The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-01-18
A THRILLING EXPERIENCE.
An Aeronsut Up In q Balloon During a
Thunderstorm.

Thunderstorm
''Of all Imaginable balloon expert
ences the most terrific is to be found
/ within the limits of a violent thunder
storm Like most others, / believed
that a balloon could easily rise above
such a terrific thing as that, so one
day, when the good folk Of Burlington.
Ia, turned out and kissed their hands
and fiuttered their handkerehiefs as nv
balloon rose in the face Of 4 fast-ap-
preaching storm, was not It ali con-
cerned as 10 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 half way. and
yet II was rising so fast that il seemed
sure to go clear. But somehow the
higher clouds reached over and took the
balloon in out of sight The clouds
flashed Ulonentarily with crimson fire
and the thunder's tones were boom
ing like the lannon's roar. The barom-
eter still showed increasing height, bat
/ began TO feel uneasy and kept look
ing upward for break in the clouds,
until at last it began to grow lighter,
and thought that in moment more
the balloon would be soaring high
above the danger. There was Just then
an oninous stiffness in the air. followed
by an appalling explosion that streaked
the clouds with binding electric FIRE
and snatched the balloon away at can
non-ball speed-strange that it was not
torn to fragments. The air was rush
ing, tossing and turning it about like a
leaf; flirting the car from side 10 side
so violently that there actually seemed
to be danger of its being thrown clear
over the balloon, and | hastily
caught 10 a hanging rope and tied
myself in. To add to the misery of
the situation the gas had expanded at
the very first TO overlooking and con-
tinued pouring down in volumes on my
head | held the valve open constantly,
but 1t seemed to have no effect, and for
while sutfocation appeared almost GER
tain From the moment of the first
seizure there was no respite; one explO-
sion followed another in quick success
sion: every moment the electric fluid was
darling hither and thither, while escape
from fire with such body OF inflam-
mable gas seemed impossible. All effort
to escape seemed fruitless, until a coll
lapse of the cloud occurred immediately
overhead, when the torrent of rain car
ried the balloon down with il. From
the scene of commotion 10 the earth
was distance of two miles, through
which the balloon swiftly descended
The storm still ragged above, but he rain
cleavirg the cloud in white lines all
above me was the only apparent move
ment during the descent 1t was
restful lull after the frightful confu-
sion, but ! knew there was more 10
come A raging tempest is not the
gentlest conductor TO a safe harbor,
and as the clouds opened a sight met
my eye that was not at all consoling
l was pitching pell-mell into forest
that was thrashing wildly in the storm
of wind and rain. There was no halt
ing or indecision about the matter
Right down into the woods the car
went, and through the tops of half n
dozen trees; then the collapsing cord
had done its work. The netting caught
in the branches and the car fell by easy
jerks to within a foot of the ground
Stepping ont on terra frma, / caught a
piece of torn balloon that came floating
down, and, drawing it over my head,
sat down upon stump TO wait until
the rain was over. There was little left
of the balloon, but the man was just as
good as ever.-Prof S. A. King, in ST.
Louis Globe Democrat