The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1889-07-24
HooAN's FATE.
The Daring Aeronaut Drowned In
the Atlantic.

The Daring Aeronaut Drowned In
the Atlantic.
Nzw YoRK, July lS.--There seems to be
no longer any doubt that the most daring
and foremost aeronaut OF the world. Prof.
Z. d. Hogan OF Jackson, Michigan. is lost.
He made en- ascension from the yard OF the
Nassau Gas Colnpany's works in Brooklyn
Tuesday, and while he has not been heard
from word has come back that his balloon
dipped in the ocean Tuesday evening in lat-
stude 1856, Longitude si:s0. ta9ged away at
the car for a time, then broke loose ana sail
ed away in a stiff breeze. The pointat which
the car was dropped is almost directly south
Of the eastern tip of Long Island and almost
slue east Of Philadelphia. thus being more
than a hundred miles from land in any di-
rec:ion. II was here that the hero of over
400 successful balloon ascensions must have
gone down.
Prof Hogan came to New York to make
on experimental tripin Peter Campbeli's air
ship. About 5000 feet of gas were forced
Ab'O - - tnat II NOulA Sait1 i0ftJ ~
pounds. Into the car were placed 80 pounds
of sand bags and the electric motor to rise
and lower the balloon and guide it. II e
professor stepped in, the ropes were cut and
h sailed away 10 death.
LOST CONTROL OF THE smIP.
A. the height OF a few hundred feet, the /
propeller fan got loose and fell Gathering to
the ground, leaving the aerouaut at the mer
cy Of the winds which were blowing swiftly |
toward the ocean. The inventor Mr.. Camp |
bell, and John Burrell, who backed the en-
terprise are missing, not caring to face the
dead mans friends. A dispatch from Prov
idence, Rhode Island. says balloon passed
over that city at O'Clock Tuesday evening. /
If this is authentic it must have been anoth- /
er balloon.
Pilot Phelan. Of the pilot boat Caprice. |
brings the only authentic news. He brought
the bark Belt into port to-day and reported
the balloon. He was seen at the offices of
the pilot commissioners this afternoon, he |
said;
PILOT PHEI.AN's STORY.
AT $50 O'Clock on the afternoon of Tues 1
day last. when we were about 100 miles south |
southeast of Sandy Hook running before
stiff % mile north northwest breeze, the
lookout aloft sighted two schooners and
peculiar looking object lying near them on
the surface of the ocean. One of the two
schooners was TO leeward of the object, /
which the lookout took 10 be square rig
ger, and was bearing northward. The second
schooner was bearing east southeast We
made up to the object, and at about 6;30
made her out TO be balloon, about so or 60
feet in diameter. She was in longitude 1880,
latitude 1886.
"As it was getting dark. and we knew that
probably some one was probably in danger
in the balloon, we crowded on extra sail
and fairly flew over the water toward it. At
about O'Clock, an hour and half after we
had first sighted the balloon, when we were
about 100 yards from it, the balloon parted
from some heavy object in the water which
II had been dragging along. and flew up into
the air. When several hundred feet above
the surface of the sea il was caught in the
north northwest wind and went before it
east southeast at the rate OF about 25 miles
AN hour.
TUGGtSG AT THE CAR.
when we first sighted the balloon and
drew close enough to make her out, she was
egg-shaped and lugging very hard at what
must have been the car. About five ropes
held her to the car. which was buried FIVE
feet under water. The balloon was assum-
ing all kinds of shapes, initiating and coll
lapsing, At the las. try it collapsed at the
end, and, assuming the shape of pumpkin,
arose in the air. There was nothing hanging
to the ropes of the balloon.
''If Prof Hogan was in the balloon when
We came up with her then he was drowned.
Assistance could not have been rendered to
him by the schooner spoke of as being to
leeward and bound northward. 1t is not at
all improbable the schooner bound east
southeast may have something 10 say when
she arrives at her destination. We cruised
over the spot in which the balloon and its car
parted. There were no signs of life and no
evidence that human being had fouId his
death in the water. There were no floating
objects. Everything was as quiet and as
calm as a mill pond. Al the time a heavy
haze prevailed, though the sky was clear"
THE AERoSAUT's CAREER.
Prof Hogan was forty years old, and made
over 400 successful balloon ascensions and 32
parachute jumps in the D years he has fol-
lowed the dangerous business. He was re-
garied as the foremost aeronaut in the world.
Some of his friends are still hoping that he
may be alive, even if injured, and landed in
some out of the way place. He had con-
tact to.aPpear at Ottawa, Canada, to-morfow
TO make jump, and they regarded his alb
sence as a sure sign that some serious raishap
has befallen him, or otherwise they say he
would surely appear to perform his contractif
he had to crawl on his hands and knees TO do
50. report was in circulation here that the
balloon had descended near Pittsburgh.
Inventor Campbell says the ship was not
built according to his directions. He says
the neck of the balloon was at the bottom of
the car and that it is possible Aeronaut Hog
an may have died of asphyxitation, as there
was more or less gas escaping all the time
All experienced aeronauts agree that the
neck of the balloon should be at lest 10 feet
III,