The Sun.
London, England, 1850-05-28 00:00:00

FATAL EXPEy.IMENT IN AEROS-

prevailed in the metropolis, par-
ticularly
—that the. eminent aeronaut, Mr. Charles
vaairiexphoarLin
the vicinity of the " Roya.
had met with his death in a descent from a
constructed upon new and scientific princi-
we are happy to state, is not
the fact ; but still a most unhappy occurrence has at-
pt
balloonc
Green,
cr
re.
profession,
pfleeaensrrs,
ti Yesterdayyi.)
o,
construct
Such,n ,
tended an aspirant for aerial honours, in the person of
who has. decidedly, and with the most com-
ho.wever,
connected with the medical
late success,
P ,
Mr. Bell, gentleman.
achieved a new discovery in the science
of aarostation—that of controlling, directing, or steer-
ing a balloon. On Friday evening the appearance of a
balloon of a singular form traversing the metropolis
occasioned some speculation as to whether the frail
car, from its oscillating gyrations, contained an ani-
mate or inanimate aeronaut. The occupant of the car
was the gentleman abovementio tied, who manoeuvred
his bark through the realms of air with a dexterity that
puts all his contemporaries in the shade. 'Without
endeavouring minutely to describe this new balloon,
it may be briefly stated that it is of an elliptic shape,
somewhat resembling in form the Spanish mellon or
vegetable marrow, manufactured of the finest silk,
with netting of cordage, and with a spring valve
constructed on an entirely new principle. It was es-
timated that the balloon would contain about 15,000
cubic feet of gas, its dimensions being 50 feet in
length and 22 feet in diameter. The inflation, con-
ducted with the greatest privacy,
.took place from the
monster gasometer of the P ficenix Gas Works (for-
merly the Water-works) in the Kennington-oval,
under the direction of Mr. Munro,. the superintendent.
The ascent was made at about six o'clock, and the
descent, as will be seen from the followin—
g communi-
cation, received yesterday by Mr. Robert Wardell,
the lessee of Vauxhall-gardens,. took place in Essex,
with a result favourable to the intrepid aeronaut, but
causing the loss of life of one who had bravely and
kindly hastened to the rescue of a fellow-creature in
his perilous descent from the regions above :
~ Fyfield, Essex, May 26, 1850.
" Sir,—lt is with deep regret that I inform you of the
death of Frederick Clark, who was injured by the
grapnel while assisting to secure the balloon in its de
scent on Friday evening, in the parish of High Laver.
He lingered in the most excruciating agony until one
o'clock on Saturday, when dull terminated his suffer-
ings. Ilis father is a very. poor man, and quite unable
to meet the expense of his funeral, and I humbly re-
quest that as his death was t
he result of assistance to
you, you will kindly assist his father in providing him
with the means to enable him to bury his son. From
my personal knowh dge of the family they are quite
unable to do it themselves. I shall. be most happy to
hear from you by return of post, as i
it
is necessary
case of emer-
gency, and, dying in the state he did, t necessary the
funeral should take place immediately, and the idea of a
parish coffin is, I can assure you, repugnant even to the
feelings of the poor. I beg most respectfully to solicit