Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1877-07-28

was any danger / have always heard balloon
ing talked about from the time | was little
child; and the three asccusIons had made with
my father and grnnd-faiher had accustomed me
TO it. My iirst a>censIon by myself was out in
the Interior OF the state when ] WAS thirteen
years old. remember especially my sec8nd
ascension, which occurred the same year from
Indiana CITY III this state. Tie balloon made II
circle around the town and landed me come
miles away. An old woman it coming
down. had IA CANARY bird III my hand, and l
being so young The woman, who had never seen
II balloon. Histook me for an angel d.icen:iing
IN u cloud from heaven. She elias ped her hands
in HI attitude oi prayer and exclaimed: '-ui-
Ter little children 10 come unto me, for of such
Is the Kingdom OF heaven. Are you one OF
them = II was hard TO make her believe that |
was merely esh-and- blood boy
''Jonn's companion here Joined In the con
vers"tton, saying Tell him about that time ut
Wayne-burg.'
"Oh yes; that WAS on the 18th of October.
1873 \ ram came on before | started. and
wetting the balloon made II heavy. We had to
manufacture our own gas, and there wasn't
yItrIol enough. 50 We couldn't get enOush gas
into the balloon. Bat the ascension had been
advertised, and my father didn't wish TO have
the crowd disappointed. took my coat of and
Ne ighened up everything AS much as possible,
yrt >tIlI the balloon wouldn't rise. Then INV
father proposed I" cut OF the neck OF the bal
loon, and asked NE If wouldn't 20 up III 1t that
way. SAID es. AMI he cut II on and IN this
way eight pounds Of weight were removed. He
cut IT high up that the whole bottom of the
balloon WAS taken OF and the hole ielt
seventeen feet across. The vare-cOrd Was cut
It then got IN and was soon up in the clouds
A snow STORM came on, aud being without my
coat, nearly irOZ"- The wind blew Il gale. too.
and in halt hour / was carried forty miles.
When wished to come down found the cord
cui Oh three ieet above my reach. So the valve
could not be opened. and there waa no way to
control the balloon. had TO let II 20 II
| would and wait for II to come down when IL got
| ready. Finally 1t did come down just a, it was
| nearing forest when 1t must have landed me
! IN III. Tree tops IN another minute. As II was 1t
came down rapidly in fence corner, and was
landed Violently on my back on Il stump
Weren't you badly hurt -
NO only u little shaken up. The worst OF 1t
WAS the natives of the country there were
badly trlshte ned could not get any help from
them. The balloon was all torn and ilapplng In
tnr wind Ike sail, and H. men VIII" came up
! graph station 10 send oil Il message the operator
refused 10 send II without pay IN advance. had
no coat OH, and being 50 Young he wouldn't [
| down IN L balloon. lie thought WAS crazy and
/ laughed at me. But got INTO town finally.
Tiny g0t wagon tor me. ccoTate,i IT with ass
anu raised parse Of So Tor me-
! The conversation then turned Ia the subject of
/ iHHIIn. Il balloon, It's difficulties and dangers.
John Insisted that there Ia no dauseT when the
balloon I- all right and the acrOnuut understands
his business such acronaut he SAID, can
/ ALWAYS pick hIs a!lght!nS place, keeping the
! balloon up when there Is water Or woods under
ncath aud coming down rapidly when over a
clear place. There might be danger up In the
/ forests of Maine. but not much i'll this vicinity.
But" querled the Mercury man, don't
! YOU unt the wilIs oil jersey troublesome when
! You sail III that direction 80
/ "le7, l always try to keep ont OF Jersey.
! Once landed IN II wheat Held down there. The
| balloon didn't hurt the wheat much but the
crowd OF people who Game rdnninS in TO see 1t
trampei II down considerably, aud the farmer
1 insisted that | must pay him 50 iinag
| down IN the middle of the Dclware Father til IN
l., cross over into Jersey ;but wOuldn't exactly
like that. always avoid wheat now stuUbie
fields, too, ar" bad places I" aiisht; but the
worse plac. i Held full "f hop poles. The
! poles Iierce the bag ani let the gas out
Naturally they would, OF oulIree, then you
keep a sharp lookout Tor hop fields -
Yes, always try To Al ght either in grass
hrit or a road ;hnd hit :" nearly every time -
'1 our eight asCenslons Iniie from til. eanIb-
ton have been remarkably successful, | should
say.
$50 they have. The b.-loon has not even been
scratched IN any OF them
How about your last trip On Tuesday alter
noon When you disappeared from view vou
-rrnei is he hcaiIns for the kin. dom uf NJ "
jerscy.'
II couldn't tack 10 u sailor and the wind
bore me directly OF Mrr'.hHntvI!le, New Jersey
! The balloon threatened to come down in Il
Dntchinam cabhase-patc and he got very eS-
cited all 'llt II. ii. called out Hey, hey, goa
up '!are you don't got II" right to bang down
here into Inein cabbage >hnn away mt your
tam mAcliin" = Then Ia" caught hold oil the
dras-I"pe and pulled 50 hard IN the direction oI
IA piec" OF wool. that the balloon came near be-
| Ing tangled in the trer-. | had 10 throw odt a
bts of sand to get over them. landed
afterwards III thu Burlington rod"."
What WAS the extent of your journey -
- reached an altitude OF b. 5uV feet, ahd was
carried twelve miles. The thermometer was
ninety three degrees when started. and II Tell
to seventy while I was up
OF all his many arronautic ieats, John II
rather prouiest ot ms part IN balloon race
| from Paramount one Fourth OF Julv, "A lev years
ago lhtre were three ConpetItors-yous
John Wise his grandfather. and = lady ueron-
ant, Mrs. lhllug. They started fairly together.
but John distanced them in every way. travelling
further, faster and higher than either OF the
others. He then reached The extraordinary alti-
tudc vi u 900 feet lh- hI ghest point he reach.
td on his recent ascension, from the exhibition,
WAS 5,OJh feet. TINS was on Saturday, July 1lh
John has teen trained Tor The profession oil
sApHQHrF Rqt Il A h H. n9i & certain That u to be
All architect, and ha, yearnnKs occasionally fOi
the -fscuiapIsn ait. But nature, as We'll as HI:
father. intended HIM tor AN AeTonant, and II /.
pretty sAtr 10 predict that us such h- VIII
| achieve great iAlne IN the future,