GREAT BALLOON RACE.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 September 1923, Page 3

GREAT BALLOON RACE.

MOST DISASTROUS IN HISTORY. 3 UAL LOONS BURNT AND PILOTS KILLED. AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. (Received this day at 1.30 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 25. The Gordon Bennett race was the most disastrous in the history or ballooning. Fifteen tried to start m a strong, gusty wind, which gave place to a thunderstorm. When the halloo.iwere over Brussels, accidents bsgan. The first was one in which Olmstend’s United States balloon collided with a. Belgian, ripping the envelope open. Olmsteud in a- desperate adort to avert an accident threw out the ballast and got away. Meanwhile a second American balloon was caught by the hi<di wind and had the envelope torn so badly that the occupants had the greatest difficulty in escaping fioni the rush of gas. The first disaster was Ihe fall <;• a Spanish balloon, in which the I ic’. Guillamon was killed, and his eomnan- * ' ion. Barca, had his leg fractured. Burkins, Swiss balpon came down in flames at Louvain, and the pilots were burned to death. • , Meanwhile Olmsteud passed througn Belgium and reached Nisterlodo, where it was struck by lightning at u g>vnt height, and fell in flames at a tonifying speed. Olmstead Mid his 1 < >«- rianion were killed instantly, though ,Lieut. Choptaw who stuck in the imtket bore no trace of burning v.Fcn picked up. Papers and other artices in the balloon were recovered inta-t. America’s misfortunes extended » 0 H. Schneider in an aeroplane ran at Cowes, where a seven hundred I'ti-i----power Wright naval aeroplane cm bed.