davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The San Francisco call., 1899-07-23
How It Feels to Fall
Te3 TbouSa3d Feet
BY Sigpor Mirgi. tbe ItoIiuD AeroDout

but I accomplished it. Relieved Of Its
extra weight, the balloon rose slightly
for a minute. then began to sink more
rapidly than ever. I thought of my para
chute. 1t was at home. l thought Oh
everything But what can a man do when
a burst balloon Is above him and he Is
dropping to earth in his basket?
1 looked down again. The steeple was
taking form. It's ribbed sides showed tiny
windows and through the top one 1 fan
cied 1 could see the bell. In my hand was
still the pencil with which had made my
record, and, taking 1t between my fingers.
in cold clutch I wrote the words, Il am
dying happily. I have reached my term
Science triumphs." There was time for no
more In the new horror OF the situation
taking on momentarily newer and more
awful phases-I saw my end. There De
fore me stretched an open lake. To fall
In 1t would mean death by drowning, Tor
I could not hope to save myself with the
ropes so twisted around me!
The lake was still a little way on, out
the car was heading for 1t.
There was no alternative now. Though
ready for death, 1 must escape II 1 could
We were low enough now to see the
houses well, and 1 resolved as we were
passing over the city to make jump. 1t
was my only hope.
I cannot tell now why 1 did It. but l
lnVOIOntarlly
stopped my watch. 1t had pointed to e1-
actly o'clock when 1 was taking my OBJ
servations at the time the balloon burst.
What time It was now l could not tell,
but to Judge from my impressions we had
been two hours in falling. Taking my
hand off my watch 1 climbed to the edge
of the basket and waited. On we sped,
dropping into the city; now we were over
a public square; people were beginning
to look up at us. There was an open
grass plat. Now would be the time to
jump.
Closing my eyes I gathered my legs in
under me and made the leap. Next thing
I knew l was lying on the grass, with
people bending over me, and pouring
whisky down my throat. A sttnging SEN
sation In my left arm and leg told me
was hurt.
Well. next day. when 1 had recovered
my senses enough to ask questions, they
told me that I had landed on the grass
plat and that my only injuries were
wrenched leg and a sprained arm. Small
indeed for a man who falls 10000 feet!
On looking at my watch l found that 1
had been exactly two minutes In falling,
the enormous weight of the ballast before
l threw 1t out having made my descent
the swiftest on record.
The San Francisco call., 1899-07-23
The Boer as He Is at HomQ.

farmer had never been inside bank
and did not know what a check was.
He would take nothing but gold, and
gold, a considerable amount, was
finally handed over to him. The ex-
citement of the transaction over, and
his bewilderment at possessing so much
wealth past. the farmer began to fear
what he had never had to trouble him
self about before-robbers.
He slept on his money and, as he
could not take it out with him to his
work, he either sat at home watching 1t
with a gun, or else had one of his stall
wart sons do thesame. When occasion
demanded that he should visit the
town, he drove in with an armed son.
and while one of the two did business
in the market place, the other sat on
the box containing the treasure warn
ing off all comers. 1t was only after
his pastor had reasoned with him for
months, and then with a great deal of
doubt and nervous, cautious questions,
that he was persuaded to put his for
tune in the Standard Bank
So the Boer farmer and hunter pur-
sues his even way, as his people have
ever done, and if (what he considers
the accursed) gold had never been
found in his land, he might so pursue
it to the end of the chapter. It is to
be feared, however that foreign capt.
tai and railroads, and telegraphs and
lightning agents have broken up
his idyllic life forever, or, rather, will
soon do so. 1t was, is not, however,
all peace. AS the American backwoods-
man was continually on his guard
against Indians, so the Boer IS ever
ready to take the field against q Kaffir
tribe or-the British.
Then the ploW and the hoe are laid
aside and the rifle is cleaned carefully,
but not now for a pleasant hunt after
game. The call to arms is simple;
mobilization is primitive. 1t amounts
to little more than if Kruger, or Cen
eral Joubert, were to shout at the top
of his voice, so that the whole country
would hear him: "All hands on deck
for action," At the warcry the pa
triots know they have been com
mandeered.' There is no squabbling
about volunteering, or enlisting, or
drafting. Except the women, the very
old and the very young, everybody
responds. even boys of 13 and 14-but
the average Boer boy is a pretty stout
and healthy kid, and has been taught
to shoot since he was 10 or II. Each
man takes his horse and his rifle and
proceeds to the rendezvous Of the dis
trict. The pastors are with them. and
with prayer and psalms the farmer
soldiers march out to defend their
country.
With all his ignorance and unpro-
gressiveness, it is difficult to contem-
plate the scattering of such a people
with mere philOSODhiC Serenity
p. Y. BLACK.
The San Francisco call., 1899-07-23

~
" v vaal take up arms the world
turns with a half laugh and
almost contemptuously asks:
Against whom, pray? y When II hearS
that that State has no seaboard, no
fleet. and is almost entirely surrounded
bv the outposts of a huge empire, in
terest is quickened, and when 1t learns
that it is indeed no less than the mighty
empire against which the stout little
nation opposes itself, the distant world
wonderingly inquiries: And what man
ner Of men are these?" Possibly, as II
learns, 1t will be reminded of long past
days when Switzerland, child among
strong men. and little Holland aroused
generous interest in the same way.
1t is a mistake to read of Paul kruger
and take him and his surroundings poll
ticians as types of the Boer. Also 1t IS
a mistake to take the dWeller In the
towns as typical. To unearth the real
Transvaalian one must seek the wide
and solitary veldt, the hidden valleys,
the distant hills, and there, on his farm,
draw him out and study him. Your
true Boer despises the town. He is es-
sentially an agriculturist and hunter.
Up to 1892 he never saw railroad In
his country, and he was bitterly op-
posed to it's coming. He argues that
| the railroad will drive away the game.
| and without anything to shoot at life
will not be worth living. He is
| extremely conservative, and with
! strangers brusque and taciturn, but
If he finds you are harmless he can be
very hospitable. He does not drink
deep. He is religious with a gloomy,
stern religion which makes him believe
as did the Covenanters, as much in the
i Old Testament as in the New. Like all
people whose belief in the Bible is OF
that uncompromising kind, he is more
or less superstitious. He is moral. He
does not believe in divorce laws. He
marries early in life, and is convinced
the highest blessing is an abundance of
children.
At the first hint of gray in the east
ern sky at the first crow Of the cock
the farm household is up and stirring
| and breakfast, with the usual strong
coffee the Boer loves, is over by the
time the sun rises. The men are out
and about at once, looking after just
the same chores as on an American
farm in the West, save those who are
off to replenish the larder by shooting
a. springbok, a hartebeest or some
such species of deer The women have
plenty of work about the house. The
genuine old Boer farm furnishes itself
every necessary to its occupants. The
furniture is often made by the farmer
or he has great, unwieldy, carved
chests and bureaus which have come
to him from his ancestors. He can
The San Francisco call., 1899-07-23

upward with the velocity Of this one 1t
was positively bewildering. If l had been
propelled from the mouth Of cannon
pointed directly up into the air L could
not have shot upward with half the speed
or directness. In an instant I knew the
truth. 1 had miscalculated the distance
at which the westerly and southerly cur
rents intercepted each other, and I had
voluntarily launched myself in a whirl-
pool. Never mind! AS long as the current
bore me directly up all would be well. But
how high would 1t carry me? On and on!
Up and up 1 went, 1t was alarming
though delightful. So rapid was my pace
that the balloon could scarce keep pace
with the car dangling underneath. The
light little vehicle danced at its ropes as
though 1t were pleasure craft at Its
moorings upon the bay of Venice.
Once or twice I felt the car suddenly
shift, as though II were in a swirling cur
rent and were about to wheel rapidly
around. But no, IT always righted Itself.
It's ropes, twisted for the moment, would
straighten and a little tug at the basket
would tell me that I was again being
drawn along by the balloon.
I remember measuring the wind then
and taking my chart. The figures now
show that 1 must have been at that mo-
ment exactly 10000 feet above the level Of
the sea. While I was setting down the
figures and congratulating myself that we
were now IN a smooth sea Of air,
strange thing happened-a wonderful
thing. Up. as I was, above the reach Of
the cloud mists, there came a great loud
report like peal Of thunder!
l glanced upward; the sky was smiling;
the great sun standing sentinel over
pleasant day. The thunder came again,
this time a long, rolling report like
rumbling from heaven. At the same time
I noticed that we were sinking.
In an instant the truth became clear to
me- The balloon had burst and we were
falling to the earth. 1 say we, because
the entire car becomes human to a bal
loonist, like q locomotive to its driver;
or, to be more commonplace, a bicycle to
its rider.
I looked down involuntarily. which was
a foolish thing TO do. We were descend
ing rapidly-so rapidly. in fact. that as
looked 1 saw tall tower come in sight,
next I saw another and another. We were
dropping into a city. I afterward learned
that 1t was Vienna, but at that moment
could only see the spire pointing straight
upward toward me as though 1t were
waiting to receive us on its steel-tipped
point.
1 thought instantly Of throwing my bal
last overboard-a desperate thing TO do
The San Francisco call., 1899-07-23

q n1ENNAy july o-1I Wdo lAC ldoS =
NJ ;:s I: ;'.. .s ..s: ~. ss.:, :,
tensions, not by the calendar.
To me 1t was earlier, for. by strange
list Of fatalities. had not made an ascent
this year. Once, when I vas about to
ascend hurricane struck the mountain
on which I stood: again the Alps We're
buried in fog; three separate times my
assistants failed me and / could not get
gas generated; and so the spring passed
away, until June, when all things pointed
to successful sail.
NY balloon on that day was my silk
bag which is the largest of the three
balloons I possess. 1t is very light and
very strong. 1t Is covered outside with
a coating of varnish. laid on many times
and recoated with wax and finally COW
cred with a patented preparation to rem
der it perfectly air-tight The silk was
woven specially for my balloon and to
the best Of my knowledge there was not
a flaw in It. To be perfectly positive
hired a silk maker Of Lyons to go over
the entire surface Of the silk with his
light and dark tests and he reported every
fiber exact.
In case Of a leakage in q large air.
filed bag like balloon there Is always
serious danger. Inc DredR, however
small, will quickly spread. and the air
rushing out will break a great rent IN
It before the balloon can be lowered. "A
rupture in the balloon means a fall for
the aeronaut And few have lived to
describe a fall.
On this day, accompanied by no one,
I resolved to take a sail from a noun
tain and, having gone for the summer to
the Rhine country, 1 selected one Of tho
small hills of the Pennine Alps as the
best place for my sail
The day was clear, with slightly up
ward current of wind coming from the
west and blowing toward the north at a
not very rapid rate, though there was a
tendency toward a south wind which did
not like. It intercepted the west wind and
created whirlwind about thousand feet
above the earth IN a way that might
throw me out of my course. But 1 re-
solved to go on Just the same, trusting to
my skill TO steer the balloon and get above
the intercepttng currents.
With my balloon fully inflated and
packed, If I may use the expression. with
wind enough to last three days. I ordered
my assistants to await the signal, then
cut the ropes and let me ascend.
Though I have made thousands Of as
cents 1 never remember to have started
The San Francisco call., 1899-07-23

6IENNA, July 6-rt was the last
II OF June, shall I ever forget that
day!
An aeronaut reads time by as
The San Francisco call., 1899-07-23

MEN the inhabitants Of a lit
! tie free State like the Trans
vaal take up arms the world
turns with a half laugh and
almost cnntemntuOuSlY asks:
New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1899-12-27

81 gbicllI "a tlls best uippes ii tI,is|
tion of the cDn ntry Here 81 IS
III syel'y bos Dill ~ oslnR
sIsEo &, of fancy rocke 4, chin;
81 ssss tss most g
Nm sReons 81, 81 81 Tered Ve seH
New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1899-12-27

~ = PotA - =
sredullty when he says that he knows
al the facts
The state board of railway commits
sioners has authorized the railways inter
ssted to make an advance Of ffteencents
ton on the cost Of transporting coal
from the head of the lakes to interior
points. 10 claim is made that the rate
formerly charged was too low for profit
but the advance was allowed upon the
theory that the rate was not as high ID
proportion as other rates. It has been
popularly supposed that the railway
commission was organized for the pro-
lection 81 the public hut such would
seem not to be the case. Withcoal cost
ing perhaps 50 per ton at the mines and
selling in this seclionsof the country ats
/ Sc. 80 it would seem that there could NOT
be much reason foran advance in freights.s
q. +. g DAY and w. Verity, two
former associates Of the writer is the re-
porters' room Of the Minneapolis Tri-
hume, have started new weekly news
paper IN that city and we stand read to-
bet that it will tstiII q long felt want. 8
Verify has l.een doing politlcs on the
Tribune for several years and il be does
mt now I'd 8 the politicians il will he
because he is too honest To take advant-
age Of his opportunities while Oscar
Day is pnesof the most prolific PROPOSE
! tions il the profession, good for his
usual string, from society 70 police, ev-
ssTy day insthe week and as full Of bright
things as q looking glass on q sunshiny
day. Seriously however. they are two
# the brainiest newspaper men in the
Twin Cities, not even excepting the man
aging editors, and Whatever they do will
Be 4 credit to the fraternity and, We
hope veritable Klondike 81 wealth to
themselves.
The announcement sent out from St.s3
Paul By the committee having the mat
ter il charge that the coming winter
carnival il hat ciitty will be made VI
sssshot one Is perhaps super Auous ii view view
sef the present run of Florida veal
and the further predic tion Of Rev Hieks
that the month Of February vii be
warm and rainy he ciircula letter
sent ont III the comnlttee ives the i I'M
formation that d Thorough b ton
has been aifected, dozens of CON nli tees
are AZ work, aeaeq uarters have Been op4
ened ID the Endlcott build and tiseA
work Of q ganizing Carnlya CLUBS 81
setsing On rapids The central featlre
sof the Csarnii VA ing tlle
assuranc 6 Of fiji, conn ined viii
ana calcol lated So .li'iSl lsts vIde spread
Interest. Clubs from 40 over the Norkhs
west N se present. susl flot the sport
ing events the best I nov A ana
profsssio nals q the y a ssen AZ
riiiil 10 eng
New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1899-12-27

Is CORRESPONDENT in the Minneapolis
Journal says he was not at the much
talked about anti-imp eriaiist meeting
thank the Lord but that he has read
the papers and hence knows all the facts.
= # s'inipe rialist. as he signs himself,
means TO imply that he has gained his
knoWled ge from q perusal Of the Journal
he imposes too greatly upon the readers
sreduhty when he says that he g knows
al the facts = MI
New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1899-12-27

bon ne eetllA
geek III the fornl III q l.ands oIles 9IbzIsts
rs number of NH tisle Isatye
II colors sa|
FHE sleatl, Of General .sston.
who vas killed while lsading rs t 90
sgainst San teo iiast u INK 81 o,,s VI
the most eploralle andi siduaI lasses
that or arm aas a.,staiined dnrip t6e
entire Wal. ne was gallant soldier
and an able comlnansle
notice tIlHS last issue of the
DasseI Anchor that o,r GA friend sid
roy J Huntley has assumed ot1ltrol IS
that paper. sid q Is 4 hustle - every
sense Of the word and il he does not
give the people of Dasael jam nm good
paper II will be their q NJ fault il, That
they dc not give him roper encourage
aaent and assist lance.
Redwood Falls has had its full share
'sf excitement Turing the past week:
With municipal cam ign "a prog ress,
4 i war OF words between its editor post
master and one III his competito1s, and
4 4 scrap between another dltor md his
father-in Law, the atmos sphere must be
somewhat sultry and lis not to be won
aered that the arrival of real winte has
4 seen delayed
n Christmas Sunday school speech
a Cleveland Mark Hanna made useSof
the old stock phrase that even the poor
eat boy may aspire to DC president,
which is probably true, but il IS also
trne THAT when the poorest boy has
grown TO be q man he will find ikstsss
Pirations do net count for much nniess
they are backed UP b 4 stron 6 roi itlcal
machine and ssoodle s'' 81 money
New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1899-12-27

Elle iew has thus ] AZ ref rained
from juinping into ne dread fnl breach
caused ~ tie diiscussii o,,s hen tl,s
9th atnry snds and the Goth puts Oh.
lts oyeralls aud jun per aud goes ID work,
but i seems HAT something must PEI
done % =settle this vital questio So Bit
ter has been the controversy that 4 NJ
am Bede ana the pe ,e have both been
Scalle d.upon for al auth tive statement,
wing got i, the public with The
l'ers ssof human. nature refuses u.
.be satisieds We can see some possible
excuse for doubt or misc nstrnctionIas
to the statement Of the his eccl estiacal
Init that Bede'a jud gment should Az
questioned is hey ond belief S5ssi
However, there 81 YET one great source
of light upon III complex question: lie
New York Sun, and here fol lows It's rea
ssoning II the form Of 4 fewssimp PIE qnes.
tions md answers, which. 81 Nv the
least, appear 70 be perfectly logical
Question hat Is \ year2 1sSSss
Answer Three hundred and ak ystiiveI
days. sass
What Is century
One hundred years.
When die the year end
December 8 Of tl.e year sEss
hen did the year No. g begin
january Of The year
When ia the year % end
December 81 A.l u 80
rs Did that con plete Il century
d.
tlsn was the century coIn pleteda
THE close 81 try cat lilo win lug %,
or # the close of the year 100
hen did The sscond scentury III 1
January Of tl,t. Ell 81 tie second
century That ii, anuar ol:
When did the nlnet d cent Il uryj siisiY
The close of the nineteentll luI.'
fdfedetbs year, 81 he close Il 1000.
When does ths twentic1ll century
Ebegin 8ss
Bee inss oas Any of yeal No, q
Eof the t~entietl shnnslrssll g .at 81.
81 II Ianusry 90
The Penn's Grove record., 1899-06-16

When Mr.. Reed resigned his seat In Con.
gress, and with it tho Speakership, 1t was
an interesting speculation in official cir.
Giles here us to who would be his successor
in welding the gavel. The contest for the
coveted position did not become as excit.
ing as many at first thought that 1t would.
A number of candidates were announced,
but their names were withdrawn, and the
selection OF Mr.. Henderson was made prac.
tically unanimous.
David B. Henderson was born In Scot.
land nfty-nine years ago, but he has lived
In this country since he was six years old
He lost a leg in the Civil War, and fol-
seventeen years has been a member of the
House, where he is known as q vigorous
and effective orator aud a partisan of posi-.
tive views. He is the chairman Of the
caucus committee which recently pre-.
pared a scheme of currency legislation; In
the House he has been a supporter of Civil
Service reform, and he is one Of the Presi-
dents Intimate friends.
"Dave" Henderson, as he is known to his
friends IN Washington, Is noted for some.
thing besides his oratorlcal powers, his
good nature, his broad-minded love OF
humanity, and his wooden leg. He is one
Of the few good singers in Congress, and
while his lung power is Of such vast
volume that lie cannot properly be called
a "sweet singer" he is, nevertheless, O
HuTplcE VI uOtes JdtfiOtlC sOuBS anu
songs with rolllcking choruses are the
ones that appeal to Henderson. General
Henderson's singing has boon described by
his rival In that accomplishment, former
Representative Warren b. Hooker, as very
strong on wind but very weak in tune, but
nevertheless, everybody apparently likes to
hear him.
1t was Henderson who led the chorus in
the Doxology sung before the Speakers
chair at the close of the Fifty-flrst Con.
sress, and he has swung the p~receptor's
rod on many a famous occasion since. A
Congressman recently said that when
Henderson is Speaker he will probably
want to supplement the Chuplain's daily
ing.
The Penn's Grove record., 1899-06-16

''Sir Harry Nane Sir Harry Vaue,
the Lord deliver me from Sir Harry
Vane % said Cromwell as the soldiers
of Captain Pride turned out ParIia-
ment. Sir Harry was speaker then,
but he was governor Of Maasachu-
sets before that, anl in the old Bay
state his name is still remembers |
and respected. Sir Harry's headless
ghost is said still to haunt the gardens
of his Kentish home of Fairlawu. Lady
Vane, wife OF Sir Harry's descendant,
believes that she has heard the foot
falls If the Massachusetts ex-governor
sounding at midnight alongthe tagged
walk. Lady Nane the other day wrote
for an English periodical an article OF
Sir Henry. Strange as it may appear,
the name of Sir Harry Nane had al
most been forgotten by Englishmen
until last summer, when the under
standing between Great Britain and
the United States revived his memory.
An editorial preface TO Lady Nme's
article says:
''rhe year that has opened sees o
strentheuing of the bonds between
this country and America. If Sir Henry
Vane had not been recalled from the
goveruorshipof Massachusetts, Amer
lea might still have been ours; but
that was not to be, and London turned
out to see him beheaded June II, 1862
on Tower Hill, as many a gallant gen
tlemau had been before him. New
York Press.
The Penn's Grove record., 1899-06-16
HUMOROUS.

"eTommv." said the teacher. s'wbat
is meant by nutritious food?' "Some-
thing to eat that amt got no taste to
it" replied Tommy.
Willie Ton being askedt to bring from
the library tobre a hook that bonpened
to be bound in paperJ-Do you want
the soft -shelled one. mamma?
cal. -
0tudent-And was the operation
successful? Eminent Surgeon No.
We found that he didn't have a yeri.
form appendix and he got well.
"Vbv mnst Won and vonr cood wife
seno,ato Pat. can.t tLo anil be
natcboJ NV - sir Tb,t,s ioost
+ She Won't match nm mo nouts
"Vho ,ra ali those mon have .
~coIIinr on VIM Iotelv SmitL2 ~, ooh
thev'Fe esntIeneI of the nress p"
"yor doH,t soyg" "yas. INV cradi-
tors "
"Clementiue. what did o do with
that curtain goods You bought last
week" well, it was entirely too
loud for curtains, so | made a shirt
waist of it,"
"Do you believe men show charac-
ter in the way they carry their UNI
brellas?' NO; but they show lack
Of character In the way they carry
other peoples umbrellas"
He had a Taste for poetry;
He ,oy A,iI 10 5niy ne IN nt r"nm WIZ of rbvmos
~ l'N'N W hNA'N IA "a ~ 49, iA''t