Show Balloonist T Tears ears Away Ballast With Numbed Hands to Check Drop SCOTT FIELD Belleville Ill I March 10 10 Captain P Hawthorne Hawthorne Haw Haw- thorne c c. Gra Gray army b balloonist I yesterday esterday went through the harrowing har- har rowl rowing g experience ot or usIng his be- be number fIngers t th disengage e sandbags sand sand- I bags in Inan an effort to check the swift pt of his his balloon in he mad mad madan an unsuccessful attempt to break breal the free ree balloon altitude record ree- ree telda ord yesterday e Radio reception at atthe the height or of five lve mlles miles was good captain Gray said LIe lost at this height and to recover until the balloon to about feet The height to which ho- ho ascended will be known after call call- of several Instruments by byr r I the department of of standards at I Washington The flight brought out a need for tor I better oxygen apparatus and a more expeditious method ot of disposing ot of S ballast I Upon re regainIng aln ng consciousness the I balloonist found his craft descendIng descending descend descend- Ing at the rate of 1200 feet per min mm- ute mite Dizzy from lack ot of oxygen and Intensely cold he trIed to cut cutaway cutaway away ballast but found three special cial knives used for tor that purpose had become too dun dull for use By Bv dint of frantic efforts wIth his fingers he succeeded in tearIng away enough ballast to slow his descent to about feet teet per min mm- ute At this rate rale his balloon crashed through telephone wires I near Ashley Ill and the balloonist emerged with only n. n sp sprained ankle |