Evening star., 1934-07-31
STEVENS ARRIVES
TO RELATE FLIGHT
Technical Committee to De-
eide on Second Trip-FIy-
ers Eager for Chance.

whether another stratosphere bal
loon flight will be attempted by the
Army Air Corps and the National
Geographic Society will be determined
here by the special Technical Com
mittee in charge OF the expedition
which nearly resulted in tragedy when
the giant balloon Explorer burst and
plunged out OF the stratosphere last
| Saturday. 1T was indicated today as
| Capt. Albert w. Stevens. one Of the
three ballocnlSts arrived to confer
with officials Of the War Department
and the society.
Stevens said he and the other menu
bers of the fight, Maj. William Z.
Repner and Capt. Orvil Anderson, are
eager to make another attempt and
are confident a second flight will be
| entirely successful.
Capt. Stevens brought with him TO
Washington every scrap OF photo
graphic film recovered from the many
| automatic cameras carried on the
| fight, and all will be developed in an
| effort TO piece out the fragmentary
records which survived the plunge OF
the balloon into a Nebraska cornfeld.
Afraid Very Little Left.
"I am afraid. though. that there Is
very little OF the film lefh." Stevens
said. The magazines burst ike egg
shells and most of the film probably
has been exposed to light and ruined.
We will do all we can with what is
left"
Every bit OF the balloon, the metal
gondola, rigging and instruments, was
collected and now is on the way to
Washington aboard an Army truck,
Capt. Stevens reported. The truck Is
expected here Thursday or Friday and
will be unloaded. probably at the Ma
tional Geographic Society Building.
where the cargo will be turned over to
the technical committee, headed by
DR.. Lyman Briggs, chief of the Bu-
reau of Standards, for study.
/ Maj. Kepner and Capt. Anderson
are expected to arrive in Washington
about the time the balloon reaches
here and, with Capt Stevens, will aid
the Technical Committee in its studies.
Upon the results Of the examination
Of the balloon, especially of the rem
nants of the fabric which split and
caused the collapse of the great bag.
probably will depend the decision as
to a future fight.
Death Nearer Than Believed.
| Capt. Stevens revealed that death
was nearer the trio of Stratosphere
! flyers than had been generally under
stood. Capt. Anderson, first out of the
gondola after decision was reached to
abandon the craft, accidentally re-
leased his parachute before getting
clear and, in addition to q heartbreak-
ingly narrow escape from death by
| the ENHANCEMENT of his chute in the
wreckage, blocked the escape of the
two others for precious moments while
the gondola fell at terrific speed.
Anderson finally gathered the por-
tions of his parachute which had es-
capped from his pack into bundle in
his arms and plunged of the gon-
dola, Stevens said. Then Stevens,
who had been frantically heaving out
lead ballast to check the fall while
waiting for Anderson to get clear, took
his turn at getting out and himself
was delayed by the catching of his
parachute in the narrow gondola port
and by the terrific air pressure which
| literally blew him back into the
| spheroid.
Dove From Port.
II finally took running start and
dove through the port" he said today
in an interview in the office of John
Oliver La Gorce, vice president of the
Geographic Society. Luckily, I
plunged straight through the small
opening and went horizontally, head
| foremost into space"
| The spectograph, carried suspended
from its own parachute below the gon-
dola, and which landed intact, has
been sent to Rochester, N. Y, for
study by scientists there. One of the
paragraphs, apparently not badly
damaged, was brought here yesterday
by Lieut.. J. F. Phillips, Army Air
Corps, and turned over to the Ma
tional Aeronautic Association 1t will
be unsealed and studied at the Bureau
of Standards to check the maximum
altitude reached by the balloon.
Stevens arrived in Washington this
morning and, after first checking in
at the National Geographic Society,
reported to Brig. Gen. Oscar Westover,
acting chief of the Army Air Corps.