Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-08-26
The Body of Young GrimwO0d Found
---HiS Sad Fate.

.'IIS Sdu dtes
On the 18th day of July last Prof DON
aldson made a balloon ascension from
Chicago, accompanied by n. S. Grim
wood. a reporter attached to the Chicago
Ecen57aq Journal. The wind carried them
over Lake Michigan, in the direction of
Muskegon, Mich, which point, had the
current continued in the same direction
and of like intensity, they would have
reached about two O'Clock on the morning
of the following day. About midnight ter
rible storm arose, and the wind suddenly
shifted to an opposite direction. AT that
time they were thought to be within
twenty or thirty miles of Muskegon, and
as neither aeronauts nor the balloon had
been seen since the impression prevailed
that they had either found a watery grave
IN the depths of the treacherouS lake or
suffered a not less horrible fate by being
carried into the wilderness of Northern
Michigan, where they must have inevitably
persisted Of starvation. The feeling of re-
greet at their untimely fate was universal,
and, though some professed hope of their
ultimate return, the greatmajOrity believed
they had miserably persisted.
Such was the public feeling on the 10Th
day OF August On the afternoon of that
day, thirty-three days after the ascension, q
telegram was received fromeMonta cue.
Mich, announcing the finding of the body
Of young Grimwood on the lake shore,
between Whitehall and that place. The
discovery was made by Mr. Beckwith,
who carries the mail between Stony Creek
and Montague During his trip along the
lake shore he noticed apeculiar smell and
was attracted by it to look along the
beach in search of the cause When
he came up to the body it was
lying on its face and partially covered
with sand. Decomposition had already set
in, and Mr.. Beckwith describes the APP
pearance of the remains as most horrible
and offensive. At first Mr.. Beckwith
thought it might be the body of some
sailor who had been washed overheard
from some vessel, and which, though a
sad event to those related to him, had not
public interest sufficient to require him
to try to identify him. He looked again
and saw what appeared TO be life preserv-
er, and then, remembering the loss
Of the aeronauts, he Overcame his
repugnance and carefully examined
the dead. The pockets contained watch
on which was engraved the name of n. s.
Grimwood, his diary, in which were brief
jottings of the incidents of his trip, q
Library, and other things which showed
conclusively that it was the body of poor
Grimwood 1t had on full suit ofclothes
excepting boots and hat and the prepara-
tons made, by tightly buttoning the coat
and putting on the life reserver,
seemed to indicate that the young
man had prepared to swim, and
might have succeeded in sustaining
himself above the surface for some
time had the ife-preserver been of any
use. After being examined the body was
buried near where it was found it being
impossible to transport it with the appli-
ances at hand. As soon as the finding of
the body was known a search was imme-
diately instituted for traces of Donaldson
or the balloon The shore for several
miles was carefully looked over by men in
parties and singly, bGtnO other body had
yet been found and no trace of the air-bag
had been reported up to the evening of
the 18th.
A dispatch to the EUenSqg Journal gives
the following as copy of the jottings in
GrimwoOds diary:
UPIN A BALLOON!
From the earliest days of childhood | have
always had a presentiment that some time,
sooner or later, | was bound to rise There
are some people who make sport of PRESENT.
ments, but after ALL a presentiment is a
handy thing to have around. Where would
| have been to-day if hadn't had PRESENT.
ment? In accordance with my presentiment,
/ have risen, as it were, to point of or
der" Like great many Politicians, rise by
means of gas.
| regret the fact that there are only two of
us-Prof. Donaldson and myself-as IwOuld
like to belong to the upper ten" Prof.
Donaldson seems to be very pleasant gen
tleman, although a philosopher and aero
naut.
Although it is scarcely an hour since I
struggled into eminencc, the restraints of
my position are already beginning to be irk-
some 10 me and wear upon my spirits. /
cannot help rejecting that, if we fall, we fall
like Lucifer, out of the heavens, and that
upon our arrival upon earth, or, rather, upon
water-for we are over the middle of Lake
Michigan--we would be literally dead.
The Chicago Journal Of the 18th says:
" Mr.. Grimwood was young man of
more than ordinary promise-physically
stalwart, robust and strong; intellectually,
cultured, studious and unobtrusive; So
cially, of peculiarly pleasant, good-na-
tured and humorous disposition-Often
witty, always gentle; and morally, high
minded, of noble instincts, the best of
habits and above reprOach. He was ambi-
tiOus Of eXcelling as practical newspaper
man. He became reporter only as step
ping-stone to something higher in the
journalistic profession, and had he lived
he would no doubt have been a sue
cessful humorist and essayist in literature.
His last words among his assembled
associates in the Journ"I Office on the
afternoon of the day he assembled in the
balloon were jovial, and he was unusually
full of good spirits. He was twenty-five
years Of age in February last, and was en-
I III
Ill His aged father, Mr.. William Grim
wood, of Kendall County, H., is in the
city to-day, sadly awaiting the arrival Of
the body of his mourned SON"
"A very valuable plastic material has
been introduced in Paris, the constituents
of which are gutta-percha, oxide of zinc,
amianthus and sulphate Of baryta, in con-