The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-06-21
ADVENTURES BY FLOOD AND
FIELD.
THE BALLOON WEDDING
And Aeronautical Carnival on the
Fourth---A Squadron of
Sky Sloops.


ELECTIONS ON FLYING.
From the days OF Icsrus, the unsteady,
down to the time when Darius Greene
saw and felt a. once his hopeless
downfall, there has been a mysterious
fascination In the idea OF flying in the air
Birds can dc 1t easily enough aud shall
man, proud man, gifted with brains
though devoid OF feathers, yield to his
brother bipeds? The partial answer comes
in a long series of unsvsiling efJrts,
finally crowned by the immortal discov-
ery Of the Brothers MoDtgolfier. When
and row will come the full and complete
fruition of our dreams OF aerial transit Is
one of those things that no fellow
can find out. Perhaps 1t will be
by utilizing the resstless power OF the
thunderbolt. It NAV come in the unde-
velopsd possibilities of the Kelley motor,
and there are those Who have faith that
q better knowledge of the aerial currents
will enable us to travel earth around, in
the fragile globes OF gas that seem blown
about the sky, thistle-like, at the caprice Of
years have passed since the first aerial
argonsut SCARED away on the wings of the
morning, caught up like another Gany-
mede to seek Tor
THAT STRANGE GOLDEN FLEECR
amid the sun-kissed clouds and on the
silent, unrecorded shores of the great
ocean which ceaseless rolls its mighty
pillows over US, and we seem but little
nearer the discovery. That it
will ultimately be, who doubts?
for have we not conquered the
earth, and shall we yield to the sky?
Knowing the intense interest taken by
the public generally in all that pertains to
serou autics and aeronauts, Sentinel re-
porter yesterday afternoon interviewed
Prof. John M. Kinney and bis assistant
aeronsuts at the Grand Opera House. He
was found amid the chaos of cotton, from
which he proposes to evolve some dozen
or fifteen air SHIPS by the coming 4th OF
July. Mr.. Kinney has been in the amuse-
ment business pretty much all his lie,
and Is, personally, an ideal theatrical
manager, "a pottly and genial as BarDum
himself. He was the builder and mana
ger Of the Atbeneum in Columbus, o.,
Tue proprietor of one of the largest circus
museums that ever Travelled, a lifelong
dramatic agent and manager, and for the
past thirty years manager
Tor aeronauts. during this time
he has been manager for most of
THE AERoNAUrs OF THE UNITED STATES,
including Messrs. Wise, Psulin, the
Brothers Brooks, Shots, Thurston, the
Godsrd Brothers, Light, Lovett, DENIM
Leslie, Smell, White, st. Clair and numer-
GUS female aeronsuts. During all this time
he never had but one accident and scarcely
ever disappointed an audience. Prof..
Kinney introduced the use OF hot air or
Montgolfier balloons In this country
method of filling them that the
usual danger and disappointment in
volved in their use is obviated. He pro-
poses to send off thirteen OF them at the
coming Fourth OF July carnival at the
Exposition grounds. Nothing of the kind
has ever before been attempted, the largest
number he has ever previously sent up at
one time being three. After the Fourth
Prof. Kinney proposes to give similar
exhibitions st the Centennial and In New
York City, but gives Indianapolis the first
sight. He has some startling aeronautical
novelties In view, one of which is the ter
rife feat of a man jumping from the bal
loon car when one mile high, being at
tached thereto by an India rubber rope
Doe feet long, after the msnnrr of
the ball and cup plsysniDg so popu-
lar with the little folks. Professor
Kinney's right hand man is
Mr.. WILLIAM sHoTTs,
who has made no less than 800 sscensions
and has followed the profession since 1883
Mr. Shots Che modestly refuses the title
of protessor) Is a very uppretentious, quiet
looking individual, not much given to
boastful narrations OF his exploits, but
there Is q firmness about the lines of his
face and a cool daring In his sharp,
grey eyes that mark the man who
would be eqssl to any emergency and
'self-possessed in the face OF death itself.
He never had but one accident, but that
came near being q0sntum sufh cit. It
was at Marietta, Ohio, in 1859, in making a
hot air ascension on q stormy day
ball usNA
on striking contrary current
about two thousand feet high, burst
open from neck to valve, letting Mr.
Shots fall with frightful rapidly. He
struck paved levee and had a compound
fracture Of his leg as four years reminder
of the occurrence. He has made mary as
tensions in the West and South, at one
tins coming down in the river near the
Fort Smith Indisn agency. Hundreds OF
the dusky WarrlOrs came In canoes to
his assistance. One of them descr bed the
novel sight by the phrase, "fil q bull with
gas and send him up" He thinks the
most beautiful sight be ever saw was q
view OF Lake Michigan which he obtained
In making very bIgh ascension from
Chicago, in 1854. The distant ships
seemed to be ON q level with the balloon
and sailing IN the air.
PROF. JOHN A. LIGHT
is also assisting In the prepaY stlcns for the
Fourth, and will command one of the
aerial sloops on that occasion. He hes
made 156 ascensions, and L. we'll known as
q careful and successful aeronsut. He has
the largest bOt-sir balloon In the world
holding 100000 cubic feet, and one of the
smallest I'd highest aerostats that ever
carried a lumsn being skywsrd. Both
will be used on the Fourth. Prof. Light
has made some remarkable trips in bis ma
tive state, Penney vsDis, at one time GO
ing from l. ckbsveD to Buffalo Vslley, IS
miles, In 40 minutes, ana at another 49,
oension from Hanover travelling 10 mi es
$40 time. At one time he made q night