"US. Stratophere Flight Ends in Disaster Holdredge, Neb. July 28.
'The three U.S. Army' Dalloonists were forced to "bale out" of their huge balloon and take to parachutes after having failed to break the world's stratosphere record due to breakage of the gas has.
"All three landed. safely but the balloon was completely wrecked and the instruments were badly damaged. The maximum height reached was 60,000 feet as compared "with the 1,237 feet reached last November by Lleut.-Omer. T. G. W. Settle, U. S. Navy, now commanding officer of the USS. Palos, on American gunboat on the Yangize River.
Captain Albert Stevens, scientific observer, was the first to take to his parachute, climbing out of the metal Ball of the balloon at an altitude of 2,000" feet. Captain Orvil Anderson, ade, jumped at 1,000 feet and the commander of the expedition. Major William E. Kepner, true to tradition, was the last to leave, taking to his parachute only 500 feet above the The balloon crashed at 249 pin. PS, on the farm of Mr. Joh Robinson, four miles north of Loomts, Nebraska, and seven miles northwest of here.
Unable to Stand Strain The trouble began when they had reached an altitude of nearly 60000, fee. The gas bag largest ever man factured or sent into the able fo stand the strain. Th tore in several places enced to. turn, inside out ike Umbrelta dri a. windstorm.
Tone of the three balloonists we injured, but some of the wore salvaged, Before we' leaped, we the most valuable and most sensitive Instruments them overs" Major Kepner. stated telegram 10. the National Geo raphe, Society. ""headquarters Grashington. "We retrieved these Instruments" as goon at. we landed, Wherefore "we. believe. the scientific fend of the fight wan successful and worth, taking the "chances"
'¥en 8,000 feet rom. the ground the downward journey, "Major Kepner sally the remaining top about the" an bag created. th fi fect of a parachute. We fet the Strain was too much for the balloon fovand, 10 we jumped." he said.
the batlgon cleared the mountalntop near Rapid City, South, Dakota 20784 am, PST, souring $00 feet amfmute ina sodiheastward direction Fre Yatioonsts radioed frequently during, the ascent, reporting an alt= {ud gt 14000 foot at 838 nm. where they levelled off and gave the eaulp~ ment nother. teat" Frequent rade *SPirat word of their dimeulty came rts were received. at ido pin, when a message stated {hat the bottom of the bag had ripped Invsevera! places at an altitude of hearly 4000 feet, have got. to, come. down bus the Balloon, doesn't want. to. come down" said the cryptic message, "Ws fire sort of hanging here. he balloon atrier aiMeutt to" manag dio" communication, was. dificult and obviously the trio. were working feverishly to. prevent. a disaster, "At 190 pin a message stated they swore descending fast and were then 00 foot nititude. "The bottom ihe balloon la pretty well torn out. The bag fs. commencing. to turn In-fide out ike an umbrella In several places"
ne. balloon came into sight again shorly later" hem residents inthe Mleinigy "of, Gothenburg. Nebraska. Towel duitting towards the east, 9 flight speck tu the shy.
"Pho 'Right was sponsored by. the National Geographic Society and the U's Army. Air Corps. 'The expedi-Hon' was equipped more completely {han any other expedition into, the Sratosphere. "The object of the Aight tras to obtain @ container fal of the fifteen mites above the earth, Study the come rays, record the trical condition of air at various altitudes and ix other specie slenti-
"phe gas bag that gave away under the train was built fo be the strong fat of its kind anywhere, produced More than 300 gallons. of cement—Rubber. lssolved in' gntoline and Denzak—was required to" put the 3.482 For pieces of the cloth together the cloth, a specially prepared cotton, was patsed™ through a rubbering Iachine 30 times, each Ume receiving B'thin coat of rubber. "More. than 00" feet of cloth were "used, or more then seven anda third miles
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.