The Hickman courier., 1871-08-05

about, asking him thousand questions
and otherwise making il very disagrees-
BILE for a man who had just made so mar
row an escape from death. One over
curious spectator happened to tread upon
the aeronaut's corns and get Knocked
down therefor, with the consolstory re.
mark, "Ill show you that sin't dead
yet"
HOW HE LOOKED.
Once free of the crowd Mr. Williams
returned To ,he garden. washed himself
and felt equal to half a dozen more trips
through space. Before the soot was re-
moved he certainly presented a most ex-
traordinary pectacle-black rs midnight
from head to foot-eyes, ears, hair, nose,
mouth and tights caked with soot-not
white spot as big as a nickel 70 relieve
bis blaokness. But he did not receive
scratch during the whole perilous episode.
DANGER OF sUFFocATIos
His danger of suffocation arose from
the thoughtlessness of the crowd 6ho
crowded around the entrance and pre-.
vented the passage of air up the chimney.
THE HERCULES.
1
be used no more but that tanother voyage
in new balloon will be taken soon by
Mr.. Williams. He deserves q liberal
share Of the proceeds Of the day in thus
risking his life upon such hazardous
undertaking.
HOW 1T LOOKED FROM THE CAPITOL.
The view from the north terrace Of
a. .kol en- hnr hffw.
dred spectators had collected there. in
Guiding quite number of ladies and lit
tie children. After patiently watching
the cluster Of trees which marked tho 10.
cation of the Hortioulral gardens in tho
plain below, for about two hours with
telescopes and field glasses, the Hercules
was seen to swell up above the green tree
tops like great white blister, swaying
about by the current of wind, while he
ing inflated. After showing itself above
the trees aud then subsiding out of sight
alternately, it rose high enough to reveal
the full outlines of the heated sir-ship
quite distinctly, but was Immediately
drawn down again, to the disappointment
of the spectators, many of whom indulg-
ed in suggestions indicative their skepi.
ing it in advance another failure 1t was
now six o'clock, and the sun was gradual
ly sinking behind the Harpeth hills,
when the balloon was at last observed to
rise slowly above the trees, and attached
to it arope, apparently ten feet In length,
which held the basket containing the
aeronaut, which seemed a mere thread, +,
while the man and basket dangliE%, at the
end looked no bigger than house spider
suspended by It's own delicate web. The
balloon rose three or four hundred feet,
sailing rapidly westward, under the iu-
fuence Of a pretty stiff easterly breeze.
aud in few seconds appeared directly
above the roof of the Tennessee cotton
factory building. At this point Nseew-
ed to be descending, and whilpit wss
clear the building, the possibility that the
aerounaut might not be so successful !.
being much nearer the roof, occusioued
A GENERAL sYMPATAETIc oUTcRY
From the spectators Just then the
ropes caught on the lightning rod of the
great smoke stack. The r. balloon fell
over on the west side, bottom Deward,
and the man and the basket WJ.e left
dangling on the eaE side, near the sum
NIT. For some moments it was hard TO
tell at this distance whether no had fallen
out of the basket or not.
FIELD GLASSES
Were Immediately called into requisitior
and the adventurous aeronaut Yas seen
climbing the rope from the basket to the
cap of the chimney. The excitement
amobg the spectators was intense the
movements of the climber we're watched
with breathless solicitude, and when he
reached the top and was seen TO have
secured lodgment on the rim, there
were general expressions of relief. The
great crowd from the Horticultural gar
den we're seen swarming like ants across
the plain toward the factory building.
I