The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-11-20
SETTLE AND HELPER
Reach $1,000 FEET
IN GREAT GAS BAG
Report by Radio They Are
Climbing Steadily But
Cannot See ground
MAY DESCEND BEFORE DUSK
Landing Is Expected to Be Made
in Vicinity Of Pittsburgh,
Scientist Says
MAY DESCEND BEFORE DUSK


Akron. O., Nov. 20.-(P)-Bobbing
like q cork IN tub Of water, Lieut..
Com. r. G. w. Settles shakespeare
I balloon Monday afternoon raced up.
ward into the far reaches Of the third
layer Of atmosphere surrounding the
Garth in the hope Of attaining an alti-
tude Of II miles on voyage Of scien-
tific discovery.
Taking off at the Akron airport at
9.27 a. m, the great hydrogen filled
bag and It's tiny, spherical gondola
passed the 53,000-foot mark at $40
p. m, said advices to the naval wire
less station here. with q chance of
topping 5000 feet about 3 p. M, Set
tie reported he could no longer see
the ground.
Settle planned on landing about
shutdown. He was encountering wind
velocities Ut from IS to 40 miles an
hour, he advised the wireless station.
Settle and his companion expect to
descend somewhere In the vicinity of
Pittsburgh before dusk. II the flight
Is not completed by then. they will
not have full moon to guide them
IN night landing.
The 100000 cubic foot gas bag was
filled with 10000 cubic feet Of hydro
gen, which swclled beneath the heat
Of the suns rays in a three-hour wait
after night had lifted at the air dock
here.
Light Breeze Blowing
Held by the spider lines. the bag
swayed gently In light breeze as the
ballonists got aboard the spherical
gondola. Then the order to cast off
was given by Settle.
The naval aeronaut sat atop the
eondola as the lines were cast away.
The ballast held the balloon slose to
the ground for several minutes.
Then the commander cast off eight
35-pound bags OF sand and one 20.
pound bag Of lead dust, whereupon
the huge craft shot upward 1000 feet.
Waving farewell to the three or
four hundred spectators on the field,
the commander slid feet first through
the portfolio into the light metal gon-
cola when the balloon was about $50
feet In the air.
Balloon experts considered the take
off suspicious because more than two
tons Of ballast was borne aloft, CIV
ing Settle much latitude In con-
trolling the craft.
The wives Of the officers kissed
them goodbye and left for Pittsburgh
to await the balloons descent. Com
mander Settle expected the craft to
1irift in that general direction.
Within Is minutes after the take
Of, spectators had lost sight Of the
balloon In the haze, which seemed to
cling tlickly close to the earth. de-
Spite the almost cloudless sky.
For food the men were carrying
chocolate bars. coffee. hot chocolate.
bananas, apples and grapes.
One scientific test which the off,
GERS had hoped to make. however, will
lot be carried out. due to the failure
Of q fresh supply Of female fruit flies
to arrive by air mail from Chicago.
' University Of Chicago professors
lad asked the balloonists to take the
tiles into the stratosphere to deter
mine whether the cosrnic rays would
have any influence on their sex. One
batch Of flies was on hand last Thurs
cay, but most Of the insects died.
Carriers One.Celled Organisms
The gondola carried some one-cell-
ed organisms, however, for expert
y.aents Of similar nature.
Commander Settle and Major Ford.
ney. disdaining the cold which made
spectators sliiver In the vast airdock,
wore only leather jackets and trou-
Sers, although the major had q light
topcoat which he alternately wore and
discarded. during the wait for the
takeoff.
The major. who was making hts
first balloon trip and who may have to
Jump out with Z parachute q mile
from the ground TO tighten the load
en- the descent, was smiling and jovial.
Commander Settle was serious.
Commander Settle planned to ham
ole the navigating during the trip.
while Major Fordney took care Of the
scientific end Of the journey. A seal
ed Paragraph to record the maximum
altitude was mounted In the rigging
just above the gondola.
The officers had flying suits In the
g0ndola to put on when they reach
the upper strata. where the tempera-
' ture drops % mcre than 50 below zero
They had no heatirs apparatus. how
ever. They planned to communicate
with associates below through short
wave radio set.
Commander Settle did not expect t.
exceed an altitude Of 5000 feet, OF
POSSIBLY only 63,l53 feet. the height
attained by Auguste Picard Ii
August, 1882.