The Grange advance., 1874-09-23

W. Parker, residing a year ago at Red
Bluff, CAL, will be thankfully received,
and may be addressed to ''Mrs. VIM.
Fyler, Denver, COL, care Grand Cen.
trail Hotel, opposite Union Depot
In a Bursted Balloon.
While the balloon is on the ground
it is customary to close the neck of the
machine by means Of a handkerchief
tied in slip knot, in order to prevent
the admixture Of the heavy lower
stratum of atmospheric air with the
more buoyant carburretted hydrogen
inside the balloon. Directly as the bal
loon ascends the prudent aeronaut slips
off the handkerchief. Our aeronaut
did no such thing. The assistant may
have been unaware that the thing ought
to be done. He cried out gleefully
that we had risen to the altitude Of one
mile-that we were just over Fulham
Church, and that we were about to
cross the Thames. Just then
l heard sharp cracking report.
precisely like that of ausket-
shot, above my head. The balloon had
burst. 1t could scarcely, under the
circumstances, have done anything but
burst. The gas in the machine had be.
come rarified, and had rapidly ex.
panded. 1t could not escape FROM
above, the valve was closed; it could
not eccape from below, the neck was
closed. So it went to smash. just as an
inflated and air'tight bag of paper goes
to smash between the palms Of a school
boys hands. So we fell, as stone
falls, half mile. When we assembled,
it had appeared to me that the earth
was sinking beneath US. Now the
globe-felds, houses, lamp-posts, CHM
ney-pots-seemed to be rushing up to
us with literally inconceivable rapidity.
There was, in particular, one
tall church steeple, which, by
the celerity of it's approach,
appeared to be horribly anxious that
should be impaled on its apex. It could
not have been Fulham Church but
whatever and wherever was the edifce,
it was there rushing up at me; and
declare that the grotesqueness Of the
position Of impairment-all legs and
wings, like cockchafer-distinctly and
visibly occurred to me. declare also,
sans phrases, that there arose before
me no ''panorama" Of my early life or
Of my bygone acts and deeds, as such
panoramas are said to have
arisen before the eyes Of per-
sons rescued at the very last instant
from hanging or drowning. Yet I do
plainly and literally remember several
things; that l heard voice cry with
an oath, t'Let go!" and s*Cut F.! cut -
and that knife was thrust into nv
hand and it seemed afterwards that
the assistant and had pitched out all
the ballast in the balloon-bags and all
and that l had cut away the grapnel
or: anchor from the side of the car.
That l had done SO was plain from swo
OF my fingers being jagged across by
the knife. What became Of the grap-
mel We never knew but lit had fallen in
populous street it would in all proba-
bility havekilled somebody. The heavy
bags Of ballast too must have fallen like
stones. Meanwhile term is we'll.
nigh inappropriate, since there was
scarcely an '*while' to be ssmean''-
the aeronaut, who looked like a sailor,
had not lost his presence of mind and
had not been idle. He saw at 4 glance,
this brave little old man-althoueh he
had been forgetful in the matter of the
slip.knotted handkerchief-wherein
our single chance Of safety lay. He
jumped out into the shrouds of the
balloon; cut the cords which attached
the neck Of the machine to the hoop !;
and away to the very top of the ;ex-
hausted silk body Of the sausage. Then
it formed = cupola Of the approved UNI
brella pattern-it formed a parachute!
1t steadied instantly. There was no
collapse, and down we came swiftly but
easily, in slanting direction, alighting
among the cabbages in market-garden,
fulham Fields.-George AWgustus
Sala.
That was ludicrously sudden des-
cent from the sublime to the ridiculous
where q clergyman, preaching on tho
ministry Of Angela suddenly obsery-
ed. II hear . whisper!'' Tie change
Of tone started one Of the deacons. Who
sat below, from . drowsy mood, and,
springing to his feet, he cried sIt's
the boys in the gallery 1