St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-09-16
WEDDING IN A BALLOON.
A Manchester Couple Make Trip to
the Clouds.
A SUCCESSFUL BRIDAL TOUR.
A Crowd of 10000 People Witness the
Novel Ceremony at the State
Fair Grounds.

/ VI POOPiO ONCl tO7ObiOl Wlbhih
an inclOsed space in the state of New
Hampshire. Miss Addie Brooks and
James f. Boyd were united in marriage
this afternoon. The nuptial knot was
tied with the couple standing within a
Car trimmed with blue and old gold
plush, attached to mammoth balloon,
chriStened "City of Manchester" I'm
mediately after the completion of the
marriage ceremony Mr.. and Mrs. Boyd
began their married life, star from the
madding crowd" by a voyage among
| the clouds.
The Manchester driving park was the
scene of this most unique wedding, and
! the affair formed the great event of the
| New Hampshire state fair for 1889.
| When the hour announced for the mar
riage and subsequent ascension in the
balloon arrived, the crowds within the
| grounds numbered at least $4,000. A
| platform in the center of the race track,
| upon which the ceremony was to be
| performed, was surrounded by dense
mass OF humanity packed as closely as
| sardineS in a box. Through this crowd,
| shortly before 3 o'clock, barouche
vainly sought to make its way. make
way for the bride couple" was passed
| along the line. But it was impossible
to make way for anything in that
| dense mass. and only the brawny arms
| of six stalwart policemen could make
| the slightest impression on the crowd.
| By dint or infinite exertion the carriage
| was brought to the stand, and the bridal
| party stepped upon the platform. The
bride was attired in a stylish travelling
costume of drab, and carried a large
| bouquet of fragrant flowers. She is
| slightly below the medium height, with
| pleasing figure, light hair, blue eyes
| and fair complexion. She was born in
New Boston in 1908, and is, consequent
| ly, twenty-one years of age. Her ia
! ther and mother are both living, the
| former, David M. Brooks, being the
| village blacksmith of Bedford.
Miss Addie came to this city
when ten years old, and has been en-
| ployed in the mills for a number of
years. She was attended by her sister.
| Miss Ida Brooks, as bridemaid. The
groom. James F. Boyd, wore black
cutaway coat and vest and light
trousers. He was born in Manchester,
Eng, twenty-six years ago, but came to
this country when a child. settling in
Lowell, Mass. where his mother now
resides. He came to this city two years
ago. and is employed in the weaving de-
partment of the Amoskeag mills. He
is an intelligent-appearing young
| man Of medium height. with au-
burn hair, and recently prepared
himself for an aerial trip by
becoming member Of Court Merrimac
| 6462, A. 0. F., of Lowell. Arthur Muir
ply, of Lowell, oficiated as his best
man. With never tremor, but with
smile on her pleasant features, the
bride tripped gayly to the white velvet
lined basket, attached by its myriads of
ropes to the great Swaying mass above.
She was assisted within the car, and
the groom followed her. The bridesmaid
and best man ranged themselves on
either side of the basket. Hon. Hiram
D. Upton, speaker of the New Hamp-
shire house of representatives, then
performed the ceremony, using the
brief legal formula.
Speaker Upton at the close of the
ceremony said: "You are now to en-
bark on a somewhat novel journey.
You will rise toward the blue vault of
heaven, and, as you look back you will
behold the things of earth dwarfed, its
people shortened to pigmies, its trees
stunted, its rivers shrnnken to brooks,
its towns only SpeckS upon the land
scape. Perhaps, rising higher still, the
whole view may be dissolved in distance
or ObScured by some wandering cloud.
In the new relation you are now asSum-
ing, may you rise above and leave for
ever behind you the jealousy and the
SelfiShneSs of human nature, and may
the calm peace of the upper air, above
winds and storms, be not more serene,
nor the sunlight of the heaven above
the clouds not more bright, than the
happiness of your future lives"
Hon. Herbert f. Norris, who, with
the aerOnaut, Prof. j. K. Allen, CON-
prised the only other passengers on the
City of Manchester, stepped into the
car, and the word was given to let go
the drag rope at precisely 8 O'Clock.
The huge balloon had been so evenly
balanced that in the light air moving it
rose very slowly at first, amid the wav-
ing of thousands of handkerchiefs and
shouts from myriads of upturned faces.
A small amount of sand was thrown
out, and the great air ship moved up
ward with increasing speed, but ma
jestically, until the soft breeze had
waited it over the southern section of
the city, and was in view for a long
time.
The presents received by the bridal
pair were many, and comprised gifts
from nearly every business firm in
town. The New Hampshire Agricult-
ural society presented an outfit valued
at S20O, ana THIS was largely supple
mented by other remembrances. In
conversation with a Herald reporter
Miss Brooks said the presents did not
form any inducement to her to be mar
ried in so public manner, but she had
long desired to make balloon aScen-
sion, and so gladly welcomed
this opportunity. Prof. Allen
said that this was the third
couple only who had ever made their
bridal tour in balloon, the first event
of the kind occurring at Dayton, o., in
1876, and the second at Providence, r.
l., in 1888, when So, 900 people witnessed
the ascension. The balloon is new
one, of extra large size, capable of car
lying 700 pounds weight besides the
passengers. 1t is eighty-six feet from
tip to tip, and contained As, 900 cubic feet
of gas.
The balloon came down about 5
O'clock, landing easily and smoothly in
the front yard of Gilman flumer, in
Goffstown. The bridal couple alighted,
ex-Postmaster Stevens took their place,
and the balloon made another ascent,
landing about dark in Goffstown west