Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1889-01-31
THE BALLOON euRsrED.


I'VE DAILOON buRSTED.
now 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
ne 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.
Inc silk was unusually large ana
correspondingly heavy, but it was not
ripped with one large rent, as would
have been the case had it caught on a
tree, but was found torn into several
instinct pieces. Besides this the burst
ingwas accompanied by loud report,
which was heard not only by those
near by who were watching the ball
loon, but by persons considerable dis
lance 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 ives,' and he replied, II have
made 494 ascents and don't feel very
much fear now"
The balloon was the Cosmo, one oil
largest ever made, holding 81, 900 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-too light an anchor
and too short 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 clear
was at last chosen and the grapnel let
out. 1t dragged through a field of
wheat and then caught in large tree.
In an instant the huge balloon pulled
up short, swung to the ground, and be-
gan to bump up and down, straining at
the end of its tether. Simmons pulled
desperately on the valve rope and
shouted to Field to help him. Meyers
held bag of ballast awaiting an order
to throw it out. Three times in scarce.
ly more than as many seconds the great
balloon bounded up and down strug-
Cling frantically like some immense
wild beast at the end Of long rope.
Each time it sprang sixty feet in the
air. As it rose the third time to that
height there came a sudden report, the
silk collapsed, and the car with the
three young men in it fell to the ground.
Men from the fields running up, found
it battered into shapeless wreck and
its three late inmates unconscious.
Simmons skull was fractured and he
had suffered other injuries. He died
In three hours without gaining con-
seriousness. Mr.. Field had simple
fracture of the right thigh and CON-
pound fracture OF the left leg, besides
innumerable bruises. Mr.. Meyers had
internal injuries, and was covered with
bruises and cuts.
Aeronauts can give no satisfactory
explanation of the bursting of the ball
loon. 1t was undoubtedly caused by
the sudden stoppage, but why the
strain of quantity OF gas should be-
come excessive on that account has not
been explained. 1t is said that there
is one similar case on record.
Simmons, during his life as bal
loonist, had made ascents in India,
Egypt and the United States, as well
as in all parts of Europe. and it is said
that no man in the world had had
more experience in aerial navigation
than he. In 1875 he assembled with De
Groof, the Belgian flying man, who
was to descend from a great height by
alelns OF d parachute. Something wen
wrong and the Belgian Was dashed tt
pieces. In 1882. with Colonel Brine, Of
the Royal Engineers, he started to
cross to France, but dropped into the
channel, aud after perilous time was
rescued by steamer. A few months
later Sir Claude de Grespigny. as
cending with him, was thrown out
and badly hurt. Simmons stuck to the
car, and after an exciting time made a
safe descent. The next year Sir Claude
and he succeeded in crossing the chan
mel, and he has repeated the feat since
~. y Sun,