The morning call., 1890-08-25
BATTLE WITH DEATH In THE AIR.

The FrightfuI Experience of n German
Arronaut on Recent Trip.
Tie German aerouaut Wolff recently had
most terrible experience during trip in
a balloon from the grounds of the Cologne
Exhibition of the Art OF War. In company
with Peter Schmitz and manufacturer
named Depenheuer he started in the balloon
Stollwerk at o'clock on cloudy afternoon.
The balloon flew one mile almost straight
upward into the thick OF storm. Wolf,
fearful of the strong winds and hail around
him. decided to make landing as soon as
possible.
There was nothing but woods and woods
under u.s." be said subsequently, THE bal
loon descended with violent rapidty. l
finally discovered little clearing on 4
steep mountain side ana prepared to an
Choir. The balloon descended more slowly,
and the people who had observed us hur-
RED together underneath TO help us land.
| drew the ventiator a little further
open and motiOned 10 SchmitZ to get
out. Depenheuer alighted, and all was
well, when suddenly a whlrlwind struck
us. A terrible jerk sends me on my back in
the car. / jump up to find all things swim
ming down, down below me. and two men
clinglng helplessly to the edge Of the car. |
catch the nearest one, peasant who tried
to assist in the landing. Too late! His
strength is gone; he lets 60, and hear
with horrible distnctness the mutf1ed thud
of his body on the ground.
MY heart sickens, but rally to save my
friend SchmitZ, who still sticks to the cars
side. Already the clouds are sinking be-
meath u.s. We are at least two miles above
the earth. | try to raise SchmitZ into the
car, but he has sunk so far down from the
edge that can hardly grasp his wrists, and
he is too weak TO make an effort for him
self. Both of us groan our despair, for all
seems over. Slowly and painfully L raise
him little, set my teeth in the back OF his
coat, and endeayor to bind him fast with
the storm-line. A few moments drag by IN
hope and despair, and finally succeed in
fastening the rope under his arms and in
tying him so to the car. There is no safety
in the device, however, for were Schmitz to
lose consciousness for an instant his body
would relax and he would slip away. L
call TO him. Spread out your arms! Spread
out your armsP l hear his body move in
| response 10 my admoniti0n, but his voice Is
| lost to me.
"All this has occupied twenty-five min
utes. and we have in the meantime been
slipping upward. Everything now depends
on our making quick landing draw open
the valve ana We begin falling. We plunge
into great storm. The balloon spins
around in circles, and sways about like a
drunken man. Rain, hail, thunder and
lightning sweeps over US. The balloon reels
so that must lie on my face to remain in
the car
" Peter. Peterv | call to my friend.
Hold fast! Only hold fastv
NO response, for he cannot hear me.
The agitation of the balloon has looserfed
the rope, and he has sagged back again
down the side OF the car so / can see only
his finger tips on the edge. l creep to the
side Of tue car, seize his right wrist with
my left hand, and with my right hand and
teeth tug at the valve.
i cannot hold out longer, comes In
weak voice from Schmitz. L am slipping
away
lone minute; only minute more /
cry back and we will be there
THE nearer we come to the ground, how
ever, the more violent becomes the oscilla-
ton OF the balloon. Finally we slip over g
house, a barn, and drop like shot to the
ground.
LET co. shout to SchmtZ, and jump
away from the anchor
He obeys, and the balloon, 1876 pounds
| lighter, scars upward. i pull at the valve
with all my strength till the anchor catches
| small tree, but the tree gives way and
with the rebound the car springs up to the
| balloon and for a moment hang ON almost
| by my teeth. The anchor catches again in
! a tree. Again jerk, a crack. rebound
| and i am tossed about like ball. Once
more the anchor catches. find myself lust
above the top of dense old cedar. Head
first | dive into the branches and fall from
bough to bough till | reach the ground
The anchor rattles near me. Another tree
breaks and the balloon sails of to the north
east
II had landed Fear Give. In an hour