at all attitudes up
to 10000 feet. at which height they
lay among their sandbags gasping for
breath like fish out of water They did
not save a single bag Of sand to ease
their landing. Ballast is the brakes of
q balloon in descent. When the gas
bag had travelled its limit they Assem-
bled parachutes, Instruments. their
clothing itself, to ease the force of
their fall. Outer clothes and para
chutes went over the side. They land
ed, after falling at a rate between 800
and 1000 feet per minute. at Ken
Across the State boundary in North
Carolina was French balloon. Near
by was a German balloon, the Barmen,
piloted by Hugo Kaulen, who holds the
worlds duration record for balloons of
81 hours sustained flight. 1t required
experts to decide the contest.
When allowance had been made for
curvature of the earth's surface and
such complicated items Of measure
ment, first place was awarded to the
American team by less than q mile.
The German balloon was second. the
French bag in North Carolina third.
Such was the exciting finish Of the
race that brought the second Gordon
Bennett trophy to the United States.
Because EareckSon was LII last May.
Kepner did not enter the national race
this year.
Hard Luck Pursues Navy.
Until the national race Ill fortune
had pursued Navy entries in balloon
racing with grim consistency. It did
not entirely desert tradition last May,
1OI OAC Vi tWO Navy OChLIlS CdukIlG
its dragline on a telegraph pole and
was obliged to land at night few
hours after the take-off. But the sur
viving team was blessed with good for
tune, plus headwork, that created two
new records for national races.
The pilot was slight, quiet spoken
veteran of balloon races. Lieut.. Thomas
G. w. Settle. His aide was Ensign
Wilfred Bushnell, pink-cheeked,
blue-eyed youngster Of retiring nature,
a recent Annapolis graduate.
The weather was freakiSh. I have
reported what happened to Van Orman
winners of the 1927 international race,
found themselves only 60 miles from
Pittsburgh at II O'Clock the night of
the race. Then they were caught in a
gale at high altitude. Through snow
and sleet they drifted on through the
night They attempted to descend to
identify their position at daylight.
Landed in Adirondacks.
Like Van Orman and MacCracken,
they did not realize the weight of Ice
on their bag and footropes. They
barely escaped landing in q swamp
when they crashed. It was three days
later before they emerged in civiliza-
ton after crossing several lakes in a
collapsible rubber boat. Not until then
did they know they had landed in the
remote fastness of the AdirondackS.
Settle and Bushnell elected to stay
low through the night. In rain and
fog they drifted in a circle about the
of Pittsburgh, believing that
morning would bring more favorable
air currents. At about the time Van
Orman and MacCracken. Hill and
- NWyAN IH.,wA -
miles away, the two Navy men were
really just starting to race.
They assembled through clouds and
fog to above 5000 feet. Through the
day they drifted blindly, their only re-
assurance they had not left the main
land and were out over the Atlantic
being the tolling Of church bells and
the pufnng Of trains below. At evening
they descended to find themselves over
in Southern Vermont
Then they reascended.
A second night passed, with occa-
sional lightning storms not far distant
Morning found them In Canada. Mid
day they saw the end Of the mainland,
but separated by only few miles Of
water was Prince Edwards Island
They stuck it out.
Shattered Two American Records.
Late in the afternoon, within a few
miles Of the Atlantic. entirely out of
ballast, they landed. They had trav-
eled $50 miles in A hours. AS the
balloons used in national races in recent
'ears are of only $4,000 cubic feet
instead of the 10000 cubic-
loot envelopes used in international
races, they had shattered two American
by II hours and
distance by more than 800 miles.
Such are the racing representatives
If the United States in the James Cor
ion Bennett balloon race of 1929, COM
oetent men, brave men. Unless the
iagarles Of wind and weather play them
false, America should at least win place
and show in the great bubble classic.