Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1892-09-16
DANGERS OF BALOONING.
ABSURD PROJECTS THAT HAD
FATAL RESULTS.
Tho Feelings of Aeronauts at Dizzy
ucights-Onc Would not Raise u
Finger to Prevent Death-Re-
narkable Escape.

Cooking had made two ascensions in
Green's balloon as an amateur. He
desired to try something new. and es-
peclally descent in IL parachute of
MS own invention. for which he
claimed many improvements. His pro-
]ect was more than absurd. Instead
OF usirg parachute with concave
surface resting upon a column of air
and driving it back. he suspended
himself from an inverted cone. Il sort
OF aerial screw or auger which. in
place OF retardipg the descent of a
heavy body must hasten it's fall and
mat Is precisely what happened, and
unfortunately Green participated in
the experiment At a public ascen-
sion made at London. Septem Der 81.
1886 he suspended below his car the
apparatus. to which Cooking hung by
wire. then at IA height of more than
J. 900 feet. the aeronaut separated
himself from his companion. In less
than IL minute the unfortunate man
fell to the ca tn and was dashed to
pieces.
The register of death from balloon
Ing tells OF the aeronant Comaschi,
who in 1915. assembled from Con-
stantinople before the gaze of a
cheering crowd and disappeared for
ever. In the same way Ledet left st.
Petersburg in a balloon in 1347 and
was never seen again. en- the Sth of
| September 1850. Gale rose from
| Bordeaux with a horse for ballast,
descended at Ccstas at o'clock in
| the evening. The horse was removed
by peasants. and the balloon arose
with incredible rapidity. The aero
nant was found in Gascony the next
| morning suifocated by hydrogen gas
Tho same year Arban made his last
ascension in Spain He was carried
away by severe wind. and fell among
the SHOWS of the Pyrenees or into the
| sea; and was never seen again.
On April -. 1875 Croce. Spinelli
| and Sivel were killed in the catastro.
pho of the Zenith says the New York
sun. At II 80 in the morning the
nerostat rose majestically from the gas
factory Of | II Nilette. carrying with
1t the thrco aeronauts Croce- Spinelli,
Sivel and Castor Tissandier. At l:30
the balloon had reached height of
s. 900 yards but its passengers had
tainted in the car. At height of
1000 yards they were overcome by n
feeling of torpor previously felt at a
much greater height by M. Glaisher
in his ascension. They bad not
dreaded tho experience being con-
vlnceo that tho inhalation of oxy-
gen would be sufficient to prevent the
unpleasant feelings observed in
former ascensions
But at such great attitudes the pulse
Foon quickens. and gradually and in
, sensibly body and mind grow weak.
| One becomes absolutely Indifferent.
and before losing consciousness would
not raise a finger to prevent death.
'One does not suffer at ALL wrote
The survivor OF the catastrophe. .On
he contrary. it seems as though tho
| surrounding rays of light fill you with
Joy. You rise. and are glad to rise.
Dizzy heights is not an unmeaning en-
preston. After being in swoon for
half an hour NJ Tissandier awoke and
saw his friends in faint on the floor
oil the car. Tho balloon was descend
ing rapidly. and the wind was strong.
He had not strength to throw out bal
last and dropped asleep again. In a
few minutes he felt some one shake
his arm. and recognized Croce- Spinel-
H. who had come TO life and was tell
ing him TO throw out ballast as thoy
were falling. But he could scarcely
open his eyes, and all he could re-
member afterward was that he saw
his companion throw out the instru-
ments and everything he could find.
1t is probable that the balloon
mo anted again. for three C uartcrs OF
an hour later NJ. Tissandier woke
again and found the balloon falling
with frightful speed The car was
swinging to and fro describing
long oscillations; his companions were
crouchcd Mt the bottom of the car.
Sivers face was black. his eyes
CLASSY his mouth open and full of
blood: Croce's eyes were half closed
and his mouth was bloody. Both
men were dead When they reached
the ground the shock was violent and
the balloon seemed 10 hatten. Tho
wind was rapid and the car was
dragged over two feds while the
bodies of the two unfortunate men
were tossed about and every moment
were on the point of being,thrown
from the car. Finally the aeronaut
was able to seize the cord that opens
The valve. The balloon struck against
a tree and stopped near the Commune
of Ciron. in the department OF Indre.
At Maus IN ,u,y T. 1880 the
acronaut Petit trusted himself in com.
rany with his wife to tho uncertainty
of an Old torn balloon. To this i'm
prudence he added that of placing his
young son in n small balloon above
his own. holding it captive ly cord.
The two balloons rose at the same
tlme but the lower one had no ascend
ing force an the aeronant after
throwing out all his ballast. could not
mount rapidly. At this crisis Petit
let so the cord, calling TO his son.