The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1871-10-18

.N ,ccno'ou Oauiy. III, tNere
was moro of old Bruce's spirit
alive nowadays it would be better
for society. 90
CONTINUED NEXT wREx.]
ns Death In the Air.
TERRIBLE sCENEs AT THE FALL OF AN
GRoNAuT. %
A correspondent of the New
York World furnishes an account
OF the terrible accident which re-.
Gently befel the @ronaut, Profes.
sor Wilbur, at Paoli, Orange
County, Indiana, of which teie~
graphic mention has been made
III our columns. Saturday, Sep.
tenber 30, was the last day Of the
Agricultural Fair OF the county.
and a large crowd had collected
from the country around, by the
announcement that Professor Will.
bur would there make one of his
balloon ascensions. The cores.
pondent writes:
At about 4 o'clock in the after.
noon the imitation Of the balloon
was commenced, and Us the bag
swelled out almost to bursting and
struggled TO be free, everybody was
on the qut vive, those remote from
the spot straining their necks,
climbing into carriages, and even
upon the the fences, to see the car.
1t had been announced that the
editor OF the Orange County Union
would accompany Professor Will.
bur in his ascent, and great things
were expected from the report
which bis well known ability as a
descriptive writer gave every rea-
son to believe would be forthcom.
ing in the next issue of his news
paper. 1 was standing beside the
professor, laughing, and holding @
necessarily disjointed conversation
with him, for he was busy with
preparations for his flight. He
had just nodded his head, and
said, .laughingly, swell, good bye,
old fellow; I'll see you again
soon." Then Mr.. Knapp stepped
into the car, and the Professor,
who had hold of the rope fasten.
ing the car to the body of the bal.
loon, shouted Let CO."
But he had spoken too soon and
was unable to reach the car, but
still unwisely kept the rope in his
hand and endeavored to climb to
his place, succeeding only 80 far
as to get une arm over the rim of
the basket, where he hung dang
ling and struggling. His motions
and the fact that the basket came
in contact with rope which had
fastened the balloon to the earth
while it was being inflated, upset
the car when it was about twenty
five feet from the ground
and Mr.. Knapp fell stunned
to the ground. But there was
no time for caring for him,
for terror held everybody
spell bound. A shout of admira
tion went up from those who were
too far distant from the scene to
know that an accident had befallen
the adventurers, and who supposed
that the ascent was being made
sans contretenapts. But to those
in the immediate vicinity of the
car the eight was al awful one,
and for a moment everybody
seemed paralyzed with terror, and
stood rooted to the spot without
uttering cry or word.
The balloon, ligbtened by the
fall of MIR. Knapp, shot upwards
with dreadfully increased velocity,
and a scream Of terror, which
CHILLED the blood of the hearers,
came down from the upper air,
where the doomed @ronaut hung
utterly hopeless Of escaping death.
At my side stood a woman, who,
as | afterwards heard, was the
professors wife. Her eyes were
bursting from their sockets, and
her face pallid and gl,astly with
fear. She elutched the air as if
for support, and with one hand
grasped my arm, still looking up>
wards at the balloon, which, swift
er than an arrow, shot through
the air. Up, up, and then growing
smaller and smaller in it's fight,
and then, with increased velocity,
it gave a sudden 8 art and shot vet
faster towards the clouds.
Then q speck was seen far MP
in the air, growing larger and lar.
ger as it fell. 40 my God."-
cried the woman, who clung
to me with iron grasp. "he
will die--he will be killed 70 Yet
her eyes remaiied fixed upon that
falling body. At first it seemed
like the stick of q rocket coming
down with the speed of light |;
then it was doubled upsiike q ball,
J.. a. B,