Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 85, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 April 1916 — Observation Balloon On Runaway Voyage. [ARTICLE]

Observation Balloon On Runaway Voyage.

Pensacola, Fla., April 7.—An 80foot navy observation balloon recently brought here for maneuvers, snapped its anchor lines today and took a hundred-mile unguided cruise, finally coming to earth in a swamp near Argyle, Fla. How badly it was damaged was unknown to naval officers tonight. A detachment from the naval station was sent to bring the runaway back. The balloon was being inflated when it broke away, and as the wind carried it over the brick wall surrounding the navy yard, a half dozen of its “tails,” or stabilizers, were torn off. This turned it upside down before it had gone far, and in the opinion of naval officers, eventually was responsible for its coming to earth.