The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-08-09
KISSED BY LADIES
French Baloonist Has Exciting
Time After His Rescue.
5 HUNG IN MlD-AIR
While Attempting TO Round
EiffpI Tower

Paris, Aug. s.-M. Santos Dumont. the
aeronaut this morning again attempted
to circle EneI tower. He succeeded In
rounding the tower with difficulty. The
balloon was then unable to make Roadway
against the strong winds and fell near a
house in the vicinity remaining suspend
ed for some time. N Santos Dumont
was not injured.
Santos Dumont started from the Pare
de st. Cloud at $40 a. m. amid hearty
| cheers. His initial movements were
promising, as the balloon turned around
EiffeI towers nine minutes and thirty
four seconds after starting and rehead-
ed for st. Cloud. Just over the Avenue
Henri A1arcen. however, a strong gust
Of wind and fell nearfikO ,uaETAOIQ
Of wind struck the aerostat which veered
violently to one side and simultaneously
bounded backward a distance of fifty
yards. The hydrogen gas was forced
from the front to the back part of the
balloon creating a sudden expansion
which caused the machine to dip. Her
sore wtouched the steel cords and broke
them. ". Santos Dumont Immediately
stopped the motor and the balloon began
to descend. Unfortunately the cover of
the aerostrat struck the corner of a six
story building. 4 report like the shot
Of q cannon followed. The balloon col
lapsed and fell rapidly. Luckily the
frame caught on the building and the
balloon remained suspended. otherwise
Santos Dumont would have been killed.
AS it was the aernout hung in a most
dangerous position in mid air for half an
hour until by a great effort, he succeed
ed IN catching the great iron bar of
window, to which he chung, until res
cued, by some difficulty with ropes. The
baloonist escaped without a scrotch,
however. The explosion Of the balloon at
tracted enormous crowds and the recep-
ton of Santos Dumont on reaching the
street was most enthusiastic Many
ladies clinging to his neck and kissing
him repeatedly.
As N. Santos Dumont superintendent
the removal of the machine, he said he
was cutie ready to recommends opera
lions.
NJ Deutsch, who offered the prize of
1O0JOo francs for The rounding of Eiffel
tower and the return to the starting
POINT within a given period of time, was
so affected by the danger that Santos
Dumpnt had passed through that he told
him Re had rather present him with the
prize at once than to see him Kill himself
with his experiments. but the baloonist
replied that he had rounded 7fel tower
in such short period that he considered
the result TOO satisfactory TO permit the
stopping of lis experiment
NJ. Santos L. mont gave the following
account Of his t. p: This time it is not
The fault Of the motor, which worked
rapidly 1t x as The balloon which caused
the accident I founded the EiffeI tower
with admirable speed as I had a favor
able wind and was already returning
over the Bots De Bologune when the
wind freshened suddenly and struck me
sideways, like a snip in the storm. The
balloon pitched and rolled now and then
recovered its normal position. Another /
sudden veering of the wind caused the |
front Of the balloon to pitch downward |
the ropes caughe in the proPeners which |
struck the balloon wires. They broke. 1 /
saw the danger ana my only thought was I
1 was doing successfully, but I was
driven by q contrary wind in the direc-
ton o. the Eiffel tower. Again the breeze
veered and threw me against the building |
The balloon burst like toy gas balloon
ana the fragments fell, completely COW
ering me. The rest you know. am IN
hurt have not a scratch and VIII soon
recommeIce.
THE motor is uninjyred. I have work
"a it Tor ten minutes. I viii now send It
to St. Cloud and set to work repairing
The balloon It is simply matter Of sew
ing the pieces together. The cause was
that the balloon was insuhiciently filled
The venUlator also worked BADLY"
NJ. Deutsch, who was present at the
start. in an interview. said:
i am afriad the experiments viii not
oe conclusive as his balloon viii always
pc at thu mercy OF the wind. which is
cot the kind Of airships we have dreamed
r."