The Washington bee., 1892-12-24
OUT OF SIGHT.
EXCITING EXPERIENCE IN A BAL
LOON IN A THUNDERSTORM,

A Celebrated Aeronaut Gives O Vivid De-
seriptiOn Of PerIIOus Situation-A Re-
markabIy Narrow Escape From Being
Dashed TO Instant Death.
Of all imaginable balloon experiences,
the most terrific is to be found within
the limits of a thunderstorm, writes
Professor S. A. King in the st. Louis
Globe Democrat Like most others,
believed that balloon could easily rise
above such trifing thing as that; so
one day, when the good folks of Bur-
hngton, Iowa, turned out and kissed
their hands and huttered their handker-
chiefs as my balloon rose in the face of
fast approaching storm, was not at
all concerned as to the consequences.
The thunder growled and vivid
flashes of lightning showed plainly
enough what was coming. 1t soon be-
came apparent that the balloon was
bound to meet the storm halfway, and
yet it was rising so fast that it seemed
sure to go clear. But somehow the
higher clouds reached over and took
the balloon in out of sight. The clouds
flashed momentarily with crimson fire,
and the thunder's tones were booming
like the cannon's roar. The barometer
still showed increasing height, but I
began to feel uneasy, and kept looking
upward for a break in the clouds, until
at last it began to grow lighter, and I
thought that in a moment more the bal
loon would be soaring high above the
danger.
There was just then an ominous
stiffness in the air, followed by an ap-
palling explosion that streaked the
cloud with binding electric fire, and
snatched the balloon away at cannon
ball speed strange that it was not torn
to fragments. The air was rushing,
tossing and turning it about like leaf,
flirting the car from side to side so vio-
lently that there actually seemed to be
danger of its being thrown clear over
tts balloon, and [ hastily caught to a
hanging rope and tied myself in.
10 add to the misery of the situation
the gas had expanded at the very first to
overhOwing and continued pouring
down in volumes upon my head. I
held the valve open constantly, but it
seemed to have no effect, and for q
while sufocation appeared almost GER
tain.
From the moment of the first seizure
there was no respite; one explosion
followed another in rapid succession;
every moment the electric fluid was
darting hither and thither, while escape
from fire with such body of infiamma-
bic gas seemed impossible. All efforts
to escape proved fruitless, until a col |
lapse of the cloud occurred Immediately
overhead, when the torrent of rain car
ned the balloon down with it. From
the scene Of commotion to the earth
was a distance of two miles, through
which the balloon swiftly descended.
The storm still ragged above, but the
81 eaesvafg tie cfoud ia WHITE hxzs
al above me was the only apparent
during the descent. 1t was
q restful lull after the frightful con-
fusion, but I knew there was more to
come.
A raging tempest is not the gentlest
conductor to safe harbor, and as the
clouds opened sight met my eye that
was not at all consoling. I was pitch
ing pell-mell into a forest that was
wildly in the storm of wind
and rain. There was no halting nor
Indecision about the matter. Right
down into the woods the car went, and
through the tops of half dozen trees;
Ehen the collapsing cord had done its
work. The netting caught in the
branches and the car fell by easy jerks
TO within foot of the ground. Step
ping out on terra firma, 1 caught a
piece Of torn balloon that came floating
DOWN, and drawing it over my head, sat
upon q stump to wait till the rain was
over. There was little left of the balloon,
out the man was just as good as ever.