The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1859-04-05
From the Pittsbure Chronicle March 10,
Thurston's Balloon Flight..Theory as 70
the Manner Of his Death.

From the Pittsburg Chronicle March 10,
| Thurst0n's Balloon Fiight..Theory as 9
the Manner Of his Death.
Mr.. Boyhton last night, at the close Q
his lecture, presented to his audience yer,
plausible and reasonable theory as to th
manner of Thuston's death. He think
that hs struck tree, and thus the silk wa
torn, and that the unfortunate balloons
fell only from height of forty or fftv feet
We will furnish the Dr.'s explanation, a,
received from his own lips this morning, a,
briefly as is consistent with cearness.
The DR.. stated that be was intimately
acquainted with Ira Tburston; that he had
filed several balloons for him, had been
engaged with him in the cultivation of a
pear-tree nursery, and knew him as an &C.
complshed, interesting, but very reckless
man, with chronic hankering to be up
in mid-air. Thurston had told him, at his
last interview, that if he would 90 to st.
Paul's and initiate bis balloon for him, he
would stay up for Ibss three 05 SIss fR dome a5i%R
short Of the Atlantic ocean; he also told
him that no one had ever gone up in q bal
loon sitting on the valve.board, and asser-
ted that, the first opportunity he had, he
would do so. Dr.. Boynton argued the
uselessness of such personal risk, but
Thuston ed bent on II, and the Dr..
therefore thinks thai his fatal ascension
while n that position was by design and
not by accident.
Now. without regard to the various false
and absurd rumors relating TO Mr.. Thurs
t"n's ascent. we viii give Dr.. Boynton's
statement Of rehoN facts. The balloon
ha descended, and NJ ssrs Banister and
Thurston wished to take off the n"ttinr -
The easiest method to accomplish this is
by having the balloon about one-third in
flated, rather than in collapsed state
A balloon is fashioned with an oval board
in the top, or hrge end; in this board is
fitted valve; the neck, or lower end Of
the balloon next the car is always left
open, since gas, being lighter than air,
cam It descend; rope comes DOWN from
iIer lv" on p. through the neck, to
n t' ar When il is desirable tn
tisriss O., III rore is drawn. which opens
tua ual,. ou tur T" facilitate thercfnre
relieving HI Na'l n g. m rho ~ilkcn net.
fmo d. 'hr r..r oas firmly tied bv Mr.
Ih.rrHu, ID the alloon was turned over,
w1n me lago end down. Obviously. tho
gas ben. being a. light. would partially
extend the uecE. wl'ch was now upper
most, and what was tho large end
would now shrink and become small and
bagGy, allow wng TIL rston 10 clasp what
was the hulhous part of the balloon in his
arms, and throw bis legs around the
valve board.
Mr. Thurston, then, being seated with
his legs around the valve board, embracing
the (then) neck Of the balloon, of course
as soon as the ballon was relieved of car,
ballasts, netting, DC, it would rise, which
it did, Tburston CRYING out to Banistor,
Never mind, it will be down in few mo.
ments." The balloon then foated lazly
away, Mr.. Thurston voluntary and de-
! GIFTED voyager, seated on the valve board.
DR.. Boynton thinks it never rose high, but
scudded alcng over the open country until
it came to the forest where Thurston's re-
mains have since been found. He sup
poses then that Thurston, having no means
TO manage his balloon, or to ascend or de-
scend, was carried against the limb Of the
tree, and, he being suddenly stopped, the
momentum would carry the rest Of the
balloon along, creating the exact tear in
the silk, three-quarters around the valve
board, just as it was afterwards found when
the balloon was discovered at st. Clair
flats. The valve. hoard being thus partial
ly torn away would leave no support for
Thurston, who must, of course, have fall
len to the foot of the tree where bis re-
mains were lately found. The probability
is that he was carried with such force a.
gainst the trco that he was stunted and
could not catch a limb, and that he may
have lain at the trees foot many hours. or
even days, before death relieved him from
his sufferings.
As to the surmise of many that Thurston
tore the silk to allow tho gas to escape, is
absurd, for he being below, and gas always
ascending, none could escape in that man.
ner, and Thurston was too collected man
ever to attempt il. As soon as the balloon
was relieved Of the balloonist's weight, it,
of course, would rise rapidly in the air, un-
til, gas escaping and atmospheric air en-
tering, it would gradually descend. As to
the statement made by those who saw the
balloon, that there was something like
man dangling from it, the Doctor thinks
that this was either the now pendent
valve board, or the lank and collapsed part
Of the balloon itself. DR.. Boynton has al
80 told us that Thurston had frequently
related to him that he never feared any
thing except when ahrest Of forest; that
then the forked trees seemed I'll to be rush
ing toward him, having tendency to con-
fuse and bewilder him. We think DR..
Boynton's theory an exceedingly plausible
QUO, and further investigation will proba-
bly, confirm it.
THE PRESENT INDIANA DIVORCE LAW.