The Press., 1885-09-17

HE following interesting Sketcn IS rom the Hartford Times, and Captain Moore is the balloonist engaged for the ascent from the fair grounds on one of the days of the coming fair of the Stafford Agricultural Society:
 ACROSS THE STATE BY BALLOON.
 Captain Moore, of Winsted, has given the Winsted Herald an interesting account of his balloon trip, Wednesday, September 9th, from New Milford to Colchester. The balloon left the New Milford fair grounds at 257 p. m. It took an easterly course, rising at the start to an elevation about three quarters of a mile above the hull tops. It was but few minutes before he looked down upon the pretty little hamlet of Washington ; next down through the feecy clouds upon Bethlehem, Woodbury, Watertown and Waterbury-being direct ly over the latter place at 3.3O. Above the clouds, the captain says, the tempera- ture was very high, his thermometer reg istering .94o. It was so hot that he took off his coat and hung it on the side of the basket, and as his stovepipe hat was un- comfortably warm, he tied it up with the valve cord and suspended it below the bas- ket, in which there was no room for 1t.
 At little after four he looked down upon Middletown and saw the steamer "Sun- shine" pass through the draw of the Air Line bridge. He had determined to cross the Connecticut river during this trip, and now that he was past it he began to look for good place to land. In front of him he could see but occasional villages and he thought best to pull the valve cords and lower himself before he got too far away from. civilization. The balloon lowered to near the tops of the trees, still sailing along at arapid pace. It was time now to throw out his anchor, which now and then caught on an obstruction and gave him twitch. Finally the anchor caught on something on which 1t could hold more firmly, and he pulled the rip-cord. The twitch of the anchor was too much for the hoop to which the anchor was attached, and it parted-opening wide like an un- clasped bracelet. MT. Moore had hold of the hoop at the point where it parted, and was thrown out of the basket by the vio- lence of the jerk. His unceremonious exit was into the top of young white birch tree, and he was not seriously hurt in con- ing down through it to the ground. Pick ing himself up he saw his balloon make an ascent on its own hook up over the trees. He walked back about quarter of mile to house he had just passed over, hop ing to get some knowledge of his where abouts, and possibly to get help to hunt for his balloon. Meanwhile a crowd of men and boys had espied the collapsed balloon, about quarter of mile from where MT. Moore tumbled out, and from appearances they were sure he must have been killed. Tracing the course from which it came, they met MT. Moore, who explained to them that he was the man they were looking for. Later on the bal loon, basket and aronaut were taken to Goodspeed's Landing, from whence the captain started for Winsted, where he ar rived at 10 a. m., Thursday, in as good trim for another ride through the clouds as though he always came down in this peculiar manner. The landing was made in the town of Colchester, about fifteen miles beyond Middletown. The distance travelled MT. Moore figures at seventy four miles, which he made in eighty eight min utes.