The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1896-10-14

- Long Piece OF Rope and q Neat Calcu-
latiOn Preserved the Life of Professor
Hi wind-Bnt For This the Reporter
Couldn't Tell This Interesting Yarn.
Wind was his name.
Hiram Wind, but he told The Sun
reporter that they called him Hi for
short.
For long time" said he. with a
half knavish smile, 81 didn't like the
abbreviation. but when 1 was 20 and
took to ballooning as business it kind
of sorter seemed as if Providence meant
that 1 should have had that name and
no other. Professor Hi Wind" he add
ed with pride, SIS a name that is bound
to soar through the loftiest realms of
space. +"
Ibid you never have an accident?"
inquired the reporter.
Several, but they have never been
the fault of the Wind.
The professor began to show signs of
succumbing to the pump.
''Of course" he admitted hesitat-
ingly, "a man can't walk the earth ev-
cry day without humping up against
something out of the ordinary occasion
ally, and the air is no exception. I've
had experiences that you might call
narrow escapes-that is you might, and
then again you mightn't. 1t would de-
pend on how you looked at things. Some
call 'em narrow and some don't. /
don't myself. !"
1t was plain that the professor under
stood that good thing was good
thing when he saw it.
Suppose you narrate one for my
sake" suggested the reporter, land let
me add my testimony to that of your
other admirers.
Thanks l don't care if do, :" said
the professor, and there was that in the
tone which recalled the reporter to
mans highest duty to his fellow man.
After which, sitting at small table,
the professor continued: 81 was out in
Indiana about four years ago. Indiana
is great state in the season, and had
made an ascent for the benefit of a Sun
day school picnic to kind Of offset going
up ON tho Sunday before for a lager beer
sociable function. Mighty particular
pious these Sunday school people are,
and everything was lovely. My balloon
was gas balloon, and she fairly kicked
up her heels while had her tethered,
and when she got away she seemed like
she was heading right for infinity and
was going the limit or bust ham
string.
~ guess she must have gone up II
mile and q half or two miles when
felt something give way, and in min
ute or two she began to go back the
other way-net fast, you understand,
but slow and sure, and in way to
make you feel mighty uncomfortable. /
couldn't tell what the matter was, and
after letting her drop to within about
half mile of bottom tossed cut lit
tie of my ballast. was short on para
chutes that day, too, as mine was out
of whack. And being careless, thought
I'D take my chances. About this time l
began to wish / hadn't, but / didn't say
q word for obvious reasons. When let
the ballast out, the balloon responded
only little, and the way she did it
convinced mo that something serious
was the matter BY this time l had to
throw out some more ballast. and it
wasn't q minute till there wasn't any
thing left in the basket besides myself
and about 1000 feet of rope with a
grapple ON the end of it. s"
1.-THE balloon had begun to sink
again. and rapidly. And you may guess
that this was time for man to do
some pretty active thinking if he ex-
pected any good results from it. and
you may be assured was calculating.
Every instant now the balloon was
gathering velocity, the last movement
downward having begun at point
about q quarter Of mile from the
ground, and / knew that in few Sec
onds was going to be shapeless mass
that couldn't even be photographed for
a newspaper unless something hap
pened. There was only one thing to do,
and that was to relieve the balloon of
its weight and send it back up again.
The rope and were heavy enough to
lessen the weight considerably if we
should get out, and proposed to do n
great act. Getting a good hold on my
clasp knife, waited for the now whizz-
ing earthward balloon to get within
about 900 feet of the ground. Then,
with the rope tied around my waist and
the other end fast to the balloon.
jumped out feet foremost straight for
the earth. knew that if the balloon
remained stationary l would just about
reach the ground at the end of the rope,
but l figured ON a good deal Of reac-
ton. In fact, calculated the rise of the
balloon would about meet the fall of
myself at such point as to make my
fall comparatively light, and then, when
she began to sink again, would be so
near tho earth that before she got to
going at breakneck speed l would be
close enough to cut loose and let myself
down easy. AS it turned out, might
have had leg broken or been shaken
up pretty badly. but luck was with me.
When ! cut loose, / dropped about 90
feet and lit square on top Of big straw
stack where some men were thrashing
AS for the balloon, she was SO nearly
exhausted and was coming down so fast
that the loss of my weight only gave
her strength enough to go couple of
hundred yards across the field and drop
into pond. So you see, p" concluded
Professor Wind, that little presence
of mind is valuable even to take up in
balloon with man. for if had not
had it and had not used it at tho end of
that piece of rope / would not now be
here telling this story to you. OF course
it was not as serious mishap as l have
experienced on other occasions, but still
it is interesting. What do you think Of
it?''
"Um-er,' hesitated the reporter,
''have you got piece of that rope /
could look at?''-New York Sun.