The Newtown bee., 1891-10-30
Up Among the Clouds.

Frederick Z. Marble, who has been
among the clouds before, recently made
a balloon ascent from Lowell as repre-
sentative of the Lowell Times in the lar
gest balloon ever used in New England.
1t stood l25 feet in air and held $4,000
feet of gas.
Mr. Marble gave this description of the
makeup of Il balloon:
The cloth used is special kind of cot
ton cloth very closely woven and oiled.
This gives the yellow and silk-like APP
pearance to the balloon. The strips are
cut the height of the balloon, pointed and
narrow at tire ends to conform to the
rounding shape. At the top of the bal
loon is set frame, with a trap or valve
about foot in diameter opening down
into the balloon and held in place by the
pressure of springs; TO this is attached
the valve cord, which hangs down
through the center of the balloon inside
and bangles out of the opening at the
bottom. A pull at this pulls down and
opens the valve and lets the gas escape
gradually. But for prompt work in an
emergency, the aeronaut has another re-
source, his "trip cord.'' TO the top of one
of the strips is fastened firmly inside a
stout cord, which also hangs down
through the balloon. A smart pull at
this rips out the seam in the cloth and
continuing to pull tears a strip down the
full length of the balloon, leaving an
opening the full height of the balloon,
through which the gas escapes very rap
idly. But even the use of this does not
mean that the balloon plunges straight
minutes in escaping and the air also
rushes in and gives some resistance, so
that the balloon takes diagonal course
toward the ground.
Mr. Marbles account of how he lit in a
wire fence is thrilling: II think l shall
have to let out the gas, boys" sang out
the professor from his perch in the crows
nest. "All right we shouted back,
sslet her rip;' and rip she did He grab
bed the rope, gave vigorous pull, there
was a tearing sound, and the next min
ute he came sliding down among us.
Everybody grabbed rope or the side of
the basket and crouched down; there
was Il breathless moment when we slid
down diagonally toward the earth, or
rather it rushed up toward US, and then
we struck with crash that seemed to
loosen the filling in my teeth, and L
thought had driven my spine up through
my skull. What followed then it is hard
to describe exactly. The partly inflated
balloon rushed on, dragging us along the
earth, the basket turned over on its side.
Prof Allen was dragged on his face, still
holding tight to the ropes, while, as we
ed as buffer and cushion for me; on
the other corner of the basket, Mr. Fahey
did the same kindly office for Mr. Puffer
and, as near as could locate him, the
light and active representative of the
News was part Of the time on my back
in company with one or two sand bags
and the lunch box, but, as the professor,
who was the under man, said nothing,
did not feel that with propriety | could
object.
| don't think that any of us know just
how far we travelled In this way, but we
were being dragged and tumbled along
when some one cried, ssLook out for the
wire fence.' For one minute it looked as
if we were to be pulled across the mass
of Jagged wires. Then the netting of the
balloon caught on the stout cedar posts
of the fence and held. The professor
cried out, ssLook! look! she is dying II
and. with another plunge or two and
beating about almost like dying animal.
the balloon sank down and lay still.
Then very gingerly we crawled out one
at time. Puffer, Sternberg and myself
fret got out and then we disinterred the
professor and MI Fahey, who were at the
J bottom Of the heap and buried under a
miscellaneous collection Of sand bags,
brush and cordage. A hasty inventory
showed no worse damage than some
bruises and slight wrench Of Mr. Fa-
hey's ankle.