Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-09-17
The F<zLe.
[Cor. Minneapolis Tribune.J

ST. PAUL, Sept. Is, 6 p. m.-The greatest
fizzle of modern times has been compounded
and made still greater. The alleged great bal
loon is now Frustrated in the famous cow pas
ture-at least it should be. l left the COW
pasture, balloon and the other fellows at
o'clock this afternoon, and am now hunting
over st. Paul for some capable, able bodied
man to kick me from Knaphelde's farm to the
Atlantic coast. longed to linger at the wick
sr foot of the monster, but had not the time
to finger. 1t is all over. The end
is at hand, and with what patience
is left me I am awaiting the arrival
of the fool killer. Should said f. k. do his
duty toward me in its entirety, / trust my cpl
taph will contain a touching reference to the
greatest balloon voyage on record-three and
one half miles in four days and three nights,
from the metropolis of the Northwest to a
pasture wherein even the mild-eyed, long tailed
kline have made merry at the expense of the
aeronauts ~. What a change! What an
experience! Language fails me and give
it up.
At 10 O'Clock this morning the momentous
question was settled: The entire party had
and Prof. King was asked, els there any
chance left for the party to make another as
cension?"
"No," he answered. "The balloon has lost
more than half it's gas, and has weakened so
as to preclude all possibility of continuing the
voyage as contemplated. be. Z
f'Can you take any of the reporters?"
"No.' .3 @ M II !.
eff you take anyone with you, who will it
"If I take anyone it will be the signal
officer" rgt,, eqf, .i,s
This was great disappointment to the
newspaper men, but SO long as no one of
them was 20 to the exclusion of the Others,
they swallowed their chagrin and made the
best of the situation.
After dinner the party adjourned to the
fragrant COW pasture and viewed the balloon.
1t was raging fearfully, with both concen-
stream. Several times Prof. King announced
his intention to pull the valve rope and thus
end the agony, but each time he repented
He was evidently testing the staying qualities
of his patent rubber cloth, of which the bal
loon was made, and OF course it didn't matter
to him, and the agony was permitted to go on
much to the distress of the COWS in the
pasture. ~
1 am happy to state that Prof. King rested
well last night. He retired at 9 o'clock and
made his appearance at o'clock this. morn
ing fully walked up to the point where he
could eat his breakfast calmly. l wish
could say as much for the six poor devils
that tramped about the cow-lot all night in
the rain and cold and mud watching" the
balloon. Never mind, it is all over now,
and the newspaper men and their signal-corps
companion viii long remember the greatest
effort of Prof Kings life. Four of the
party have balloooned more or less in the att
mosphere, and never before did we have such
an experience in o COW lot. H. .of,f,i..i
The question naturally arises, "Who IS to
blame for the fzzle?'' And it is a hard ques-
tion to answer satisfactorily. When the wind
was mild and of proper velocity for an ascen-
sion, according TO Prof. Kings judgment, the
wind was blowing in the wrong direction, aHd
when it was blowing in the right direction it
was blowing too hard to attempt an ascension,
according to Prof. Kings Judgment Four Of
the newspaper men were ready and willing to
go at any time and in any direction, but Prof.
King, who considered himself responsible for
the safety of the lives of the reporters, set his
foot down in the mud and said "No." We
were his guests, and hence could not do or say
anything to move him.
TSt. Paul Special (Sept. 1917 N. Y. Herald.