The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-07-23
THE MISSING BALLO0NIsTS.


There is now only too good reason to
believe that the aeronaut Prof. Donaldson,
and Newton S. Grimwood, the Chicago re-
porter, who accompanied him on his peril
Gus trip, last Thursday, were drowned in
Lake Michigan during the tempest, Thurs
day night. There is much severe comment
in the Chicago papers regarding the hazar-
dous undertaking. 1t is charged that the
balloon was frail bag of cheap cotton,
harnessed by wreaths of old cordage to a
no signs of care or precaution in the pro-
cess of making ready. The balloon itself
was VIGOROUSLY covered with rents and
patches, some of them very clumsily re-
paired, and, according to admissions of
Donaldson himself, leaked at the rate of
1400 feet per hour, while the ropes by
which the car was attached were knotted,
spliced and tangled in fashion more Judi
cative of hurry and economy than of
proper regard for the safety of the profess
sor and his companion. The whole thing
was in perfect keeping with Donaldsons
character, who, although bold and skill
full aeronaut, was notably deficient in bust
ness management, and too often entirely
negligent OF the condition and care of the
aerial ships in which he was accustomed
daily to trust himself.
At the time of starting ON the fatal
Thursday afternoon, the balloon shot up
to an altitude of something like 5000 feet
the current of wind blowing steadily to
tha nnrfbnocf Rafnra ~ ip,nulca of hot
continuous breeze it ran about Is miles an
hour on course which had for a starting
point Chicago and for its conclusion the
neighborhood of Grand Haven in Mchi-
gan. There were about 1870 miles of water
to be trayersed, SO that the voyage, under
favorable auspices, and at the rate of Is
miles an hour, would terminate in eight
hours. Land should have been reached
about l a. m. The last seen of the balloon
was about Z o'clock, that evening, when
the captain of a small sailing craft stand
ing out some 30 miles from the Illinois
shore off Crosse Point and about IL miles
north of Chicago sighted the balloon still
on its course and exactly where the calcu-
lations would place it, namely about 80
from its starting point and with 80 miles
yet to travel before it could arrive at its
destination. When sighted by the sailing
craft, the balloon was dropping its car
once in while into the lake, only some
mile and half distant from their vessel.
Realizing the dangerous situation of the
aeronauts, Capt. Andersen headed his
schooner in their direction. But before he
could overtake the machine, which was
bounding at rapid rate on the water,
there was sudden lighting of the car, and
the globe shot upward to a great hight,
soon disappearing altogether from the view
the poor quality of the gas, which
had been in the balloon for two
days, the leakages, etc, it had
evidently lost great deal of its carrying
ability, even at this early stage. 1t already
lowered on the very surface of the lake,
and dragged its car over the crests of the
waves What it was that Donaldson threw
overheard to tighten his craft we perhaps
shall never know. 1t is not impossible
| that his unfortunate companion relin-
pushed his hold, and, bewildered by the
fury of the race across the hungry plain of
waters, fell out of the car, and so per-
ished. Meanwhile terrible hurricane was
gathering at a point parallel with the north
ern extremity of Lake Michigan. The
storm center, as meteorological writers
term it, was spinning round and round on
its eastern course, 20 times faster than the
draggled balloon was plunging before the
northeast breeze. OF course when the car
dipped into the lake it Immediately retard-
ed the flight of the balloon, acting upon it
ike brake. With this impeachment the
machine probably could travel no faster
than eight to twelve miles an hour. Run
ming northeast, they knew nothing of the
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