Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-07-20
HOGAN STILL MISSING.
Nothing Further Learned OF the Fate
Of the Airship Navigator.

u inc AlfS0Ip NoV1RaCOFs
The vestige of hope held out BY the Proyi-
dence dispatch that Prof. Hogan, the aeronsut,
was still safe, as it might have been Campbelrs
air machine which the people Of the New Eng
land town saw on Tuesday evening passing
over the city, was dispelled yesterday by the
report Of Capt Fades of the steamer Hogarth,
which arrived in New York from Rio Janeiro
The captain reports that Thursday ABOUT II 80
in the morning, while in latitude 49, IA, longi-
tude ~. So of Little Egg harbor, to the north
of Cape Henlopen, he observed what ap-
peared to be an obiong white mark ON
the surface Of the water. The captain and crew
did not think it worth while to get close up to
the object and the vessel went on her way.
The captain, ON being interviewed at quaran-
tine, said he had no doubt that the object he
saw in the water was the Campbell airship.
FALSE REPORT FROM JACKSON.
Aspecial from Jackson, Mich, says: prof.
Campbell of Brooklyn wires Mrs. Hogan that
Ed. Hogan, the balloonist, has been picked up
by an Atlantic vessel and is all right He says
this is the latest and it can be relied upon.
Prof. McEwen also received a similar dispatch"
The truth OF this was denied, however, for
Prof. Campbell said late last night that he had
received no news whatever of Hogan. save that
AERoNAUT HooAN's CAREER.
Edward d. Hogan, the aeronaut who has
probably lost his life in his attempt to navigate
Canada, in 1852. At the age Of sixteen he went
to Jackson, Mich, where he made his first bal
loon ascension. His elder brother William was
q well-known aeronaut in the west, and from
him Edward learned how to manage balloon.
On September 4, 1870 he made his first ascen-
N a al av ha nm xuhte ant
as balloons then were with boat, life preservers
food, axes, saws, dc. A strong wind carried him
over Lake Michigan and nothing was heard
from him for two days. On the third day his
friends found him fast asleep in a farmers
barn. His balloon had been carried to the
shore, where it had slowly sunk to the ground
After that he made ascensions right along and
gave gymnastic performances ON a trapeze bar
which hung beneath his balloon He soon ac-
quired widespread reputation as a daring
aeronaut.
1t is reckoned that Hogan made over 200 as
tensions. He was an unassuming and ex-
tremely modest man, and never said much
about his ariai voyages, 30 that little is known
about his adventures. In August of last year
he made semi-weekly ascensions from one Of
the music pavilions at Rockaway Beach. and
from an altitude of 5000 feet dropped to the
ground by means OF parachute. Both the
balloon and the parachute which he used were
made by himself. The balloon was inflated
with hot air.
From the neck of the big bag was suspended
was suspended from the top of the balloon by
a slender cord. 1t was shaped like an umbrella,
with ropes representing the steel ribs and
hoop two feet in diameter, to which the ropes
were tied, for the aeronaut to hold to. When
he reached the desired height Hogan would
clutch the hoop tightly and leap from his seat
His weight would break the suspension cord
and at the same time turn the balloon over,
quickly discharging the hot air and causing the
bag to fall to the ground. Hogan made twenty
nine descents like this in 1888, and each time his
performance attracted big crowd.
On one occasion he fell into the ocean and
had a narrow escape from drowning, his life
being saved by an expert swimmer who hap
pened to be padding along the shore. Always
after that he wore a life preserver when he
made an ascension, and he often had use for it.
He thought it great fun to drop into Jamaica
bay and swim ashore.
To make the spectacle little more dramatic
Hogan had a man stationed at given height
to throw him the hoop of the parachute as the
balloon assembled. During an exhibition one
Saturday afternoon this little effect came near
producing tragic results. On that day Hogan
had been repairing the parachute and was
very tired. When he gave the signal to let 90
the balloon did not go up straight, and the
man who threw the parachute ring threw
wildly and the suspension string broke, leaving
tIbt parachute OIL tue ground duu hogan
in the air. The jerk on the top Of the balloon
nearly turned it over, and sent it tearing
through clump of trees. The spectators ex-
pected to see Hogan brushed off but he held
on bravely. and the balloon soon righting itself
he performed some gymnastic feats on the
take care of himself. The balloon had no
safety valve, and varying currents Of air car
ried Hogan here and there until at last the
balloon began to descend, from what cause
Hogan would never state, but it was surmised
that he cut small hole in the canvas, and,
by enlarging the aperture, regulated to some
extent the velocity Of the downward
journey. He fell from the balloon at height
of 100 feet, and landed in the mud ON the
meadow just back of the Arverne hotel. He
was carried 70 the hotel sorry-looking OBJ
ject, completely encased in mud. When he
recovered from the accident he wanted to
shoot the man who had blundered in handling
the parachute.
Another one of the stories about Hogan is
worth repeating. On July he gave an exhi-
bition at Auburn, which included o descent
from the balloon by means of parachute.
There was some hitch in the ropes, and the
parachute refused to open until he had fallen
nearly $500 feet. Then it slowly opened just
in time to prevent his falling on house.
top. Hogan toppled from the roof to a
picket fence, broke the fence down, and
received severe wound in the left thigh
from a sharp picket Although he was unable
to stand on his feet he crawled to where the
parachute lay, folded it together. sat down
and waited for somebody to turn up. His
friends carried him to the village and doctor
sewed up the wound In the afternoon he pro-
ceeded to Rochester. where he made another
ascension the next day.
Physically Hogan was a man of medium
height, with dark hair and brown eyes, He
weighed III pounds, though he looked much
lighter. he was good athlete.
consisted of a great oblong balloon, so feet
long and "a feet in diameter, and car fitted
with appliances for steering and propelling.
The balloons full capacity was $1,000 cubic
feet. 1t Was made of oiled silk, and was of a
yellowish color. The balloon was made fast
along a straight iron ban, which extended
underneath its whole length. The bar itself
did not touch the balloon save at the middle
point. The passenger car or boat was sus-
pended from the iron bar. The car was circular
in the middle with a seat extending around
in the interior capable Of holding four men.
The ship proper, or that part of the machine
| underneath the balloon. was really nothing
but big band of silk in frame running
parallel to the iron bar under the balloon
and acting as a keel. Sunk in the middle
| of this frame was the circular passenger box
Triangular pieces of silk, in frames. lay on the
central frame or keel, at right angles to it. the
| acute ends Of the triangular frame pointing
| to the sunken passenger box. These frames
| seemed to balance the ship. Below the car
| was a propeller somewhat like the paddle
| wheel of a steamer, which was worked by the
| feet, like the driving-wheel of a bicycle. This