Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-10-18
HIS LAST VOYAGE.
THE SAD FATE OF DONALDSON
Did Aeronaut Wise and It's Companion
Burr Meet With the Sane Tragic
End Which Befell Donaldson
and GrimwO,d.

The uncertainty of the hte of PROBES
sor Wise and his companion, Burr, who
assembled in the balloon Pathfinder, from
Lindell Park, st. Louis, ,lastSunday week,
and have not been heard from, recalls
the story OF Donaldson's tragic death, as
compiled by the missing aeronaut from
papers picked up in Lake Michigan,
which the two voyagers had thrown
overheard previous to their death. Pro
fessor Wise dedicated his narrative as
follows:
'To all reckless aeronants, who run
their cloud-scraping coaches with dis
regard OF consequences, or who, in other
words, essay to fly without making due
calculations and preparations to aLght,
this little narrative is dedicated"
Wise then copied, verbatim, Donald
sons memorandum OF the trip, as fol-
| lows:
81 had often been excited in my feat.
| of rope-walking, but never before did
| feel my heart sinking into such deSpon-
| dency as | did when the aereal ship
loomed up and out over the lake. 1t
was dreary sight over the desert OF
water.
"By kind of instructive arithmetic !
could still figure out another hours sail
and 4 reach Of dry land. GrimwOod
hailed me from the car below while /
was sitting in my perch in the lookout
above, busily engaged in writing out my
experience that had more than an hour
ago resolved to transmit TO the waves be-
low, so that | might leave a memoir OF
my last voyage in event OF fatal terml-
nation.
"Grimwood now inquired OF me:
| How lar are We from the Michigan
shore? Our ballast is nearly all spun
| out
"'God only knows was my reply.
Balloon sailing has in il the peculiar
| ity OF keeping one entirely unconscious
| OF the speed the balloon is making, Or
| the direction in which it is moving when
you are among the clouds, and the
| clouds are sailing with you and AT the
| same time nothing but the mOnOtonOus
waste OF water is underneath. 1t is sin
gular that so limited a sheet OF water
as Lake Michigan should present to
view so few vessels to the eye OF the
aeronaut.
"Well, it is about $50 miles long and
this gives us an area Of 5000 square
miles. Now, il 900 sailing vessels were
spread overthc lake at one time il would
present. on an average, only one vessel
for every thirty-iivc square miles, or, in
other words, one vessel on every plot OF
six miles square.
"Proi Wise told me that IN his sail
down the middle of Lake Erie from one
end to the other he did not see half
dozen vessels, and in crossing ninety
miles OF Lake Ontario only one vessel
was intercepted. | fully realized this
fact in my own experience over the
lakes, and the Sparseness OF the craft Wis
ible below gave the situation an intensl-
fed dreary aspect.
"I now turned my face to q .mwOod
and requested him to look out for some
lake craft, since we could not expect to
remain ahoat much longer, as the ballast
was so nearly exhausted.
"'Won't the balloon hold out all
night?' said my companion. 'Nou irc-
quently let your balloon stand out all
night and reascend with it the next
morning. hopefully calculated my
cheerful partner, Yes, was the re-
sponse-'that is when the balloon is
new and in perfect order; but remem-
Der this is leaky old tub You don't
pretend to intimate that We are going TO
be soused into the lake for want OF the
balloon holding ont TO reach the land
why, certainly said; If we don't dis
cover land very shortly, We shall be
compelled to take to the water and trust
to Providence donaldson, amt you
iokingg said GrimwOOd. No. was my
reply.
ii now resolved, at all hazards, to
state the situation fairly 10 GrimwoOd,
as certain destruction seemed to be
staring me in the face, and tell him to
prepare him for a doom that had fore
shadowed itself to my mind all day long.
| had been sailing under false cOlorS
long enough. II only made my anguish
of mind greater rs pretended to assume
compOsure, and thought that | had
taken along with me a gentleman OF
culture and talents to be lost to the
world, and for the simple benefit OF a
show spectacle that had no real merit
in it as to be compelled to hang its linan-
cial success on the miserable attraction
Of acrobatic balloOning, and thus,
through me, 10 commit a moral homi-
eide. My heart was throbing with
emotion as contemplated the whole
situation. Perhaps Grimwood will
grow desperate ii let out the whole
truth. He may grapp.e with me Tor
the dicisiOn as to who is to take the last
chance for life; ior what will man not
do To save his own life? One or both Of
US must in very short time leave the
balloon, or both OF Us perish together in
the angry waves.
81 now fully resolved to be a man in
every sense OF the word, and give Grim
wood the little remaining time for a last
autobiographical sketch in the event of
his going overheard, mine being to the
present extent ready for doubtful trans
mission III like contingency.
'Grimwood, are you prepared TO
hear the worst Of our situation.
"I am always ready for an item,
Donaldson, good or bad, high or low, up
or down; pitch in Donaldson, and give
US the news
"This goodtempcred response rallied
my dropping spirits again, and began
to hope against hope. | strained my
ewes to the east and the west and the
south, in the hope Of eSpyng something
that should prove rock Of safety for two
wandering spirits OF the air. Really !
began to feel more like dreaming thana
living man. GrimwOod was all this
time writing down rapidly our words
and the scenes around US, seemingly
reliant on a safe ending TO the perilous
voyage.
"'Ships seem to be as scarce as land,
Donaldson he muttered, but We have
ife-prcservcrs; and ii il must come 10
that, we will battle for life in the
waves.
Il now proposed to him inasmuch as
our time was well nigh spent, that We
draw lots for the chance OF one Of us re-
naming with the balloon, while the
other should take 10 the water with a
liie-preserver, so that we should be pre-
pared for the emergency when our bal
loon should come entirely 20 an end.
81 am agreed, was the reply OF
Grimwood. prepare the drafts and a.
| was never lucky enough to draw
prize in a lottery, l am sure TO draw one
in this, either OF wind or water. Be
sides, said he, the prize may be a shin,
so let us hold up to the last grain Of
sand, in the hope of intercepting a craft
below and in the event Of falling in
with one We will pounce down upon II
like hawk on a sparrow.
81 prepared dozen sticks Of matches
| had in my pockets, all OF different
lengths, and handed them to Grimwood
TO dispose of the game as he desired.
"He said
"'Never mind, Donaldson, keep them
in your own hands. | will draw one,
you another, and he who draws the
l. IL 1 !