Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1901-01-08
UNEXPECTED TRIP
AN ACCIDENTAL BALLOON AscEk-
!, SION.

Eugene MCCARTHY Got Tangled I'm the Far
achuts Ropes and Went UP $3.50 Feet
iii. Musings In Mi&air-His Homsward
Trip Was Graceful and Successful.
Eugene Mccarthy. a tall, slender
Irish Yankee, who died recently at
the mountain village of Waitsneld,
VT, made sensational voyage at the
Mad River Valley fair on September
j, 1897, in a hot air balloon. Tangled
In the car ropes, prisoner BY acct
dent, he shot into the air far above the
hare top of Bald mountain. He rose
to a height of 5000 feet, and after
struggling and dangling In midair
helpless below the car, he returned to
earth, not a corpse, but the same rug
ged Green Mountain farmer.
More than 1000 spectators had as
sembled at the fair grounds In order
to witness the balloon ascension. To
make the ascent as advertised the
professor called to the crowd for vol
unteer workmen. Eugene Mccarthy
responded and took his assigned sta
ton inside the canvas balloon car. On
the outside, by this time, the huge
bag had been raised and supported
securely by guy ropes on all sides. A
Ere had been started In a tunnel In
order to furnish the necessary hot air.
Fed by kerosene. the name ran
through the tunnel and ,came up inside
the uplifted bag with a stream or
sparks. Mccarthy and the professor
were there to prevent these sparks
from firing the cloth. Gradually as
the current Of hot air swept into the
car, the top part swelled forth until
the airship became restless in its at
tempts to leap heavenward. BY the
faint applause outside Mccarthy knew
that the young woman performer. who
had been advertised to make the de-
scent in parachute, was ready to
start.
At a given signal, in order to es-
cape ENHANCEMENT in the ropes fasten-
ed from the balloon car to the para
chute, Mccarthy jumped to the centre
of his small circle space. But he
caught the hot air from the tunnel
full In his face Half blinded by
smoke and fame, he naturally step
ped back and Internationally placed q
foot across a raised parachute rope.
So when the balloon car. freed from
guy ropes, jumped upward, the volun-
teer workman felt the rope tighten
under his leg. BY natural impulse he
grabbed the rope overhead in order
to keep himself from falling head
downward. He accordingly soon found
himself. not on the ground where he
belonged, but in midair, swinging
twenty feet above the parachute per-
former and rushing skyward at ex-
press train speed.
Mccarthy, at the start, heard and
obeyed the sound advice of the pro-
fessor to hold on tight. He felt the
earth sink rapidly as in an express
elevator in tall ofice building, and
at 1000 feet began to feel himself
more at home. His car then began to
20 slower and steadier. So he ex-
amined his position in the balloon.
For a seat, half way between the hot
air bag and parachute top, he had =
small iron ring, to which were fasten-
ed the ropes Of the hot air car and
parachute He attempted to look
downward, but as the thought of fall
Ing unnerved him he grew dizzy. Then
he remembered faint cheer, and
wondered why his friends seemed so
much pleased at his dangerous posi-
ton. His musings in mid air con-
tinued until he heard the voice Of his
companion performer.
Are you safe?" she said. -
'T guess So" &sri
Hold on, for I'm going" fg"'
"Good-by," said Mccarthy.
"Good-by," said the girl.
Although at height of $500 feet,
Mccarthy by this time had begun to
be encouraged by the presence of his
air ship companion. He further had
hoped that because of his accidental
trip she might not make her drop in
the parachute. Her announced start
homeward therefore gave him some
uneasiness. He naturally preferred
her company But with true Green
i
and patiently waited for her departure.
From his boyhood, Mccarthy had
lived on farm, and had never stud
fed, at the little white schoolhouse on
Waitsheld common, such questions as
the behavior Of hot air balloons in the
sky. Therefore, he never expected.
when his friend left him, to shoot
IL - afv T.
satisfied with $500 feet, but he was
forced to obey the law OF nature.
Freed of the weight of the girl and
parachute. which dropped toward the
fair grounds, Mccarthy and his air
ship leaped skyward again. For the
next few seconds the solitary pris-
oner closed his eyelids, held his breath
and grasped the ropes tighter. He
quickly rose 500 feet. and there ut an
altitude of 5000 feet noated lazily in
the still mountain air. He then waited
for the hot, smoky air in the car to
cool and take him home.
On the trip homeward, Mccarthy
equalled in grace the parachute drop
of the young woman. As the hot air
cooled he slowly descended and finally
disappeared. not half a mile from the
park. behind q clump of trees In Fays-
ton valley. On the ground again he
lodged the falling canvas, and imme-
diately started for the fair grounds
There Mccarthy found himself hero.
In few words he told the story of
his wonderful experience in mid air,
then hitched up his horse, jumped
into the wagon and started for home.
Nv. v. Smith. living south of Flor
ence. claims TO have the longest whis-
Na~o sr ha ~nrldo Sorc tho