, 1873-09-17
THE ROTTEN BALLOON,
Tho Bursting Of a Dig Bubble.
Prof. Wisc's Card.

From. tho Selo rore Times, Sept. IL.
Twonty thousand pooplo witnessed a great
Failure, yostonlny. at tio Capitol,no Grounds.
IAe I}a'ly Graphic balloon fell to ptccoa for
with Gas. md tn collapse produced only laugh
tor; Yesterday morning., at O'CLOCK, tho gaa"
main waa connootcd with tho lower part Of .lo
6ack. anu tho gus colnmonced to pour into it IN
t]no ono AMI tho air porsoctly calnr, no dltli-
Guilty waa experienced nt tho start Of this part
Of the work. For hours tho gas poured in, SWELL
Ing out tho yasL folds oi tho balloon aud causing
fcnco aud grow hIghor than tho neighboriug
houses. 14ika Il gigantic layntncls, it could 10
scen through tho trecs from tho distance. Again
tle crowd gathered, without, because there was
ITO charge, within, ut tho rnto OF 60 ceutH each,
TINT they might approach nenror to tho big won
der. Early i'll the daYit had been Determined to
abandon the car, md all tlto traps ard instru-
merits md provisions tint 1t was to havo carried
woro slowed away, III tho bout, which WAS lushed
and strapped, olaborateiyf,, everything being ar~
ranged 10 that it could b. lashod to tho
concentrating ring wlscn tho balloon WIS
Tiled with gas. lilo difficulty between
Prof. Wiso and tho managers, and which
lief entertained by thu Professor that the cheap
John stylo In which tho balloon lal beon con-
stl1ctcd would ronder un ascension III It sulci-
dial, WINS understood to hayo eliminated in q
rupture, tho Professor having finally determined
not 10 10. IIe visited tho Erounl with his son.
Charles. about noon, and both started to onter
the inner circle. Mr.. Goudaell would not permit
tho son to cntcr, and tho father rofuBed to gu
without linn, nna i'll consequence both father and
son left tlu scouo yory much annoyed. Charles
Wiso tnl.kod loudly, and callcd the whole balloon
a blg nwint.lo. Tlle Professor saih no considered
the sack rotten, anl as they TALKED IL crowd toll
lowed. At tho gata tho Professor turned aud said
Graphic, could not broak down his character.
Nlr. HoUdBell 6nld lie did not wish to do SO.
Prof. Wise Haid ho lad. Mr. GoodAell repeated
lhat he lad not, md tho crowd was entertained
by this lttlo inside" Mr., Stiner, undet whose
supervision tho filling OF the balloon was being
conducted, suggested private discussion Ut
their affairs, aud all but Charles L. Wine were
permitted to entor. lie tried to drag llis father
talk tho matter over. N.or this conference tho
Professor md his left tho grounds, and it was
understood TINT the former would nut 20. Who
would 60? MIR. Donaldson, Mr. Lunt. aud Mr.
Tho writer met Mr. Tord about o'clock, and WAS
assured by him that ho had made all arrange
menss to 60. HH outfit consisted Of the suit Of
clothes ho woro and two big noto books, which
was quito serious, Mr.. Donaldson WAS Iustlng
nnd oyidontly delighted, aud Lunt WAS as buoy
ant as tho balloon. All threc were impressed
with the Importance Of their positions. They
were the clilet actors in this solemn farce; What
OF the audience? Thoy poured in splondlo1y, ono
Interested iu thu amount Of tho receipts would
say. The circle around the outer ring grew
denser ms the afternoon advanced. Tile crowd
Increased by HcoreH uud hundreds, until it
reached upward Of 5,0O0, within the grounds,
and more tlan double thas number outside. It
far exceeded tho Thong Of Wednesday. Tho
houactops lad lurgor array upon them, and it
Haa surprising how tho treos Sustained their
ito spot for those who did not want to pay to
SEQ tho Bhow. Photographic had been takon Of
groups near tho balloon and side-yiows Of the
party-intla!ed gaa-bag, and Donaldson had
taken position ou tho boat as striking in his
attitude Ut IL lo woro a relative OF the orgi-
hui Casbianca Oil tho burning leck and thus
waB photographed. He WAS called OF for 4
speech by tho crowd, and, with knowing, TIL
umphnnt lead; shake. he taia' I" You wait ~ tho
lie doesn't speak beforo2 As tho balloon grew
in pize everybody was i'll good humor, mud ovon
tho incro;lulous expected ut least, that q start
would be effected. They loungea about aud
greatly to cheor them. The Sly was glorious
aud had tho balloon nsconded, no doubt 1t
would have been Il very pleasing sight.
Prof. Wise returned to the ticll about $3.50 In
that he WINS ready to procucd on tic voyage if he
voro given hftcon minutes bo1oro the start to
test the rotonLiye power Of the balloon. Aftor
convcrsing with 1lr. GoodHe}1 for a few ninuten
both walked to the ofeo aud talked the mattel
over ASaill, but did not arriyo ut any conclusion
i'll regard to the affair. There soemod for soma
reason to bp latent impression Oh tie minds OF
tho Mcssrg. 0oollse tint it WAS not necessary
10 como to my understanding.
The process Of Initiating tle balloon went OF
eanced, it seemed asif everything would turn
out ;t successfully. Tho people ioungod t,' a9d
Hudor the circumstances, nndl were, Of
course, in d state Of high expectancy. Presently
pretty large report was heard, accompanied By
q i1sh.ng aouud aud oyorybody looked toward
the bnlloon, in tho top OF which II large rent Sat
Observable. Tho escaping gas extended tho ron1
still further, aud in le6H than minute tie bal.
loon had entiroly collaphcd. tho failure Of the
affair being. greeted with pretty general ex-
PRESTON Of Good-lumorcd dorlsion. At tue
inflated to the c1tont Of about two-tLirds OF
perhaps thlee-quartcrs its capacity. Whai
was the actual CAUSE Of the collapse is, oi
course. nlattor Of some doubt, md Of q gooG
. deal Of surmiBo. The inferiority Of the material
would appear to be tho primary cause, ana tier
again, it III affirmed that during the procssB OF in
tlaton the netting was lold too tight. 1t il Ger:
tain, ct NIL events, TINT the balloon budget
stance may llavo tell4od toward the result whict
came about, IL only matter of speculation
Thore was dire diBtreHs among The managers am
noronaEts, a1ld all tho smaller folk connected
with the balloon, nj soon TIL tho collapse tool
, placo Tllcir demcauor was In charming con
trast to what it llad been Botne fow moments be
foro. Thou they wero big with importance On,
wonderfully fussy now they wero utterly crest
fallen aud woo-logono. Tho public who ha.
somo right to be disappointed took matter
pleasantly enough, under i'll tho circumstances
Jet such oxpreAslons could DO bead now IN,
then III, "unmitigated fraud, gigantic swiudle,
and other terso little phrases not quito compli
lapso occurred visitors wore still pouring int
tile grounds, aud all tho cars from tho ferrio
were crowded to oxcess, their occupants, as tho
passed the returning cars, getting Iberall
chafred by those who had Witnessed tue balloo
0HBco.
Prof. Wisc Stntcs 1lis Case.
70 the Editor of the Hcfp FORK Herald:
As my nntne hnB been prominently mentione
i'll the public prints for numbers Of weeks paA
in connection with tho bAllon built by the Dali
Graphic Company for tho outcnAible purpose q
attempting to crons tho Atlantic, feel that jus
tico to myself, no loss than those who hayo Lon