Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-04-23
A TERRIFIC BALLOON VOYAGE.
A San Francisco Balloon Rises TO a
Height of $500 Feet-The Anchor
Rope Breaks, m Balloon Bursts,
and the Car, Containing Seven Per-
sons. is Thrown to the Earth.
From the San Francisco Alta, April IA.

Capt. q. Barber made the second ascen-
sionwith'his silk balloon sic Secours," yes
terday afternoon, from Woodward's gar
dens. The entire afternoon was occupied
in Initiating the monster, and when it left
on its sail in the air, contained about sixty
thousand feet of gas. The attendance at
the gardens was not as large as usual on
the occasion of balloon ~ascensions. Many
undoubtedly remained away on account of
the wind. At half-past three o'clock every
thing was in readiness and the passengers
took their seats in the car. They were
Miss Marie Gaugain, Miss Alice Burning
ton, sixteen years of age, daughter of A.
Marriott, Joseph Erwin, ii. Guisoulaphe,
and the aeronaut, G.. Barber. One
false start was made, and at 46 minutes
past s O'Clock Barber gave his command,
"All hands let CO." and the balloon shot up
like a rocket, and continued quickly on its
course across the city to Hunters Point,
rising to a height OF 1,600 feet, going in a
sOutherly direction, and then turning round
SKINNED across the bay, being at a point
opposite San Leandro in q minutes after
starting from the gardens. A carrier-pigeon
was here let out of the basket with a dis
patch stating that a pleasant trip had been
enjoyed, and closing, sTell our friends we
died happy" The pigeon swung around,
and then. dropped into the water. Thirty
minutes after leaving the gardens the excur-
sionists were inland about ten miles west
of Alameda. Some cuss i~niAlameda tried
his aim, and fired a shot at the balloon;
the sound was distinctly heard by all in
the car. In Alameda, Barber, against the
protests of Buislay, opened the valve when
the car was within two hundred and fifty
feet of the ground.
A strong wind was blowing at the time,
and the balloon was going at the rate of a
mile a minute. Buislay said it void not
be safe to land, and protested so strongly
against it that four bags of ballast were
thrown out, and the balloon rose seven
hundred feet, skimming along, and passed
over Alameda. Thirty-eight minutes from
the time of starting, the anchor was
dropped, with one hundred feet of rope,
being at the time about two miles directly
west from San Leandro. The anchor
dragged for about IN eighth of a mile,
caught on a fence, which was broken to
pieces, and then caught on a shanty occu-
pied by Murillo, on the EstudillO rancho,
the windows and sashes of the house being
torn out.
The rope, one and a quarter inches thick,
broke next, and the balloon bounded up
suddenly a distance Of four hundred feet.
Mr.. Irwin heard a quick snap and a tear,
and on looking up, discovered a large OPEN
ing in the balloon, and the verdict was
promptly announced that "The balloon has
burst" Orders were then given for all
hands to get to the bottom of the basket, as
close as possible. The car came down
slanting, with terrible velocity, struck the
ground heavily and capsized. The wind
again sent the balloon up, and the seven
occupants, huddled together underneath
the basket with ropes and. sand
bags, were dragged for three hundred
yards, rolling on top of each other, and be-
ing squeezed and jammed as though they
were sardines, and utterly helpless. The
balloon at this time was on the grounds of
the county hospital at San LeandrO. The
lives of the seven excursionists were saved
by the timely arrival of parties in the hos
pital, who ran to their rescue, caught the
car, turned it over, cut it from the balloon,
and eXtricated the occupants. Mr.. Irwin
was the first to be helped out, and he, in
turn, helped Buislay, whose arm was
caught in one of the rings attached to the
car. Miss Gaugain was the last out, being
the undermost.