The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-07-29
THE LOST AER0NAUTS.

j TIE LOST AERONAUTS.
Prof. Donaldson and n Newspaper Re-
porter Make an Ascension from Chica-
GO supposed Go be Drowned I'm Lake
Michigan.
On the evening Of Thursday, July 10
Prof. Donaldson, accompanied by Mr..
GrimWood, reporter for the Chicago
Journal, made an ascension from the Hip
podrome grounds, In Chicago, in the bal
loon p. T. Barnum. The following ac-
count of the ascensiOnis from the Tribune s
report:
was evidently very nervous about the
start. He whistIed vacantly TO himself,
and took frequent observations of the
wind and the promise of the sky. Sum-
burnt. dusty and restless. he formed pic
turesoue contrast with the apathetic can
vasmtn who kept the balloon TO its moor
ings. The two reporters lone of them. at
the last moment, refused 10 g, up1 who
entered the car together held no CONVEX
sation with him, and while they were in
the heat of an inaudible dialogue, ne
swung himself, mOnkey-faShion, TO plat
form of wire netting just under the neck
II the balloon. in which unlragrant neigh
bOrhoOd he remained till the machine be-
CdUlt Il SiJtGk VII Tue upper Dluc.
The crowd had good chance to scrutin
ize him, as he leaned. in the attitude of an
aucti0neer. over the upper hoop and ex-
changed some sharp and nervous raillery
with an acquaintance down below. He
look short and very square-shouldered.
with gymna~t's breadth of chest and big
jointedness. His coat collar was turned
up TO shield large. muscular neck from
the sun, and silk hat was drawn down
over his face. This latter W brown as a
berry. with hair cropped short. thick
dyed mus'ache twisted up in an inquiSi-
tive point al each end. aud pair of bright
dark eyes which rOved hither and thither
Just behind h m the bras>es and the reeds
and the drums of the band were br wing
and banging cheeriy. A hundred ways
shot their quips at him, and once in a
while somebody, with stronger lungs than
the rest, caught his attention and won a
reply.
just before the balloon began the series
Of short bumps aud jerks. which was the
prelude of its departure, Donaldson COW
cred his eyes with his hand and gaZ d
steadfI stly over the treacherOus lake. One
of the wags sung out: Donaldson,
you'd better get Outr' The aeronaut
was silent for moment, then he muttered /:
Grimwood, of the Jatty1aI. was in tfat
dingy wicher-car, peering through the
network of ropes like a cage bird. DON
aldson's wire perch was fully three feet
above. While the Professor played at
being captain of the air-ship the sole pas
senger made himself at home, and uprais-
ing bundle of circulars. meant for aerial
distribution, asked if they were the prOvi-
siOns. Every body laughed at the light
ness of the fare except Donaldson. who
had his arms turned round pair of the
main ropes. and whose face was like a
copper mask.
THE JOURNALIST
looked to be a slender young fellow with
a plain, honest couutenance. and was St ri
Gus enough for one on the eve of such a
fatal voyage as tn t which little rocking,
he was about to take. That he realize,
some of the perils of his situat on was evil
dent i'm the extreme gravity of his features,
which were in marked contrast with the
reckless and hooking face of the mob.
Ii would be hard to define the exact
moment of the start. Half dozen
men held to the cable and the balloon
slowly mounting or feet reeled
10 and fro as il it were some monster
caught in a trap and frantically bent
on escape. Now rolling its huge bulk
this way, now that, with Donaldson
swinging from the upper hoop and Grim
wood jerked backward and forward in the
basket. Ii frightened the crowd into a
succession of stampedes. Then Donald
son gave an OIder and GrimwOod seized
s9nd-bag and poured it, contents through
the cOrdage on a score of upturned faces
There was a vast laugh all round, show
er of hand-hills from the car. floating to
the earth like hundred thousand white
figures, and before its Il ght could be real
lied,
THE BALLOON SHOT Up
into the clear sky and Was soon hanging
over the lake like Sinbad's lowering roe.
Donaldson still kept his footing on the
perch and waved his hat. Grimwood
still peeped through the hpmpen CRATE
which imprisoned him, and shed bundle
after bundle of hand-bills. Thus amid the
shouting of the mob and the crash of the
band, the two untortunates went to their
tate. Il
CHICAGO. July 1S-In regard to the
missing balloon, which lett this city last
Thursday afternoon, incoming vessels
give the following statements. which seem
to prove that the aerOnauts have been
drowned in Lake Michigan: Capt Fur
long, OF the steam-bJrge New Era, reports
seeing, about fifty miles northeast of Chi
cago, a life-preserver, with the straps
pulled out, floating in the water, and
something near BY which looked like the
basket. He did not make it ont exactly.
not getting near enough. He had not
heard Of the missing balloon.
Capt. Costello. of the schooner Q1een
of the West, reports that. on Saturday eve
ming, he saw something like balloon
sticking out of the water about four miles
from Goose Point. He could not get near
it. The captain of lumher We sci, arrived
to-day, reports seeinga fiOater, wearing a
gray coat, about forty miles from Grand
Haven.
The Little Guide" small craft, en-
plOyed in the lumber and tan-bark trade
entered this port about 8 o'clock. Upon
her arrival, her captain, a Swede named
Andersen, and his mate, cOmpatriOt
Named Rasmussen. both told how at z
O'Clock os Thursday evening, when Oa
Crosse Point, some II miles north of Chi
cago, and while standing out 80 miles
from the shore, they had seen the balloon
dropping its car once in a while into the
lake, only some mile and a half distant
from their vessel. Realizing the dan
gerous situation of the aeronauts,
Capt. Andersen headed his schOon
or in their direction. Bat be-
fore he could Overtake the machine,
which was bounding at a rapid pace on
the water, there was a sudden tightening
of the car, and the globe shot upwards to
a great height, soon disappearing alto
gefher from the view of the crew on the
schooner.
There is every reason to believe that
the cause of the renewed buoyancv OF
the balloon was either the loss of most of
the ballast, or of one of the two luckless
voyagerS.
Capt. Andersen and his mate were, so
far as il can be positively settled at pres
emit, the very last observers of the balloon
and its human freight.
He Wanted the Circus.
There came driving into town one day last |
week gaunt cOuntryman, with his fani- |
lV There Wpra q pnunla of SippL horses