TERRIBLE FALL

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 869, 15 July 1910, Page 5

TERRIBLE FALL

BALLOONISTS' FATE. CRASH DOWN A THOUSAND FEET. GAS -BAG BURSTS. ] PARTY OF FIVE KILLED INSTANTLY ' By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright. ; (Rec. July 14, 10.10 p.m.) ( Berlin, July 14. The victims of the balloon disaster near Cologne included Heri Uibsloeh, tliti designer uf the balloon and a well-known balloonist, together with four companions. Herr Erbsloeh's log has been recovered. It states that tho voyage was begun at . nine in the morning, with a thick fog to. the northwards. At nine o'clock the earth was invisible. A later entry runs: "Thick fog under us; going downwards with vertical rudder." ' The height at 9.15 a.m. was 280 metres ' (about 930 ft.). Experts believe that after the contents of the gas-bag had cooled in the clinging mist, the airship rose to the sun's burning rays, and the gas expanded so rapidly that it was impossible to let enough air out of the air chamber in time to relieve the pressure. The envelope thus burst, but when it fell the rear part of the envelope would be still full of gas, and hence there would \ be no explosion of petrol. The airship must have plunged a thou- • sand feet bow downwards, with the motor still working when it struck the ground. ! The victims were dreadfully mangled.