Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-11-28
The FIELD OF ADV ENTURE,
THRILLING INCIDENTS AND OAR.
ING DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA.
Jerked Skyward by q Balloon-A
Gold Seekers Experience In the
Desert-Saved by His Dog.

Gold Seekers Experience In the
Desert-Saved by His Dog.
VXs71LL WHITFIELD brick
\N/ layer of Rome, Ga, is a
v v record breaker when it
comes to amateur balloon
ing. He has made one OF the most
thrilling and perlious trips skyward
ever made by mortal man.
II was bright and cloudless after
noon, says the Atlanta Constitution,
when Professor McSheen's balloon as
cension and parachute leap were to
come off and the affair had been so ex-
tensively advertised that a vast crowd
had assembled in Birmingham to wit
ness the great event.
Young Whitfield. rather awkward
and boyish, was among the sightsers
and helped to adjust and steady the
ropes that mined the airship to the
earth. He is about twenty-five years
of age and is over six feet high, tall
and gaunt, with a fair share of wit IN
his makeup.
When the balloon was sufficiently
inflated and the gearing of the para.
chute properly arranged, the order
came to let go, and as it shot upward
wild cry of horror went out from the
spectators. Strong men groaned and
women tainted. Dangling by three
eighths.inch rope attached to the bal.
loon was the diminishing form Of
Whitfield. whirliug around as the bal
loon swayed, head downward, hanging
by one foot between the balloon and
the appended parachute.
81 must have been standing with my
right foot in moose in the end of the
rope" said Whitfield, in speaking of
the experience. sat any rate, as the
balloon shot up the loop caught
around my ankle, and so quickly was
it done that was jerked clear OF the
ground and strsight up without my
head striking as I tripped. The bal.
loon must have shot directly upward,
as we were carried safely between tne
wires of network Of telegraph poles
without touching them.
( 81 must have been thousand feet
( from the earth when I recovered con-
sciousness. You see, the sudden jerk
took my breath away and the ascent
was so rapid that was high in air be.
fore I reahzed what had happened. I
could hear voice that seemed lndis'
tinct and far away, and it took me
some time to locate the speaker.
'From my position I could catch
! plimpses of the houses and fields away
down below me, and it made me
deathly sick as took in the situation.
My body was twirling around and
around, and the air rushed past me
like q hurricane, while the pain in my
ankle was agoni7ing. At last I oh
served the parachute aboot ten fee
! l,al>- mao and ,aoosni9ad tho vnioa al
that of Professor McSheen, in the par
achute.
"Gradually I overcame the con
fused feeling sufficiently to compre
bend what he was saying to me. HI
motioned to q rope that hung dowr
from the balloon within my reach, ..ant
at last reached out my hand ant
grasped it. He told me to climb III
and get in the nest of ropes tina
formed a network below the car and t.
fix myself firmly there. where I woult
be perfectly safe.
"Then and there began vhe toughes
task of my life. Professor McSheeI
kept telling me over and over, with
out betraying the least excitement II
voice or gesture, how to manage ant
his manner encouraged me. Slowl.
and painfully I pulled myself up
straining with all my might to get my
head above my heels, and, after wha
seemed to me hours and hours, I sue
ceeded. Then with the small gras
cord cutting into the flesh of m.
hands and feeling like it was red no
rod OF iron, 1 began to pull myself NJ
little by little, as I had no purchase
until I reached the point where tn
ropes crossed.
'It required all my strength to ge
my feet astraddle of the crossed rope
and I was ready to faint with ex
haustion when relaxed my hold on tn
rope and rested my weight in the net
work just under the Car. I did no
know how high we we're at the time
but Professor McSheen told me after
wards that we we're at least 5000 fee
above the earth.
"About the time got myself firml,
fixed in my airy seat I heard him call
ing me again. He was telling me tina
he was going to cut loose the para
chute and for me not to grow alarme
and lose my grip on the ropes. In
few minutes the balloon suddenly sho
upward at fearful rate, and lookin
| down I saw the parachute sailing o.
and decending like q big bird.
ciutched the ropes still more firml
and soon realized that the balloon wa
: drawing near the earth.
professor McSheen had found tha
. our combined weight was too muc
D for the balloon and that we were i
danger of being dragged to death, q
he had parted company with me an
7 reached the ground in safety. Lowe
8 and lower the balloon drifted until
reached the outskirts of the town
, when the trailing ropes were Oaugh
: by the people below and it was brougt
Q to standstill.
9 "You never heard such cheer
B all your life as those people set up &
i touched the ground. Men and w
9 men laughed and cried and hugge
|. me as though had been their nearel
Q and dearest relative. They helped m
n untangle myself and carried me III
Q town on their shoulders. was new
}. made 80 much Of in my life before nt
since.
"But lived about hundred yea
on that trip and all the money in Il
:. world would not tempt me to repe
= it. hardly see now, when I thir
!, about it, how ever managed to g
!. cape alive. I thought OF all that I hi
= ever done or had ever intended to
: 's while was hanging head downwal
n by that little rope that was burniI
!. into my Aesh and which has left