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THE HISTORY OF BALLOONING IN ALBUQUERQUE
by Ray Bair
This page on the
ALBUQUERQUE AEROSTAT ASCENSION ASSOCIATION website offers a paragraph which describes the efforts of Joe Blondin to
fly a balloon at a fair in 1907. If time is short, you may read the following extract of the relevant paragraph.
"Except for an occasional carnival passing through Albuquerque with balloon-parachute exhibits, the only balloon activities were
associated with the territorial Fairs. In 1907, a local merchant, Roy A. Stamm, was serving as the secretary for the 27th Annual Fair
scheduled for October 7-12. Stamm and the fair association had been sold on a plan by Joseph A. Blondin, an experienced balloonist
and an earlier resident of Albuquerque, to use a captive hydrogen balloon at the fair. It appeared that after 25 years, a balloon again
would be flying over Albuquerque. Balloon interest at the fair was high because two Americans won the First International Balloon Race
in Paris the previous September. Unfortunately the hydrogen generator wasn’t adequate to fill the balloon. On the last day of the fair, a
company of cavalrymen from Fort Wingate walked the one-third filled bag two miles through the south valley to the city gas plant where
the inflation was to be completed with coal gas. It was Friday, October 11th. The balloon was anchored with sandbags at the plant and
its inflation valve was coupled to the gas system. By 10:00 the next day the gas bag appeared full. The balloon was walked back
downtown to the fairgrounds. Unfortunately, the balloon named “City of Albuquerque” was not sufficiently buoyant to lift both ballast and
balloonist. Late that day, Blondin flew solo up the valley, and drifted 18 miles until the evening air cooled the envelope. Over Alameda he
was shot at eight times, but suffered no damage. On landing, he stood on the load ring and hung on to the shrouds to lessen the shock
from impact on the mesa west of Corrales. For the Fair that year, it was a balloon fiasco more than a balloon fiesta. "
If you have the time, I think you will enjoy reading the whole story. It may be accessed by clicking in the title above. |
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