The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1872-11-08
A BALLOON on FIRE.
Fearful DessN at De Kalb, Iii.---A syai
Falls 500 Feet IRON, Burning Balloon.

Fearful Dessss at De Kalb, Ii.---A syau
Falls 500 Feet IRON, Burning BALLOON.
An extra Of the Dc Kalb News, issued
nj six o'clock on Friday evening. con-
tains the following account o. = disaster
which occurred on the same afternoon nj
the DE Kalb Fair Grounds: mir. Den
nison. the ;proneut who advertised that
Mr.. l.. Durham would make an ascen-
sion nj this place this afternoon. was in
fitting his monster balloon, CITY OF
New York and had nearly completed
The infl,ting process, when people on
the north part Of the grounds discovered
smoke escaping from the top of the
balloon. Ii was scarcely visible at first.
but faster and faster emitted tho smoke.
and the alarm was given. hut hardly had
the detection in the air-ship become APP
parent before flames were issuing from
the very top OF the balloon. Quickly
the shout went up. 'the balloon is on
fire" and as those near by began to re-
treat the horses were also driven here
and there to escape all danger. The
dry cambria and its covering began
burning first slowly, then the flames
spread. and upward and onward went
the fire. a premonition by this time
overtaking the spectators-every one
present feeling that some fearful. if not
fatal. calamity would result Scarcely
had the flames burst out, however, be-
fore an aperture of two or three feet
was made where the guy rope holding
the unwieldy thing crossed it-and now
the rope burns of. and away to the
southwark shoots the balloon, carrying
with it in its course Mr.. Michael Nc
Mann, a laborer assisting in the infla-
tion. Being near the basket as it start
ed off he became entangled,and hanging
with one foot inside the basket-his
hands holding to the rOpes-he thus as
cended for perhaps hundred feet, and
regained q position in the basket, which
again hung sideways. and another min
ute he was hanging to the ropes alone
at the height of probably not less than
$40 feet. Now his strength gives way.
his presence of mind deserts him, and
in another moment the poor man is
seen falling to the earth An awful, a
painful sight, filing with horror and
CONSERVATION the four or five hundred
spectators OH the grounds But the
suspense was for only moment, as it
were. He who but a little time before
was in the enjoyment of his faculties
had descended to the earth, nearly i'm a.
standing position, from three hundred
feet in mid-air, until, when near terra
firma. he fell backward. striking the
ground with his back with such force as
TO produce conclusion heard some dis
lance away; and Mr.. McMann, familiar
~ known as big Mike was dead
utterly crushed, the blood streaming
from his mouth and nostriIls. 1t was a
sight the like of which we hope never
again to behold; and thus ended what
was intended to be day of sport. Nc
Mann left wife and several children,
who depended upon his labors for Al
living. May God comfort them in their
sore affection.
The balloon alighted but few rods
outside of the Fair Grounds, and was
soon consumed, loss of several humid
red dollars to Mr.. Dennison, but moth
ing as compared with the fearful de.
struction its ascension wrought.