New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-07-25

Balloon Business.

| Balloon Business.
| A Balloon Total Abstinence Society
would do much good. Ballooning is a
species Of lunacy, as much so as drunken
ness or Spirisualism. A man comes here
from abroad and works six weeks and
spends hundreds Of dollars to make an
aerial voyage. He goes from Napoleon
avenue to the Metairic Cemetery, nearly
breaking his neck in the effort. Under
ordinary circumstances of locom oticn he
could havo made the journey in fifteen
minutes by land. They say be had bad
luck. Under more favorable conditions he
might have alighted in the gulf. The pub
lie was asked to 60 in yard, fifty cents
admission. to witness the ascent. and many
assented and went in. though those who
kept OUT Of tho Enclosure had q better
view. A balloon asc ension is one
of the things we do ne: need.
IL ia customary 20 send up bal.
looms from agricultural fair grounds
in fair time. and it is customary for Wee.
ton % walk upon such occasions. Neither
powers are able to draw much and they
! add nothing 60 the interest taken in crops.
We are told balloons are purs ued in the
| interest Of science, and that Weston illus-
trates development of the muscles. Walk.
! ing is . necessity. balooning is not. The
science Of initiating bag with gas lighter
than air was demonstrated century ago.
In 1875 two men named Roster and Laine
! started from France to Engl and in bal
loon inf lated with hydrogen gas. They
took up heating apparatus TO gen crate gas
in midair. The expanding hydro gen in the
bag was forced down TO the flame as they
! neareG the English coast. and the bag eA-
| plodet as if it had been filled with gun
powder. The aeronauts fell 5000 feet on to
| the rocks below. and nothing but funeral
| material was found OF them.
The history Of the balloon is full o tragic
events. The fascination about doing some
thing out Of the usual way is not consid-
cred, and the msnged aeronaut never has
tho sympathy extended TO men injured in
useful pursuits. We pity a child sent up
on tight rope by circus brute. iu many
cities tho use of safety net is enforced by
law in such cases. There is moth ing to pro-
tect balloonatic. In 1919 Nine. Blanchard,
the wife of French balloonist. was made
to make daily excursions from the Tivoli
Gardens Of Paris. It was her duty, accord
ing to programme. to set off fireworks in
the air, and one evening a fatal rocket fired
her balloon, and the lady descended and
was killed amid the gaping GRO wd assembled
tor amusement. We know Of the fate
which met an assistant of Professor
Wise many years ago. He was dragged
away in the woods where his skele ton was
found after many days. The most eingu.
lar death is that Of two Frenchm en- who, it
is supposed, were recently killed by going
up too rapidly. or by an unexpl AIMED in.
huenoe of escaping gas. Then there is the
late terrible death Of Pcofesso Wilbur in
Illinois, His balloon loosed be fore prepaT-
ations for the ascent had been completed.
under the impulse Of the moment the pro-
fessor caught hold Of the sides of the
basket, and was taken rapidly up dangling
in the air. He could not climb into the car,
and when strength was exhaus ted the grip
that was held for life beca Nc lax. and
the poor man fell to the earth and never
breathed after the dull sound of his strik-
ing tie ground was heard. There is some
thing terrible in all this, and We wonder
why men risk their lives, and why crowds
flock to seq them. We are told balloons did
good service at the siege Of Paris. The in
genious Frenchman made balloons which
sailed over German heads, and sent infOr-
nation back as TO what the enemy was do
ing. That was comforting to tho general
officers. With knowledge of what the
enemy 10 doing, the General can make
strategy sure. But the balloons brought
back no beet to substitute for mulo meat.
and the people Of Paris knew the Germans
were starving them out and that they could
do nothing about it; and that was all the
General knew with balloon aid. and he
could do nothing about it, either. And so
we conclude, considering che sacrifice Of hu-
man life, that the balloon business is worse
than nuisance. The remains of Professor
Donaldson and Mr.. Grimwood, who went |
up from Chicago last week have not been |
discovered. It is believed their lives were
lost in the lake. There is this and that to !
be said-that the balloon was rotten, that |
the wind was uniavorable, and many other
excuses. And there is this to be known
that the aeronauts were connected with a |
circus, and lost their lives in a cause no !
better than that of advertising big show. [
The splendid talents OF Donaldson were !
used in connection with the menagerie, and |
he was carried about the country like the
elephant and camel leopard. He iooses his
lie in his work. and Barnum moves on to
st. Louis and telegraphs for another balloon
man TO make ascents from the colossal Hip
podrome and great moral show. Men will
continue TO 60 up in balloons. as they will
continue to blow their brains out, but there
is no reason why they should. There is
also no utility in the science of initiation or
aeronaut voyaging, which fact will be moro
fully demonstrated by the Democrats of
Ohio. |
The Temperature.
Tho thermometer at Louis FrigefiO's, No |
50 Chsrtres street, on July a. steod a. fol-
lows: At 9 4. NJ, $50; at 2 P. NJ, s7o; ct 6
P. NJ, $40. Lowest point during the night
,f July %, 76o. Rain At II A. NJ, one
fourth Of an inch.