The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-07-20
BABIES FROM THE CLOUDS.
The Arrival of Two Infants in the
Basket of a Runaway Balloon,
ST. Louis Globe.Dcmocrat.

From the st. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Mr.. William Harvey and his sister,
Miss Mary, living about six miles east
of Richvicw, H., tell a very interest
ing story of themselves which hap
pened number Of years ago.
They were quite small, the boy being
about and his sister years old.
During the year 1885, while the state
fair was being held at Central City,
ILL.,, an aeronaut of Chicago made an
ascension in a balloon at the state
fair on Saturday morning and his bal
loon came down about six miles east
OF here, near the country residence of
William Harvey. ST. The owner of
the balloon, feeling chilled, went into
the farm house to warm and tied his
balloon to a rail fence near the barn.
Little Willie and Mary were playing
near the barn. They noticed the bal
loon tied to the fence and, as they
had never seen balloon, they walked
up to look at it. Seeing that it would
go up a few feet and then come back
again, they thought it would be fun
to get in the basket and have ride.
Mary helped her little brother in and
up and down a while and then all at
once it gave a lunge and pulled itself
loose from the fence. Up it went, with
the little Harvey children in the bas-
ket. The mother was looking out of
a window and seeing the balloon going
up she told the aeronaut that his bal
loon had got away from the fence and
they all went out to see it. The moth
er came, and, as she watched the bal
loon going up, she noticed some one
in the basket. Not once did she think
it was her two little children, nor could
she believe it when her husband told
her the children were nowhere to be
found.
search was made all over the
farm for the missing ones, but with
out result. The father at once drove
to Rome, a short distance from his
farm and told the story. At once peo-
pie followed after the balloon. 1t
went north about five miles, then west
going over Central City. Every one
at the fair, thinking the aeronaut was
making his return, cheered and cheer
ed as the balloon went over. Soon a
telegram was received at Central City
SAtlllllS lIlil lIlt DiiOOll tOnldllltu lllt
two little children of Mr.. and Mrs
William Harvey and to keep lookout
for it. But it was growing late and
the balloon was travelling fast. Soon
1t was impossible to see it. 1t went
south, passed through Centralia, ILL.,,
then turned west again and went over
Mascoutah, ILL.,, and then turned and
went over East st. Louis.
The little boy began to get cold and
commenced to cry. Mary united her
apron and put it around Willie's head
and he went to sleep in Mary's lap
About o'clock the next morning the
balloon came down in a large tree on
a farm southeast of Mt. Vernon, Ill.
The owners of the farm, seeing the
balloon in their tree, the lady of the
house cried out to her husbands:
'"Oh John, God has sent us some
children in a basket"
John got the children out of the
tree, took them into the house and
after they were warm asked Mary who
her parents were. She told them and
the farmer took them home.
Many of the visitors to the state fair
in 1858 will remember the above story
and may be pleased to know that the
little children who made this trip are
now living and delight in telling it.