The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1896-11-04
PRESENCE OF MIND.
HOW AN sERoNkUT SAVED HIMSELF
IN THE OPEN AIR.

A Long siece Of Rope and Neat Calcu-
lation Preserved the Life of Professor
Hi Wind-But For This the Reporter
Couldn't Tell This Interesting Yarn.
Wind was ms name.
Hiram Wind, but he told The Sun
reporter that they called him HI for
short.
For a long time" said he, with a
half knavish smile, Il didn't like the
abbreviation. but when / was % and
took TO ballconing as business 1t kind
Of sorter seemed as If Providence meant
that l should have had that name and
no other. Professor HI Wind, - he add
ed with pride, ''is a name that Is bound
10 soar through the lofhest realms Of
space"
did you never have an accident?'
inquired the reporter.
Several. but they have never been
the fault Of the Wind. "
The professor began 10 show signs of
snccumbing to the pump.
"Of course, > be admitted hesitat-
ingiy, ga man can't walk the earth ev-
cry day without humping up against
something cut Of the ordinary occasion
ally. and the =ir 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 locked ct things. Some
dom Z
don't myself. "
1t was plain that the professor under
stood that a good thing was a good
thing when he saw it
Suppose you narrate one for my
sake, " suggested the reporter, and let
me add my testimony TO that Of your
other admirers. "
"Ttanl-s 1 don't care if dc" said
the professor, and there was that in the
tone which recalled the reporter 10
mans highest duty to his fellow man.
After which, sitting at a small table,
the professor continued: 81 was out in
Indiana about four years ago. Indiana
is a 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 the Sunday before for 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.
4 guess she must have gone up a
mile and half or two miles when /
felt something give way, and in min
u;e or two she began TO go back the
other way-not fast, you understand,
but slow and sure, and in a 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 l 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 |
began TO wish hadn't, but didn't say
word for obvious reasons. When / let
the ballast out, the balloon responded
only little, and the way she did it
convinced me that something serious
was the matter. By this time had 10
throw out some more ballast. and it
wasn't minute till there WASH any
thing left IN the basket besides myself
and about 1000 feet of rope with a
grapple On the end Of it. ;"
The balloon had begun to sink
again, and rapidly. And you may guess
that this was time for a man 10 do
some pretty active thinking if he ex-
pected any good results from it, and
you may be assured l was calculating.
Every instant now the balloon was
gathering velocity, the last movement
downward having begun at point
about 4 cCc6er Of mile from the
ground. S-.d l knew that in few sec
onds l vas going to be a shapeless mass
that couldn't even be photographed for
. newspaper unless something hap
pened. There was only cDe thing TO do.
and that was to relieve the balloon Of
~ hNlE-1AN anu cNA4u "a AaAi a ~ sAy-st4ll
The rope ana were he@vy enough to
lessen the weight considerably if we
should get out, and proposed to do a
great act. Getting good hold on my
clasp knife, | waited for the low whizz-
ing earthward balloon 10 get within
about 1000 feet Of the ground. Then,
with the rope tied around my waist and
the other end fast TO the lalioon.
jumped out feet foremost straicht for
The earth. knew that if the lalloon
remained stationary would inst about
reach the ground IL the end Of TIE rope,
but / figured on good deal of reac-
tion. In fact, calculated the rise C the
balloon would about meet the fall OF
myself ct such point as &c make my
fall comparatively Light. ard then, VIXEN
she began 10 sirE ----, I would lie so
near the earth iEcJ L-.C-e sic got 10
going at Lroaknock sroed wozld be
close enough 20 c.; IC-sc and let myself
down easy. As 4 turned cut, l might
have had 4 leg l-cLe- or hCen shaken
MP pretty badly, buJ lick was with ne.
When / cut lcCso, I C-CrpCd about %
feet :,nd lit square ca top Il big straw
stack where sCme ECn I.6.c thrSshing.
As for the ballocn, she was so nearly
exhausted and was coming down so fast
that the loss of my weight only gave
her strength enough TO go a couple Of
hundred yards across the field and drop
into pend. SO you see, concluded
Professor Wind, that a little presence
Of mind Is valuable even 10 take up in
a balloon with man, Tor if / had rot
had Il and had net used II at the end Of
that piece Of rope v,..--i i.ot new be
here telling tins story 4 ycu. CT course
il WAS not - serious a i.iShap IS l have
ExpeIienced On otlaer o,,..S-,..-s, hut Siiu
ii is interesting. What do ycu think u
ii:''
''Um-er. hesiiatod tLe reporter,
"haSe yOu Fot piece C ;hat rope /
could LOOK az New YSFk san.
borrowing "a I.t.s-