The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1896-11-04
PRESENCE OF MIND.
HOW AN AERONAuT SAVED HIMSELF
IN THE OPEN AIR.

IN The OPEN AIR.
A Long Piece Of Rope and Nest calcs-
latioa Preserved the Life Of Professor
!; HI yyind-But 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
hall knavish snile, CT didn't like the
abhreyiation. brt when was rs and
took to ballooning as business it kind
Of sorter seemed as if Providence meant
that 7 should have had that name and
no other. Professor HI Wind,' he add
ed with pride, sis name that is bound
10 soar through the loftiesS 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 to show signs of
Enecumbing to the pump.
<.Of course" he admitted hesitat-
!ngly, ga 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-thst is you might, and
then again you mightn't. It would de-
pend on how you looked at things. Some
call 'em narrow and some don't. I
don't myself.
It twas plain that the professor under
stood that a good thing was a good
thing when he saw it.
Sup pcse you narrate one for my
sake, - suggested the reporter, "and let
me add my testimony to that Of your
other admirers %
e'Thanks. don't cara if do," said
the professor, and there was that in the
tone which recalled the reporter to
man highest duty to his fellow man.
After which, sitting at small table,
the professor continued: 81 was cut in
Indiana about four years ago. Indiana
is great state in the season, and | had
made an ascent for the benefit of a Sun
dsy school picnic to kind Of Offset going
up on the Sunday before for lager beer
sociable function. Mighty particular
pio1s these Sunday school people are,
and everything was lovely. Ny balloon
was a gas balloon, and she fairly kicked
up her heels while I had her tethered,
and when she got away she seemed like
she was heading right for infnity and
was going the limit or bust hams
string.
'tI gness she must have gone up a
mile and o half OF two miles when I
felt something give way, and in min
ute or two she began to go back The
other way-not fast, you understand,
but slew and sure, and in way to
make you feel mighty uncomfortable. I
couldn't tell what the matter was, and
after letting her drop to within about
half raile Of bottom tossed out lit
'-sits Of my ballast. Twas short on para
chUtes that day. too, as mine was out
ofwhack. Ard being careless, I Thought
I'D take my chasces. About this time
began to wish hadn't, but didn't say
a word for obvious reasons. When let
the ballast cut, the balloon responded
only little, and the way she did 1t
convinced me that something serious
was the matter. By this time had to
no flo 9YSS
wasn't minute till there wasn't any
thing left in the basket besides myself
and abcat 1000 feet Of rope with q
grapple on the end Of it.
1.The balloon had begun to sink
again, and rapidly. And you may guess
that this was a 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 insta st now the balloon was
gathering velocity, the last movement
downward having begun at point
about q Gu-rter Of 8 mile from the
ground, and I knew that in a few Sec
onds I was going to be,a shapeless mass
that couldn' even be photographed for
q newspaper unless something hap
: pened. Thee was only one thing to do,
! and that W. to relieve the balloon OF
its we5ght and send it back up again.
mne rope and were heavy enough to
leSe. ths weight considerably if we
should set out, and I proposed to do a
great act Getting good hold on my
clasp knife, waited for the now whizz-
ing earthwssd balloon to get within
about 900 feet Of the ground. Then,
with the rope tied around my waist and
the other md fast to the balloon. I
jumped out feet foremost straight FOR
the earth knew that if the balloon
remained stationary would just about
reach the ground at the end Of the rope,
but I figured on good deal Of reac-
sion. In fac Icalculated the rise Of the
balloon wo1Id about meet the faA OF
myself at ST ch a point as to make my
fall comparatively light, and then, when
she begaNto-sipk again, would be SO
near the earth that before she got to
going at Lreakneck speed ! would be
close enough to clt 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 ] Gu; loose, dropped about %
Sest and lit square on top Of big straw
stack where some men were thrsshlng.
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, concluded
Professor Wind, "that little presence
Of mind is aluable even to take up IN
a balloon with man, for if had not
had it and had not used it at the end OF
that piece Of rope would not now be
here telling this story toyou- OF course
.itwas not as serious mishap as have