River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1875-03-05
Hunting for the Ozone BELT.

/ am sorry to say that Cooley has
rugged up that balloon Of his again, and
begun a series Of fresh explorations of the
atmosphere for the purpose of discovering
the ozone belt. He has discontinued the
use of sand.bags for ballast, preferring to
depend upon drag rope and grapnel for
regulating his assent and descent, just as
Donelson does. The first time he went
up he passed, as usual, directly over my
garden, and as the grapnel caught in the
grape arbor, ia two or three minutes that
ornamental trellis-work was passing
through the ozone belt at the rate of a
loose it fell on the Presbyterian church
steeple, where it remains in a most alb.
surd position, nobody being able to re-
move it. The deacons talk of suing me
for damages because | would not
take away my property; and | must say
that this seems to me to be little hard.
Cooley went up on the following Thurs
day to make further examination OF the
ozone belt, but this time he swept over
the roof of my house, and the only dam.
age done was that he ripped off my trap
door, and then the grapnel caught in my
chimney i'll such way that it was torn
to pieces. one Of the bricks falling upon
Judge PittmaI.'s dog, which was standing
below barking at the balloon. Perhaps !
shall be asked to pay for that dog, too. |
saw Pitman talking with lawyer yester-
day, and looking as If he was discussing
the law npon the dead dogs. shall fight
the case clear through the Supreme Court
of the United States. if necessary. That
voyage of Cooley's was so unsatisfactory
to him that he went up again two
days later, and this time
the balloon sailed due east. The
drag rope again swooped through my
place, tearing up my dwarf pear tree.
breaking eighty feet Of clothes line, and
ripping four sheets and a pair of drawers
to rags, removing the roof to my stable,
and frightening my horse, SO that lie
kicked eight boards out of the stall, dis
locating his off hind leg, and fell over on
my Irishman, breaking two of his ribs.
He can't sue me, at any rate for awhilei
for he is in the hospital; but | am getting
up case against Cooley; and | think |
can win it when tell the jury of his con.
duct on the subsequent day, when he
went up to make chemical tests on ozone.
The wind was blowing furiousy, and be-
fore he was ready to 60 the balloon
dashed of, over my way, Of course,
and the grapnel caught in the
hoops Of my hired girl. She was in
the garden. 1t seemed at first when she
shot up that she would probably contin-
ne on upward until she struck the Milky
Way; but when she assembled until she
must have had superb view Of Buenos
Ayres and Iceland the balloon began to
descend. and finally the girl got loose
somehow, and fell into the top Of the big
chimney at the car-wheel works, where
she stuck. 1t cost $500 to get that hired
girl down, and she left us that very night.
! now have an Injunction on the balloon,
and will keep il there if have to sit on
It and hold it. ! want information collect
ed about the ozone belt. know the
human race will be happier when we have
it; but ! am not going to permit myself
to be offered as victim on the altar Of
ozone am suffering from too much
science.-Danbury keWs.