The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-07-24
MANY PEOPLE AT THE ROCK
SUCCESSFUL BALLOON ASCENSION
BY JEWELL.

men.
The merchants Of Savin Rock enjoy
ed one Of the liveliest days of the season
yesterday. The crowd went down by
hundreds in the afternoon, all the cars
on the Winchester Avenue Railroad
company's line being crowded with hun
dreds of people. 1t is hard to determine
just what particular attraction drew
the most people. savin Rock always
has enough to attract the pleasure-lov-
ing, but yesterday there was consider
able besides the wonted supply of
amusement to be found at the Rock.
Jewell, the well known aeronaut, prob
ably brought more people to the shore
than any one else there, although there
were numerous candidates for the dimes
and nfckels of the unwary. Jewell has
already given successful ascensions at
the Rock and he has the reputation of
not being a fake" So between 1900
and 5000 people gathered yesterdays at
ternoon to see him make the ascension.
The balloon was placed in an open lot
just across the railroad tracks from the
grove. The balloon was here filed with
the heated air and shortly after 4:S0
O'clock, the advertised time, was ready
for its flight. The ropes which held the
monster piece of canvas down were
withdrawn and the balloon bounded up
into the air as much as one hundred feet
before the spectators were hardly aware
that Jewell had started on his hazard
Gus trip. But there he was, away up in
the air, hanging on to the trapeze sus-
pended from the parachute, which was
in turn suspended from the balloon.
There was a slight breeze blowing out
across the sound and it took the balloon
out over the water. He must have as
cended to the height of nearly one
thousand feet before he detached the
parachute from the balloon and began
his rapid descent. He seemed to fall for
200 or $50 feet Like a shot, after which
the parachute began to have more effect
on the rate at which he was falling and
he came down easier. Meanwhile the
crowd below, who were watching him,
had all made a desperate break from
the open lot across the tracks, where
the start was made, for the shore. II
seemed likely that he would come down
in shadows off Skeeles' pavilion, and
the people rushed out on the pier,
crowding 1t to Its utmost capacity. And
they had judged about right, for he
struck the water 200 or 300 feet out from
the end OF the pier. When he had
come down to within "a few feet of the
surface of the water he began to rock
tlo ,1,1 ia cir Tn Si
he would not strike under it. He struck
on his back in water about up to his
hips, as the tide was low. Gathering
up the parachute he came to the pier,
where he was met by an admiring
crowd, who applauded him heartily.
The balloon came down few hundred
feet from the place where the aeronaut
had struck and was picked up by sail
boat.
But this aerial performance had only
taken up a very small part of the af-
ternoon. The crowd had been there be-
fore the balloon had amused them, and
they stayed after they had been so
amused The region within few rods
Of the grove and Curnen's pavilion SEEM
ed to contain all the amusement that
even larger crowds than that of yester-
day required One of those things that
seemed to make good many happier
was a colored individual who stood up
on platform picking banjo and hol-
lering at the top of his voice. After he
had finished this strange act short,
red-faced man with a Mexican sombrero
a nd buckskin clothes, who sat on stool
below the colored individual, announced
that he had the most wonderful show
within that the benighted people OF New
Haven had ever yet Had opportunity to
witness. 1t seemed to be his idea that
the people whom he addressed were be-
nighted because they had not seen his
show. What was within is still mys-
terry to many, but it must have been
pretty good, for the man, who looked as
though he had just come from the stak-
cd plains of Texas, announced that II
people were not pleased with his show
he would refund their money to them.
Rut the barker for the Noah's Ark
show went his Texas friend one better.
He said that If the people were not
satisfied with his show he would give
81 900 to a charitable institution. And
vet all who saw it seemed pleased. Be
side this show the Texas mans show
paled into insignificance-at least It
did on the outside. Instead of one lit
tie tent with a banjo, colored individ-
ual. a. Texas cowboy and two or three
famed colored circus pictures of Won
ders within. there was enc large tent,sev-
eral cages of animals, front and en-
trance gorgeous beyond compare, an or
ehestrion, a man with trombone,
man with a drum and a pair of Gym
balls, a barker and a pretty light-haired
lady who sold tickets. After the bal
loon ascension this show was certainly
a winner The man who was out in
front endeavorlng to persuade people
to come in and see things they had
never seen before was certainly an
orator of marked ability. He never
appeared to be at any loss for words,
and he eafd some surprising things.
For instance, he invited the people to
come in and take "a logical prone
made" And then he opened the doors
little and let the people look in and
see where they could take such a
promenade as he described and also
that the things were in there from
which they could get their moneys
worth. After this the diminutive or
chestrion, the trombone, the drum and
the cymbals played piece, which the
Snowman announced was the last Sc
lection before the performance would
begin. But while everybody was ex-