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

| Shoptaw and OlnStead. That was q
bad year In America, too. In the ma
tional race Navy Lieuts. Roth and Null
were driven down in Lake Erie and
drowned by line squall.
A few months later c. Leroy .Meis-
niger. brilliant young Government
meteorologist, and Lieut.. Medley Of the
Army were killed by lightning when
they deliberately sailed into o forma-
ton Of storm clouds in an attempt to
solve secrets of air currents in line
squalls.
Landed ON Ship; Disqualified.
Low clouds, rain, high winds sweep
ing south and west were the conditions
that greeted the racers at Brussels In
1925. Van Orman, with young veteran
balloonist, Carl K. Wollam, as aide,
rode O perverSe current that sped them
through fog and darkness across North
ern France. Morning found them far
out over the Atlantic. Sixty miles west
of Ushant Light, the balloonists sighted
the liner Leviathan. They signaled
their distress.
The big ship answered, and a few
minutes later by means Of their drag
rope the balloon was landed intact on
deck. They had Travelled many miles
farther than the next balloon. The
Belgian, Ceenstra, had landed on the
north coast Of Spain. But the racing
committee disqualified the Americans
Van Orman filed formal protest, but the
final decision was against him.
Lost Over Baltic in Fog.
That aroused Van Orman. He would
show them! With w. w. Morton,
veteran parachute jumper Of the days
of hot air bags at every country fair,
as his aide, he took of in 1926 from
Antwerp in raging gale that sweep
balloons and baskets back and fortn
over the starting place like hero OF
stampeding elephants. Two minutes
after the balloon took of it disappeared
in the low-hanging cloud curtain that
brushed the tree tops. All night the
two drifted blindly through rain ana
fog and stygian blackness.
Early morning found them out OF
sight Of land over the Baltic Sea with
the wind dying. A study OF the Weatner
may indicate that there should De q
strong westerly wind above At 2OOOO
feet. Downing oxygen masks, they
heayed ballast overheard and assembled.
The expected breeze did not fail them:
At 8 o'clock In the morning they landed
on the Swedish coast at Solvesourg,
the winners.
Won National, Lost Cup Race.
The following year Van Orman ana
Morton won the national race handy,
although under the rules of the Gordon
Bennett they we're not obliged to COM
pete. Disappointment awaited them IN
the international race, however. EDWARD
]. Hill of Detroit, with Arthur Schlosser
as aide travelled from Detroit to South
ern Georgia to win the 1927 Gordon
Bennett, and Van Orman was obliged
to be content with second place by
matter Of a few miles.
Van Ornan and Morton congratu-
lated the winners and at once laid
plans to win the 1928 race, which
would bring the second Gordon Bennett
trophy to the United States permanent
~. But tragedy awaited. The national
race that year started from Pittsburgh
or Memorial day. Weather had been
threatening, but there was no indica-
ton in the size Of the treacherous line
squall that was racing over the Ale
ghanies to suck the IA racing balloons
into its NAV.
Struck by Lightning.
Within two hours Of the start the
seething croSs-currentS, accompanied by
hail, thunder and lightning, had played
havoc with the silver bubbles. Only
three balloons survived. three were
burned by lightning, the balance bat.
tered to earth IN wreckage.
One of the gas bags struck by light
ming was that of Van Orman and Nor
ton. It was a cruel paradox of fate
that "Old Mort" as we knew him, the
hero Of hundreds of spectacular jumps,
had no opportunity to use the aerial
life preserver on the one occasion that
1t was needed. He was killed outright.
Van Ornan. with a badly fractured
leg. Law HELPLESS in the rain in an open
field for hours before searcherS, who
had seen the plungiEg spheroid Of
flame, found him. Lieut. Paul Evart,
an Army pilot. was killed also by light
ming, and J. E. Cooper, civilian, was
severely burned and shocked. Coopsr's
companion, who escaped in para
chute, was Wollam. Van Orman's aide
in the 1925 Gordon Bennett.
Borne Down by Ice.
Undaunted by that disaster, the vet
eran pilot perfected a lightning ar
roster for balloons as soon as he left
the hospital. The 1929 national race
found Van Orman back among the en-
tries with youthful new aide-Alan L.
MacCracken.
They took of from Pittsburgh under
conditions not varying greatly from
those of the preceding year. Through |
y
snow at high altitude. When daylight |
broke they started down to verify their |
position. But they did not know that |
their bag was incruSted with half |
inch thickness Of ice. It was impossible |
to check descent with all their ballast. |
They landed on the shores Of Lake
Champlain. in New York State, early |
the next morning. They won second |
place.
On such a pilot the United States
may place much faith.
Capt. Kepner a Dirigible Pilot.
Capt. william e. Kepner has flown |
every race with the same aide-Lieut: |
w. o. EareckSon. Like Van Ornan, |
Kepner is a quiet, reserved man, short |
and husky In physique. He is thor
oughly military in bearing and one OF |
the best lighter -than-air pilots In the !
Army. He won his distinguished serv- |
Ice cross and Croix de Guerre with the |!
to the Army Air Service until after the |
war. He is qualified to command o !
rigid dirigible of the Graf Zeppelin type |
and has q pilots rating for such flying. |
He was in command Of the test flights .
Of the new metal-clad airship recently !
completed at Detroit.
Eareckson, lanky, happy-go lucky !
youngster, is q postwar graduate Of
West Point. !
Neither had flown in balloon race !
before 1927. They qualified for the in |
race by capturing third |
place in the national. But they omitted |
a detail of equipment for the Gordon |
Bennett that almost resulted in tragedy |
oxygen masks and tank.
Cracks Safety Valve.
Above 10000 feet breathing becomes
difficult. Lethargy steals over one and
the slightest physical exertion requires
tremendous physical and mental con-
centration. In order to conserve their