The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-05-21
MYSTERY OF A BALLOON.
FATE OF 4 MAN VINO VEN UP ON
THE ross OF A COIN.

Recalled bv One who Barely Escaped
His Last Ascension, in 1SIb-Wns Ills
Companion Thrown Out of the Bniloonf
The balloon scene in n play running In this
city prompted q man who witnessed II to tell .
the following experience:
II came very near being thrown out Of a bal
loon once myself. Did you ever hear OF Wash
Donaldson lie was the balloonist for tho
Barnum and Bailey show moro than twenty
years ago. Donaldson was an athlete. He
was Of perfect physique and had a face which
made women crazy. He was q man Of travel
and a captivating talker. He was the hero
of more than a hundred trips to tho
skies. The ascensions took place Just be-
fore the afternoon performance. He opened
the season In the summer Of 70 on
the lake front In Chicago. l was invited to 60
up with him. There were three others. The
basket party consisted Of four persons. Dom
aldson took his place on the bar between the
basket and the neck OF the balloon. The day
was hot. Donaldson was in his shirt sleeves.
Part OF the time he was bareheaded. The day
was perfect. As we took our flight and sailed
out over the lake. reaching an altitude OF
nearly a mile, the intrepid pilot, looking dow
upon his passengers. chatted about his travels
and experiences while the airship above turned
slowly and at times seemed to stand still.
This, my first ascension, was accidental.
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
oocasioned a parley. 1t was settled by the toss
Of q coin. BY this l won. The two who lost
then threw for the ascension next day. for
Donaldson had said that after the first ascen-
sion he would take only one person.
save for. the novelty of 1t to those who had
Inndad b sbon, R Sfsn a t6e Il Aud ihs air; H The s noP
stands stands "p After W we had s%e LETT nHot the basket Ha' | vent
With Donaldson to his hotel and dtned with
s eI%, v xa s0T Dans ~ sos sap afiS E y q b sns ef0sIshs e
| had become Infatuated with Donaldson. and
SS been ma a GieSp At tSs Close P II that Ts SEASON to haze s
had promised her to make no more ascensions
W asked him what he would do II, in an as
sSs ssks g order d. .s e Si s ( m in , safety q i e unload Tss, t f6s
the law Of elf-preservation was the same In
m.idair as It was on the earth.
q your balloon }. asked the woman. to whom
the possibility q snoh n thing had occurred.
PIED that he would Il be- 'jj justified In such an act,
where his own life was Involved. and he told
7 7e3T qu esdRlnl ana 1ST tRst t IL f attenuation nStk ON ~s .n IN
accordance with what he had said in reply to
The next day I went to the grounds to see
lake vas a sea Of whitesaps.. A storm came up
tossed with me the day before we're at the side
Of the basket, The younger; who had won The
was Grimwood, The other was a scotchman.
but fSasi young f"e man yEaI rsep led BY B QUO Quoting I1et th 5ea old
adage about bird In hand. donaldson said to
- hate to take that boy to-day. for this bal.
loon, which Is not the one we had yesterday. is
ssi sisnf Il l COX n dark Rs ov ssiY h Sa in0 HOW 2e"e wo Shd' you Rsi
like to take bis place
-" do not Know what my answer might have
young man. evidently afraid he might lose his
rnSiG s hsd 'uR EhsH,h Int Do 1ns Sasf 8, I S 5fd nth I
faith in his courage and admiring his intrepid
lily; th 4 X should have gone with him in his
Donaldson foll9wed, Grimwood and called
to fst d fh Iie5 51pe; T 1n5 t RbaI / went Nt, up 2 in sb ths
looked inward from under their umbrellas in
IN a northwesterly direction and was soon
lSst from sight BY intervsnipg. clouds:
10 t!dlnsss s' We're enf receised S ef ths y eSs n's9 en
first balloon was Inflated on the circus grounds
and an ascension was nnnounced None took
were sent out to towns in the, northwest ask
ing for any news, OF the balloon. the circus
nfor@stion. No answers We're reeei'yed. The
next day and the next and every succeeding
which we made the first ascension was IN
fated. but the ropes were never cut. There
were no more ascensions.
=" For weeks after the circus had gone. con-
hicting stories we're received OF a balloon seen
in various places, sometimes in the air. with a
dead man hanging head downward, tangled in
balloon in the waters OF the lake; sometimes
in the branches OF a forest; sometimes In tho
camps OF loggers In the pineries OF that region.
But none proved true. People Quit. talking
about 1t. until one day II was recalled by IL
story. well written, to the effect that Dom
The circus people and Donaldscn,s friends
locating him in, Africa =, was, printed.
and this was denied. To give these
stories a shading Of truth. for u numb Der were
printed later on. they. contained the state
ment which was true. that the woman In this
case had left the circus and had gone to
Finally the stories about, Donaldson being
alive, like the ones about J, Wilkes Booth be:
ing alive. ceased. A long time after. several
months. l think. portions Of a human body
were found In the sands on the Wisconsin
shore Of Lake Michigan. There was nothing
to identity the remains except. n piece OF Jew
elry which q young woman who knew Grim
few bits OF material found nearby, thought by
some to be parts Of tho balloon canvas. led to
the belief in some quarters that Grimwood was
thrown from the basket by Donaldson. Every
man OF the two ascensions. except myself. Is
dead. and each one died in a peculiar way, The
ScOtchman who lost the toss on the second day
went mad q few years ago and escaped from the
asylum. His body was found sometime after
in Il creek.
"Donaldson's fate remains a mystery Did
he throw Grimwood out OF the bnsketp Would
he have Thrown me out. i wonder p