The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-08-06
DONALDSON AND GREENWOOD.
Biographical sketches of the Lost Air
Navigators.


His family were Quakers, and his father
was one of the earliest photographers III
his native city. Donaldson learned this
business, and soon became an expert in
it. In 1860 he was employed in photo
graphic studio in this city. He began to
learn line engraving on stone, but as his
health seemed to suffer from the confine-
ment he took to athletic exercises, and
finally became teacher of gymnastics.
From this he went into the sleight-of-
hand business, and thence into the show
business generally. He became an ex-
cellent performer on the trapeze, and was
also skillful tight-rope and wire walker.
His introduction to aeronautics came
about in singular way. He had made
the acquaintance of a certain lady at a
small town in Pennsylvania, and many
tender passages occurred between them.
He had some sort of engagement at
another town near ut hand, and subse
quent to his performances the landlord
of the hotel said "There is balloon
here in my custody. 1t was left behind
by an unlucky aeronaut who couldn't
pay his board bill. 1t is just the thing
for you to start upon. Why don't you
buy it" CT don't know anything about
ballooning, said he, "but how much do
you want for it!" The landlord said
three hundred dollars. AS Donaldson's
ventures had not been very successful
about that time, he did not possess a
third of the sum, but, as it came out
that the landlord was relative of the
lady before mentioned, Donaldson wrote
to her on the subject, and by her
,,,t l,.,, Ia l.a1l
very great reduction upon the original
price. Donaldson was one of the most
perfectly fearless men that ever lived,
but he admitted that he had no sooner
got possession of the balloon than the
most gloomy forebodings filed his mind.
However, he determined to make an as
cension. Accordingly he went to Read
ing, and having made all the necessary
preparations, he assembled on the 31st of
August, 1871. 1t was trapeze balloon,
that is, it had no car, but the aeronaut
sat upon a small bar of wood suspended
from the concentrating ring. He told
the writer that before going aloft he was
haunted with premonitions of death, but
no sooner had he reached the upper re-
gions than a complete revolution took
place in his thoughts. The astounding
beauty Of the spectacle of the earth as
seen from balloon, the exhilaration of
spirits which follows an ascent, and the
wonderful and unexpected serenity of
atmospheric travel-for, under ordinary
circumstances one is scarcely conscious
of motion In a balloon-all this impressed
him so powerfully that his dependency
gave way to enthusiasm, and from that
hour aeronautics became TO him pas
sion. At the time of his death he had
probably made about 800 ascensions,
which, considering the brief space in
which they were made, is more, proper
tionately to time, than those of any other
aeronaut that ever lived.
In the early part of 1874 Donaldson
entered into an engagement with the
managers of Barnum's Hippodrome to
make ascensions in connection with that
establishment during the summer. This
engagement he most faithfully carried
out, to the satisfaction of his employers.
He was always ready to make ascensions,
and always managed them with consum-
mate skill. He had firm belief that
balloons, at no very distant future, would
be utilized for purposes of travel, trans
portation of mails, and so on. He be-
lieved this would be accomplished by
the employment of some motive force in
the propulsion of balloons, and he did
actually invent little flying machine
which operated very successfully inside
of the Hippodrome.
Mr.. Donaldson leaves brother and
two children. To the latter he was al
ways a kind and indulgent father, and
rarely allowed month to pass by with
out paying them visit.
NEWTON s. GREENWOOD
was born and reared in the vicinity of
Yorkville, Kane county, H., his parents
being well-to-do farmers. The Grim
wood family consists of father, mother,
four sons and a daughter. OF the sons,
two are engaged in farming in hoquois
county, and one yet remains on the
farm, rs does also the sister, who is
the youngest of the children. Newton,
the lost balloonist, the youngest of the
sons, who was % years old, was regarded
as young man of exceedingly bright
promise, the first evidence of his genius
being shown in various humorous articles
in the Yorkville Ne,cs, on which paper
he worked when in his teens. Some
eighteen months ago, in connection with
a gentleman named Cook, he established
the Lockport Qll.) Courier, his interest
in which he soon afterward sold, in order
to take position on the Joliet Sun,
which he left few months since for the
broader field offered for his enterprise
on the Chicago E'vening Journal. His
mother, being in delicate health, has
been kept by her family in ignorance of
his disappearance until day or two
since, when, having given up all hope of
his return, they told her the exact situa-
ton of affairs. She had in the meantime,
being great reader, wondered why she
could obtain no papers, matter she at
once understood when she learned that
they had been hidden from her for fear
Of the effect that the news of his being
lost might cause his death. She considers
that the family acted wisely in doing as
they did, as the alternate hope, fear, and
uncertainty relating to him in the first
few days after the balloon ascension
would have been harder to bear than the
almost absolute knowledge she now has
of his death.