The Granite Enterprise. (Granite, Okla.), Vol. 10, No. 19, Ed. 1 Friday, September 24, 1909 Page: 3 of 8
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F/fi/CH/fiG THE PROCESS Of //Vf£ A TI Off
T LAST the day of dreams had
A come. For had it not been a boy-
hood dream to step into the car of
a balloon and go sailing away into
the undinimed blue of the inviting
sky. And now i was to cross
the line which separates the king-
dom of anticipation from that of
realization.
I must confess that my devo-
tions that morning were a little
more protracted and fervent than
usual. However, the time and the
place and the man—the pilot—were most op-
portune. for I was to be the guest of Eng-
land's foremost balloonist, that prince of
splendid sportsmen, Hon. Charles S. Rolls. We
through to the top, where was lo-
cated the escape-valve. I immedi-
atetly inquired If it "ought to be
like that?" I was told yes, that
opening was essential in order to
allow the expanding gas to escape;
otherwise the balloon would burst.
I then Inquired whether that
opening was large enough to let
the gas out fast enough. Mr. Rolls thought
it was. But, I persisted, suppose it isn't—
what will become of us? "That will depend
upon your past life," was the laconic reply.
I'p to this moment I had felt no alarm or un-
due anxiety. One by one the helpers unhooked
the bags of sand that had been holding us to
earth. At length the basket swung clear of
the ground and was only kept from ascending
by a half-dozen pairs ol strong hands holding
it within a foot or two of the earth.
Near us was a huge gas-tank about 70 feet
tall. To me it looked 700. The direction of
the wind would take us directly toward it. Tha
balloon was edged away by the helpers to the
farther side of the inclosure, as far as pos-
sible from that hugo round iron tank. Would
waist-high! I suggested that the next
time I should insist on a basket that
would come up to one's ears. Then
occurred to me the story of the hun-
gry boy who asked for the core of the
apple his friend was eating with so
much gusto, and received the slightly
discouraging reply, "There ain't goin'
to be no core." So perhaps with me
there wasn't going to be any "next
time."
Our altitude was now 2,000 feet and
we were drifting in a light breeze
straight across the city in the direc-
tion of St. Paul's cathedral, which we
could easily distinguish on account of
its dome of gold, which looked about
the size of a large football. Just here
it may be well to state that any one
who thinks the pilot of a balloon has
nothing to do is quite mistaken. Mr.
Rolls, ably assisted by Mrs. Harbord
—herself a cool and experienced bal-
CLEAR JAILING
the clash of arms at Marston Moor. Across the gulf of
loonlst who owns three tine balloons— .vear» we can see Caesar and his conquering legions
made everything snug and taut. The
various articles on board were con-
and the white cliffs of Albion. Indeed we are over the
Playground of History. 2:40. Our direction is chang-
ing for the better and we are drifting north of east and
hence will have a longer ride. We have dropped a thou-
sand feet and the noises of the city grow clamorous.
Mr. Rolls is throwing out «and and closely watching his
statoscope.
"The sun is behind a cloud and our barograph shows
fi
PROF. KMG, OLDEST AEROS/At/T //V WORM)
3/DDMG "Y0WGER £i0OD" GOOD'BYf
straight line, indicating that we are sailing on an
even keel, as It were—neither ascending nor descand
ing. This is the great desire of sky pilots. 3:10. Wa
are outside of London. Mr. Rolls announces gleefully
that we have passed the Rubicon of our difficulties. He
is kind in saying that he is glad I am making my first
trip with him
"Mrs. Harbrod opens a wonderful lunch-basket, and
how delicious are those dainties and our hot tea up
here among the clouds which are drifting lazily by like
great white ships in a shoreless sea. 3:45. We have
suddenly struck an upper current and have soared aloft.
We are 2,600 feet above the earth. Yes, it is cold, and
we button tight our overcoats. We are over Weald hall,
a delightfully beautiful country estate. From the castle
floats the union
LIS*CJ r eS/7/YJ H.
WXA'
BALLOO/y
were
sail over i.unoon, "the playground of his
lory, as my talented friend, C. N. Williamson, happily
phrased il
aking a taxicab at the Savoy hotel in company with
some Canadian friends, we bowled along the bank of the
l names to Short's balloon works, Queens Circus, Batter-
::'M ■
2.
ALL READY TO START
sea Park. It was a clear, crisp afternoon, and the touch
of winter was in the air. We turned a sharp corner, and
in the distance I
caught my first
glimpse of our
aerial — might it
not prove a heav-
enly ?'—chariot. It
was swaying in
the afternoon
sun, a great gold-
en ball 42 feet in
diameter, and ex-
tending up above
the housetops.
Its name was the
Venus. Mr. Rolls,
the owner and pi-
lot, gave us a
cordial welcome.
The other pas-
sengers, the Hon
Mrs. Assheton
Harbord and Mr.
Jack Humphreys,
had already ar-
rived. Mean-
while a strong
breeze had
sprung up, and
ns I gazed at the
VeniiB swaying to
and fro in the
HOW THE LA/SD A/fP WATER LOOK
FROST A &ALL OON
wind and straining at the squeaking ropes, I
was reminded of a nervous, blooded race-
horso champing nt his bits, anxious to be off.
Suddenly the question came to my mind,
"Where will this impatient, yellow, pot-bellied
beast take us and what will it do with us
when it gets us there?"
The balloon basket was nbout 4V4 feet
square a' i about that depth and was held to
the ground by many bags of sand, each hav-
ing a rope handle and weighing about 42
pounds.
It is surprising to the layman to seo the
number of things taken on such a journey.
There were a drag-rope, an anchor-rope and
anchor, a huge nnd well-filled lunch basket, a
statoscope—an instrument which Indicates
whether you are ascending or descending--an
anemometer, a thermometer nnd n barograph,
a little clock-like apparatus which shows by a
continuous line on a chart Just how many feet
one is above the earth. Also we had extra
wraps, a good map of England and seven bags
of sund hung on the outside as ballast.
My first surprise on stepping into the bas-
ket and looking up at the great, distended bag
above was to discover that the mouth, or
appendix-tike opening nt the bo'tom of the
balloon. was open aud that I could see straight
we hit It? Could we by some miracle miss it?
There and then I got my first fright. It was
a good, big, paralyzing fright. Oh, how hard,
cruel and altogether repulsive that Iron tank
looked! There was nothing nice about It. I
sat down on a large lunch basket in the south-
east corner of the car and held on for dear
life. Some way 1 didn't feel any inclination to
stand up and look about and crack Jokes—
which jokes seemed to me quite ill-tlmed—as
the others were doing. Suddenly I was
startled by the cry, "Let go!" I am sure Ga-
briel's trumpet will not frighten me so much
as did that cry, "Lot go!" I am still of the
opinion that Mr. Rolls need not have said it
so loudly. Immediately wo were shot into tho
air as though we were an arrow hurled from
a mighty bow. 1 literally held my breath till
we cleared that ugly gas reservoir, then I
looked down and saw the pale, upturned faces
of ray friends gazing in speechless silence. I
thought. "That is the way people look at a
funeral," and I was not comforted,
In less time than I am taking to tell ft
we were 1,000 feet above tho earth. How ex-
tremely careless of these people to keep
standing up and even to lenn over nnd look
down when the side yf the basket is only
veniently arranged. The statoscope was
keenly watched, and If we began to descend
too rapidly a small scoopful of sand was gent-
ly sprinkled out. A good, clear map was at
hand and as we progressed a red line was
drawn indicating constantly our position. My
anxiety was not lessened by a troubled look
on our pilot's face.
As I write these lines my open diary lies
before me and I will quote therefrom:
"We left tho good old earth at 2:08 p. m.
It is now 2:30. My fear Is gone. As I pen-
cil these words in peace and calm we are
floating eastward 2,000 feet over London. I
reflect that we are crossing the Playground
of History. That tiny winding stream far be-
low is the Thames. There is the House of
Parliament and that little toy church near by
is Westminster abbey of blessed memories, the
last resting-place of kings and queens and
scholars, earth's mighty Anglo-Saxon dead
for generations. Now London bridge comes
into view and London tower, of evil memories.
That little green-roofed building it Greenwich
observatory That golden ball is the dome of
St. Paul's and beneath us is the swarming
trallic of the Strand. We look far beyond the
hazy rim of London and in Imagination see
the green meadows or Ruunymede and hear
jack and also the
stars and stripes.
God grant they
may ever float
together ?h ev-
ery land where
civilization has a
home or freedom
a banner!
"Just now I
looked up, and,
oh, horrors! the
balloon is on
fire! No, I am
mistaken, it is
only the gas
which is pouring
out of the mouth
of the bag. To
my untrained
eye it looks like
smoke and I
have been taught
that where there
is smoke there is
likely to be fire.
We have lost
quite a lot of
gas and the bal-
loon has wrinkles
and folds which do not look nice. I anxiously
Inquire if it ought to do like that. It looks
like an enormous, leather-faced, toothless old
giant getting ready to devour its victims four.
I admire Mr. Humphreys' coolness through it
all. Although a 'tenderwing' like my self, he
Is behaving better than I.
"Nothing has happened, and I am reas-
sured again. Now we are floating on in the
abyss of silence and of space. Above us. the
deep blue sky; beneath us. the green fields
and changing forests of Merry England.
"Did you every try to picture a sensation,
or paint an emotion? I wish I might. Did
you ever ponder over the soul of things? Did
you exer dream that you were dead and as
your spirit ascended from your body have you
not looked down upon the worn-out casket and
marveled at its strange stillness and quiet
helplessness? This is my weird sensation as
I now look down upon the earth, the grave of
all things. Oh, the infinite calm and peace!
We are light as air. We are free as birds. We
are no longer mortals. We have been un-
leashed from earth and are on our happy way
out into God's infinite, the near clouds our
companions and the earth and all its carking
cares fading away 'like the baseless fabric of
a vision.' "
AFTER
SUFFERING
TENYEARS
Cured by Lydia E. Pink-
ham's Vegetable Compound
Marlton, N-L—I feel that Lydia E.
Pinkham's Vegetable Compound has
given me new life.
I Buffered for ten
years with serious
female troubles, in-
flammation, ulcer,
ation, indigestion-
nervousness, and
could not sleep.
Doctors gave me
up, as they said my
troubles were
chronic. I was in
despair, and did not
care whetherl lived
or died, when I read about Lydia E.
Pinkham's Vegetable Compound; so I
began to take it, and am well again and
relieved of all my suffering.,r—Mrs.
Georoe Jordy, Box 40, Marlton, N J.
Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Com-
ound, made from native roots and
erbs, contains no narcotics or harm-
ful drugs, and to-day holds the record
for the largest number of actual cures
of female diseases we know of, and
thousandsof voluntary testimonialsare
on file in the Pinkham laboratory at
Lynn, Mass., from women who have
been cured from almost every form pf
female complaints, inflammation, ul-
ceration, displacements, flbroidtumors,
irregularities, periodicpains, backache,
indigestion and nervous prostration.
Every suffering woman owes it to her-
self to give Lydia E. Pinkham's Vege-
table Compound a triaL
If you would like special advice
about your case write a confiden-
tial letter to Mrs. Pinkbaui, nt
Lynn, Mass. Her advice is free,
and always helpful.
May Limit Hat Pins.
In Paris, owing to the increasing
length of women's hat pins and the
list of accidents, such as eyes put out,
ears, noses and cheeks torn, the po-
lice officials propose to place some re-
strictions on wearing hat pins in om-
nibuses, railway cars, theaters and
other public places.
A little bottle of Hamlin* Wizard Oil
is a medicine chest in itself. It can be
applied in a larger number of painful
ailment3 than any other remedy known.
A train of thought won't do you
much good unless you get up enough
steam to carry it through.
A I.I. UP-TO-DATE IfntSKKEEPERS
Use Red Cross Ball Blue. It makes clothes
clean and sweet as when new. All grocers.
Many a man has sustained a com-
pound fracture of the reputation by
failing off the water wagon.
Dr. Pyrrr's PlMsaDt PHI.MS first pal up <0 Tojn
In India there are nearly 26,000,000
widows.
Guars'1
SICK HEADACHE
CARTERS
Positively cured by
these Little Pills.
They also reliere Dis-
tress from Dyspepsia, In-
digestion and Too Hearty
Eating. A perfect rem-
edy for Di/ziness, Nau-
sea, Drowsiness, Bad
Taste in the Mouth, Coat-
ed Tongue, Pain in tha
Side, TORPID LIVER.
They regulate the Bowels. Purely Vegetable.
SMALL PILL. SMALL DOSE. SMALL PRICE.
CARTERS
■iTTLE
|IVER
B PIULS.
Genuine Must Bear
Fac-Simile Signature
DEFUSE SUBSTITUTES.
Big
Assets
Four hundred thousand people
take a CASCARET every night
—and rise up in the morning and call
them blessed. If you don't belong to
this great crowd of CASCARET
takers you are missing the greatest
asset of your life. 910
CASCARRT3 foe a box for a week's
treatment, all druggists, niggent seller
in the^wor id. M ill ion boxes a month.
OLD SORES CURED
GOING TO BUILD?
t analogue of plans mailed for a dime
J08. D. DONOVAN, Architect
8301 Lucille Avenue St. Louis, Ma
__ I
uuui relief aud curt** worst cam*
&£>k.VCh'*iluu>nl*" an<1 lu daja'treatment KKbJ
Da. Li IL UUKKN U 9UNB. Box H. ATLANTA, ti A.
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Charles E. Hill and Sons. The Granite Enterprise. (Granite, Okla.), Vol. 10, No. 19, Ed. 1 Friday, September 24, 1909, newspaper, September 24, 1909; (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc403114/m1/3/: accessed April 19, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.