Show J IS SWEPT BY HURRICANE IN N HEART or Of THE TH NEW YORK Oct S. S Even E Even with x the tho possibility of being swept far out over the tho great k J lakes s by a an autumn storm as were John Wise and Protes Professor or Donaldson years ye-ar ago aKO when hen they ascended from Chicago Chi Chi- CA CAKO cago O and lost their lives es In an attempt to beat the worlds world's long distance balloon record the daring aeronauts who will com compete t for or the international balloon cup are Me not likely to face tace as an great p perils as Capt Thomas Scott Baldwin encountered when he mado a similar attempt to establish a a. record starting starling from Den Den- vet ver Twice Captain Baldwin and his hla companions com corn were swept around Pikes Pike's peak in inthe inthe the heart of a tornado and for tor hours they looked death squarely In the tho eye In tho the end nd they were saved lIa b by merest chance chanco Captain Baldwin will bo be a competitor Inthe in inthe inthe the contest for tor dirigible balloons to follow follow fol fol- fol low tho the tart of the great race from St. St Louis Captain Baldwin describes his ex experience ex- ex peM nce By CAPT T T. T S. S BALDWIN I In the course of ot nearly 1000 balloon ascensions which I have made In all parts of the world I have bAve had man many thrilling experiences but none nono of ot them can compare comparo com corn pare paro In excitement with a Il trip I made from Denver In an attempt to break tho the worlds world's long distance r record ord I expected to sail all eastward but as It turned out the tue balloon was as cau caught ht In a current And swept right Into tho the he heart rt of the tho mountains Driven n before a storm o of tornado strength th I was carried twice around Pikes Pike's peak end n a dozen times Umes during tie the m mst most it awful night I ever er spent I had given myself U up for lost I cut away from Denver Den In C Big I g Glory GloO accompanied 11 b by Captain Prcy Percy Hudson and C. C L. L Sherman a n newspaper news news- ws- ws paper artist For a n. fe few hours nothing of espA especial cla ial In Interest occurred although we did not mako any groat s headway to the tho east cast Our drag rope had caught around a n tree treo and as ns there thero was almost no air stirring wo left dt the balloon balanced balanced bal bol- th there re and at ate supper Just as s I was as polishing off a chicken bono bone tho most terrific storm burst upon us that I have hav ever experienced It came without warning and antI before we could mako mak I a move It was waa tearing through the shrouds of ot our balloon and carrying the great bag bAle almost to the ground With one accord wo we tackled the guide rope and tried to drat drag the balloon to tho the ground s Wo managed to get et in about feet teet of tho the rope ropo b by exerting our utmost effort but then a 0 harder blast than ever struck us Wo We 0 ero blown b back Into the bottom of the tho basket the guide ulde rope slipped out of ot our hands and the tho balloon relieved rellO of till the weight of ot tho the rope for tor the moment shot Into tho the air with tho the rapidity and force of a 0 cannon ball Finally we struck a 0 high current which carried us away from the tho foothills and into the very ery heart of ot the range With the tho gale there was a steady downpour downpour down down- pour of rain which was driven with the force of ot fine shot Into our eyes and faces so that we could hardly distinguish one another Gradually wo we 0 descended until our CUl guide e ropo rope struck on the tops of ot tho the trees over which wo we were racing All three of ot us were crouched at the bottom of tho basket with the Instruments m ments and supplies plied piled over o us ue In a amass amass mass maIls of wreckage As we cr crashed sh d along we e expected every en Instant to strike a Il crag or tree treo which would have split tho the bag wide open and let us drop wo we knew not how far Every now and th then n the bask basket t dragged so low It would pick up a 3 big tree bodily and carr carry It alone along until It in turn was waa caught by another tree treo and ond dragged out from the network of shrouds shroud I never ne know how It happened happen d but after wo we O had been carried along aon this way a for tor half an nn hour we e suddenly lifted and shot up Into comparatively still air above o the tho storm belt Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps Per Per- haps some of ot the Instruments oIl fell out and thus reduced the weight tho the balloon balloon bal bal- bal bal- loon had to carry but it nil happened eo Co quickly that nobody could explain Just what occurred There for tor or a while we floated above R n. sea tea of ot murky white clouds The air was perfectly still and with the tho stars shining overhead and the noise of the storm torm below us becoming more moro and more moro faint taint as we wo rose roso higher and higher the sensation was ns of such perfect peace as I never experienced before or since Pikes Pike's peak stood out nobly be before ton us as we passed p through the layer of ot clouds and drifted slowly to the tho south south- ward Through rifts in tho the clouds wo we caught glimpses of at Colorado Springs Manitou Cripple Cr Creek ek Victor and Pueblo There seemed to be no further hope of ot our making a record ree-ord trip and we determined to descend nd wh when n we e w were re directly oV over r Colorado Springs even en though wo we had to land on the house house- tops As AB we wo struck lower a n. stratum straum of the theair theair theair air we were again ng In tho the path of the storm and with th the samo force torce that had c carried d' d us olon along before wo we were swept bac back toward the mountain mountains and anda a 0 few fot minutes later Inter w we were again hovering around tho the peak The storm seemed to be fiercer than ever Immersed Immersed Im Im- Im- Im mersed as we wore wart In black blaek clouds douds we could s see e nothing nothing- ahead of us UI Dropping no now into ono on of th the gulches nl skimming and arid fairly grazing the tho top of ot a crag em in and out in the tho terrible rJ rt d ness e o fol followed followed fol- fol lowed for an hour the tho devious routes of the canyons canons Every Enry time ne we turned on our electric light to examine the compass or aneroid the light seemed like a perfect blaze blazis In our eyes ell and more than ever er Intensified the tho blackness black black- nets ness all about U ua us Our guide Ilde ropE caught from tree to tre tree as ItS It hr h before and there wa waa was a n fusillade of or snaps In our wake as the tho branches were ero cut sharp off oft by the rope ropo We Ye felt that ti tho balloon could not last much longer and knew that our only hope lay 8 In n making a landing by wrecking her In some open spot but strain our eves es eyes through h the darkness as w we would d we could discern no chance chance- t I t I Quick Action for Safety Wo WI were eli all read ready to drop th the anchor overboard and aw ae f we passed what looked ook d like a n smooth place I gave the tho Command to heave e her but Just juet In time over solid ground but In Williams Williams' canyon The anchor was IlS yanked back not an instant too soon oon and wo all nil mado a grab for tor ballast but we had bad forgotten In our excitement that we e had lon long a ago o exhausted our supply Throw the water tank overboard throw anything you ou can cnn get your hands on I shouted and Sherman heaved the large tank over the side We e heard It tall tail and nd explode hundreds of feet below us and realized where here w we would 1 have have- b ben ber berIt en If It the anchor had gone overboard o and the tho balloon had collapsed against the side of or tho the Canon can Can- yon on The balloon bounded rd hut but every Instant the tho basket was wa from side elde to side of the canyon Finally we yore wore dragged bumped and Jolted to safet safe safe- t ty In the clouds above e the tho canyon There we WP were again safe Sate for tor tho the moment but whit while we were con congratulating ourselves ell on our escape we e ew w were re plunging Into even greater grenter danger without realizing it Relieved of the wf l weight ht of the tho water ater tank the balloon continued to tf shoot hoot upward up up- ward until It struck a n. warn warm current of ot air Wo We 0 were not pa paying ln much attention attention atten atten- tion to ko what hat was happening after the peril we wo had Just JURt escaped and did not see eo the bag bac swelling larger er and larger as the pas gas expanded until wo we were so 80 hl high h that the temperature dropped twenty degrees Frost formed on tho the rigging riggin and andon andon on our clothes and wo had tho the sensation of ot passing through a snowstorm Pretty soon it St began to be to breathe and we were all rapidly yielding to drowsiness but still till I did not suspect that wo we wore at any tremendous height When hen I look looked d at the barometer r thou though h and saw W that It had automatically tog reg fr fet t and that tho the needle had gone to th the lop op of ot the tho case lse and fas tas- toned Itself to th the rim In its attempt to register res a still greater altitude I was horrified If It we had again drifted Into the path of ot the tho storm nothing could have ha saved us for tor everything we had In tho the way 0 of ot ballast was gone one so eo you ou can Imagine nc I the anxiety with which wo we o peered over I the tho side 0 of tho the basket to see Bee how near I Ito to earth we w wro ro dropping Aft After r a n long fall through the air the balloon I come came to a top Mop and until dawn we I seemed med to stand almost still over tho the clouds Then the tho storm broke the cloud i I parted and below belot us ua we e 11 saw a II wild country without a 11 habitation of ot any ort rort In sight Here and there thero was nil an nn open space pace and toward to one oj Qt thorn thom I wo we were ere drifting We YI hoped to be able to open the valve and drop Into it It but I before we could descend nd far enough we list hat passed directly over oyer it and Into a a. tall tail fir nr tre tree On that tree w we seized with Ith tho the de despairing de- de pairing grip of ot shipwrecked d mariners grabbing at a n floating spar nn and finally mutinied ed to drag drog t te ie balloon to the ground round Wo We c had had enough nough of ot bal hal boning for tor a 11 while and even enD though we did dill not know how many miles we wo might have to walk to find a house we deflate the tho bag right there thore and then Afterward we l learned that we wo hart had come coma do down n twenty six miles mites northe northeast northeast north north- e east ut of ot Florence |