The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-08-25
ruE BALLOON TRAGEDY.
DounIdSOn's Death and Comics
aim.

sion.
The narrative furnished by the Penn
Lrokc. Ontario, Ncrs, OF the death OF Dom
aldson, the acrouaut, and OF the confession
that he made previous to brea!!Ing his
ia.l sof A monrnfui aud tragic interest,
e,necially at this time, when the remains
of the unhappy Grimwood are being
buried at his home in Indiana. 1t relates
that lust two weeks subsequent TO the
starting of the iII,fated balloon, that is, on
the list inst, Mr.. Wilson, one OF the edi.
Tor. of the Ncu, together with aparty Of
friends, .et out for y fishing excursion, in.
tending to be gone, until the LIST, Of Sep
TENDER. Their plan was to push from
Pembroke right up the Ottawa river to
ia junction with the Montreal, and
thence M the latter stream in their bark
canoes. 10 its source in Lake DIES Quinzcs
where they intended to make their head.
uuar,er. 1t was when within about fifty
miles Of the lake, amid the dense and IN.
lroldcn forests through which the Mon
lrealriycr runs, thatth doomed aerOnaut
was found, partially protected by the ruins
Of a fishing hut, with the left arm and
leg broken, and starvation slowly mpk-
inc lis wayagainst the few roots and ber-
rics that he had been able TO drag himself
out to gather. GangrCne had u so set IN,
in consequence Of his unattended wounds,
and even the most unprOiCssionNl eye
could see that death was inevitable, and
that a few more hours must Terminate his
mAering, And yet itmust have been II
grand thing, Judging from Mr.. Wilson's
narrative, 10 note how the magnificent
physique and daredevil spirit Of the man
rose triumphant over pain and death.
Shattered, starved dying Ns he was, his
bearing was asproudNnd selireliant rs in
the hours Of his perfect prime, and his
voice through all the story Of his suffer.
ings was firm and unbrOkcn to the last,
The narrative which Mr., Wilson noted
down from the lips Of the dying man is
too long for our space, but the first pOr-
ton is 10 full Of thrilling interest that We
give il in his own words:
The fact that the wind, upon our first
rising, carried us directly upon the lake
did not disturb me q particle, for that had
been my plan from the first The breeze
was still one, and it, course such ~ to
carry us directly across into Michigan
long before the natural loss 0f gas could
have exceeded the amount Of ballast that
could throw out Once in Michigan, |
intended to seek II landing in the woods,
to lie quiet until our absence had given
ns sufficient advertising, and then report
Nt the nearest town. The storm upset all
my calculations. ItsIrnck us about mid.
way in the lake, and at an elevation Of
about two thousand feet. II needed but q
few moments to show me that disaster was
inevitable. You SEQ storm is not nccCs-
Mrily dangerous to balloon provided II
he slow in its rise md steady in It's pro.
gre's. The balloon moves Us rapidly rs
the alr,aIid mus escapes injury. Bntthls
storm was u succession Of furious gusts col
IapsIng the balloon on one side before 1t
could yield on the other, and driving the
qua out Of the neck IN such volumes rs al
most to slltle ns, VI course, to iaslen up
The neck, would have resulted In immc-
diatc bursting, We had to let the gas
10, though our lives were. going with Il.
Inc rain too, added greatly to the weight
oil the balloon, and In less than ten min
ntes all our ballast was Out ana we were,
SUI seitllng' An immediate discharge oil
all the ballast ut the time the storm llrss
struck mIghsposSIbly have shot the bal.
loon up clear OF Tie storm Level, but !
ieaFeu ~ lne llrSI moment, TO FISK ncOuh'
YER current mat should carry us up the
laAe, anu III Ihe next We were 50 stlplllcu
WIN inc escaping gas as TO DO able TO
WORK only with great difficulty and slow
nesS' IL was only wher the ballast was
gone any our descent sun rapid, that lhe
mouEht forced ~ way into my mind that
Que Oh Us must ale 10 save Tie other.
think the thought occurred to MI.
Grimw0Od ut the same moment rs to my.
cell, only with this difference, that to me
i was a new elemcn! Of danger which I
had confronted all my lifelime--l faced
ttqutetly. To him 1t had an appalling
'trangeness-he sat covering In the has.
kel, his teeth Chnttering, his face liyid, his
hair blowing wildly in the storm. lie
was completely unnamed and | pitied
him deeply, butt was life and death
For the moment the thought occurred IL
me Of giving him a chance for hiS lifC Gy
drawing lots; but in the next | stw clear.
" that Il would be TO him oniy another
mode Of death. for hc Ind Nm, ihs ne.vo
even he had The experience IN tnnnoSc
the balloon. At thai moment il Scsmsio
me the stranpcst thing If iRe innrhCy,
there flashed across nv mind massage =
BaCkstone-l studied inv a 'linis III
once in my life Won know-whieb rptsrs
to two men on a piank nj srn I, sinoIl
out before me, in The pressure NJ The mn.
lment IA distinctly az II the book were
IN my hand, and | think | can
ISCl'e every word Of II yet. [Mr.
uohaIdsons memory was somewhat
inaccurate, We give tile passage as 1t
SANDS stands IN blackstone, Vol. ", page 1873 !:
mere lnere Is one species Of homicide 'se de.
ssehue, where the party slain Ia equally
. uH as he who occasions his death;
nhu yet ms homicide Is also eScusable,
ron the great, universal principle Of
misrepresentation, which prompts every
, nan 70 save his own life preferably 10
,nas o. another, where one Of them must