The Banner-Democrat., 1899-09-02
MYSTERY OF A BALLOON.
FATE Or A MAN WHO WENT UP
ON THE TOSS OF A COIN.

Story of Wash Donaldson, Circus Aero
naut, Recalled by One Who Barely Es-
capped His Last Ascension, in 1875
Mysterious Fats of His Companion.
A balloon incident, which recently
happened in the metropolis, says the
New York Sun, prompted man who
witnessed it to tell the following ex-
perience:
II came very near being thrown out
OF balloon once myself. Did you
ever hear of Wash Donaldson? He
was the balloonist for the Barnum and
Bailey show more than twenty years
ago. Donaldson was an athlete. He
was of perfect physique and was man
of travel and captivating talker. He
was the hero of more than hundred
trips to the skies. The ascensions
took place just before the afternoon
performance. He opened the season
in the summer of rs on the lake front
in Chicago. 1 was invited to go up
with him. There were three others.
The basket party consisted of four
persons. Donaldson took his place on
the bar between the basket and tho
neck of the balloon. The day was hot.
Donaldson was in his shirt sleeves.
Part of the time he was bareheaded.
The day wss perfect. AS we took our
flight and sailed out over the lake,
reaching an altitude of nearly mile,
the intrepid pilot, looking down upon
his passengers, chatted about his
travels and experiences while the air.
ship above turned slowly and at times
seemed to stand still.
''This, my first ascension, was acci-
dental. The arrangement for my trip
was for the second day. But two other
persons, also invited to go up on the
second day, appeared on the first day
and asked to make the ascension then.
This occasioned a parley. 1t was set
tied by the toss of coin. BY this I
won. The two who lost then threw
for the ascension next day, for Don
aldson had said that after the first as
cension he would take only one per-
son.
"This first ascension was without
incident, save for the novelty of it to
those who had never before been up
in the air. The ship landed fabout
where the Auditorium Hotel new
stands. After we had left the basket
1 went with Donaldson to his hotel
and dined with him. A woman at the
table, one of the profession. was Don
aldson's affianced bride. They were
to have been married at the close OF
that season. He had promised her to
make no more ascensions after their
marriage.
81 asked him what he would do if,
in an ascension with only one person
it became necessary in order to escape
in safety to unload the basket. He
said, in matter of fact way, that the
law of self-preservation was the same
in midair as it was on the earth.
"'Would you throw q man out ol
the basket of your balloon?' asked the
woman. to whom the possibility Of
such thing had occurred, apparent
ly, for the first time. Donaldson re
piled that he would be justified il
such an act, where his own life was
involved, and he told me afterwari
that he had consulted o well-knowI
criminal lawyer in New York on tina
question, and that the information was
in accordance with what he had sait
in reply to the woman.
"The next day Invent to the ground!
to see Donaldson make his second as
cension of that engagement. The sky
was threatening. The lake was SCI
of whitecaps. A storm came up out
of the southwest. The two men had
tossed with me the day before were al
the side of the basket, The younger
who had won the toss for the secon(
days ascension, was a mere lad from
an interior town of Illinois. His name
was Grimwood. The other was !,
Scotchman. He wanted the young
man to toss over again, but the younl
man replied by quoting the old adag,
about bird in hand. Donaldson saiG
to me, in an aside.
"'I hate to take that boy to-day
for this balloon, which is not the on,
we had yesterday, is patched, and no
as safe as the other, and, besides, i
looks dark over head. How woult
you like to take his placer
'I do not know what my answe
might have been. There was no occa
sion to rerly, for the young man, evl
IDENTIFY afraid he might lose his place
had jumped into the basket before
could speak. Knowing Donaldson a
I did, with faith in his courage an
admiriag his intrepidity, I think
should have gone with him in his sec
ond fight.
Donaldson followed Grimwood an
called to cut the rope. The balloo
went up in the midst of lightning an,
thunder. Not a cheer followed it
stormy fight. The spectators locke
upward from under umbrellas in s.
lent awe. The balloon crossed tn
lake in a northwesterly direction an
was soon lost from sight by interver
ing clouds. The afternoon was storm
and the fury of the gale increased dul
ing the night. No tidings were re
ceived of the voyagers on the follow
ing morning. That aftern Don the frs
balloon was inflated on the circu
grounds and an ascension was al
nounced. None took place. Donald
son had not returned. Messages wei
| cont ont {o towns in the North We