The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-10-06
THE BALLOON BURST.
How the Most Experienced Aeronaut
in the World Met His Death.
From the Neg York sun.

From the Nelg York sun.
The coroner's inquiry into the death few
days ago in Essex, England, of the famous
aeronaut, Simmons, has brought out sin
ular feature of the accident by which he lost
his life and his two companions were dan
gerously injured, and indicates a new dan
germ balooning. The evidence shows that
! the accident, which followed an attempt TO
/ land, during which the anchor was canght
in a toll, caused by the bursting of the bal
| loon.
The silk was unusually large and CORES
pondin ly heavy, but it was not ripped with
one large rent, as would have been the case
had it caught on tree, but was found torn
into several distinct pieces. Besides this, the
bursting was accompanied by a loud report,
which was heard not only by those near by
who were watching the balloon. but by
persons considerable distance away, who
knew nothing of the balloon until after
ward.
Mr.. Simmons was an aeronaut of thirty
years experience, and this was his 495th as
cension. When he landed from his last pre-
vious ascent few days before, an old lady
said to him:
You men cannot have much care for
your lives, and he replied:
81 have made 494 ascents, and l don't
feel very much fear now"
The balloon was the Cosmo, one of the
largest ever made, holding 900 feet of
gas, and capable of carrying 400 pounds
The basket was of iron wire network, in
stead of wicker. He carried a 30-pound
grapnel and 81 feet of rope-too light an
anchor and too short rope, some experts
say. He went up about the middle of the
afternoon with w. L. Field and Mr.. Meyers,
the latter of the South Kensington Natural
Museum, both of whom had made previous
voyages. 1t was intended to cross the chan
mel to France, but darkness coming on, the
party decided to descend for the night The
country was somewhat wooded, and two or
three attempts were made to land, but each
time ballast had to be thrown out and the
balloon sent up again. A field that seemed
fairly cleared was at last chosen and the
grapnel let out. 1t dragged through field
of wheat and then caught in a large tree.
In an instant the huge balloon pulled up
short, swung to the ground, and began to
bump up and down, straining at the end OF
its tether. Simmons pulled desperately on
the valve rope and shouted to Field to help
him. Meyers had bag of ballast awaiting
N order to throw it out. Three times in
scarcely more than as many seconds the
great balloon bounded up and down, strug-
CLING frantically like some immense wild
beast, at the end of long rope. Each
time it sprang 60 feet in the air. As it rose
the third time to that hight there came q
car with the three men in it fell to the
ground. Men from the fields running up
found it battered into a shapeless wreck and
its three inmates unconscious. Simmons
skull was fractured and he had suffered
other injuries. He died in three hours
without regaining consciousness. Mr..
Field had a simple fracture of the right
thigh and a compound fracture of the left
leg, besides innumerable bruises. Mr..
Meyers had internal injuries, and was COW
cred with bruises and cuts.
Aeronauts can give no satisfactory ex-
PLANTATION of the bursting of the balloon.
1t was undoubtedly caused by the sudden
stoppage, but why the strain of quantity
of gas should become excessive on that &C
count has not been explained. 1t is said
that there is one similar case on record.
Simmons, during his life as balloonist,
lad made accents in India, Egypt and the
United States, as well as in all parts OF
Europe, and it is said that no man in the
world had he'd more experience in aerial
navigation than he. In 1875 he assembled
with De Groof, the Belgian flying man."
who was to descend from a great hight by
means of a parachute. Something went
wrong and the Belgian was dashed to
pieces. In 1882, with Col. Brine of the
Royal Engineers, ne started to cross to
France, but dropped in the Channel, and
after a perilous time was rescued by a
steamer A few months later Sir Claude
de Grespigny, ascending with him, was
thrown out and badly hurt. Simmons
stuck to the car, and after an exciting time
made a safe descent The next year Sir
Claude and he succeeded in crossing the
Channel and he has reDeated the feat since