Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1853-10-13
zTF5oI1 the Alta califsnia. August as.l
- /, v..sho.s aerouaut.

Azcelelou of Xopthini
About {, 900 persons collected on yes
terday afternoon, st Oakland, to see
Mr.. Kelly make the promised ascension
IN his balloon. The balloon Tor the oe-
cssion was one of the largest size, about
1a feet in diameter, and made OF yellow
s;lk The scene for the ascension was
io.tbe town, not far from the wharf
The arrangements for the manufacture
of gas we're not properly managed, and
at o'clock, the time for the ascension,
the balloon was not more than half full.
At 8 o'clock it was two-thirds full,
and the crowd becoming impatient,
Kelly determined to try it. He had
provided blankets, provisions, bags of
sand, and so forth, but the balloon
would not rise with him. Kelly being
rather heavy, several lighter men then
got in, but they were still too heavy
During this time the balloon was
loosened and moved off about 200
yards, sweeping along near the ground.
The crowd called for boy, and a num-
Der of them who were near cried, "Let
me 60" The car had been taken off
SO as to make the balloon as light as
possible, and light hoop about an inch
square and three feet in diameter, with
light board four inches wide lashed
across the middle, offered the only posi-
ton for seat.
Upon one end of the board where it
rested on the hoop, boy named Joseph
Gates, aged 16 years, took his seat
Kelly's partner, who was at little dis
tance, cried to them to hold on till he
had given the proper directions: but he
had barely time to tell the boy to pull
the rope when he should wish to come
down, when the persons near let go,
and the balloon arose rapidly. 1t first
took southern course, until it had
gone about two miles, when it struck
another current of air and took north
ern course, and when last seen was
among the clouds, probably eight or
ten miles enthusiastically of Oakland,
and 300 or 1000 feet high.
The boy was fruit yender of this
city, and was selling fruit in Oakland
yesterday morning. His parents live
in California street. He went up with
out any provisions or any clothing, ex-
cept an ordinary suit. He weighed
about ninety pounds, and appeared to
be about twelve years of age, though
he was really sixteen.
He caught hold of the valve rope,
when Kelly's partner told him that it
would be necessary to pull it to let the
balloon down. Some persons said they
saw the boy pull the rope and saw 1t
break, but this is not probable, as the
rope appeared strong enough to bear
two hundred pounds. No sooner had
the balloon risen than the crowd began
to express their regrets. Kelly tried
to pacify them by saying the boy had
been up before, but all his companions
deny it. He was rising very rapidly
when last seen, and moving still more
rapidly to the northeast. No one can
tell what his fate may be. He had not
even fixed himself properly on his seat,
but was sitting on the edge of the hoop
and leaning back upon a rope. If he
does not succeed in opening the valve
to let himself down, he will be in dan
ger of becoming so numb with cold as
to fall out, or he might be frozen to
death by the extreme cold; or, if he
succeeds in getting down safely, no one
knows how far it may be from any hu-
man habitation.
Several of those present assert posi-
lively that the boy let the rope go, and
that it blew up over the netting. If
this be true, there is but little hope of
his escape alive.