Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-11-14
HIS LAST VOYAGE.
Donaldson, the Balloonist..-His Fate
Chronicled by Himself... teronaut
Wise and His Companiou...Their
Tragic End Probably the Same.

w use anu HIS companions, young DuEE
who assembled in the balloon "Path.
finder" from Lincoln Park, st. Louis
September 18th, 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. Prof. Wise
dedicated his narrative rs follows:
"Fo all reckless aronauts, who run
Their cloud-scraping coaches with dis
regard of consequences, or who III
other words, essay to fly without max
ing due calculations and preparations
to alight, this little narrative IS dedi,
Gated"
Wise then copied rsrbatim Donald
sons memorandum of the trip as fol-
lows:
Il had often been excited iii my
feats of rope walking, but never before
did feel my heart sinking into such Il
dependency rs | did when the aerial
ship doomed up and out over the lake.
TWAS a dreary sight over the desert of
water.
"By kind OF instructive arithmetic
l could still fieure out another hours
sail and reach of dry land. Grim
wood hailed me from the car below
while was sitting in my perch in the
lookout above, busily engaged i'll writ
ing out my experience, that | had
more than an hour ago resolved to
transmit to the waves below, SO that
might leave y memoir of my last
voyage i'll the event of i fatal termina.
ton.
"Grimwood now inquired of me,
How far are we from the Michigan
shore?' and he added, Our ballast is
nearly spun out God only knowsn
was my reply.
Balloon sailing has in 1t the pecu-
liarity Of keeping one entirely UNI
conscious 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 n
monotOnous waste of water under.
meath. Il is singular that 80 limited a
sheet Of waite. ~ Lake Michigan should
present 10 view so few vessels to the
econaut.
".Wel il is about 800 miles long, and
this gives Us an area of $4,000 square
miles. Now, if 1000 sailing vessels
We're spread over the lake Mt any one
time, it would present, on III average
only one vessel for every thrty-tiye
square miles, or in other words. one
vessel on every plot of sixteen miles
square.
Prot. Wise told me that in his sail
lnut,, a Ala ~ III E-;,, f.5,,, ~
end to the other, he did not see half a
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 sea craft
visible below gave the situation an in
tensitied dreary aspect.
:" now turned my face to Grimwood,
aud requested him to look out for some
lake craft, since We could not expect TO
remain afoat much longer, as the ballast
WAS so nearly exhausted
80 Won't Tie balloon hold out all
night? SAID my companion. You fire.
quently let your balloon stand out all
night and reascend with it the next
morning. hopefully Circulated my
cheerful partner. Yes, was the re-
sponse; that i. when the balloon is
new and in perfect order; but remem-
Der this is a 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 out to reach the
land p Why, certainly | said, if we
don't discover land very shortly, we
shall be compelled to take Ito the water
and trust tG Providence Donaldson
ain'tyou joking z said Grimwood. No,
was my reply.
81 am row resolved, at all hazards, to
state the situation fairly to Grimwood
rs certain destruction seemed to be
staring me III the face, and tell him te
prepare for doom that had foreshad-
owed itself 70 my mind all day long.
had been sailing under false colors long
enough. 1t only made my anguish oil
mind greater rs | pretended to assume
composure.a and thought that had taken
along with me gentleman of culture
and talents to be lost to the world, and for
the simple benefit of show spectacle
that had so little real merit in it rs to
be compelled to hang Its financial sue.
cess on the miserable attraction Of aero.
batic ballooning, and thus, through me,
to commit moral homicide. NY
heart was throbbng with emotion rs !
contemplated the whole situation.
Perhaps Grimwood will grow desper.
ate if let out the whole truth. He
may become revengeful, and grapple
with me for the decision as to who is 10
take the last chance for life; for what
will man not 10 TO save his own life
Oae or the other Of us must in very
short time leave the balloon, OF both Of
us perish together in the angry waves
81 had now fully resolved TO be q
man in every sense of the word, and
give Grimwood the little remaining time
for last photographer sketch in
the event Of his going overheard, mine
being to the present extent ready foi
double transmission in the like con
tingency.
Brentwood, are you prepared tc
hear the worst Of our situation n
~ am always ready for an item
Donaldson, good or bad, high, or low
-, - Iou4,,. ,,itah in Donaldson and