Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1889-02-02
THE BALLOON BURsTED.
How the Most Experienced AerOnaut In
the World Met Ills Death.


How the Most Experienced Aeronaut In
the World Met His Death.
The coroner's inquiry into the death
in Essex, England. Of the famous aero.
naut, Simmons, has brought out sing
ular feature OF the accident by which
he lost his life and his two companions
were dangerously injured. and indi-
Gates new danger in ballooning. The
evidence shows the accident, which |
followed an attempt TO land, during |
which the anchor was caught in toll, |
was caused by the bursting of the bal
loon.
The silk was unusually large and
correspondingly heavy, but it was not
ripped with one large rent, as would
have been the case had 1t caught on
tree. but was found torn into several
distinct pieces. Besides this the burst
ingwas accompanied by loud report,
which was heard not only by those
near by who were watching the bal
loon, but by persons a considerable dis
tance away. who knew nothing OF the
balloon until afterward.
Mr.. Simmons was an aeronaut OF
thirty years experience, and this was
his 495th ascension. When he landed
from his last previous ascent few
DAYS before an old lady said to him:
..You men can not have much care for
your lives" and he replied, Il have
made 494 ascents ana don't feel very
much fear now"
The balloon was the Cosmo, ono of
largest ever made, holding $1,000 cubic
feet of gas, and capable of carrying
2.400 pounds. The basket was OF iron
wire network, instead Of wicker. He car
ried thirty-pound grapnel and ninety
one feet of rope light an anchor
and too short a rope, some experts say.
He went up about the middle OF the
afternoon with w. l.. Field and Mr..
Meyers, the latter of South Kensington
Natural History Museum, both of whom
had made previous voyages. 1t was
intended to cross the channel to France,
but darkness coming on the party de-
cided 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 clea,
was at last chosen and the grapnel lei
out. 1t dragged through a field ol
wheat and then caught in a large tree
In an instant the huge balloon pulled
up short, swung to the ground, and be
gan to bump up and down, straining al
the end of it's tether. Simmons pullct
desperately on the valve rope ant
shouted to Field to help him. Meyer
held bag of ballast awaiting an orde1
to throw it out. Three times in scarce
ly more than as many seconds the grea
balloon bounded up and down strug
Cling frantically like some immens
wild beast at the end of long rope
Each time it spraDg sixty feet in tn
air. As 1t rose the third time to tha
height there came sudden report, tn
silk collapsed, and the car with tn
three young men in it fell to the ground
Men from the fields running up, foun'
1t battered into shapeless wreck an
its three late inmates unconscious
Simmons skull was fractured and h
had suffered other injuries. He die
in three hours without gaining cor
sciousness., Mr.. Field had simpl
fracture OF the right thigh and CON
pound fracture OF the left leg, beside
innumerable bruises. Mr.. Meyers ha
internal ipjuries, and was covered wit
bruises and cuts.
Aeronauts can give no satisfactor
explanation OF the bursting of the ba
loon. 1t was undoubtedly caused b
the sudden stoppage, but why tn
strain Of a quantity of gas should b.
come excessive on that account has NJ
been explained. 1t is said that thel
is one similar case on record.
Simmons, during his life as ba
loonist, had made ascents in Indi
Egypt and the United States, as We
as in all parts OF Europe. aud it is sa
that no man in the world had hi
more experience in aerial navigate
than he In 1875 he assembled with
Groof, the Belgian "hying man." wi
was to descend from a great height
means of parachute. Something we
wrong and the Belgian was dashed
pieces. In 1882, with Colonel Brine,
the Royal Engineers. he started
cross to France, but dropped into t
channel, and after perilous time W
rescued by a steamer. A few mont
later Sir Claude de Grespigny. t
cending with him. was thrown Q
L,,, Sftvnk IN 4
car. and after an exciting time made
safe descent. The next year Sir Clau
and he succeeded in crossing the cha
mel. and he has repeated the feat SIM
IN. Y Sun.