Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-07-21
Perils of BalIOonIng.

From the Philadelphia LEDGER
Mr.. La Mountains terrible death by q
fall from his balloon, on the Fourth OF
July, near Ionia, Mich, recalls to mind
some of the fatalities which have hereto
fore happened to balloonists in their peril
Gus undertaking. What caused La Noun
tain's calamity was described in the
Ledger yesterday. 1t was simply the re-
suit of utter carelessness in securing the
rope gearing of the machine. This was
so loose and unstayed that the gas en-
velop or globe was left free to turn up
side down, and it did 80, with most
lamentably fatal consequence to the un-
fortunate balloonist himself. Since 1884
about twenty-five lives have been lost
OF the most prominent accidents, the
first occurred in 1885, when De Rozler
and Roumaine Laine attempted to cross
from France to England in hydrogen
balloon, to which small mongolliiere
Tor hot-air) balloon was attached. Alter
reaching hight Of 5000 feet the bal
looms took fire, were quickly burned
up, and the voyagers were precipitated
upon the rocks of the French coast and
crushed to a jelly. Madame Blanchard,
the wife of the celebrated balloonist of
that name, assumed his profession, and
in 1919, while making an ascent from
the Tivoli Garden, in Paris, was dashed
to pieces in consequence of her balloon
taking fire from the fireworks discharged
in mountebank style on the occasion.
In Italy, several years later, a Venetian
nobleman and his wife, having made
several ascents, finally fell from a great
hight and perished on the spot. In the
year 1924, Lieutenant Harris, of the
British Navy, was killed by the too rapid
descent of balloon near London, and
in the same year Windham Sadler,
skilful balloonist, who had successfully
crossed the Irish Channel, was thrown
from his balloon and killed by coils
ion with a tall chimney in q descent at
Liverpool. In 1868 an amateur aeronaut
(Chambers) was killed at Basford Park,
England, by the rapid descent of bal
loon, his death being caused from the
effects of the gas he inhaled as much
as from the bodily injuries he receiv-
ed. In 1887, a fatal parachute de-
scent was made from hight of $4,000
feet by Robert Cockin, the apparatus
being detached from Green's balloon,
which rose from Vauxhall Gardens
The parachute, unable to resist the
pressure upon it, and falling about the
body of poor Cecking, the whole came
laundering to the ground from a hight
of fifteen hundred feet, killing him in
stantly. Compared with the number of
balloon ascents, the number Of persons
killed may be considered small, but the
mortality, compared with the favorable
results from any other pursuits, will be
found to show a percentage quite large.
On the whole, ballooning, as it has been
carried on, more for the purpose OF
show and for exciting the organ of mar
vellousness among wondermongers, has
not produced results which compensate
for its dangers and destruction of life.
We believe the air-ship to be capable of
much better results than it has yet
achieved; but these will have to be
worked out by systematic experiments
under the direction of scientific men,
and not by the haphazzard efforts of
eharlatans who dub themselves pro-
fessors."