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1907 March 16 Saturday at Bardock
[[?]]
27 Jan 1907
68

AROUND THE WORLD IN BALLOON AND YACHT
Ralph Brandeth's Elaborate Plans for a Six-Years' Trip.
CAPT.LOVELACE TO COMMAND
Hero of South American Revolutions Arranges Unique Outfits for This Remarkable Tour.

With thirteen men on board and a red South American Monkey as a Mascot the auxiliary yawl Taormina, owned by Ralph Brandreth, will sail to-morrow afternoon from the dock of the Morse Iron Works, at the foot of Fifty-sixth Street, South Brooklyn, for a three to six years' trip around the world. Capt. Thomas T. Lovelace, who was in command of the Panama Navy during the recent insurrection, will be in command of the boat, and young Brandeth, who is the son of the late patent medicine manufacturer, will occupy the position of third mate on his yacht. The unique feature of the trip, however, will be the series of balloon ascensions that will be made at every port of the world in which the yacht stops.
"This will really be a balloon trip around the world," said the filibustering Captain last night, who has spent eleven years of his in commanding gunboats in different South American revolutions, and yet he is on the sunny side of 40 years of age.
Ralph Brandeth himself is but 23 years old, but he has traveled extensively, and while visiting Panama during the time that the secession occurred from the Republic of Colombia he ran across the Captain while the latter was in command of the gunboat Orienta, the flagship of the Panama Navy. For several weeks he was Capt. Lovelace's guest, and with unlimited time and means at his disposal he formulated the idea of making a long tour around the world, which should embody features that had never been attempted before.
Mrs.Margaret Brandreth, his mother, who lives at Bellport, L.I., readily consented to the plan for the opportunities it presented for a liberal and practical education for a young man of leisure, and upon investigating Capt. Lovelace's qualifications for commanding such an expedition she immediately engaged him to take entire charge of the trip.

[[bold]] Balloon a Necessity. [[/bold]]

This was several months ago. Ralph Brandreth, although ignorant of aeronautics, appreciated the possibilities of balloons as an aid o the sightseeing enjoyments of South American countries and the South Sea Islands, and he stipulated that after the proper boar was found a balloon must be the next thing. The balloon Eagle was therefore purchased from Leo Stevens, and had it not 

at all t
an ports as well as on the 
Africa, and finally home across the Atlantic."
What the actual expenses of the ambitious and unique trip will be it is impossible to state. The cost is no object, but the actual expense of keeping the yacht in commission will be $1.000 a month. The yearly expense, however, will probably be from $25,000 to $40,000.
In addition to a prodigious quantity of provisions, a library of 500 scientific works and fiction, fishing tackle, rifles and ammunition, and all other necessities for an extended world tour, special material will be carried for manufacturing hydrogen gas for the purpose of inflating the balloon wherever an ascension is desired.
The ten men who form the regular crew possess some interesting characteristics. The first mate is McPherson, who is known to fame in the annals of the United States Navy for the conspicuous part he took in the battle of Manila, where was on the United States gunboat Boston. Two other members are native San Blas Indians, who were with Capt. Lovelace on the gunboat Orienta in Panama.
An interesting experience in connection with the trip that occurred last week was the unexpected visit of two Secret Service agents, who, knowing Capt. Lovelace's reputation was a fearless and successful commander in several South American Revolutions, thought they detected a covert attempt to man a filibustering expedition to Venezuela, since the recent illness of President Castro has revived possible evidences of more revolutions there.
"I know I have been watched by the Secret Service officials," said Capt. Lovelace last night, "and we took so long in making our preparations that they probably feared we intended to get in the fight if there was any. I assured them, however, that this was purely a pleasure trip in every sense of the word, and they stated that if I would give my word of honor to that effect no revenue cutter would try to stop the Taormina as she sailed out of the harbor. That was readily done, and it was easy to see that we were carrying no large amount of ammunition. We only carry one small cannon on the deck for saluting."

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