The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-08-06 00:00:00

BALLOON GARDEN PARTY.

The first anniversary of the Balloon Society of Great
Britain was celebrated on Saturday last by a novel
form of entertainment—a balloon garden party in the
grounds at Lillie-bridge West Brompton. Although
but a year old, the society, as the president, Mr. W.
H. Le Fevre, C.E., stated during the afternoon,
already numbers 1,000 members, of whom not a few
are ladies.

A band, that of the Scots Guards, a concert, and
an entertainment by Professor Field had been pro-
vided for the amusement of the visitors, but the
interest centred in the society's No. 1 balloon, which
at three o'clock, when the earliest corners arrived,
was already inflated almost to its full capacity.
This balloon, which has a lifting power of 1,5001 b.,
and holds almost 37,000 ft. of gas, is constructed of a
new material, into the composition of which India.
rubber largely enters. It was made under the
superintendence of Mr. J. Simmons, C.E. The in-
tention of the council to use it as a captive ballcon
during the afternoon had to be given up, the wind
being too high, and at half-past five, in the presence of
a large number of members of the society and visitors,
among whom were Lord Denbigh, Mr. W. H.
Le Fevre, Mr. Charles G. Reid, Mr. Hyde Clarke,
Captain Molesworth, R.N., and Mr. Adolphus
Jerningham, the balloon was let go, having in the
car, besides Mr. Simmons, who was in charge, Colonel
Brine, C.E., and Mr. Baden Powell. The photo-
grapher to the society, Mr. Cobb, was to have gone
up, but, owing to tire murky gip(' of the weather, he
had to abandon the hope of getting any satisfactory
photographs.
Colonel Brine says the balloon took a slightly north-
easterly direction, passing over Brompton, Chelsea,
Pimlico, and Westminster. It then crossed the
Thames twice, first at Lambeth and then at London.
bridge and passed over the River Lee north of
Blackwall. flaying risen into the clouds to the
height of 7,000 ft., it began to descend, when Lord
Petre's mansion, Thorndon-hall, and Warley Bar-
racks soon became conspicuous in the landscape.
Passing close over the Essex County Lunatic
Asylum. much apparently to the amusement of
many of the inmates who were in the large grounds,
the balloon neared the earth, and an attempt was
made to land it in a grass field, but unsuccessfully,
owing to the grappling iron not catching, and the people
present being too few to hold it. Mr. Simmons had,
therefore, to throw out ballast and allow it to ascend
again. Ultimately a descent was made near Hutton,
three and-a-half miles beyond the Brentwood Station
of the Great Eastern Railway, and the party of
aeronauts having been hospitably entertained by the
Rector of Hutton, the balloon was taken in a wagon
to Brentwood, and brought back to London by train.
The balloon had travelled 25 miles in the hour.
It was noticed that even when close to land the
Albert-hall, Westminster Abbey, Nelson's Column,
St. Paul's, and some other buildings looked very
small, but the Crystal Palace and the Victoria,
Charing-cross, and Cannon-street Railway Stations
stood out well, and the parks with their gravel walks
and ornamental waters, and afterwards the Lee, ap-
peared very distinct. The steamers running on the
Thames had, of course, a very diminutive look. London
somewhat resembled a highly coloured map, but as a
town from the people in the streets not being distin-
guishable, it seemed deserted, as if it were a city of the
dead. During the 17 minutes the balloon was in the
clouds and out of sight of land the travellers all felt as if
they had water in their ears, and this sensation continued
durinc, the following day, Mr. Baden Powell says
that alter the descent had commenced, and at I,oooft.
from land, the balloon fell in -with a contrary current
of air, which was so strong as nearly to blow off the.
hats of the voyagers. He also states that the atmo-
sphere Nirs remarkably clear throughout the journey,
excepting, during the few minutes the balloon was
immersed in a cloud, so that the stream of gas as it
escaped from the neck of the balloon in descending
was exactly like a thin volume of smoke.