The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1869-07-01
A Juvenile Acronaut.

Ill soIllc respects lne most FenaTkaUIe
ascension that ever took place was one
made by an apprentice boy of twelve
years old named Guerin, who was taken
without his consent. ard without any
intention that he should go up on the
part of any other person. 1t was n
rareiied air balloon. The car was in the
form of II boat, and was to be suspended
from the balloon by cords attached to
each end of it when the balloon was
filled. There was also an anchor sus-
pended 10y cord from the bottom OF the
boat, which was intended to catch upon
the ground and hold the balloon wi hen
1t should come down.
After the balloon was filled and was
ready to go up, some of the assistants
held 1t 10y cords, while others Went to
work to attach the ear To- it. They had
secured one en |, and were then going
to secure the other, when, by some
means or other, the balloon broke away
from those holding it and began slowIy "
TO rise, and at the same time to DRIFT
along with the wind, dragging the car
and the anchor over the ground IL hap
pened that, as the anchor was thus
it passed SO closely over this boy--who
was sitting quietly near 10y with his
companions, not dreaming of beine
anything but aspcc,at"r of the proceed
ings-as to catch the iluke in the waist
band of his pantaloons, and AS it con.
tinued to ascend 1t took him up with
it.
The boy uttered piercing screams and
erie, and calls for help; and there was
perhaps no harm in this so long as he
held on bravely. OF course no help
WAS possible except calls to him from
below to hold on. He found that the
waistband began to give way, and he
instinrtively gra-ped the rope above his
head with both hands, and so sustained
himself. The strength of his hands
without the aid OF the hook ia his
wa>tband, would not have been sutli-
cient to sustain his weight many min
utes; and the wastbaud was not strong
enough without the hands. Both to-
gether, however, answered the pur-
pose.
1t was very fortunate for Guerin, that
1t was II Montgolfier, that is, Il raretied
air balloon, aud not one filled with hy-
drugen, that was running away with
him, for in tn: latter case the gas with
in would have continued to expand as
the outside pr 'ssurc upon it diminished
by the increasing elevation; and as
there would have been no possibility Of
opening the valve, as Is usually done,
to relieve it, the bal'ODn would have
burst and collapsed, and the poor boy
would have fallen n thousand feet or
more to tn" ground with fuil force. But
being n Montgollicr, the ascending
power gradually diminished ns the air
grew cool, until at length, after floating
II moment in equilibrium. it began
slowly to descend. As the balloon de-
scended, the rope which had begun to
untwist undcr the Influence of the boy :
weight, turned more and more rapidly;
and inasmuch as a person suspended
from balloon l. never conscious of hls
own moiion-the illusion which makes
the motion seem to he in the earth aud
not in the balloon being pcrIect--as is
indeed on Il smaller scale toa person
going up in the elevator Of n hntei-it
appeared to Guerin that the earth was
spinning round beneath him in a vast
and most trighIful gyration. Guerin
was more terrified than ever. AS hc
drew near the ground, or rather, rs it
appeared to him, as the ground and the
co,icourse of spectators uI on 1t came
whrling up to him, he cried out TO he
people to save him. They called to him
in reply not to be afraid, that he WAS all
right; and, receiving him in their arms
;ts soon as he came within reach, they
at the same moment stopped the SPIN
ming of the earth and unlocked him
from the anchor.
The incident of course created great
sensation at the time; and, AS tie C
count of it became Il part of the his oty
of ;erostation, the story will be repeated
in all coming time. Guerln found him
self suddenly famous. AS he was only
in the air about fifteen minutes, it Is
very probable that this boy acquired
historical immortality at an earlier age,
and in IA shorter time, than any other
human being. JACOB ABBOTT, in Uur-
per's .Nagazine for Juy.