Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-11-17
Adventures in the Clouds.
[From the New York Times.]


A frightful balloon accident OF Paris
is reported by cable. August Navarro
was performin on trapeze suspended
from the Montgolfer balloon Vidouviz-
toise, when, at the height of 1000 yards,
or over half q mile, he missed his hold.
The shocked spectators, it is said, could
clearly follow the poor fellows body in
its descent, and when at length it struck
the earth it made hole two feet deep,
| and rebounded twice the height of a
mans head. Freed from his weight.
| the balloon shot upward until it burst.
| and then it, too, fell. Deaths from bal
loon accidents are frequent enough, but
sheer fall from such height has.
perhaps, never before been recorded.
| Thus in 1876 balloon took fire, when
1900 feet high in the air, and it's occu-
pant was killed, but, as is usually the
case, he stuck to his air-ship till it
grounded. A fearful dive is, however.
far from being the only danger ''balloon--
lists have to dread. That it is quite as
dangerous to go too high as to come down
too fast is shown by the voyage of lis
sander, Sivel, and Croce-Spinell, which
is, perhaps, the most remarkable on
record. They started on April Is, 1875,
to rival the highest altitude ever reached
by man. At 5000 yards Tissandier fell
III a faint, just as his companions, who
were In scarcely better condition, toss
ed out some ballast in last desperate
effort to surpass Glaisher's record of H.
900 yards The balloon flew up. how
high it is impossible to say, but when
Tissandier came to himself his compan-
ions lay dead beside him with black faces
and bloody nostrils. They had been
suffocated by the rarefaction of the at
mOsphere. Glalshers record is, there
fore, dlscredited, for it seems beyond
dispute that human life cannot be sus-
tanned much above 5000 yards. M.
Godard's perilous experience in 1878
which happily resulted rather anus
lngly than otherwise another
danger which should not be forgotten by
those who take passengers sailing in the
air. At 1000, at 1900, at 5000 feet
high he successfully asked his compan-
ion how he felt, and was as often amazed
that the amateur declared his feelings to
be quite as usual. Finally GODDARD de-
clared that he would go no higher, when
suddenly his companion grasped his
throat and demanded at least one emo
ton III return for his 1,O00f. fare. The
man was clearly lunatic. At that fear
full height he clambered out of the basket
and around the swaying globe with the
skill and carelessness of monkey. Then
he clasped GODDARD by the body and de-
clared he would throw him over. Final
~, he drew knife and said he would
seek his 'semotions'' by fall, say of
half mile. But GODDARD did not lose
his head. He declared himself charmed
with the idea, and wondered that it had
never before occurred to him. But he
pointed out that, however pleasing the
fall might be, it would be disagreeable |
to be mutilated, and he suggested going |
1000 or 5000 feet higher in order that |
when his companion cut the gas-bag
their deaths might be certain. They |
were then both of a mind, and as GODDARD |
threw out the ballast the balloon darted |
still further above the clouds. His cheer
full companions spirits rose with the bal
loon, and once more he climbed out on
the bellying sphere, but tlfis time with a
rope about him, in order, as GODDARD ex-
planned, that he might not tumble before
he was high enough for a thoroughly
good fall. At length he perched himself
just over the escape valve, then GODDARD
pulled the cord which opened it, the es-
Gaping gas stupefed the mailman. and
the crisis was over. Lest any one should
doubt the story we hasten to add that it
comes from France.