Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-11-14
The FIELD OF ADV ENTURE.
INCIDENTS AND OAR.
ING DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA.
Heroic Conduct of Doomed Sailors
ON the German Gunboat lltis-
Self-Possession OF q Balloonist.

On the Germun NuuOOaC lltlS-
Self-Possession OF a Balloonist.
THE Chinese papersreceived by
mail give long accounts of
the wreck of the German gun
boat Iltis, already briefly re-
ported by telegraph. ltappears from
these that when the Iltis left Chifu at
4 a. m. the weather being good and
the barometer rising. Owing to an
interruption in the Chinese telegraph
lines it was, unfortunately, not known
in Chifu that typhoon was approach
ing from the direction Of the Formosa
Channel, and it was not until the
afternoon that signs of bad weather
began to appear.
As the night came on the wind and
sea rose and the storm increased. The
vessel labored heavily, but not more
SO than on previous occasions, and
though the watch off duty was called
on deck at 10 p. m. to assist in furling
the sails, no danger was anticipated.
Half an hour later there was severe
shock, and it was found that the ves-
sci was hard and fast on a rock.
Leaks Immediately showed them
selves, and before long the engine
room and the stokehole were flooded.
The heavy sea dashed the vessel
against the jagged edges of the rock
upon which she had struck, and her
plates were smashed and stove in. By
this time most of the crew gathered
aft, the commander and the officer of
the watch still keeping their stations
on the bridge. Rockets were sent up
in the hope of attracting attention
from lighthouse not far off, but it
was coon seen that all such efforts
were hopeless.
Heavy seas continued to dash over
the vessel, which soon showed signs
of giving way under the strain, aud
it was at this moment that the COM
mander, abandoning hope, gathered
the doomed men together and called
for three cheers for the Emperor. The
men responded with enthusiasm, and
almost Immediately afterward the
ship broke in two forward OF the
stokehole and the masts went over
board. Most of the men and officers
were on the after part of the ship, and
in response to suggestion of one OF
the gunners the officers and crew
joined in singing the very appropriate
"Flagglled," patriotic song which
winds up by asserting that shonld
their vessel be driven on reefs the
men would go down singing "Der
Kaiser und die Flagge-Hochl Die
Flagge schwarz, weiss. roth! !"
The after part OF the ship then be.
gan to heel over and sank, and all
upon it save two were drowned, the
exceptions being two men who man.
aged to swim through the boiling surf
and reach the shore safely. The for.
ward poi zion turned on its side, with
the keel toward the shore, and there
the men mHuaRed w cIIuS unuii mViu-
ing broke, when an attempt was made
to construct raft. One man was
washed of the wreck during tho day,
but he reached the shore safely, and,
the construction of the raft being
found impossible, the others were
forced to remain on board for thirty
six bours without food, when a Chi
nese boat came to their assistance and
took them off the wreck.
The Chinese Inhabitants of the vii.
lage near by behaved very kindly to
the shipwrecked men. providing them
with food and clothing, and an Eng
lish missionary attended to the men
who had been injured, while the keep
er of the lighthouse at the southeast
promontory, German named Schwilp,
came overland to the assistance of his
distressed fellow.countrymen. Only
twelve men in all were saved. there
not being one officer among them.
Great sympathy has been expressed in
all the foreign communities Of the far
east, where the officers and men of the
Iltis we're we'll known, and subscrip.
ton lists have been opened at Kobe,
Yokohama, Nagasaki. as we'll Us the
various Chinese ports, for the assist
ance of the relatives Of the drowned,
who number in all some seventy-6ve
men.
Extraordinary Escape OF an Aeronaut
At Mission Cliff Park, q pleasure re-
sort on the outskirts Of San Diego,
CAL, thousands of spectators beheld
an aeronaut in the midst of fusillade
Of fireworks which showered him with
sparks and set fire to the cordage Of
his balloon, for q time threatening hit
life. Only his self possession saved
him from horrible death.
Professor Richard Earlston had beer
billed to jump from his balloon in the
midst of fireworks set off in midair
The novelty of the proposed feat drew
an enormous crowd. At the appointed
time Earlston shot into the air will
his huge hot air balloon, the para
chute, with which he was to jump tt
earth, being attached to the side o
the car. Above the car was larg'
tin receptacle, in which had been ar
ranged fireworks OF various kinds,
which were to be touched off by mean
of . slow burning fuse, go timed q
to give brilliant pyrotechnic exhibi
ton after the aeronaut had begun hi
descent with his parachute. But il
some way the assistant who Lad charg'
Of the fireworks lighted tho..fuse at tn
wrong end, and as the balloon aros'
the explosives began to go of.
Several parachute ropes caught fir
and hot drops of solder from the til
pail fell ON the suspended Heronau
below, setting fire to his garments
To the spectators below it appeared
that the destruction Of the balloon ant
the fall OF the aeronaut were inevita
BILE. Someone in the crowd yelled
TO Esrlston to drop. forgetting for tn
moment that he could not hear tn
warning cries. The aeronaut, how
ever, kept his wits and stuck to hi
balloon in spite of his horrible posi-
tion, and to the amazement and salts
faction OF the crowd he reached tn
ground in safety.
An examination of the parachut
ropes disclosed the fact that If he ha
attem pted to make the drop by it th