Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-07-10
A LESSON FOR WISE.
Fall Of Mr.. Edward La Mountain, the
-ErOnaut, from 4 Hight Of
Fifteen Hundred Feet.
Particulars Of the Ascent and Fatal De-
scent-ETery Bone in the UnfOr-
tunate Mans Body Broken.

special Dispatch TO the Chicago Irbune-l
DETROIT. July 9.-Mail reports give
some interesting details Of the fatal ac
cident to The serOuaut La Mountain, at
Iona, last Friday. His balloon was
what is known as a hot-air one, and
was simply filled with rarified air, and
not gas. The canvas had somewhat Of
a worn appearance, as If the worse for
haiug filed with heated air too often.
At the summit, where the canvas was
sewn together, 8 block some ten or
twelve inches in diameter was fastened,
and through q hole in this six guy-rOpes
were secured, hanging down over the
sides Of the balloon, being at the bottom
some seventeen feet apart, and these
We're tied 10 the basket by the professor
himself. There were no IOpes running
around the balloon horizontally 70 keep
the guy-rOpes from slipping, or 70 pre-
vent the whole thing from sliding cut be-
tween the ropes with 3 gust of wind. At
twenty-five minutes 10 four O'Clock III
the evening the professor stepped into
The basket, and the balloon took shoot
NO almost perpendicularly, with the
rlrC. fessOr swinging bis hat 10 the crowd,
az apparently enjoying the sight. In
few d IOments more, however, the mouth
a.
about two or three times, then 10 pass
between the ropes, careening over on
the SIDE. when the ropes broke out from
their faReuings at the top, and the fall
commenced. La Mountain Was noticed
10 be appa-t ntly making some effort 70
oct the basket above him, and if possible
10 break the AL, but after the inst strug-
ole he fell 50 apidly that nothing could
6a distinguished but the falling body,
his nat coming after him, about
one hundred feet or more behind,
the old canvas, nearly collapsed, falling
down gradually. The body struck the
Ground half q dozen feet from the north
west corner Of the jail building. II
struck with such a terrible thud that it
Jared the ground for fifty rods Ground,
and made an indentatiOn IN the solid
ground eight inches in depth. There
was scarcely bone in the whole body
not broken into fragments. IL was as
limp As q rag. There were very lew
fractures Of the skin, except the right
foot. the bone Of the right leg being
driven through the bottom Of the foot.
The body was laid our on 3 couch, cir
Gle formed, and procession Of all who
wished TO view the remains passed
around. The professor is a brother Of
the celebrated serOnaut who died
two or three years ago. This ones
name was Edward La Mountain. He
was q jeweller by trade, and lived at
Prooklyn, in this State. He had said
int before be went up that be wished to
fake, the train for home as soon as pos
slide after coming down, as bis wife was
very sI, ok. He himself had not had his
clothes .7ff for ten days. There were
from ten thousand to twelve thousand
people who witnessed this horrible rsg-
edy. He was seen by people four miles
from the city NJ an angle Of thirty-hve
degrees. The best estimates make the
hight from which he fell from one
ri.9usaud to one thousand five hundred
-fe,ss. Those who were on the bill back
of the town said the strangest sight was
u witness the people swaying back and
forward ike field Of wheat moved by
the wind.