A. Holland Forbes, 1910

The article in this attachment focuses on a harrowing ballooning accident endured by famed adventurer and aeronaut A. Holland Forbes and astronomer James H. Yates in 1910. The article was published in the May 12, 1910 Indianapolis Sun. Forbes was one of the star competitors almost a year earlier in the first national championship balloon races held June 5 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The article has a dateline of Glasgow, Kentucky so I assume the accident occurred near there.
 
Both men were seriously injured although Forbes less so than Yates. This article was written some time shortly after the accident when Forbes recovered enough to be interviewed. The men had ascended in Illinois and passed over portions of Missouri and Tennessee before entering Kentucky air space. The article indicates the duo achieved a new altitude record of 20,000 feet. It was at that height they encountered snowstorms which apparently triggered their drama. The balloon, named "The Viking," encountered what Forbes called "bad winds" and was critical of his own actions in dealing with the situation.
 
"We attempted to make a landing somewhere near here. I am sure and when I pulled the rip cord to do this I saw in a moment that my jerk on the cord had been too hard," he said.
 
At the time of the article there was grave concern for Yates' life. Interestingly, the two had captured photographs of Halley's comet at 20,000 feet as it was approaching close to Earth.  Forbes also reported that two men had struggled with the thin atmosphere at the maximum altitude. Forbes said the air pressure was no more than four pounds and he suffered pain in his ears and eyes.