The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-04-24 00:00:00

FATAL BALLOON ASCENT IN
FRANCE.

The Correspondent of The Times, writing from Paris, under
date the 16th inst., gives the following particulars of the fatal
accident which happened to a party of aeronauts who were
endeavouring to penetrate the secrets of the atmonhere in
the interests of science :

A terrible accident happened yesterday to a party
of three aeronauts, MM. Tissandier, Croce-Spinelli,-
and Sivel, who had ascended aL- half-past eleven in the
balloon the Zenith from the gas-works of La Villette.
Shortly before twelve o'clock I myself saw the
Zenish passing in a southerly direction towards thg
Seine. It was a beautiful day, and crowds were
watching the balloon, which, being of a light colour,
glanced in the sun like a ballof crystal. The altitude
at that time seemed great, but few people could have
supposed it to be 8,000 metres, or that the Zenith was
rising at the extraordinary rate of 320 metres a
minute. Such, however, was the case, and before one
o'clock two of the aeronauts, MM. Croce-Spinelli and
Sivel, had died of asphyxia, caused, it is supposed, by
the rarefaction of the atmosphere. . . • As stated
above, two of the aeronauts were already dead, and
the third, M. Tissandier, was in a very precarious
state. He has, however, been able to send the follow-
ing telegram to his brother :
"Blanc, near Ciron.

"We had passed an elbvation of 8,000 mUres at one
o'clock, and then we fell into a state of complete stupefac-
tion. Sun very hot. I aroused myself for a moment, and
then I saw that the balloon was descendng and that Croce
was throwing out the aspirateur, Then I fainted again.
Atthree o'clock opened my eyes at a height of 6,000 metres.
Blvd and Croce were black in the face. Their mouths were
full of blood. They were dead. The descent occurred at
four o'clock at Ciron (Indre). I suppose that at the second
ascent we must have reached a considerable height.
DAS ror TISSAN DEER.
The aspirateur was an instrument weighing nearly
801 b., which M. Tissandier had taken with him for
making observations with carbonic acid. It is sup-
posed that M. Croce-Spinelli wished to throw out
ballast, and in the confused state of his senses threw
out the aspirateur instead.

PARIS, Sunday, April 18.
. . . It appears that M. Tissandier, on coming to
himself, saw MM. Croce-Spinelli and Sivel lying
motionless at the bottom of the car. He thought they
had fainted, and attempted to rouse them. Blood was
flowing from their mouths, noses, and ears, and M.
Tissandier soon perceived that his efforts were in vain.
Meanwhile the balloon continued its descent, though
driven before the wind at a fearful speed. Soon
after the River Creuse was crossed the balloon
was close to the earth. M. Tissandier then threw
out the anchor, but his first attempt was unsuc-
cessful. The balloon brushed against several trees
in the park of Du Barre, and finally struck
an elm with a terrible shock. M. Tissandier
climbed into the network, burst a hole in the silk
covering, and again threw out the anchor. Some men
ran to his assistance, and at last the progress of the
Zenith was finally stopped on the estate of M.
d'Aubign6 at a commune of Ciron, in the Department
of the Indre. M. Tissandier was, when rescued, in
a deplorable state, and, besides being severely bruised,
was perfectly deaf. Later accounts state that he is
now, however, in a fair way of recovery, though
deeply grieved at the loss of his compulions, who were
as has already been stated, lifeless when the Zenith
reached Ciron, where medical assistance was at once
sent for, but it was too late.
At two o'clock on Thursday afternoon an inhabitant
of Courmenon, a village in the Department of Loir-et-
Cher, found an iron instrument of circular form bear-
ing the inscription, "Socii,t4 Francaise de Navigation
Aerienne, 95, Rue Lafayette. Recompense a celui qui
trouveraitcet objet et previendrait le Comite." This
instrument was no other than the aspirateur which
M. Croce-Spinelli threw out of the balloon, it is
supposed, instead of ballast. At half-past four on.
Thursday a farmer of St. Michel, in the Depart-
ment of Indre, picked up a bulletin from the
aeronauts. It was covered with blood, and was
probably written by M. Tissandier. At about four
o'clock on Thursday afternoon a woman of Cour-
menon, who was tending cattle with her children,
was startled by a large object falling close beside her.
They saw that the bundle was covered with blood, and
at once took to their heels. Later on, a wine-grower
named Boisseau, found at Courtet, six miles off, a
woollen coverlet, a wooden box, a metal instrument,
an indiarubber tube, and two pieces of wood joined by
bars of iron, and about two yards long. All these
articles were more or less bloodstained. . . . M. Tis-
sandier's notes, as long as he was able to write, were
as follows:

"I take the place of Croce-Spinelli while he makes his
spectral observations. My pulse beats 110 to the minute.
We are at a height of 3,000 metres. Our thermometer placed
Inside the balloon indicates 25 above zero and ten degrees
lower in the car. I felt the pulse of Croce-Spinelli. It beat
120 to the minute. 1 10. We are at a height of 6,000 metres.
We are well. Now the height is 6,500 metres. A little
oppression. . . . hands slightly frozen. . . . We are better.
.. . Hands frozen. Croce pants. We inhale the oxygen in
the bag. Sivel and Croce shut their eyes. . . . They arespale.
. . . A little better, even gay. Croce says to me, laughing,
'You blow like a porpoise.' 1 20. We are at 7,000 metres.
Sivel seems drowsy. . . Sivel and Croce are pale. .
7,400. Sleepy. 7,500. Sivel still throws out ballast. .. .
Sivel throws out ballast"
M. Tissandier could write no more, but his scanty
notes are the best description which can be given of
the terrible sufferings of the unfortunate aeronauts.
The bags of oxygen alluded to were taken with them
to be inhaled when a height of 5,000 m6tres had been
reached, but apparently they were of little use. M.
Tissandier has addressed the following letter to the
President of the French Aeronautical Society :
" Ciron (Indre), April 16, 1875.
"Dear Sir,—An official telegram has already told you of
the deplorable disaster which has struck us. Sivel and
Croce-Spinelli are no more. They were seized with asphyxia
In the high aerial altitudes which we reached. I will tell
you what I can of this drama, for during two consecutive
hours I was in a state of complete coma. The ascent from
the gasworks of La Villette was successfully accomplished.
At one o'clock we were already at a height exceeding 5,000
metres, the pressure being 400 millimetres. We made the air
pass through potassium tubes, felt our pulses, and calculated
the temperature inside the balloon. It was 50. Sivel
arranged the car, Croce used his spectroscope. We felt quite
happy. Sivel threw out ballast and very soon we rose, while
inhaling the oxygen, which produced an excellent effect. At
1.20 the barometer marked 320 millimetres; we were at a
height of 7,000 metres. The temperature was 10. Sivel and
Croce were pallid. I felt weak. I inhaled some oxygen,
which re-animated me a little. We still ascended. Sivel
turned to me and said, 'We have a great deal of ballast;
shall I throw some out 9' I answered ' `Do as you like.'
He turned to Croce and asked him the same question.
Croce nodded affirmatively in a very energetic way. There
were at least five bags of ballast in the car. Each bag of bal-
last weighs 25 kilogrammes. There were at least four others
hung by small ropes outside. Sivel took his knife and cut
three ropes. Three bags were emptied, and we rose rapidly.
All of a sudden I became so feeble that I could not even
turn my head to look at my companions, who were, I
believe, seated. I wished to take hold of the oxygen tube,
but found it impossible to raise my arm. My brain was
still quite clear. My eyes were fixed on the barometer, and
I saw the needle point first to a pressure of 290, and then to .
280 and over. I wished to call out, We are at a height of
1,000 metres, bat my tongue was, as it were, paralysed.
Suddenly I shut my eyes, and I fell senseless in a complete
trance. It was then about half-past one. At eight minutes
Past two I awoke for a moment. The balloon was rapidly
descending. I was able to cut off a bag of ballast to stay
the rapidity, and to write on my register the following lines,
which I copy, We are descending; I throw out ballast;
barometrical height, 315. We descend; Sivel and Croce
still fainting in the bottom of the car. We descend very
quickly.' Scarcely had I written these lines when a kind of
trembling took possession of me, and I again fell fainting. I
felt a violent wind, which indicated a very rapid
descent. Some minutes after I felt my arm shaken,
and I recognised Croce. who was re-animated, throw-
ing out ballast. Ile said to me, "We are descend-
but I could scarcely open my eyes, and
did not see whether Sivel was awake. I remember that
Croce unhooked the aspirateur, which he threw overbeard,
as well as ballast coverings. Of all4his I have a very con-
fused recollecpion, for I fell again into a state of coma even
. more completelythan before, audit seemed as though I was
wrapped in eternal 'sleep. What happened,?, I suppose that
, the balloon lightened, impervious to damp, had lain as-
ce
- ntiato high altitttdes. At about a. quarter-pase hree
openedanyeyes again. I felt giddr.and dejected; r • -ny,
brain was clearer. The balloon was descendingswith" Lt-
ftd rapidity, the car Swaying about violently and o-
•tb and fro. p dragged .myself up and took 81vel
by the arms. 'Sive). I Croce !.',I cried? 'lCouse
My two Companions were huddled, up In Vie
.hidalnii,n their cloaks. I bollkt4d mr,streng. , and tried
to raise them up. Sivas face was black, his eyes' dull,
mouth open and full of blood: Crobe:Spinellrs eyes were:
elkailLanii ids mButl s'rhaacovered -with blood. ' I cannOt te1.14
yeal"what then passed ;it Is impossible. I felt a feast
wind blowing upwards. We were then at a height of 6,00 k,
metres. .There were two bags of ballast in Vie car, which r]
threw overboard. Soon ,earth drew nearer. I wanted to
find my knife to cut the rope of the anchor; it was impos-
sible to find it. I was like a madman and kept calling out
"Sivel! Sivel !" By good fortune I found the knife at last,
and cut the anchor adrift at the right moment. The shock
on touching, the earth was extremely violent. The balloon
seemed to steady itself and I thought would remain so; but
the wind was strong and drove it on. The anchor would
not catch, and the car glided quite fiat over thn
The Who of hay unhappy
.frionda were ohalgh troll;