The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1858-09-23

Jerr101e< AQYoutuDn.pAn ASFO4oos 49,
afn the ClDuAs.
| We have learned full particulars Of
khe Balloon Ascension at Adrian, on
Thursda its subsequent descent, and
IL second ascension and runaway with
Tie eronaut while beyond his control
IA IS = brief. narrative, but of thrilling
Interest. A man lost in the sky! There
can scarcely be q more terrible thought.
It makes the flesh creep and sends .
shudder through every nerve 10y
The first ascension took PLACE taDouf
nine o'clock in the morning. 1t was on
the occasion of large Sunday School
celebration at Adrian. The balloon
was a, very large and wen copstfncted
one. being about the, height If = tBo-
story building whenAiBfated and-ready
To cnt loose from its fastenings. Messrs.
BannisteF and ThurstoA took aeats IN
the car. attached TO the balloon and
assembled safely and steadily. After
remaining about 40 minutes N the arr
sailing towards Toledo all the time,
they alightedi nj the woods'in the town
of Riga. Lenawee county, near Knights
station on the Southern Road, distant
about 1e miles west of g Toledo. Several
men came to the assistance Of the adj
yenturers, and they proceeded to pre-
pare the balloon for packing, to be Ia
ken back to Adrian, -: = : J =
In doing this the monster balloon
was turned over and partially upside
down to disentangle the netting and 70
reach the valve. To do this, Mr.. Ira
Thurston, one of the mronauts, took on
his coat, and got astride of the valve
block. He then suggested that the car
be detached from the balloon while be
should hold it down with his weight.
This proved a fearful calculation, for
no sooner was the sstill inflated body
relieved of the weight of the car than
it shot into the air with the suddenness
of a rocket taking Mr.. Thnrston along
with t,zseated upoR=the valve of the
balloon, and, holding on to the collapsed
i silk Of the air-ship in that portion Of its
bulk ! In this perfectly helpless com
dition, the -illsfated man sped straight
into the sky in the full sight Of his
companions, even more helpless than
himself. SoIfar as is known, there was
no possible means for him to secure his
descent, whether safe or otherwise.
The part of the balloon filed with gas
was fun twelve feet above him, so that
\ that there was no chance for him to cut
it's sides and allow the gas to escape.
He could only cling to his Precarious
hold and go whithersoeyer the currents
of air should take him. 2 II - fs+7s
! Without regulation or Control Of any
kind the balloon continued TO mount
upward sailing off in the direction of
; this city and Lake Erie. The fatal as
J, cension took place about IL O'Clock,
, and at a few minutes past noon IL was
seen in the town Of BIissfeld, Lenawee
county, apparently full three miles high,
and about the size of star i'm appear
| ance. 1t was still going mp and on!
: Alta quarter past one O'clock it was
f last dimly visible going in the direction
of Maiden, as ascertained by compass
bearings taken by parties Observing it.
e What is the exact fall battles conjec-
s ture but that it is horrible, almost
0 beyond precedent, there can be no
O doubt. There is not one chance in a
million for a successful escape. Whe-
Their the unfortunate man was. carried
d up SO high as to become henumbed and
+ senseless, death ensning-er whether
he fell off at length from his tremen-
! dous altitude, to have his breath Sucked
from him in his fearful descent, and to
be sunk III the lake or dashed into q
6, shapeless mass upon the earth, it is
4 doubtful if any save God will ever
: know. The mind stands appalled, in
!, contemplating this fearful disaster, and
I bfindfy gropes in mazes of wonder at
where his place of sepulchure shall be.
Mr.. Thurston was an experienced
!, balloonist, having built several, and
u this being his thirty-seventh ascension.
u He was formerly resident in the
y, vicinity of Lima and Rochester in
Western New York, but has latterly
resided in Adrian where he was extern
8 siyely engaged in business as a nursery-
n man. He was q widower, having lost
le his wife last winter. He leaves an In
,e teresting daughter about II years of
= age to mourn her fathers unknown ter
rible fate Detroit Tribune.
} LATER.-The Advertiser of Tuesday
IS morning contains the intelligence that
n the balloon had come to the ground,
Z and that IL aoas empty. The balloon it
is said came down in the neighborhood
g of place called Baptiste Creek, on
n the Great Western Railway. But a.
a the people there had heard nothing of
o the circumstance of the occasion, no
1t search was made for it. Mr.. Bannister
: was in Detroit on Monday on his way
If to Baptiste Greek. He Is fun of con-
h idence yet that his friend viii be found,
,. and alive. HE thinks that the gas
i would SO far expand that the balloon
y would come down by Friday, certainly,
and his opinion is that Mr.. Thurston
s. was SO situated that he would be able
a, to hold out. He still thinks that he
1T will find him alive, but in greatly ex,
E. hausted condition. = n X
!. aE1tali1 <u------- a ~ s-l..t
II LINCOLN AND DoUGLAs.-,Thc fourth
great debate between these pentlemer