The Newtown bee., 1879-01-28
1000 FEET DOWNWARD.
The Terrible Fall of n RaIioontst In m Al
 knnsas TA4Yn.


 The Terrible Fall of n BaIioontst In an Arr
 kansas Town.
 A Joneshoro (Ark.) paper gives the details of & balloon ascension in that place, and the aeronaut's terrible fall, as follows: Although tic weather was very cold ahd Snow on the ground, the people from the country began to come in early, on horseback, on foot and in wagons, and by noon perhaps the largest crowd ever assembled in Jones' bore was found lowering around the fires in the public houses, and standing about on the snow in the public square and around the spot where the men we're preparing the balloon. The prepara- tions seemed to progress slowly, and the crowd, cold, hungry and impatient, clamored and waited until nearly Eve o'clock, when All vaa announced ready, and the balloon, swaying and tugging at the ropes, seemed like some huge monster struggling to be free, and the words "let her go 1" were pronounced, and she shot upward with fearful surge, with Mir. Dirk elihSing by his hands to tho tfapeze, blit some twenty feet below the balloon. Sweeping slightly north and west, the huge moi1- ster sped rapidly upward through the chill mir until it attained height of perhaps twelve hundred feet, and seem ed almost to mingle with the ri1urky clouds that hung low and heavy around it. When some one hundred feet up, the man made an effort to mount the bar, but failed; and when about three hundred feet up, again assayed to place himself on the trapeze and again failed, and as the balloon climbed higher and higher he was still hanging by his hands to the bar. To those who took time to think, his situation now seemed perilous, as it was evident he was for some reason unable to get upon the bar, and it was exceedingly doubtful if he could hold by his hands to the cold iron at such an altitude in such an air, and many ah anxious eye looked longibgly for the balloon to commence it's descent; but it still clung with fiend- ish tenacity to it's giddy height. The suspense now became intolerable, but it was bfief. The doomed man, realizing his peril, now made last frantic effort to gain a hold upon the rope above. It was in vain. His fate was sealed. This was known to those who looked upon the distant, diminished form. hanging by so frail hold between heaven and earth. He knew and felt it; and who can realize the horror of that moment. A thousand eyes were looking longingly, thousand hearts were praying silently; but million arms could not rescue him. He had passed the reach of human aid and the limit of human endurance. What scenes of his past life thronged through his brain. What thoughts oi home CT mother, we will never know. The last hopeless cry of despair was not heard; the last startled look of the eye gazing into eternity was not seen. Alone and unaided he met his doom. grasp an instant, the other loosens its gaze at the fearful sight with the help less fascination of horror; strong men, who have braved death on the battle field, turned away with bl nched faces and sickened hearts. A wall of woe goes up from fainting women; all else if still. For more than half the distance he descended in an erect position, feet down, and then he swung over an6 dropped rapidly, head foremost, toward the earth, his hand stretched instinct lively forward, and then with 8 heavy thud he struck the frozen ground, ant the s;ckenihg scene was ovef. The crowd then rushed to the spot where ht had fallen, just outside the yard of tht west side of the fence at. the residence O. Mir. G. W. Cuberhouse, about 200 yards northwest of the point he rose from. II falling, be passed through the branches of small hickory tree, and the limbs seemed as if hewn off with an axe; ant where he struck the hard, frozen earth his body made cavity some inches deef aud two feet long, though he rebounded and lay stretched upon his breast.
 He had evidently been turned by strik ing the tree, and fell upon his back ant right side, as the skull was crushed 8 the back of his head. His neck, back both legs and right arm were terribl, broken up, while his left arm and fac' seemed uninjured. and, when prepared for the grave, his countenance wore , remarkably calm, natural, life-like ex pression, as if sleeping, with no appear ance of agony or discoloration.
 His body was taken in charge by Cor oner Wren, who superintended his burial and he was conveyed gently to his grave attended by few humane and sympa thizing citizens.