Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1899-07-26
extraordinary Balloon Adventure.

Extraordinary Balloon Adventure.
 Mir. Arthur Williams. a professional s.eronaut, and Mr. Sidney Darby.a iour- Mist. recently under took to cross. inc 5nglish channel from London to France. The appointed day was stormy but the journalist, who as it appears had the expedition in charge. was ner- shaded that this would be no disadvan- tage, but rather the contrary. as the wind would only serve to hasten the massage The men were provided with carrier pigeons, provisions. pneumatic bIouses to aid them in swimming in case they were precipitated into the sea. and other appliances. Bv the time they reached the neighborhood of Brighton, on the coast, the aeronauts found that, on account of the conden- sation of the gas. they could keen themselves up only by throwing out ballast, and they perceived that, at the rate they were throwing it out. that they had not enough to carry them .AToss the channel. At the same lime inc balloon was blowing very fast in the direction of the sea. Notbine re- mained for them but to descend bv whatsoever means they could. and at once. It was now almost dark. Not a moment was to be lost We have got to go down the guide rope.o said Williams He himself began the de- scent first. letting himself down hand over hand on the whirling rope Mr. Darby followed, as closely as possible Mir Williams reached the ground with out serious injury, but as he let go and fell the thing happened which should have been foreseen-the bal Icon. relieved of his weight. shot up ward, carrying poor Darby with it. He let himself down to the very end of the rope. but this was now far above tR9 earth. It was impossible for him to climb up again into the balloon, and to do SO. even if it were possible. would only postpone the inevitable calamity. Even now he could hear the washing of the sea, he might at that moment be above it. Il was too dark to see anything clearly The Bal- loon was still ascending He could
 
 he was at that moment With death above and probably death below, he had but poor choice. Nevertheless he chose 10 let go and fall. feeling that his best chance lay in dropping to the earth while there might still be the earth below him. He let go and fell into the darkness. He lost conscious ness. and knew nothing of what hap pened after that Next day he was found alive. but badly hurt in a marsh close by the sea. His pneumatic or aI-cushioned clothing had broken his ail and he had provdentially dropped in such position that the water of tEe marsh did not drown him. He was taken 10 Brighton and received medi- cal care He could hardly have fallen from height of less than one hun dIed and fifty feet.
 Tne Rev. N. l.. Costley. of Stoek- bridge, e d.. while attending to bis pastoral duties at ElenWo0d, that FtatP. was 8ttacKed by cholera m8rbus H. says. By chance happened Ca get hold of bottle uf Chamberlain Collie, Cholera and Di8rfhaea Remedy, and l think it WAS the means of saving my lie it relieved me at on"e. For sale by ". l. DewuOdy X Co.
 STRANGE TACTICS OF A LOON. Its Dependence Upon she wiad to Assist
 Its Flight.
 I have shot at loons a great many times on the lakes of northern Wis eons.n. ard on Lake Superior and have never known them to attempt to escape from danger unless there was q wind Of which they could take ad- vantage in their attempts to rise, states y.ontribdtor l remember once, In company with my brother, trying to secure a loon as a specimen for mount ing The bird was in 9 lake about three-fourths of a mile long and about 200 yards wide in its narrowest part. My brother was seereted at one end of the lake. and l in a canoe kept the bird in motion, trying to get it within range of my brothers gun, and giving 1t a chance whenever chance offered Although harried for two or three hours it never once attempted to rise from the water. There was slight breeze, if I mistake not, but not enough to be of any use in the looms attempt to escape by flight During the chase the loon swan a distance of 200 yards or more under water, repeatedly, with out appearing above the surface. Lake Superior fishermen tell me they have caught them in their nets at great