Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1891-08-06
The famous balloonist Js


of Providence, has been engaged with his
monster balloon, at great expense, to
make ascensions, and the following
from the Newburyport, Mass. Morning
Herald Of July, 1891, tells OF an interest
ing event to occur at that time. The
Herald says:
Prof. James Allen and son have en-
gagements to make balloon ascensions
from Chicago, at the New England Fair
to be held at Worcester, and the Eastern
State Fair at Bangor, Me. A wedding in
the skies will probably take place at the
latter city.
OF Prof. Allen and his balloon life, the
St. Johnsbury, Republican has this to
say:
"Today is my kfty- sixth birthday"
says the veteran aeronsut James K. Allen,
OF Providence, X. l., yesterday, just be-
fore his balloon went up, "and this is my
three hundred and fifteenth ascension.
All our family are aeronauts-there are
five Of us-and all together we have made
more than seven hundred ascensions."
"When did you make your first ascen-
sion?" queried the reporter.
sin 1855, in Providence. From child
hood ballooning had been q hobby with
me and have made theoretical study
OF 1t for many years. My principal rea-
| son for adopting 1t as a business, how
| ever, was that my lungs were weak and
believed it would be a good thing for
them-and so it has proved. 1t effected
a complete cure"
add you ever meet with an accident
| in your ballooning?"
"Neyer but once. That was three years
ago, in Haverhill. There was q heavy
! gale and as my balloon bounded from the
earth it was dashed against the side OF a
house with such force as to break my
| collar bone and a couple OF my ribs
That was the only accident / ever suffered
in all my ballooning. / may add that
| my experience includes three years in the
/ Union army in the war for the Union
aud after the close of the war, three
| in the Brazilian army, as balloonist."
| Mr.. Allen is n well preserved man and
his physical condition goes to show that
ballooning is a healthful occupation. He
! Is spare and as straight as an arrow, his
only noticeable popularity being ire
| mendously big moustache as white IS
snow. He Is an exceedingly pleasant
man TO meet and has an ine1haustible
store Of entertaining stories connected
with baliooning.
| The balloon Is a beauty, like all bal
! looms. II is bran new and its manutsc-
ture calls for 426 yards OF the best cotton
cloth. Think of a sack requiring a25
yards of cloth II required $4,000 cubic
I feet Of gas to initiate 1t and to make the
gas called for 1900 pounds each OF sui
phuric acid and iron filings. The great
! diameter OF the gas bag is 81 feet and
from the bottom of the basket 10 the
top OF the balloon is about rs feet. With
coal gas, Mr.. Alien says ths balloon will
carry only one man besides the aeronaut;
but with hydrogen gas 1t Will carry with
good weather. four persons, The anchor
weighed just 30 pounds and attached 10
this piece OF metal was a rope 1870 feet
, long. Besides the balloon carries 500
feet Of spare drag ropes, for people to
catch mold OF when the balloon nears The
earth. The basket is a fragile looking
affair, measuring only about two and a
half by three feet; and comparatively
few people would like TO risk themselves
in it between earth and heaven. Mr.
Allen says, however, that in all his ox-
perience he never knew one OF his pas
engers to be frig htened. As the balloon
bounds up to tie sky there il apt TO he
gasp and a catching OF breath. just as
" A'AAA S.sN tN&>No 81 saAiASN 4AsAc Nhs+ N1SH4 ;
but after that there is nothing but in
tense pleasure at tho magnificent view
and the triumph over the elements.
The trapere performer accompanying
Mr.. Allen was Edwin Barnet, who, like
the aeronaut, halls from Providence. He
is a young, athlete man, but is compare
lively beginner as balloonist, this be-
ing only his fourth ascension.
al have prac,i.ed the trspeze from early
boyhood," said Mr.. Barnet to the re-
reporter, "and have always been thor
oughly in love with the business. Dan
ger? No more danger doing the trap-ze
with balloon nan anyw here else. Then,
again, l am something OF a fataiist. II n
man is born to be killed by trapsze ac-
cident, why, he can't evade his destiny
What is to happen will happen, and some
men are born 10 hung and others to be
drowned, and 30 on"
"But did you not feel trife shaky
when you made your first asccnsion?"
Not bit OF IL. You know when the
balloon bounds up into the air 1t seems
10 person in it just as though the bal
loon were stationary and the earth had
suddenly dropped down. Then the
grandeur of the scenery and the sense Of
flying through the air absorb all your
thoughts, and there Is no sensation Of
danger"
The ascension was set for 3 O'Clock but
1t was just four when the balloon started
on its voyage to the moon. In the mean
time the immense crowG-and il was so
big that it we'll deserves the term Immense
-oreathed hydrogen gas with great ap-
parent satisfaction, and guessed which
man was the ascensionist. Some OF the
| guesses were trifle Wild, as a lot OF the
visitors got it into their heads that the
efficient Secretary OF the Agricultural So
ciety was the trapeze performer, which
was great misconcoption.
At O'Clock everything was in readi-
ness, Mr.. Alisn gave the word, and slow
ly and grsndly the balloon swept into the
air, furnishing spectacle truly magnifl-
cent. 1t rose in a nearly straight line for
short dhtance and then, still rising,
was swept gently In a southwesterIy di-
rection and finally disappeared in the
west. As the big air-ship went up, Mr.
Amen stood lesntng over the edge OF the
basket with highly unconcerned air and
Mr.. Barnet grasped his trapeze and pro
ceeded to perform all sorts OF athletic
feats from the giddy perch. 1t was
enough TO make spectators blood run
cold. Most people wouldn't 60 up in a
balloon for a warrantee deed of the whole
OF Caledonia county, much less go up
hanging to trapeze.
Gradually the balloon dwindled in size
finally 1t appeared about the size OF an
orange and disappeared-p passing below
the horizon in just half an hour from the
start.
Each year, when he has been at Bar
Ha1bor Hon. James G. Blaine has been a
spectator to the Eastern Maine State Fair