Balloonist’s adventures
were no hot air

Living in the Past

By Dr. Harry C. Silcox
and Jack McCarthy
For the Times

During the period of 1900 to 1915, excitement in America focused on the skies of the nation. Holmesburg was no different. On a clear weekend it was not unusual for the community to experience balloon flights west of the town.
Organized and piloted by Holmesburg resident Arthur T. Atherholt, these balloon excursions were the pride of the community. Atherholt was a longstanding and respected Holmesburg resident, an active member of the Holmesburg Improvement Association.
The association consisted of civic-minded men like Atherholt who met once a month and watched over the health and safety of the town, making improvements when needed. Atherholt was appointed to the safety committee and the special fountain committee.
As a member of the safety committee, he helped supervise street repair and monitoring speeds of the newly created automobile. In 1911, the special fountain committee was given the task of restoring the fountain in front of the Athenaeum Hall on Frankford Avenue. Upon completion of this work, Atherholt reported to the association that the community would have clean, cool drinking water from April 1 to Nov. 1.
Atherholt’s active participation in air travel began when he met the world-renowned balloon pilot Samuel G. King. King had moved to Philadelphia in 1906 after accepting a contract from the Philadelphia Inquirer to build a balloon that would enable the newspaper to get pictures from the sky.
Early on, the Inquirer discontinued the project when the owner of the paper felt that the flights were too dangerous. Disappointed but not dismayed, King contacted some former passengers and organized the Ben Franklin Balloon Club. His intention was to build a large balloon that, per flight, could hold eight men in the basket.
One of the first men King approached was his former student Arthur Atherholt, a pottery commission merchant from Holmesburg. King liked Atherholt’s enthusiasm and willingness to learn the principles of flight. Among the other six men recruited for the crew was William Nicholson Jennings, the foremost aerial photographer in America. Jennings became a close friend of Atherholt, having visited Holmesburg to take a series of community pictures.
On Aug. 25, 1907, the yellow-striped Ben Franklin took one of its most celebrated flights, floating from Philadelphia to New Egypt, N.J., in just six hours. Jennings took a number of pictures for the Inquirer with the help of balloon mate Arthur Atherholt.
Once the balloon had climbed to a height of one mile, Jennings decided to take a snapshot of a christening ceremony then taking place inside the balloon. As Jennings leaned out into space to get his camera focused, he called to Atherholt to sit on his legs to keep him from falling out of the balloon. Jennings remembered Atherholt’s face turning chalk white with fright as he sat on the photographer’s legs. Jennings’ only response was a big smile.
The story of the flight was in the Inquirer and read by many people in Holmesburg. They were proud that a hometown resident was part of the race for flight. Even more exciting was Atherholt’s efforts to organize balloon flights in open fields west of Holmesburg near Welsh Road.
Horse-drawn wagons filled with deflated balloons and gas cylinders attracted crowds of young people as equipment was moved to the site. Holmesburg residents soon followed to watch the balloon ascensions.
Atherholt became the first man in Pennsylvania to receive a pilot’s license from the Aero Club of America. Between 1910 and 1913, he took part in three international races for the prestigious Gordon Bennet Trophy, awarded for the longest flight. He participated in many national races throughout the United States while trying to qualify for international races. This national exposure led to his being elected president of the Aero Club of America.
As part of his responsibilities as president, Atherholt was invited to Germany for an international meeting. While there, Atherholt thought he might try a flight even though he was unfamiliar with the geography and the region’s wind currents. With only a short trip in mind, Atherholt took off from Stuttgart, Germany, on Oct. 27, 1913, but he soon encountered winds and bad weather and could not land.
He remained in the air until he got a break in the clouds — one week later.
Finally, setting down inside the Russian border, Atherholt landed in the middle of a military encampment of Russian soldiers. Initially he was accused of being a German spy. Questioned and held for days, he suffered from extreme exposure and food deprivation, but after that intensive interrogation by the Russians, Atherholt was released and returned to America.
Although there is no evidence that Atherholt was welcomed by parades or celebrations, he became one of Holmesburg’s most recognized and admired citizens. He quietly returned to his wife Helen Middleton and two daughters, Roselyne and Elizabeth, and lived for the next year and a half in his home at 8006 Frankford Ave.
On April 15, 1915, at age 48, he died at home of a heart attack. During his funeral services, he was remembered as Philadelphia’s "most noted aeronaut."
Atherholt’s grave site can be found in the Emmanuel Episcopal Church Cemetery of Holmesburg. ••
To reach Harry C. Silcox, send e-mail to silcoxh@axs2000.net