Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-09-25


The Balloon of Thurston's, which was found
in the marsh 30 miles from Windsor, was sus-
pended in front of the Free Press office in De-
troit II must be somewhere in the neighbOr-
hood of nearly hundred feet long, for when
suspended BY the middle from the top of the
building it reached nearly to the ground The
Free Press says:
The appearance of the balloon tends 10 in
crease the wonder at the feat performed by the
daring aronant. The feat may be set down as
the greatest ever performed with a balloon, and
had the eronaut been fortunate enough to have
found landing on dIy land he would have been
famous in the annals of balloOning as the man
who rode a hundred and twenty-five miles
through the air, at an elevation OF three miles
above the earth, with no seat but board thir-
teen inches in diameter which he bestrode. II
there is any dependence to be placed III the
statements OF the inhabitants of the lake shore,
there can be no doubt that he performed this
/ feat aud landed upon the earth safely He prob
ably persisted in the marshes from inability to
/ aid himself. the perilous ride having exhausted
his strength. What adds to the wonder is the
| fact that he possessed sufficient GOODNESS and
self possession TO tie a handkerchief around his
head while sailing through the air, for the PuT-
/ pose, 1t is supposed, Of protecting 1t from a
burning sun that poured down through the
whole day.
! The Free Press seems to doubt that Thurs
ton necessarily fell from his seat by reason OF
the tearing of the silk around the valve.
The theory that best elucidates the matter is
that the balloon took nearly direct course from
the starting point, crossing Detroit River near
/ Fha coufh eh0ra af LAX .
| ST. Clair, about five miles above Belle River -
Here the inhabitants first give accounts of its
/ appearance They state that IT skirted along
the shore, at times so low down that It nearly
touched the tops Of the trees. Some saw man
upon it, who had handkerchief tied around
his head, and others averred that It was small
boy. The distance accounts for the latter state
ment, which was given 10 our reporter by the
attendant of a windmill several miles above
+ Baptiste Creek Many spoke of seeing his feet
move up and down though cramPed. The
balloon skirted the shore of the lake for several
miles, very low down, and then passed over the
immense marsh that lies about the mouth Of the
Thames River and Baptiste Greek. In dOiI z
this, It kept on its direct course, the marsh run
ming in upon the land for several miles in the
shape of a bay. This marsh is some ten or tif
teen miles in extent, and in many places Is In
accessible except by boats. The balloon was
lost sight Of by the inhabitants by reason of the
tree tops, which hid it from view, but in a shOrt
time after was seen to rise with great speed tC
such hight that it was almost invisible. Al
{ this time 1t was nearly over the light house a
the mouth of the River Thames. 1t then grad
ually ioated inland several miles, and dropped
to the ground, where 1t was secured. The only J
solution Of these facts is the supposition tha
the balloon descended on the marsh, where Mr.
Thurston abandoned 1t, choosing to trust him
self to any species of terra frmG, rather thar
continue his ride through the air.
Mr.. Bannister has been labOring under 4 con
vietion that the pretended revelations of sPir-
ituaIist atiAdrain, were true, and that he shOulI
fad Mr.. Thurston in a fisherman's shanty or
the bank Of the lake. Some circumstances ten
; ded to fasten this conviction upon his mind, a'
he approached the spot where the descent wa:
5 made and he went over to the marsh under I
, strong hope that his mission would be success
r full He Ct course found that spiritual reyela
! tons were very different from existing facts
and that mediums were far from being reliable
2 prophets He returned to Detroit yesterday IN
2 a very desponding state of mind, and was here
met by several men from Adrian, who at once
persuaded him to return with themtO the marsh
and institute thorough and personal search
There is little hope of finding the body OF Mr.
Thurston, as the marsh is verv large, and will
require a long search to find any object that i
not visible from the whole extent. The body
will be concealed in the tall grass, which viii
prevent it from floating ashore, and will sink
where it lies after long exposure to the air.
The Herd says Mr. Thurston is the samePer
son who ascended from the foot Of Erie street
some seven years ago.