The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-03-27
THE BALLOON BUSINESS.
Melville Contradicted by Pratt and ABB
bott-They Prove His Partnership

Melville C0ntradicted by Pratt and Alb.
bott-They Prove His Partnership
with Them.
In regard to the statements OF Prof
Melville, reported in substance il
the previous issue Of this paper, Messrs
Pratt and Abbott have called at the
office to enter an emphatic contradic
ton. They pronounce the assertion thai
Melville came under engagement tC
them, and was therefore not responsible
for business liabilities, to be absolutely
false. In proof Of this they produce a
deed OF copartnership, dated January 80
1889, between Emil L. Melville OF the
first part and David W. Pratt and Robert
w. Abbott Of the second part. The arti-
cles of the deed are as condensed below
l. The partnership was for conducting
''baIIoon ascension and parachute jump
therefrom," in the Hawaiian Islands,
Japan, Tahiti, Australia, South America,
or any OF them or other places.
?. Pratt and Abbott were to furnish a
balloon and $500 capital.
was to become common property.
+. The duty OF Melville was to ascend
in balloon and jump therefrom with
a parachute.
D. Pratt was to be business manager
with the usual duties OF such office.
6. Abbott was to be treasurer, with
the duties pertaining to that office.
Z Each party was to draw from the
funds 500 for each calendar month.
g. The travelling expenses and hotel
bills of all the partners were to be paid
out OF the general funds.
9. One man was to be employed to as
sIst Melville in initiating his balloon.
10. The net profits OF the business in
each place visited were to be deposited
in bank, in the name OF. all, SO that
checks must be signed by each partner
in order to draw cOrartnership funds.
II. The partnership was to be one year
from date.
Y. At the end OF said period the funds
were to be divided as follows: Melville,
80 per cent. Pratt and Abbott, % per
cent. each.
IS. Names the man to be employed
under article 9, his pay to be $25
month and 4 per cent. of the net profits
payable after each ascension.
The deed OF COpartnership IS attested
by d. A. Mckinley, His Hawaiian Ma
iesty's COnsul-General at San Francisco.
Messrs. Pratt and Abbott desire the
foregoing full statement published, SO
that the public may judge as to where
the responsibility for obligations lay.
They wish further to vindicate them
selves from floating insinuatiOns regard
ing the amount of money taken and its
1t had been stated that there
was a much larger amount than $726.05
which they account fOr-taken for adj
In reply to this they say that
not only was the number OF spectators at
the Park overrated, but people forget
that the number OF Chjldr9n's tickets at
half price was three to one in proportion
with the adult tickets, besides which
many complimentary tickets, admitting
not only individuals but families, were
issued, not to mention scores of young
sters who got over the fence without
paving.
They are prepared, further, to account
not only for receipts but for expenditures
in Honolulu. Mr.. Pratt says he has not
broken his part Of the contract, but is
ready and willing to manage any balloon
ascension that Melville will make, here
or elsewhere, during the period OF the
Messrs. Pratt and Abbott finally wish
it made known that, having exclusively
borne the expense Of their partner Mel
Ville's second attempt at an ascension
ne having refused to pay a cent OF it
they found their resources exhausted and
simply went TO work in the European
restaurant to earn an honest living.