Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-02-13

surviving brothers of the celebrated Harper
firm, were all practical printers, and have
worked at the case at from So to $40 per
week.
wELL-To-Do JOURNALISTS.
Many of the newspaper men here are al
most comfortable, as comfort is monetarily
reckoned here James Gordon Bennett, the
present proprietor of the New York Herald,
may safely be estimated to possess S3,0OO,OOO;
VIM. Cullen Bryant, of the Evening Post,
s50O,OOO; George Jones, of the Times, $780,
900; Hugh Hastings of the Commercial Ad-
uertiser s50O,000; Brooks Brothers, of the
Erpress, each, s25O,0OO, and Manton Marble,
who has recently become sole proprietor Of
the whole World, S5O0,OOO.
BALLooNING EXTRAORDINARY.
During my peregrinations about the city a
few days ago,I dropped into the well-known
show-printing establishment of Samuel Booth,
Esq, 199 Centre street, which, at this season of
the year is one of the headquarters of showmen.
At that establishment can be found managers,
agents and performers at almost any time,
looking after the proper execution of their
mammoth show bills previous to starting on
the road. As a consequence, showmen of the
better class, in all branches of the profession,
some times congregate there for business and
social chat. Being personally acquainted
with many of them, I occasionally step in to
hear the gossip and anecdote of this class of
people, who always have on hand large sup.
ply, both of an amusing and entertaining ma
ture While sitting there, as ismy custom, es-
pecially during such "cold snaps as we have
experienced in this region for some weeks
past my quondam friend, Wash. H. Donald
son, the champion balloonist put in an ap-
pearance As Mr.. Donaldson has created
considerable e: sc nent in the aeronautic
world lately by his daring exploits with bal
looms, brief description of what he has done,
what he expects to accomplish, and his per-
sonal appearance, may not prove wholly un-
interesting to your readers.
Mr.. DONALDSON
Is short, thick set man, about thirty-two
years old, dark Completed, with black eyes
and hair, and wears heavy, black moustache,
twisted at the ends la Napoleon. He is a
native of Pennsylvania, and for some years
past has followed the profession of a magician,
or sleight.ofhand performer. Several years
ago he made up his mind to become bal
loonist, and his first ascension was at Reading
Penn, in August, 1872. He has made since
that time some twenty-eight ascensions, and
used basket only one time. All subsequent
ascensons were made with no other support
for his weight than an ordinary bar Of wood
or iron suspended from the balloon by means
of two ropes-similar to that of trapeze,
which is so commonly used by circus perform
ers while doing their gymnastic feats in mid
air. During the past year he has encountered
all sorts of dangers, and the history of his
hair-breadth escapes is both wonderful and
thrilling. Heis very intelligent and genial
man, and relates the incidents of his perilous
profession with cool sang toid, anything but
refreshing to poor mortals encumbered with
weak nerves. He does not appear to look
upon ballooning as dangerous occupation
By the use ola basket, people are inclined to
regard these ascensions with considerable
amusement and interest. He says that the
time is at hand when some improvement ought
to be made in aGronautsm, from the fact that
the old mode of ascending in basket has be-
come tame-the people being used to it, the
novelty has disappeared-and it is necessary
to do something new and startling in this age
of sensation, to make people take an interest
in matter that is destined at no distant day
to occupy much Of public attention. In order
to do this, he has dispensed with the use Of
the time-honored, apparently tame and simple
support of wicker basket, which, to all ap-
pearance, seems safe enough as long as the
balloon can be made to retain its buoyancy
and keep out of the way of tree tops and large
bodies of water. He conceived the idea of
attaching to the balloon simple trapeze bar,
and, dressed as an acrobat, made an ascen-
sion. The people became frightened and a
new interest was awakened. At the height Of
halfa mile he went through variety of GYM
nastic performances, such as "skinning the
cat," whirling around, hanging by his toes,
suspending himself head downward by one
foot, and other perilous looking evolutions,
usually accomplished by circus performers
while only few feet above ground. He says
that during an ascension made at Chicago,
and while three.fourths of a mile high, he
hung by the back of his head from the bar.
remarked that it was rather a dangerous
proceeding, when he said, Eyes, people some
times call me crazy and reckless; but they
forget that I value my life as much as they
do, and that know exactly what am about.
I feel Just as contented and safe on bare
trapeze bar three miles high, as 1 do setting
here. 1 see no danger, and, therefore, there is
no danger to me" He said he would like to
make an ascension standing on the top of a
balloon, and that he intended to try, as he
was perfectly confident that it could be done.
He is just the man to accomplish the feat if it
can be done.
He says he feels so light and buoyant at
the height of two or three miles that he often
performs for his own amusement while above
the clouds. He has been lost, given up as
dead, found again, bruised, scratched, washed
in the Atlantic ocean and baptized in Lake
Michigan but is here yet to rehearse the
story of his escapes, and without so much as
a visible scratch or bone broken. He has
lost two balloons, had one burnt when two