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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (June 15, 1914)
THE MORXIXO OBEGOXTATT, 3IONDAT, JUNE 15, 914. FOG IS NEMESIS 01 PERILOUS AIR TRIP BALLOONISTS WHO AEE STILL MISSING AND AESQNATJTS YTSQ LANB3D SAFELY NEAR CASCADIA. Give yoirroy devudbter UlUan? Hever-r-r- Jur because T omlimend qou on yourood . judjgrnenijn.tuyW an IrR5ST0 don't Watts and Fawcett Have Nar row Escape When Gas Bag Hovers Over Peak. it. s i 11 ADVENTURE TOO THRILLING WSw 'vtav wtf 8 s ' II - "" 1 " I r I l . X. ss Scenery at First Described, Coffee Cooked on lime, ' IYog Concert I , HldeoBS, Two-Hoar Nap Rests, Excitement Warms, Fears Told. (Continued from Klrst Paga. rio, these lines would never nave been written. So much sensationalism has attached to all four balloons in this remarkable chain of adventures that I am not go ing to spread myself on our hair breadth finale. This Is to be impres sions of ballooning: as they kaleido sooped themselves before me for IT wet and exceedingly excruciating hoars. TUrteea Ponnda Lost in Two Day. "Without realizing it. the writer lost 13 pounds in weight in two day a Watte had been up so many times be fore, but the scales showed a loss of eight pounds from his normal. Bal looning ought to be popular with iat folk. As a remover of adipose tissue It is to be recommended. Kansas City III left her moorings in Portland Thursday afternoon at 4.0( o'clock before the eyes of half of Port land. The sensation of rising rapidly was curious. The earth seemed tj be sinking. There was no jar, no move ment in the basket. There was no giddiness. Swirling; Movement Pleasant. Although I have a decided antipathy to anything over five stories high, per haps the absence of a dizzy feeling was due to the fact that it was Impossible to , form any precise estimate of height At any rate, the effects of swirling rapidly through 4000 feet of space was pleasant. The sensation afforded a com bination of distinct impressions. The bigness, the complexity and self-sufficiency; its complete detachment struck home most vividly of all. The view that unfolded under our eyes was magnificent. We could see the hydraulics at work on Westover Terrace and it looked as minute as a garden hose; Portland Heights, with its scattered mansions and winding boulevards, appeared as dreams and beautiful as any battlement on the Rhine; Ladd's Addition, across the Wil lamette, resembled nothing if not a gi gantic spider-web, with "his nibs" eouohed in the center of his lair. Balloon Hanga Over Falls Twe Hears. An express train, bound for Tacoma, appeared to be headed in an- opposite direction. We could see Oregon City, despite all vaudeville jokes to the con trary. In fact, we had an exception ally clear view of Oregon City for two solid hours, for we hung stationary over the falls between six and eight, while rain and lightning played and chortled all around ua A great deal of rain did not play around us; much of it ran down the bal loon and dropped in the basket, al though Pilot Watt used rare judgment and kept hia balloon nearly two miles above terra firma. The temperature was 42 degreea Excitement and the lightning, however, kept us warm. Other Balloona Are Seem. We could see the .Honeywell and Berry balloons a mile or two ahead. Both made the mistake of keeping close to the ground in the fast-moving ground currents and that is why they were out of the running early in the race. Donaldson was behind us and seemed to be following our lead. He had gone one or two trips with Watts in the East as aide and evidently re spected his judgment of the various atmospheric phenomena. Back of us we could aze far up the beautiful Columbia River, although we could not see the mountains, because of the clouds. Portland impressed me then and there as the solar plexus of the universe. Co-ordinately speaking, its spinal column was the Columbia, winding off to the cast between ribs of rock? Shortly prior to the rain storm, and as we were passing ever the south environs of Portland. 2700 feet up, the cruiser Boston in the harbor spat forth a rouhd of three salutes from tho starboard turret. It is nice to be recognized, but please when you greet your friends don't knock them down. Balloon Squirms at Salutes. The cruiser Boston did - that very tning to us, figuratively speaking. Kvery time one of those guns blazed its blank discharge into the ir our balloon welched in agony. It twisted and squirmed as a. thoroughbred horse when stung by a horse-fly. The vlo lent concussions, hurling themselves against tne huge bag, knocked thou sands of cubic feet of gas from it. Captain Watts groaned audibly with every Jerk. He groaned so loudly at the tenth shot that he scared a little house fly off the edge of the wicker basket. It had come up with us, and whether it ever returned to its native bailiwick l do not know. We carried with us only 26 sacks of sand ballast, as against 40 in the three bigger balloona Each little canvas bag harbored 40 pounds. They were strung around tne exterior of the bas ket, easily available, and suspended by hooka Two of these precious sacks we wasted in trying to get to a high stratum that would carry us through to tne uoiumoia rtiver gorge to the northeast. But the ruse failed. First Pigeon Released Then we drifted on toward Oregon City, and lost nothing by our aerial maneuver, for the rain clouds whirled down upon us shortly after '6 o'clock. ana we were giaa to be up. - We took with us, id addition to pro visions, clothing and other eauionaent two carrier pigeons, and the first of these was released just as old Jupiter was getting in his best licks. I felt sorry for the bird as we tied our strip of paper to one of his tall feathers, but possibly ne leit sorrier for ua Anyway, as it set iu talons on the edge of the basket, it took one sudden lunge, and, without so much as looking Die 10 say gooa-oye or waving an undertaker's salute, the pretty little bird was off to the north for its home cote. Second Pigeon Fltes South. The other pigeon was supposed to be released at daylight the next morn ing, but Pilot Watts refused to sane tion its liberation. "Ne telling where we will land in this horrible fog," said he. "Keep the B a J hV -.1 --A ' ttM 4 t LWiS Above Captain Donaldson a ad. Aide Henderson (Above In Rop.es Jn Before Start ( Flls-ht. Below Left. Captain John Watts nnd Aide Reaeoe Few cett. Who Landed on Korli of Santlan at Right. Wilbur Henderson, Pert land Lawyer, Who Is With Donaldsen, pigeon until we land safely. We may need it to save our lives." Three hours later we were brought up with a jerk on the jagged point of the cruel burnt-pine pole. 75 feet in height and attended by an entire flo tilla of lesser and even bleaker nags. reachicir hungrily up at the basket from beneath. Then we both gave up a prayer for the carrier-pigeon. In it we saw a route to safety. But even that failed. Mr. Pigeon or perhaps his name is Mabel -flew off south instead of north. alighting on the top of a neighboring snag, high up the cliff, and before our very eyes, proceeded calmly to peck away the precious missive from his tail. Log Kept Is Aeearate. It was like the captives watching the flame creep up the oil on the burn ing stake. The message never reached Portland. It would have given our whereabouts to the world about noon Friday, instead of Saturday night. . We had kept a wonderfully accurate check on the journey despite the clouds. for, on the strip, I wrote: We are lost in the mountains somewhere about TO miles southeast of Portland; both safe, but have only three days' rations. Teii rangers to answer our two-shot distress signal; 9:30 Friday A. M. Watts and Fawcett" But to get back to Oregon City ana the electrical storm which destroyed tho Berry balloon. As I said before, we hung suspended above the Oregon City falls for the greater portion of two hours Thursday evening. If we had possessed one of Earl McFarland 8 six-ounce tackles we could have hooked enough salmon to have supplied us a month. Pilot Not Afraid of Lightning. "There Is considerable danger "from lightning, but I am not as much afraid of it as some of the pilots I know," reassured Captain Watts, between lightning flashes across the horizon. Honeywell, I believe, wll land within the next 80 minutes. He is too near the earth to ride out a storm of this char acter." Captain Watts was correct - in his early diagnosis, it afterwards devel oped. Captain Berry presumably at tempted to Jump above the storm and in his frantic efforts to stop the up ward flight opened his gas valve and started downward at too terrific a speed. There is a strange thing about these balloona Under normal conditions a rising balloon keeps right on moving upward until there is so great con densation that it turns around and starts downward again. If it is checked before it reaches 15,000 or zo.uoo feet it will start down at the same velocity at which, it ascended, and will dash straight to the ground. Berry's Balloon Hard to Manage. Captain Berry's big balloon bad huge distance possibilities, but was a hard one to manage, and I believe that he ripped bis bag wide open with his rip cord to save being spattered over the ground. If )igbtning had nibbled at his hydro gen gas there wouldn't have been enough of the whole outfit left to ship parcel post ensemble. We bung over Oregon City until t o'clock Thursday night, being treated to a remarkable view of a rainbow close at hand, and then' we moved slowly to the southeast. A farmer yelled up to us three miles east of Bilverton, and we told him to telephone The Oregonian. He gava us our bearings. We bad a narrow escape from a grove of trees a few minutes later. The log book shows we shot up 9000 feet try ing to avoid this barrier, and immedi ately we began to feel the cold. The temperature was 86, and snow was pelt ing in our faces. Ballfrogs Heard as Balloon Drifts. At 10 o'clock we were drifting idly around, three miles north of - Salem. Usually there is an inexhaustible sup ply of wind in and around Salem, but this appeared to be an off night. There were millions of frogs beneath us in the darkness. The Bullfrog Society of America must have been holding its annual saengerfest. During -the lull -we prepared our ... . v - . ? I'"' J vV 'J first meal aloft, As aide it had been my duty to make the purchases, and these included four loaves of rye bread, two jars of peanut butter, a package of sandwich sausage slices, a can of corned beef, coffee, sugar, condensed milk, cookies and wafers, lemon drops and 10 packages of milk chocolate for emergency purposes. Coffee Cooked en Lima. Many will wonder how the . coffee was cooked. Watts had scoured a small box of lime. This was plaeed in the bottom of a pall, and the coffee pall was set inside of the larger re ceptacle on the lime. When water was poured on the lime it sent out a scorch ing heat, and inside two minutes we had steaming coffee, t A five-gallon can of water was also included in our cargo, along with two thick army blankets. Arctic boots, stocking caps, mittens. Captain. Watts' costly instruments, cameras, a small scoop to use in throwing off sand when only a small quantity was wanted. The instruments consisted of stato- scope, for showing instantly whether wc were descending or ascending; an aneroid barometer, giving us our alti tude; a compass with which to gauge direction by means of a trailing twine, and a thermometer for temperature. Newspaperman Sleeps 2 Honrs. An electric torch shown directly on this array of mechanism, and one or the other of us always had his eye focused on it. The basket is only four feet wide. three feet long, and three feet six Inches deep, so it was not large enough for sleeping purposes, but I did catch a nap over Salem between 1:30 and 3 A. M. Friday. When I awoke we were in the fog and traveling southeast at a terrific clip. From that time on until 8 A. M. we did not set eyes on earth or sun for three hours. - "The fog lifted at 6 o'clock, to re veal to our startled gaze three rugged peaks directly In our path and less than 200 yards away. Ice clung Cesperately to sheer walls, and if ever there was an ungodly place, that' looked It. Craft Sent Upward. As quick as chain lightning. Captain Watts whipped out his automatic opening knife and slashed two sacks of sand loose. We bolted upward with the speed of an aeroplane, but the carrying power of the wind was so great that we missed the topmost rock by barely Ave feet. Cold beads of perspiration sprung out all over my body, and from then to the finish at 9:25 I sat transfixed in an agony of suspense, hoping, fearing, dreaming dreams I dared not formulate, and Cap tain Watts, I suspect, was In about the same state of mind. At the time of this near-spill from the clouds we were sailing at an alti tude of 6500 feet, and guards who had covered every foot of the mountains say that the peak was Three-Fingered Jack, most treacherous, of all the igneous for mations. Cliff Side Is Struck. Three hours later we struck the side of the cliff and swung in among sharp ugly-looking poles of burnt timberland Here Watts again showed bts mettle. With a terrific impact the balloon dashed against the point of the 75-foot fir snag. Simultaneously Watts cut loose the trail-rope, which was tied in a ball out side the basket. It fell with a sicken ing thud and checked us just at the vital moment- Beneath us ugly fir points were trying to slash their way Into the basket. Javelin points seemed to be lunging at us from all directlona "Throw off the water and lime and everything handy," cried Captain Watts. I did so. The balloon struggled and then rose feebly off the 75-foot picket. "How are we below?" called Captain Watts, with bis hand on the rlpoord. "Clear by a foot on all sides," I re plied, gazing down through the fog. Balloon Topples Downward. With one deft pull Captain Watts pulled his emergency rope. The bal loorT. slit half way up the side and then toppled with a groan down through the poles. We were so close to the spires below 3 - if 4 M '14. 1 n -y J that two of them, short ones. 40 or 50 feet high, caught the netting as we passed downward. These held the bas ket off the ground, and there was no Jar. We clambered out, down the train rope, and lifted a prayer of thanks at our escape. Little remains to be said, exoept that we picked our way down the steep cliffs, over logs and through water all day long, headed eastward. We were absolutely lost. We had just one primal object in mind, and that was to follow water downward until it brought us out. realizing from the course of the creek that we were be yond the Cascade summit. Men Sleep on CreeK Banks. That night we slept on the banks of a creek, heavy-hearted and prepared for four or five days of heavy hiking. The next morning, Saturday, we arose at daybreak and three hours later a fence peeped through the trees across the river. I know how Columbus felt when the gulls perched themselves on the rig ging of bis ship as he neared the. West indies. Columbus had nothing 'on ua Tired and fagged out, we shambled Into White City, two miles west of Cascadia. at 9 o'clock Saturday morn Ing. Pilot Watts is still there, endeavor ing to rescue his balloon. I expect to return tomorrow to assist him and also to organise searching party to hunt Donaldson. Heaven pity him if he landed on the Isolated hill northeast of us! NEW TRAPS TRIED OUT GUJf CLUB HOLDS REGULAR SUNDAY SHOOT ON JENNE RANGE. Huge Merchandise Contest Is Planned tor Next Sunday 100 to Compete. Professionals to Be Here. More than a score of trap shooters were out at the new grounds of the Portland Gun Club at the regular Sun day shoot yesterday. The new traps are located at Jenne Station, on the Estacada car line. Next Sunday they will be the scene of the official open ing of the .clubhouse. A huge merchandise shoot has been arranged between classes A, B, C and D, at which 40 prizes will be awarded. Arrangements have been made to handle more than 100 shooters next Sunday and trap artists from Portland and vicinity will be pitted against each other. Peter. O'Brien and Frank Van Atta were tied for high honors yesterday, each scoring 92 per cent, while Everd- Mothers Teii of Mother's Friend Experience Is or should be our best teacher. Women who have obeyed the highest and noblest! of all sacrifices, the struggle for the Ufa of others, should) have a better idea of helpful influence than those who theorize from obser vation. At any rate when a prospective grand mother urges bea daughter to do as she did to use 'Mother's Friend," there is ample reason) to believe it the right 'kind of advice. Its purpose is to furnish pliancy to the muscles, to take away the strain on thai cords and ligaments, to relieve the ten sion of nerves and tendons so apt to) provoke or aggravate nausea, morning sickness, twltchlngs of the limbs and ogj On. It is applied externally. I Although, in the nature of things, a? Woman would use "Mother's Friend" bus rarely, yet so effective has it been found that this splendid remedy is on sale in most drug stores throughout the United States. It has been prepared by Bradflelcl Regulator Co., 3U6 Lamar Bldg.. Atlanta, Gh., and advertised by us for over twenty years. Ask at the drug store for a bottle af ''Mothera Friend,"- It ia worib while. Bill Spivens failed to get in right over there at the Laurelhurst mansion when he called yesterday afternoon, true to hia promises. But even at that, the old gentleman didn't fail to express himself as pleased with Bill's business judgment in purchasing at Eilers Iflusic House one of the new model Irresisto disc talking machines, together with the sixteen dance records and eight other selections, all on a payment of $3 a month. ing was second with an even 96 per cent. Secretary Joseph A. Addleman. of the Portland Gun Club, was using a brand new gun. and this accounts for his low score. Refreshments will be served at the official opening of the traps next Sun day and an all-day affair has been scheduled. The classes have been so arranged that all will be given an equal chance for the prizes. Plans already are being made for the Pacific Coast handicap shoot, to be held on the local -club's grounds July 20, tl and 22. Secretary Addleman has heard from several of the best live pigeon and blue rock artists in the country, and Is trying to get the consent of Charles Young, of Ohio, and Wolfred Henderson, of St. Louis, to attend the local tourney. Fred Gilbert, of Iowa, considered the best in the country, will be seen In action. The local Club has secured 1500 which will be distributed in cash prises among amateur shooters. None of the professionals will be allowed to com pete for any of the cash prizes. Following are the scores made yes terday: peter O'Brien. 92 per cent; Frank Van Atta, 92; Everdlng, 90; 3 E. Reid, 86; Blair 15; Hllgers. 84; Van Arnum. 84; Beavey, 83; Carlon, 83; Wright. 81; Carey, 78; Keller, 77; Se guln. 73; Ott, 8; Henry W. Metsger, 63; Marehey, 68; Funk, 67; Addleman. 57, and Zlaney. 56. ALASKA RAILWAY SURVEYED Engineers Begin. Work on Govern ment Iiine to Coal Field. SEWARD, Alaska, June 14. W. C. Edes and Lieutenant Fred Mears, U. S. A of the Alaska Railroad engineering commission, arrived here with a party of surveyors from Seattle en route to Ship Creek, to begin work on the sur vey of possible routes for the Govern ment railroad to the Matanuska coal field. Mr. Edes and Lieutenant Mears made an inspection trip today over the Alaska Northern Railroad, which runs from Seward 90 miles toward the interior, and departed late tonight for Ship Creek. After establishing a camp at Ship c--v ir. V'.Aem will return to Seward Great Northern Rail way SUMMER EXCURSIONS TO THE EAST A3TD RETtTRX TICKETS ON SALE DAILY June let to September 30th New Terk . , Philadelphia Buffalo Detroit t. Lonla ........... 10H.SO V2.0O ............ S3.KO 70. UO t. Paul. Mlaaeapelia, Daleth. Wlaatpea, Kasaas City. Omaha sal St Joseph. gtfO. Corresponding Reductions to Other Points Final return limit Oct. list. Stopovers allowed going and return ing and tickets good going one road, returning another. Hide oa the ORIENTAL LIMITED Through standard and tourist sleeping ears to Chicago in TS hours, making direct connections for all polnta East. Unsurpassed dining-car service. Compartment-observation cars. swt' MV .' 1 "UAH1 "tfTTmmt H. DICKSON. C P. T. A. Telephones Marshall SCT1 A 228 VISIT GLACIER NATIONAL PARK THIS SUMMER leans Jus 15th te Sept. 30th. Write mr aik low Booklets. to establish headquarters for the engi neers working in this part of Alaska. For baby's oomlort Santiaeptlo Lotion. Adv. Villiamsburgh City Fire Insurance Company of New York. Organised 185S, OREGON AUTOMOBILE DEPARTMENT Statement January 1st, 1914: Capital $1,000,000.00 Assets $4,872,222.82 Surplus to Policyholder!. T2,010,557.5C Massachusetts Bonding and Insurance Company of Boston, Massachusetts, OREGON DEPARTMENT Statement December Slst, 1913: Capital $1,000,000.00 Assets $3,390,873.00 Capital now increased to $2,000,000.00 Surplus $ 843,507.00 Surplus to Policyholders. $2,843,507.00 W.J.CLEMENS MANAGER Oregon Department, Commercial Club Building, Pertland, Oregon. AGENTS WANTED RoitM Waahlagtoa. D. C. ! Pittsburg Ckleac I Deavcr ............ ..fiie.ee .. lorjje .. i. so .. 72.se CITY TICKET OFFICB MS WasMaa tea St. Portias. Or. LOW RATES EAST Via ROCK ISLAND LINES June 1 to September 30 Return Limit October 31, 1914. The Route of the De Luxe Rocky Mountain Limited By purchasing your ticket at our office you have choico of any line out . of 3 Portland. Special attention to women and children traveling alone. Tickets, Reservations, Infor mation, Etc M. J. GEARY, Geacral Ageat, Pass. Dept. Ill Thlral Street. Pertlaad. Or. Paoae. Mala SS4, A 28e ROSE BEAD ROSARIES SPECIAL AT $3 Beads are made of rosebud leaves; chain and cross guaranteed gold piated. Everything in religious articles. CATHOLIC BOOK AND CHURCH SUPPLY CO, 489-481 Washington Street. " . Mi V ? 5 l fr- 3 l , ft v v - j L-JlL-.L J