The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-07-04 00:00:00

DESTRUCTION OF DELAMARNE'S

BALLOON AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE.
The most brilliant Pee of the sewn was held at the I
Crystal Palace last Saturday. It was so brilliant,
indeed, that another item or two in tire programme
would have threatened a surfeit, as may be imagined
when the attractions announced includA two first-class
concerts, a display of all the fountains in the interval,
the aeronautical exhibition, a show of fireworks, an
illumination of park and fountains, and if last, not
least, the attendance of the Prince of Wales and his
brother-in-law, the Crown Prince of Denmark. Add
to this a glorious summer day that invited the gauziest
of apparel, and it must be evident that the Crystal
Palace appeared in all its glory. Brinley Richard/
"God bless the Prince of Wales" was sung by Mr.
Cummings and the choir with wonderful spirit, and it
called up the audience to cheer the object of the in.
vocatioo, until he came forward to the belt of choice
flowers that hedges in his box, and bowed his acknow-
lerli-ments for some minutes. "God Save the Queen,"
rendered with festival choir, united bands, and grand
organ power, and another round of cheering for the
occupants of the boxes, brought the agreeable concert
to an end. Between the concerts the Prince .4 Wales,
the Crown Prince of Denmark, Prince Edward of
Saxe-Weimar, and about forty invited guests dined in
the Queen's corridor, at the back of the royal boxes.
The balcony commanded one of the finest views to be
seen from Hie grounds, and notwithstanding a slight
haze, tim prospect, bathed in the luxuriant sunset,
looked at its best. As soon as the distinguished
visitors came to the balcony railing to admire the
landscape, the fashionably-dressed people on the terrace
below deliberately stared at them as long as they re-
mained, eye-glassing the princes almost under their
very noses, and pointing at the dmkes and duchesses
with ahundred parasols. The objects et this midisguiseil
scrutin bore the infliction as well as could be expected.
The aeronautical exhibition indoors proved attractive
to some visitors, but an untoward accident, thatcaused
the destruction of the French balloon by burning, re-
moved its only popular feature. The balloon, just
before the close of the first concert, was inflated and
ready for ascent. While held by the ropes a sudden
breeze turned it over, it caught fire, and w ithin five
minutes was consumed. The blazing mass, rollinz to
and fro in the air, was a grand picture for a few
minutes, but the inflammable material was quickly
reduced to tinder. Happily no one suffered personal
injury. The bystanders—perhaps five hundred persons
—seemed uncertain at first whether to regard the
incident as food for ridicule or anger. In their midst
there happened to be Mr. Coxwell, our own eminent
aeronaut, who has had ballooning experience of over
25 years, has himself made 570 ascents, and who, there-
fore, viewed the matter in a more unselfish light. With
a generous promptness that was keenly appreciated, he
juniper( upon a fragment of the wreck' and in a few
sympathetic words m n made a appeal for M. Delarmarne,
the owner of the "Captif." The crowd, no longer
undecided, gave their good impulses free play, and,
entering into an immediate subscription, handed what
they could spare to Mr. Coxwell and a friend, Is ho
kindly acted as treasurer. The Duke of Sutherland
enrolled his name' and Mr. Brearey, the secretary to
the Aeronautical Society, in less than an hour circu.
hated placards, inviting subscriptions to be left at his
' office in the Palace.

The following letter has been published by Mr. Brearey, on
the subject of the destruction of the balloon

In presence of the sad disaster which has befallen M.
Delamarne, whose balloon remains a blackened heap
of rags and ashes upon the grounds of the Crystal
Palace, the first feeling must be that of sympathy for
a man upon whom falls its total loss, added to the large
expenditure of the last three or four weeks of ex- I
tensive preparation.
Some misgivings had been previously experienced by
a few members of the council of the Aeronautical
Society, and particularly by Mr. Glaisher, ssho could
learn nothing except that the gas to be employed was
heavier than hydrogen, and who only awaited the
inflation of the balloon to pronounce upon its safety,
and this question satisfactorily determined, he would
have shown his confidence by making it subservient
to his object, or in the contrary Catie would have
stated his objections.
Owing, however, to a previously untried steam engine,
upon which devolved the task of bringing down in
safety those who had ascended to enjoy the prospect,
and which had not previously acted to M. Delaunarne's
satisfaction, the balloon had never approached such a
, condition as to allow of a decided opinion being ex-
pressed one way or the other.
On Saturday afternoon, the performances of the
engine being considered favourable by M. Delarnarne,
an attempt was made, while the l'rince of Wales was
in the building, to inflate the balloon by his alleged
new Process, and the arrangements were inspected by
several civil engineers acting upon the Exhibition com-
mittee and council in the interests of the public.

...
The following account is agreed to by a few eye-
witnesses of the process:—
The stupendous machine appeared to be fully in-
flated in 20 minutes, and then commenced to oscillate.
Upon the fourth oscillation the heating apparatus (the
whole weight of which rested upon the car) was over-
turned, when instantly the balloon caught tire upon the
south side, where it burst, then fell td the ground
blazing where it lay and smouldered to ashes. The
sympatly which was shown to this foreigner, who does
not speak our tongue, by those around was very pleas-
ing to witness, and Mr. Coxwell mounted a hastily
constricted platform, soon collected together a good
nucleus for a subscription, which he insisted upon
handing to me, urged also thereto by Mr. W. 11.
Saunders, of the Shipwrecked Fishermen's Society. In
one sense I have most unwillingly undertaken a duty
which was further forced upon me by the Crystal
Palace authorities (who, with wondedul promptitude,
immediately issued posters in my name throughout the
building), inasmuch as I am already overtasked by my
self -imp.tsecl work as honorary secretary to the Aero-
nautical Society, and need myself, on account of this
disappointment, a little of the sympathy I would evoke
, on behalf of of M. Delamame. .

It is necessary to add that such was M. Delamarne's
confidence in the success of his experiments, that he
undertook the whole risk of the speculation and the
payment of 10 per cent. of his receipts for the use I d
the ground, thus affording the best pecuniary guarantee
for the safe fulfilment of his contract, and I can bear
testimony to the liberality with which he construed
his engagement.