Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-07-20
TWO MILES.
Thrilling Experience Of a Brave
Little Lady Asronaut.
Her Balloon, Damaged by an Excited
Crowd, Bursts When Two Miles
High in the Air.

= a "a
terrible death of Carlotts, Mohaw's
lady acronaut, at Ottawa, Can, July ,,
have already been briefly noticed. The
little lady has arrived here, and herself
gave to your correspondent n thrilling
account of her experiences. She says:
The balloon Flying Cloud had been
filled with coal gas in the city and then
conveyed along the Rideau river h-.pk
nearly two miles, till oppo-".e the ex-
position grounds, wire from an eIe-
waited posIti"" [ watched and awaited
H. H.,hen it became visible on the OPP
posite bank of the river, the exposition
grounds fronting the water became
throDged with spectators to witness its
conveyance across with the aid of a
small steamer, to whose stern it was at
tached by u One-inch rope fastened to
the concentrating ring OF the balloon.
The wind opposed the crossing, and the
balloon, pressed by the breeze, churued
tue stern Of the little steamer
up and down as if trying to carry
1t away, the inch rope nearly
parting with the strain. On reaching
the grounds an immense crowd sur.
rounded the balloon, and hundreds
caught hold Of the attached ropes aud
drew it toward the central portion Til
further progress was stopped by the ac-
cumulaIiag masses. Thousands pressed
forward toward the balloon centre
threatening every moment to crush or
trample those in front. If the locality
Of the balloon had been a yawning pit,
hundreds, nay, thousands would have
been pushed into it. One portion
pressed against another on all sides, and
the space about the balloon shrunk to
size of the little 2OX3O inch platform at
tached TO the balloon in place of a bas-
ket. Every one who could grasped
some portion of the netting, balloon,
ropes OF concentrating ring to sustain
himself or to crafty his excited in
stincts by holding the balloon down
frantically. Nearly a hundred hands
gTasped the concentrating ring and at
tached cords, each straIning against the
other, and presently this ring, which
had wilhstOOd a test strain OF a thou.
sand pounds, and had lifted and
churned up and down the stern of the
little steamer in crossing the river,
parted like a stick of candy, though
solid bronze, three-fOurths OF an inch
thick. Then
The Netting Began TO Give Way
in the hands which strained upon it,
and next the mouth of the balloon was
nearly torn off. The crowd was not q
disOrderly one, nor 3 vicious one; IL was
only stimulated by curiosity or excited
by a spectacle in anticipation. Nothing
but bolts, bars, walls and chains could
restrain it and it WAS just on the verge
of destroying itself in the central por-
ton by crushing together of its forces
when i managed to reach that centre
which held the balloon. How / got
there | don't know. l certainly did
not go through the crowd and l do not
remember walking over it-so l must
have flown!
Professor Myers had been for several
minutes letting out gas, and l could
look up through the gaping rent in the
balloon and see the open valve at the
top. The ascension was abandoned by
ali interested parties as wholly impsssi-
BILE to accomplish under the circum-
stances. Making more ascensions dur
ing the last four years than all other
aeronauts in this country combined, |
had never yet failed to go up, and was
loath to lose this reputation now. i
said to Mr.. Myers, Cant this balloon
be fixed so as to go upm Eyes" he
said, "if the cOmmitte or any One a
force the crowd to release the balloon |
can make it q success in two minutes
time" / appealed to the crowd, and
soon they began slowly to give way,
pressing backwards by slow movements
TILL a space was cleared some ten feet
across. Meanwhile Mr.. Myers had
slipped the broken ring out ofits fasteu-
ings and had tied the twelve netting
lines to the light metal ring forming
the edge of my basket" this rim rising
about as high as ones knees when
standing on the slight platform beneath
it. The platform was piled with ballast,
$50 pounds, together with other mat
tiers, for safety and convenience. MI.
Myers gave a quick lock all around to
see that everything was secure, and
TO co." I said Eyes" stepped upon
the platform, and
In Another Instant Sailed skyward.
while the relieved crowd Of 10000 per-
sons stopped crushing forward and
looked upward. There was no more
danger to them, and my ascension had
probably averted one of the fatal tramp
ling scenes sometimes attendant upon
large and excited crowds.
Higher and higher went the Flying
Cloud, though from the first L had held
the valve constantly open TO check its
flight. Over two miles in height was
attained before the escaping gas re-
strained its further ascent. The capt.
tai city, Ottawa, with its splendid spires,
was dwindlIng in the distance twelve
miles away, and the earth beloT me
was dim and misty.
The Rushing Air
played upon the tense netting cords
like eolian harp strings, singing 3
moaning tune, while the sides of the
torn canopy above me rested and flap
ped accompaniment. Meanwhile was
busy. / did q power of thinking. l
sbarpened all my previous experience
to 3 fine point, and / acted speedily
upon every instinct or knowledge of the
conditions existing. / adjusted my bal
last to better distribute the strain and
change the inclination of flight, and /
threw it out judieiously at intervals. l
was coming down toward hard, bear
ground. knew that to strike it would
be dangerous, probably fatal, and 1
managed to so guide the flight that,
with ballast thrown out at Just
the right time, / finally sue.
eeeded in swooping down through
a forest of soft fir trees, whose
bushy branches received the whole
shock of the fall, and without an in
stsnt's delay I was deposited on the
ground beneath them, while the balloon
extended in fragments from the earth
to the tree tops. Thus / landed safely
without severe shock OF slightest injury
at Eastman Springs, thirteen miles
rom Ottawa, Q hour after leaving