The San Francisco call. [volume], January 10, 1909, Page 6, Image 6

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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Tbe San Francisco Sunday : Call !
STUDIES OF THRILLING LIVES
- »•"» •" I"* H R I L L I X G experiences ?" repeated Leo •;
j Stevens. "Oh sure 1 You get them in! bal-
I looning, naturally. In a way it's like le*r
ing suddenly for a new world and getting
there in a few minutes — a strange land of wonderful
sights and sensations, great air currents, cloudy
rainbows, snow and rain factories, cyclones Jt%
don't forget cyclones.
"My most dangerous experience came just lut
summer — after 23 years of ballooning.
"Allan Hawley and I made an ascent at Pittifisid,
Mass., taking along a young chauffeur from the d&.
of whom the local aero club wished" to mak« a ,
licensed .pilot. . .
"A licensed pilot, you know, must have made in tA \u25a0
at least ten ascents, two of which must be conducted
under a regular pilot, one alone and one at night"
Stevens stopped and chuckled. "This : young chap '
got all his experience concentrated in this one trip, I
guess, and Mr. Hawley and I each had a nevr one.
"We went up very nicely— straight v up. for a few
thousand feet — and then floated away from the city
toward Dalton, a suburb. It 'was a fine, clear day,
the weather predictions were favorable, and when we
struck our course we began platting on the map just
how far we should go and about where we might
land.
"Just over Dalton the balloon stopped for a moment
and circled easily back toward Pittsfield. This move
was against our calculations, and we thought it rather
funny. Were we going eastward, after all?
"That was decided very quickly. Just east of the
city we stopped again and came back in a narrower
circle, more swiftly this time, and so around " again
and again, swifter, swifter,' swifter — and then, as
quick as a flash, we plunged into'night. ;
"There was a great long streak of pale light straight
up from our heads — a sort of road to heaven, it struck .
me — and then came a roar like the sound of a cataract.
We were still circling, but in such a small, fast cir
cumference that it made us. dizzy. And all the time
there was a rasping, grating noise under the basket
""We're scraping the tops of trees!" yelled- the boy,
sad that vras the last thing I heard.him:say./Sud
denly there was a flash of light, and Hawley leaned
over the car. . ' '
"'My God!" said he, 'look at that!'
"He pointed at the drag rope. For a moment I saw
it. It was flying taut like a curved whiplash above
our heads. Then it dawned. upon me what had hap-,
pened. Wt were caught in a cyclone cloud— caught
in the tail of it — and were being sucked up through
8e center. V- ;
"How far up were we?
"Well, maybe seven thousand feet. We couldn't
•^c. the instruments."
Stevens' nervous face was alight with the memory
of the lightninglike trip. • - Svf^
"Great Scott!" X said he. "It was fearful. Seemed
like a monster was running away with us and shak
ing the car with a might and main to fling us out- It ; ;
was hard work to hold fast. . \ \ \u25a0'. >; ~]
" 'You're in for it,' I told Hawley.
"He smiled a little. 'Well, I'm in for. the Sliest of /i
it,' said he. And we didn't have time to talk much -J
from that time on. .
"I looked at the boy. He was crouched down, in ;
the car on his knees, gripping the side of the Vbasket i
with his hands— and teeth, it seemed. Just as. his
eyes showed over the top I spoke to him* called him
by name, yelled at him and finally kicked him. But.
not a word out of him, not even a look. 1 wonder.'
what he was thinking of?— praying probably for an
automobile to take him home. l|sgK
"It seemed as if we ought to do something,-but,.
after all, there was nothing to do. We . must wait, 1
that's all.
"Hawley motioned toward the safety valve, but I
shook my head. - \ . ' ,
"'l'm not going tb valve,' I yelled. 'Not yet!''
"You see, I figured that it was a false suction pull-^
ing us up, and no device in the' world could check
that ascent. Just think of that drag rope! We couldn't 1
do a thing till we were free. To j attempt 'any •tricks \
might prove fatal. Struggling against a cyclone is- <
like dealing with a balky wild. beast— you'd best - lie 1
low till each gets good naturcd. .
"Well, we got to the end of that long funnelafterl t
a while and seemed to pop out suddenly upon -what I
looked like a dark, 'billow>- sea. Then ne began to <
descend. - -;'•/' . . i'j
"I remember hoping that we. would not land, on
Mount Grcylock. We were going down" fast ; and ; 1
threw out most of our sand, then our. rugs, carrying ; t
cover and lunch basket. W^M i
. "Suddenly the ground loomed up and I saw an --o'pea '\i
field and farmhouse. A man was \u25a0'plowing and I'
yelled at him. He thought some one was caliing/to''<
him from the front of the house and hurried awayi'i
leaving his horses. We '.were coming.- down directly t
over them and I threw out myilasthalf sack of saridx
The balloon stopped, quivered a moment, 'floated away <
and landed nicoly. '\
"It was some time before the boy found his voice. 1
Then he looked at me and, said,-, .'You 1 ; look awful
white, Mr. Stevens.'" ; '. 1
Stevens stopped and laid a warnmghnger upon my
.arm: Now, that sounds mighty, dangerous,"^ said
he, "climbing a cyclone a mile and more intq'the' sky.
In- a way it {was — for an ; inexperienced person., But
inexperienced people don't go up alone,, arid,' anyway,
it -was more spectacular than- perilous. You v mustn't
get the idea that ballooning is .dangerous. -It.i/n't.
My o\vn record proves that, and every other iballoori-'
ist /will tell '3'ou the same^thing. . "1 " \::'--;." /'
; "How often do you read of a ; balloonij3t;being killed?.
Ii there Is atii accident every," newspaper j.theT .'world
over has an account of : it. Arid'yct, when tli'e; Huds-pri
Terminal building was . begun in' this \u25a0'city itwentyrsix
Italian caisson diggers failed* to -call 'for their tiriie
checks." so I am told.' The news was ricycr-publislied.
"Ballooning is wonderfully spectacular:, Last ; suiri
mer over Pittsfield I r saw snow/in the' makin*g.. -It
was beautiful.. . : • ;;•
"There' were seven' of, us in the car— John .Larkin
of;BuffaIo; Mr.'AVade,/Mr. Morgan of Cleveland;^ X.
Hqiland^ Forbes, Mr. .White, Mr." Taylor arid : inyself.-
AVewere at an altitu'dc of one and a" quarter miles';. : v
"First the snow resembled a''great shower, of gran
ulated, sugar. The sun shining 'through; it gave' it fall
of _the' rainbow, colors, so that it looked -like' a great
shower of. confetti." Then the/reilection of the siin's
rays queer, freaks.; At times" the; shower; ap
peared ;to go up instead;of down;-, sweeping by ,us ; as
tjiough whirled up ' from the earth by some, eribrmous
blast. 'Down' below; us when the/ light cleared we
coula see the 'specks, spread -out into big, beautiful
Hake?.". '/ "' v ••\u25a0.'.;\u25a0' •::l'--.i: '.;':\u25a0.''\u25a0'''/:'
. Stevens'. face lighted up with an enthusi
asifn.^ "I loveto.live in the a»r!7 : lie/exclaimed^ -'Once
tlie launching .ropes arc off 15am; happy." And, : : lean
ing back "in ' his chair, he • gayeVme 'favpicture 7 of fan
ascension; I shall never^ forget. \u25a0;• . -_: ' /". • : :
/ "You ; arc : floating"; softly upward into/a.great^blue
ocean 'of .ziri-iresK sweet| exiijiarating. •; Swiftly itHe
earth sinks- away! beneath you, bowling : up around
the i horizon line till ' it ' seems like the r mouthy of -an
enormous/crater. The -shouts of /'Bon voyage!'}
die;, away, .in a faint wavering , strain, iand soon you
are in the midst of ; original 'sileiice.vNbt! a;; 'sound is ;
heard save : the quick; ticking : bf the barograph^'
"The earth; changes into a/great, strange"; map. Tall'
building's look like pepper bbxes f and ; then arc'lost^ : iii
WILLIAM ALLEN JOHNSTON
the general rsquatuess.- Cities andvvillages' become
nicre diffused. outhnes,of, ground, plats/ /Fences- change--'
;^intq ' tiny,V eyancscent'^ lines ;... "roads i "look 'like- pale" ;
yellow, ribbons "arid -rivers 'like silver -cracks -in .the-:
earth's. surface.. :.i :^ \u25a0 ' •'/\u25a0\u25a0''-%'} ;'-''-f^ .- .'.'-.•-•./.:.'
"Over, there is a'thin white streak of \u25a0 smoke weaving •
its .length qver.sthe..gr6en;\vista.i' j 'AV trains is\^rushiifg^
along. J Suddenly "at^is, gdne.^ swallowed 'upy : it-. would
rse'em, 1 . in^ that • strange *' lopkih'g- earth. ;\u25a0 But^n'o.^ It • has .
merely ;;plunged; into ; r a tunnel: beneath <. a • towering -_
iriountaiii,: the very presence of which' is ,lost ; . to -the.
balloonist's eye. »,*'"""" 'i v , : ' .-\u25a0 , . -
-"Xow.you pass aboveitlie clouds and 'into a dazzling ;
sunlight The white i f billows' ; beneath^> \vith : ; the ;
shadow of the car: upon 'tlfem^lqok *;like great \u25a0trackless*'
fields' of 'snow. So realistic !r! r is" tlie s'ccrie'.it -seems \ as ;
if you could put oil snowshoes and- walk away. ;,- ;.:
"You \u25a0a re on a new; planet now,- roused", with.'a : won-i
derful exhilaration.;; \u25a0Beautiful- rainbow effects;f ccts; create
a veritable; fairyland aiUaboutj'bu. .Suddenly-:' a faint, ;
' weird music' of sweetest caclcnce> strikes *;th"e{"car-."and^'
is: gone as swiftly -'as; it came. \u25a0That -'is* some , ; great,^
jarring ; noise' from , the : , earth \u25a0 or? the . heterogeneous
roar = of; a^big.-'city •merged; into . measured vibrations ';
t>f harmony and wafted up; to your new world. by! sorrier
upspringing current of'air.'-' ;: -\ "*.;'•,'/ .: : : .". ''"'^ :
; .Stevens laughed- suddenly/ 1 and /caught my rarm/ -He k
had- stopped ;talkingr/arid' I;; did; not/ kno
back ; to: earth,". said ;hc^;'^liow;high-up.Avere-:you?'.' .
'."Yes,'-'. .he ! continued I^seriously,; "ballooning ?^is"* wbn-; :
derfully spectacular, ;but"it v> is^ riot 1 dangerous. -I can. =
giye:y6uan;apt;illustratipn? : ' : V. - -vV;-' ; - •"V ,^
"Just; recently) lJmade;' some 'ascensions, in • Spring- j
field, 1 - Mass.;!^One: day '•afteril;had ; finished, luncheonVat'f;
a ; h oni c .. iriit li c }'c i ty ,;' t lie ; you ng ' rnaiifo f -the fa mi ly \u25ba •
.me- aside Tand f tbld'rrie'Mri: whispers > how jeager/he'/wasi:
to go up. ; 'l/prpmised .tOigive .hinV thei'first'opportunity *
y-" ;YoUi betiyb'ur *life!'tsaid ;he, ; ' dropping- the - phone, '=•'\u25a0
arid;in..temmiriutes; timeihe^vas'overanfthe field and -;
excitedly shak'ing^my^hiaii<i: ;V ; up^d \u25a0;;. ' : : :} ;/. ":/ (
-,A ; "HJ6;-; sister,-' learned ;-fqf|it'''s6mch".qwVan'dJ*drove*?up '
hurriedly, -jtist" f as we^ a were^^ ready; to -get,; in/the; car.:'
She/ was 'very, riiucli; scared < and j cried ? and;- threatened 'i'i
J)j r turns; itrying^to t 'induccllieyvbrbtherito^g^
ascension' and go 'back <.\vith'; -her. - Finally/ sheUvhippcd;
up; her/horse : and i drove v home /to , get . her ; father/and .
bring' him out' ">; .'/./. . . \ ?Y+ - . ".
£/;".Well, we: had a fine trip/and/got back .to the'eity .
just/aY.the -eye'iiing • papers \vere/out. ' We stopped in
front c'ofi a '/double bulletin' board, and -there, on one '
side,'* was the \u25a0announcement of our' trip and on the
other the news of his sister's accident. ' Her horse
had; rim away 'and-she'had' been seriously; injurcd.N
•.-? '"Now, "- concluded Stevens, "for my own/part, and
so/far as .safety-; is! concerned. I'll take;'ai balloon trip
in : preference to land traveling every time. It has
been; proven safer. ;\u25a0: -\u25a0\u25a0 • ; -:
;*\u25a0 '^Howmany people -who object ( to the '^port really
know \u25a0 v.'hat * a modern balloon _i s ? . Very c few.
\u25a0/. "lihad^an.'amusing..' experience; in .'; this respect last
year., inj- New •'England. / A prominent resident ,of •
Springfield decided to make .an ascension, with : me,
but .kept' the .news' .from-*his^\yifc,'-.\vho' was' highly
nervous' and' had'ajieart'.weakness.
"The ..day .we ' .went ,up ; sonic • kind friend \ imparted
the/news, to' her*' a'nd as the balloon passed o,ver her
house > she »faintc"U "away and was \ ill for : two weeks.
? After^that; : :.ot\;cbursc, \u25a0" I r steered dear. -of meeting her.
".\u25a0'i >I-ast .'summer, .li6"\v'eVer; ; in Springfield -the two— •;
husband- and wife— motored - out "to \ sec • me.- T She
scerrved 'quite, pleasant after she foundfl. was not' an *
inhuman^ monster, and , \\*as greatly interested while I -
showed ith'e ballbon^to her and explained its operation. ;
She -was . much surprised, too; said ;"she had only : seen
one/balloon, and'that-'from a distance. It. was a small,
hot;, air;." balloon, ;.;<such: as ;parachutists" : use, : and • it
caughtv fire; a ~ short' distance" up. ! Whenever she
thought.^ of -a- balloon,- she said, this picture- always
entered^her-mind." \u25ba . . ' " . S**^^^^
r;;, 1 ' 'Why: don't you ''go r up?' I suggested. , ";
;- r "/Qh'.\- ; my!/-;'sh'e i "said,'' turning to her husband. 'I
sHould^ikejtp/'Can^rgo?^';
"We 'made : an;' ascension the. next day.- In midair
she . turned'. to yme and said: "Do you knb\v, ?T ,I 'have :
neyey.'felt: /so." well and /stro^ng; as. l do this minute?' \,[
i I'lYou'see," the .thin air.lack of pressure and •every
thing Jmade I h'crj heart more easily. And alto
gether;she.\was.the most pleased woman I have ever
seeh",'"Bcfo're; weC descended she had made: her thus- ;
band ;to".buy;. a balloon, ' and' now., they, are
deyoteesVof. the; sport." , . " ;
,V Other ; women who have .taken up balloon
ing. arevMrs.iMaxjFleischman of -Cincinnati; -Mrs. A.
\u25a0R.'V'Lanibert \u0084of,]StA:L ouis,^and -in' New York -'Mrs!
'Courtlan'd^Field^BisHop,* Mrs. Newbold Leroy, Edgar
arid rMrsr* Julian 4R.' ;Tliomas. : In.-England the tHon! ?
'Mrs. vAsshetonvHarboard vis - -the\owner.- of- ; several
balloons, has- many; ascents \u25a0 to" her, credit and has twice ;
crossed' oyerithej;Englishi channel: \u25a0
i ; -."It* is ;> simply ..»a':marteri of - gettinglused •to the idea,"} \u25a0
said •Steyens,;V.'and ;\hen" becoming / familiar \ ivtthv the \u25a0
balloon; and^; its -safety devices.-; Then an. ascensipn'.
follows,' andCorice? an: ascension -is 'made you have an
enthusiast.; ;. V:' . • * \u25a0 . :
;.v"lnterest is awakening. 'all lover; the country.' In the
middle-,west^and*ih, ; Ne.w, England itiis.m>t;an uncom-.
mon 1 sight now to -_see a ':b*allobn 1 in the air almost ; every,
fine Mayi Whenever' I'• make, an "ascension there s are , a
number} of f lady,' v teachers present' taking \dbwn notes
about: the J construction of a- ballooiv and: its methods
of 'operation, r These are taught imfn f the; classroom, and
thei idea " is \a.% good tone. - We" must '-become -educated
up ! to 'ballooning. " IV do " riot \ believe .that /any form ,' of
aerial navigation will ever • compete commercially
with the present means of transportation, yet inmany
ways it is the thing of the future.
"In a', few. years \ve shall have trans-Atlantic and
transcontinental balloons of the dirigible type — so
soon., in. fact, that their advent will surprise us all,
just ' as the aeroplane performances of ' the Wright
brothers did. Before that '. time we shall have aero
dromes in every. large city and in many smaller ones,
parks 2nd buildings where balloons may be stored nd
inflated/and' wherc'ascents may be mdc. These will
be established'very shortly,".
The present day. balloon enthusiasts are pioneers, it
must be borne in. mind, and. to them is due a good'dcal
of credit -'. for , their . unselfish efforts , to promote the
sport and. bring its delights and usefulness before the
general public. It is but a few years ago that the
balloon was .only a showman's device, and its .utility
was based altogether upon a matter of gate receipts;
today : if. hids fair to play, a "very prominent part in
the sportsj the transportation. facilities and the inter
national relations of more than half the civilized
world.
Still more credit is due professional aeronauts —
men like Stevens and Captain Baldwin. The balloon
in- its former restricted sphere was a very lucrative
source -of livelihood to them. Then its operation was
invested ,,with a sort. of magic known to a very few,
and it; would seem natural that they should prefer to
jealously maintain - this situation instead of being
prime. movers in a general campaign of education.
Stevens is a manufacturer of balloons, and of course
will i eventually . profit, perhaps, by . their general use.
So.too, will Baldwin., But they and some others de
serve praise at least for looking further than the ends
of their noses, and. for stopping practically altogether
a goodly income and taking chances with the future.
This year, Stevens says, he will come out even for
the 'first time in his manufacturing experience. In his
parachuting days he made as .much.as $2,500 in a sin
gle/day. /All his present ascensions — in New England,
New York,', the middle t we,st— are made at his own ex
pensed So, 'too, were his ascents for the government,
it seems' strange that [ an individual should have • to
take the initiative and bear the necessary expense in
such a matter when today most nations are struggling
to increase /their balloon service with much the same
competitiyefenergy that they devote to enlarging their
naval armament.
"I've; just, returned from Milwaukee and Ohio,"
said Stevens, "and I had many odd experiences there.
.'-."My hotel-was thronged with visitors pretty much
all day long. - 1 had a good deal of trouble getting in
and -out and avoiding them. Some people simply
wanted , to talk with me; others were cranks, with fly
ing machine, devices r a, few. wanted to make, ascents.
"One young fellow came to me with money. -*I un
derstand, 1 / said 'he, 'that' you charge $100 to "take a
passenger up.' ' - ._-. V;.*;^
"'No,' said I, 'I \u2666don't- charge anything. Why, do
you want to go up? 7. .. "\u25a0»
"'Well, I'll tell you,' he said. 'I'm the janitor of a
bank here in tbwii. There's a -young' clerk there, son
of the president, who has plenty of money and is very
chesty and snobbish. He is -going up with you to
inbrrowand is constantly, boasting about it. Now* I'd
like 'to .beat him.by, t g6ing up today. "If you'll take
me.'l've got $300 saved up and $150 of it is yours.' '
"That's a fair sample- of the requests I get,"' said
Stevensr "But .the^general awakening of interest is
encouraging any way."-
We had been talking'in the Stevens balloon, factory,
the only institution' of its' kind "in ;Ncw York, 'or, for
that matter, in the country.! It covers two and a half
floors, and. at its busiest time' has about as many em
ployes, the fraction existing in the person, of (a. stately
black cat, who "plays- the- part of night watchman.
"The balloonist fears - water most of all.'* said
StcvenSi '.If you , sec yourself approaching a large
body of it and don't care to crass you can easily make
a- quick descent by means. of, the" ripping cord.' But if it
is misty." so* that you can . not see far ahead, and you
doh't- u know, just where'ybu arc it i.» rather* risky. I've
just had that. sort of experience out in Milwaukee, and
I found' this little instrument of much help.". "\u25a0
j He showed me a • small brass contrivance that looked
like the/chopped off,end,of ; a cornet. It-was attached
by a, heavily insulated* wire t to good sized dry batter
ies.-" "Tha^s an ; electric," 'siren! .whistle," said he. "It
can ; be' heard five mi?es ] away, ; and then the batteries
are.- good for • ballast-/ j -
-.Vlts use is to* warn people of your approach, so that
they .wiir.jae ready and in- fit condition to talk to you
and tell you where yoti^ are.- You see, it -often takes
half a.'minute for: your.jnega phone ..call to- reach the
earth,- and: even if. they,an9vver. promptly another half
minute] for their answer. to reach you. Now,, if you are
flying along at the* rate of. '4o, miles an hour you can
see the ; disadvantage you* labor .under.
"We have laughable .experiences in the country.
When you approach a" farmhouse the. chickens see the
shadow of- the balloon first and start an awful uproar.
Then the pigs take it upland by the time you are over
the house, the. family is half mad and half crazy with
fright. ? Generally when I yell down 'Where are we?*
I get only an open mouthed look 'and the answer — a
very" gratifying : one— ;'Hcy ! Where are you going?'
"We had lots ;.of fun ? with this siren. .
. "1/ suppose* itvdid sound .: unearthly to ? hear* this
hair raising -screech ;come out of; the sky. : But what
antics we 'saw!
"Two" Swedes -dropped "down "beside their plow
horses and : began praying./ Another; man rolled over
and covered • his - head /with « his// coat. Generally.
tlK>vgh:"the brave, fellows: just cut and run fortheir
wives and families. -Themthey- would ' come : out- with
grandfather's* flintlock and defy us to do our r worst.' .'
• *.'*rit hever.forget a- trip made years ago -from St.
•iJouiscto^Michigan. , .We > wcre"aboye a tornado at* one
tjnie'.ja'hd .'U_t"jwas*a;'reinarKab!e sight. Not. a bit of
trouble." where -we •JwereA,, You could •scarcely know
you '- were' ; moving,l and •'. not* a sound > from' the earth
reachediJiV.. But ;',we^ could,/ sec* big? trees bend* and
break and !fields;qf'grain:swept flat as a floor. ' •
"TKe- storm was, still fon when iwe tried V,landing
and an time/ we; had '» of ' it; We - were 'swept
through an brchard,vbr'eaking /our "anchor, and tearing
off ibig. branches*. of.' trees. I ": ,We^crashed to the iground
right in \u25a0 frbntiof fa : farmhouse. iwhere a - tall old lady
stood/ defiantly: guarding", the door. We called 'rather
unexpectedly, and/ considering the damage done in the
orchard and • all, i she had \u25a0 good reason s to be mad.
•"•Where did you Tellers, come from?' she 'demanded
- '• '* 'St.; Louis/.'said 1 1. : .
'".'She stared' afus.ttook off her glasses, wiped * them
and -'stared 'again.". ''."
; , "' N P W « #* hat w i u - do,\said she,, and -walked 'in and
slammed »_theVdQor.' . .; : V