A large crowd of people, held back by a rope barrier, gather to watch three men sorting through the wreckage of a stratospheric balloon in this 10" x 8" black and white photograph. The words "Geographic" "Army Air Corps" and "The Explorer" can be seen on the intact side of the balloon, and several wires protrude from the damaged side. One of the men sorting through the wreck holds an axe. A large coil of rope sits next to the balloon on the right side of the photograph.
The crash of a huge stratospheric balloon on Solomon Johnson's farm fifteen miles northwest of Holdrege briefly held the interest of the whole country. Captain Albert W. Stevens, scientific observer, Captain Orvil A. Anderson, aide, and Major Kepner, balloonist, all parachuted to safety. The flight, sponsored in part by the National Geographic Society, was made for high altitude exploration and originated from Rapid City, South Dakota, reaching heights of 60.000 feet over Gothenberg, Nebraska. At least 5,000 spectators were held back in a fifty foot circle by ropes. Solomon Johnson noted that the government would pay damages, but he didn't want any more balloons on his farm, saying "The plowed ground out there is as hard as pavement where people swarmed over the place all weekend.
