The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-09-18

Some Thrilling Instances of Flying DowI
to Death.

Some Thrilling Instances OF Flying Down
to Death.
Il will 90 up in that balloon tonight II |
die for il. There has been fooling enough
about my part of this exposition pro-
eramme"
So spoke brave little Gertie Csrmo on the
Detroit Exposition grounds the other even
ing, when her friends urged that the weather
was very unfavorable. The wind was COM
ing and going in short and fittui gusts A
light rain was falling, and at O'Clock u was
already beginning to grow dark. but her
ascension had been put off from day TO day
on account of the weather. the spirit OF her
art was aroused. and 10 tnai circumstances
she said:
1T is no use talking. it will probably, be
the last ascension that ] will ever make
but am going up. You people are singing
the same song tonight. l tell you. az l.
told them. that nothing will prevent my
going up. See that the balloon IS IN shape
to do the fair thing by me, Curly"
This last 10 her assistant, who was inhst-
ing the globe with hot air. 10 is Impossible
not to admire such nerve. IL looks fool
hardy, but il is Just such spirits as Gertie
Carmo. who have made all the starting dis
coveries. Ii was the spirit OF Columbus
and Mungo Park. of Bernard Polissier and
Many fail, but when one succeeds the world
is enriched by his success.
The globe was soon inflated and 5000 peo-
pie looked on as Gertle Carmo took hold or
the trapeze and the swaying bulk was re-
leased and shot upward. The next instant
O strong air current struck and swept II
against the electric light tower. 1t swung
OF again.
The crowd held its breath.
. ~ faaf hal
hurled it directly upon the tower There
was crash as the electric light globe
smashed. The aeronsnt found herself for
moment tangled in an electric light burner.
When she succeeded in extricatng her
self she was hanging by her hands. She
hung there in mid-air second and then
loosened her hold and fell.
When they reached her she will still
breathing, but IN few seconds all was over.
The rest may be left to the imagination. She
WAS but twenty-five years old, native OF
Germany, and her true name was Margaret
Clausen The saddest feature OF the case Is
that her parents arrived at Detroit that
evening to visit her, whom they had not
seen for three years. They found only her
mangled corpse and weeping sister.
The spirit of aeronauts Is necessarily that
of extreme daring and the record of TRACE
dies among them is appalling. he singu-
lar fact is, however, that the earliest aero
nauts were most successful in landing,
and as late as 1870 historian OF the art as
serted that down TO that time only twenty
FIVE persons had lost their lives in balloon
accidents. Certainly twice that many have
since been killed.
The first balloon of which we have a cer-
tain record was sent up by Stephen and
Joseph Montgolfer. June s. 1888. They
used not air. Only five months later Pilatre
de Roller and the Marquis d Arlandes made
the first ascent, rising 5000 feet. The world
went wild over 1t, aud before the close OF
1884 nearly 100 ascents were made. The next
year Blanchard. the greatest balloonist OF
the age. with DR.. John Jefries. Of Boston,
crossed over the channel from England to
France and soon after occurred the first
accident. Pilatre de Rozer and Romano
Lame tried to cross the channel by a COM
bination of hydrogen gas and hot air. Their
"Montgolfer," as it was called, or heater TO
supply the hot air as fast as II was exhaust
cd. set the gas on fire. and they fell 5000
feet. striking on q rock on the French coast.
Blanchard died in 1909. and his wife, who
had often assembled with him, made many
daring ascents alone. At length, in 1919. she
attempted to go up from the Trivoli Garden
in Paris with fireworks exploding below the
car as she arose. The wind carried the fire
into the glob: it exploded and the brave
lady was dashed 10 pieces on bousetOp
Green, the eminent English aeronaut. made
400 ascents in thirty-slx years and fell into
the sea twice. Mr.. John Wise. the American
aeronaut, passed from st. Louis to Hender-
son. n. Y.-1150 miles-in little over
nineteen hours, or very nearly a mile per
minute. In 1904 Gay Lussao outdid all his
predecessors by rising $4,000 feet, and. a
little later, reached IS, 900 feet but. in 1862
Messrs. Glaisher and Coxweh. for the Royal
Society. outdid all before or after them by
rising 81 900 feet or seven miles above the
earth. Birds thrown out of the car fell like
stones. and must have gone down nearly SIX
miles before reaching a sustaining atmos-
phere.
In 1860 Mr.. Thurston was carried UP from
Adrian, Michigan. while holding TO the
ropes of balloon. and what was thought to
be his skeleton was afterward found in the
northern woods. Since the parachute de-
scent and the trapeze have been added the
accidents have been very numerous, yet the
number who will venture increases rapidly:
There is wild fascination. The case OF
Grimwood, the Chicago journalist. who was
lost with Professor Donaldson, IS still fresh
in the hubble memory. Pretty and daring
Gertie Carmo Is but the last of many OF tn o
brave and the rash who have found deaf h
in the air.