The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-08-02
LATEST FAIR HAVEN NEWS
PREPARING FOE Al BICYCLE Pa
RADE AND ILLUMINITfON.


An Experiment With Kerosene That Was
Risky-Work on Piers of the New Draw
bridge-Sunday School Reception-Other
News Items.
The success of the illumination and
patriotic celebration by the people of
Blatchley avenue on the evening of
Uuly suggested the idea of arranging
a bicycle parade and illumination by
the people of the same neighborhood at
the close of the season in September
The committee intended to have the
ascension Of several fire balloons feat
ure Of the illumination, and they have
been experimenting in the manufacture
and initiation of this aerial craft. The
plan was to send up the largest size of
this type of balloons, attaching postal
cards directed to New Haven, with the
request that the cards be mailed and
giving information concerning Where
the balloon alighted and other data. A
member of the committee, who was re-
siding at the time in Yantic and has
had considerable experience in this line,
once sent up large fire balloon which
landed thirty-two miles from the place
of the ascension. A test balloon was
manufactured six feet in length and
sent up on Blatchley avenue a few
evenings ago. Instead of using parafine
for initiating the balloon, kerosene was
substituted, which it was believed
would be preferable for long distance
sailing. A ball of wicking thoroughly
saturated with kerosene, the whole
weighing pound and a quarter was
used and the balloon was sent upon its
experimental mission. It started OFT
well, but soon became fastened in a
flag rope. Liberated, the balloon shot
upward, but was caught in side cur
rent and waited dangerously near to
the rectory of Grace Episcopal church.
Steadily rising, however, the balloon
cleared the caves of the building, but
by a margin Of only few INCHES. The
balloon then fioated toward the parish
house and that building was In danger
of being fired, but that too, escaped.
Then the little air ship descended and
was captured and was not sent up
again 1t was decided that kerosene
was too dangerous a compound to use
in Initiating air ships and IL this portion
of the programme is adopted at the
September celebration the balloons will
he inflated by using parafine.
Two divers are now engaged in COM
pleting. the foundations for the last
piers for the new Grand avenue draw
bridge. One of the divers is from New
York and is an expert, having had
considerable experience about he
wharves and the harbor of New York.
His assistant is a local diver. By the
removal Of a portion of the top course
of stone from the interior of the Gals
son and pumping out the greater part
of the water, the caisson has been rails
ed several feet higher, where they can
work more comfortably Heretofore
There was q space of only a few inches
between the river bed and the bottom
of the caisson, and as the box sank
with the tide there was danger OF the
divers being crushed If the greatest
care was not exercised. Under the
present conditions the divers are able
to work three and one-half hours each
tide. Work on the pier was going on
yesterday. Owing to the freshets in the
river since the work of preparing the
Foundation for the caisson began, it has
been necessary to do the work several
Hines over, as after each rain nearly
as much earth as had been taken out
washed back again. 1t is claimed that
more trouble has been experienced with
the last pier, because being narrower at
the bottom than any of the others it
gave greater opportunity for the gravel
to pile UP underneath. Had it been
known that the most severe summer
freshet in years would set in, break
water could have been built above thus
preventing the gravel from washing in.