Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-07-23
LOST IN A BALLOON.
Supposed to have been caught in q
Hurricane and Swept to Destruc-
ton in Lake Michigan.

How oft do our eyes, in perusing
the daily papers, light upon such
startling captions as the above? Al
most weekly we read cf some reckless
aeronaut or aeronauts who have en-
trusted their lives in balloon for the
purpose of taking a voyage no one
knows where, when their chances are
ten to one Of never returning alive.
This time it is the great renowned
aeronaut Donaldson, with represen-
tative of the Chicago journal, who
are missing, and who, there can be no
possible doubt, were destroyed in the
fearful storm of Thursday night, Of
last week. During the past week the
great Snowman, P. T. Barnum, has
been exhibiting his "Great Roman
Hipprodrome" in Chicago, and as is
usual with his shrewd manner of adj
vertising, sent up a balloon. Of
course an immense crowd would be
attracted to witness the daring feat,
and large number would remain to
witness the performance of the Hip
prodome. During the week there
had been three balloon ascensions in
Chicago. Two of the ascensions
were successfully made, but the third
oh! how dreadful! Thursday af-
ternoon arrangements had been made
that Prof Donaldson should be &C
companied by representative Of the
Chicago Journaland also the Rstan0
Mail, but after both were seated in
the basket attached to the balloon,
Mr.. Donaldson decided that one or
the other would be obliged to remain
upon land, as the load would be too
heavy with both of them. Both be-
ing ANXIOUS to take the trip, they
drew lots, and it fell upon Mr.. Matt
land, of the Post and NAL to get
out, and upon Mr.. Newman S. Grim
wood, of the Journal to remain in.
1t is stated that the balloon was a
sickly old concern, and all patched
up. From the Chicago Tribune we
CLEAN the following in regard to the
fatal balloon and her voyagers:
The balloon left Chicago at Is
minutes before 5, and when last seen
was going northeast at the rate of ten
miles an hour. The next seen of her
and the last seen of her from
o'clock Thursday afternoon until
3 o'clock Sunday morning, was by
the Captain and crew of the "Little
Guide" a small craft employed in the
lumber and tan bark trade. On
Thursday evening aboutseven o'clock,
when off Crosse Point, IL miles north
of Chicago, and out 20 miles from
shore, they saw the balloon, about II
miles distant from the vessel, drop
ping its cars once in while in the
lake. Realizing the dangerous situa-
ton of the aeronauts, Capt. Ander-
son headed his schooner in that direc-
ton; but he had traversed but small
portion of the distance between them
when there was a sudden tightening
of the car, and the balloon shot up
ward to great height, soon disap-
pearing from view altogether. The
cause of the renewed buoyancy of
the balloon must evidently have been
the loss of most of the ballast, Or
horrible thought!-of one OF the luck
less voyagers.
The most intense interest centres
upon it's subsequent career and DIES
tiny; but there is sparse data and
scant basis, in fact, nothing but the
merest conjecture, upon which to con-
struct hypothesis. The balloon
was going in the direction of Grand
Haven, Mich; but over hundred
miles Of water were yet to be trav-
ersed before reaching the Michigan
shore. At the rate at which it was
going, this would take until nearly
daylight next morning. Meanwhile,
on these northwestern plains, the ter
rible hurricane of Thursday night was
gathering, and speeding southeast.
ward. Its velocity was much greater
than that with which the dragging
and dragglcd balloon was plunging
before the northeast breeze. Before
midnight of that fearful night the
hurricane must have overtaken it;
and in all human calculation its de-
struction was inevitable. 1t requires
but little Imagination to portray the
situation Of the Adventures, and the
probable sequence of events. We
know that there at sea, as here on the
land, the sky from zenith to horizon
was inky black, except from titful
flashes of lightning. Through the
meshes of the network surrounding
the globe of gas and the suspended
car, the whirlwind roared, and wits
tied and screamed. The struggling
leyiathan, wrenched and twisted and
torn by the relentless gale, now fran
tically endeavored to rise, now flung
itself in gigantic despair in the muir
derouf embrace of the dashing waters,
dragging the poor wretches attached
to it headlong through the waves, OF
whirling them from side to side giddy
with helpless, hopeless disnay. Some.
time during these houiysof darkness
and storm, il seems Inevitable that
Grimwood q inexperienced fingers, &C
customed to grasping nothing requir-
ing more muscular power than the
reporters pencil, must have loosened
their dcath-grip. Donaldson, an ex-