Altitude by Leland Jamieson
QR code
"Altitude by Leland Jamieson" is an aviation adventure short story written in the early 20th century. The story centers on a free-balloon expert’s bid for an altitude record, highlighting the dangers of high-altitude flight, the necessity of precise equipment, and the thin line between mastery and catastrophe. Captain Conway prepares the giant hydrogen balloon Marie IV for a record-breaking ascent, aided by his sober, loyal crewman Kisner and the talkative, unreliable Welkfurn.
A critical delay keeps a de-oiled, cold-proof clock from reaching the field in time, and Conway launches with a standard clock that soon freezes. As he climbs into the stratosphere, oxygen dwindles, paralysis creeps over his body, and the stopped clock robs him of his timing. At the peak, near death, he manages to trigger the rip-cord, causing a disastrous deflation; the balloon fails to parachute properly and plummets. Regaining just enough awareness near the ground, he bails out under his own parachute and survives. Rescued by Kisner and a chastened Welkfurn, he later reflects on the razor’s edge of his success—both the new record and his life saved by a last-moment escape. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Download for free
For your e-reader or reading app — Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, Calibre etc.
Kindle → Use Send-to-Kindle
- Download the EPUB3 file above
- Upload it on the Amazon site your Kindle is registered with: amazon.com/sendtokindle for the US, amazon.co.uk/sendtokindle for the UK etc.
- It appears on your Kindle and in the Kindle app
Kobo, Nook etc. → Transfer via USB
- Download the EPUB3 file on your computer
- Connect your e-reader by USB and tap "Connect" on its screen
- Drag the file onto the e-reader drive
Phone, Tablet or Computer → Online or Reading App
Easiest: read online in your browser. Nothing to install.
Or use a reading app:
- Find and install one you like, for example Apple Books, ReadEra or Thorium Reader
- Download the EPUB3 file above
- Open it in the app
More help: iPhone / iPad · Android · Computer
Other formats & older devices
There may be more files related to this item.
About this eBook
| Author | Jamieson, Leland, 1904-1941 |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Molt, William |
| Title | Altitude |
| Original Publication | Chicago, IL: The Consolidated Magazines Corporation, 1929. |
| Series Title | Produced from the March, 1929 issue of Blue Book magazine. |
| Credits | Roger Frank and Sue Clark |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 82.5 (6th grade). Easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Subject | Ballooning -- Fiction |
| Subject | Parachuting -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 76156 |
| ISBN (HTML) | 979-8-238-76156-5 |
| Release Date | May 24, 2025 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 401 downloads in the last 30 days. |
Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free!