The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-07-31
4ithmond AlspattIl.
M0NNAY.................JU1.Y 81, 1871.
TIRE CIRCULATION OF THE DISrATCH
GS LARGER TRAN THE COMBINED CIR
|CULATIoN CT ALL yllE OTHER DAILY
NEWSPAPERS OF THE CITY.
Appals,uG Adventure OF ora Arnbf-
tfos,s Ac,nnaut I'm Attempting Am
E,sh,cc"sts Aerial Ascent.

|
tt"us Ac'n,,aut In Attempting am
| k,gn,cc"sls Aertrl Ascent
| IFro'n tht Nashville Il inter. July 9s..1
Early Sunday afternoon u large crowd of
/ people began TO gather ut the Horticultural
Garden Ia witness the balloon ascension
announced to he made by r. II. Williams,
ot Edctirld, or, IS he II professionally
known, Professor Webster. under which
title, durin" the fairs of last yctr, he made
some seventeen :rrial voyages, all Of which,
save one at Union City, proved successful.
At that place the top of the balloon was
burned. and its place was supplied nv Il
new piece of unyarnishcd canvas. When
the ascent had been made, and the balloon
was sinking towards the earth, he SAW that
he was about 10 strike hickory tree, and
10 avoid beng dragged or hurt he ltaped
from the basket into the limbs. falling
through the branches some five or six feet
before he finally succeeded in making a
lodcmcnt. This balloon, which is but
mere piece OF patchwork, weighing GGG
pounds. and measuring ll5 feet in height
and l2j in circumference, WaS used Suaday
afternoon.
Bv five O'Clock in the afternoon. the Hor-
ticlltliral Garden was filed 10y 4 large assem-
biagc. numbering freiu Il thousand to fifteen
hundred, with probably about tive hundred
outside the enclosure. As preparations TO
ill The balloon with heated air commenced,
the crowd became considerably excited,
and awaited the ascension with no little inn
patience. Meanwhile the mouth of the bal
loon was put over IA k':d Of chimney TO II
furnace, aud i fire kindlcd. As the heated
air hrran to initiate the balloon, little streams
| of smoke issued out Of the uuvarai>hcd
nircc of canvas, and jets splrtcd from divers
little holes in the middle portion. Mr.. Will
liamS, before entering the basket, Il rather
weak and dangcrouS-lookin" concern, at
|tachcu 10 the hoop ui the BALBOA by means
OF small cords about the size of ones lit
:, tie finger, trimmed down the upper por-
u ton, the top rim appearing to he some
: what insecure. \ false start was made ut
r I5k O'Clock amid enthusiastic applause of
u the spectators. The balloon was pulled
/ down, and again subjected to the heated air
Il process of imitation. Shortly after o'clock
y the huge air-Ship was released from its
q mnorinSs, and shot up into the air Il dis
Ii tance of 100 feet. 1t was driven westward.
rising probably to the altitude of 150 :, l1'j
feet. Just before reaching the cotton manll-
factory, about 800 yards from the starting
point it began rapidly to descend towar,
the smokc-stack OF the manufactory, which
is 12j feet in height. AS the spectators
rushing pell-mell across the common ant
shouting to the extent of their seemingly
leXha,lstleSs lungs, saw the impending catas
the >iuut. The balloon had struck the stack
ana had turned over on the other side.
THE -ERoNAUT'S STORY.
But we give the story of MIR. Williams
narrow escape from death i'll his owl
words:
u On approaching the stack, knew tina
the balloon was bound to strike it, and a
once ma,c preparations toreceive the Shocl
bv pushing the basket towards the stacl
, and lca,ug outward on the opposite side
when The basket. which WAS about seven
teen feet below the balloon, did strike, i
bounded outwardly, and then carcencd tt
IS one side. | ut once saw that if did no
,e ascend to the top OF the stack before all o
- the heated air lett the balloon, | would bt
) pulled over the stack and dashed 10 piece:
- on the ground. Il distance of 12J feet. Gou
- can understand what chance | would have
l. hud for lite. The weight of the balloon
l. VA. ihcu pulling me up the stack. ] >eiZc(
l. one vI the cords leading from the basket tc
# the hoop of the balloon, and, deter
mining 10 risk my life upon it, pulled
q my feet at the same time on the iroi
cap, which is about seven feet in height
- As | reached the summit, the weight O
J the balloon commenced pulling down
| heavily against my own, which is about
80 pounds. Catclin. hold OF the rim ol
, The sta, is with firm grasp with one hand,
= | wrapped one of the small cords around
u one OF the nuts, OF Which there Wcc Il
- good m,uy, when TIL" swinging OF the bat
= loon broke it. !, however, succeeded in
!" tyir. another, which held fast, and then
climbed to the top. Tie feat was IL very
)" difficult one. II had not been Il tolcrHh|c
y ~ mma>t, and had not had on my prolcS.
70 ,lonal tights and slippers, could never
% havc attained the top. | was enabled to
n Use my limbs with more case and aGvan.
t t1"e thqn would baye been the case had
been dressed lii the ordinary style. | was
assisted in @ainiug the top by catching the
cord between my toes and holding it tight.
| w. There is IN outer and an inner rim tU
!, the cap, both having surface of about
fifteen or eighteen inches, upon which
could easily walk without danger Of falling
[ here discovered That the hoop OF the bal.
loon had caught upon the lightningrod, by
which mcaus my life was saved. While yei
. on top | cut all the ropes, with the nten.
). ton of allowing the balloon to fall TO the
: ground, hut the hoop hung fast. Ia II.
) tempting to kick it OF | missed it, and came
near losing my balance and going hcadlOns
70 the ground. l saw there was Il ladder
made OF iron bars about two feet apart
leading down through the chimney, by
which means began TO descend, after cut
ting loose the balloon, through more sool
1t seemed that it required ten minutes fol
me to get to the bottom. After l had got
tcu over half way down ! was occasionally
threatened with suIocation, and was frariu
that had not yet escaped the pcrilS ol
the Journey. When ! reached the bottom
was covered with layers Of SCOT, and could
3 hardly have been recognized by my most
Intimate friends.
NOT DEAD YET.
No sooner had MIR. Williams reached the
omen air than the excited crowd pushed
, forward upon him, hustliug him about, ask
5 ing him thousand questions, and other
wise making it very disasrceablc for man
who had just made so narrow IN escape
5 from death. One oyer-curlouS spectator
happened to tread upon the Ironauts
corns, and got Knocked down therefor,
with the consolatory remark, "Pu show
5 you that amt dead yet"
Once free of the crowd, Mr.. Williams re-
turned 10 the garden, washed himself, and
flt equal TO half dozen more trips through
sDauc. Before the SCOT was removed he GER
taiulv presented most extraordinary spec
tacle-bIack as midnight from head to foot !;
! eyes, ears, hair, nose, mouth, and tights
| caked with SCOT ; not 4 white spot as biz rs
q nickel TO relieve his h!ackness. But he
did not receive 4 scratch during the whole
perlous episode.
His danger of suffocation arose from the
thoushtlessness of the crowd who crowded
around the entrance and prevented the
passage of air up the chimney.
We understand that the Hercules Will ne
used no more, but that another voyage 10