The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1901-09-04

what happened to the Rev. John NJ.
Bacon and some companions in one of
his balloon ascenslons from Newbury
England.
Mr.. Bacon in telling of the expert.
ence, says: "In scarcely more than
twenty minutes from the start n sud.
den and surprising change took place
In our circumstances. Our environ.
ment. which had appeared absolutely
calm and clear began changing with
the rapidity of transformation
scene. Below us the few hundred
feet which separated us from earth
began filling in with blue haze quite
transparent, but growing palpably
flmier, while ahead. MS also right and
left, the horizon at the level of our
eye and higher opposed a dense fog
barrier of an ashen hue. Overhead of
course the sky view was entirely hid
den by the huge silken globe. At this
time we were being swept along on
our course, which remained sensibly
unaltered IN direction, at n speed
which we subsequently were able to
fix at approximately forty miles an
hour.
ITO ourselves the full significance
of these circumstances was not i'm
mediately apparent. but the onlookers
at our point of departure-the town
gas works, now some five miles I'm our
wake-clearly detected the approach
OF heavy thunder pack and as they
reasonably asserted, coming against
the wind. 1t lowered above the
balloon, now seen projected plainly
against its face. 1t came on rapidly
and assumed formidable proportions.
The balloon was flying due west at
high speed, and at apparently no great
distance overhead the thundercloud
was progressing at a moderate veloc-
ity not accurately determined, but due
east or directly opposed to the surface
current
'And now with whistle binding
sheet of hail attacked the aeronauts,
stinging their faces so sharply as to
give the idea that the stones were
falling from great height, and i'm
mediately afterward from all sides
and close around flashes OF lightning
shot out with remarkable frequency
and vividness. We were, in fact, fairly
embosomed in the thundercloud. Other
and near observers narrowly watched
the phases of phenomena now in pro-
gress. These were the countrymen
who became interested spectators and
who presently came TO our assistance.
They seemed to have imagined that
the balloon must be infallibly struck,
inasmuch as it appeared to them COM
pletely encircled with lightning. 1t
was, indeed, the worst storm the
countryside had known for many
years. At Devices, only few miles
ahead, 1t lasted for five hours con-
tinuously. A little way on our right
a house was struck and burned to the
ground, and on our left couple of
soldieDs were killed on Salisbury plain.
Though the storm progressed. 1t
also appeared to lag behind the wind
that bore 1t along. 1t did not seem to
advance against us as n whole, but
rather about us, forming itself out of
what few moments before had ap-
peared mere empty and transparent
air.
''The lightning as seen by the people
In the balloon seemed to leap from
cloud to cloud and not from the clouds
to the earth, and the noise of the thun-
der consisted of short, sharp reports
like the explosions of gun cotton
without any of the rolling reverbera-
tions heard on the earth. The aero
nauts passed through the thunder
storm uninjured, but it was trying to
the nerves. The question is: With
the lightning playing all around it
and houses and men being struck on
the earth below, why was not the
balloon demolished by thunder
boltT-New Orleans Times Democrat.
shipwrecied Sailors Eat Comrades.
The Empress of India. from China
and Japan, brought story of ship
wreck, murder and cannibalism on
the high seas, from Singapore. 1t was
the narrative of two derelict seamen,
Hjahman Johannessen, Swede, and
Miguel Marticoreana, the only sur
vivors Of the bark Angola, who were
landed at Singapore by Chinese
junk, which picked them up on the
Island Of Soubi, in the South Natuna
group.
Angola sailed from Cavite, z. l., and
was wrecked on reef 600 miles away
from Manila week later, and as the
boats were smashed the crew had 10
take to two RATS made out OF wreck
age. or the smaller OF these rafts
nothing further Is known. The two
survivors and nine others were on the
larger one. The unfortunate mariners
were for forty-two days exposed to
every torture Of the ship-wrecked and
the natural results followed.
A Frenchman was the first of the
poor wretches to 90 mad, and he slew
the first mate with hatchet, drank
his blood and ate his brains The
other men then killed the Frenchman
and drank is blood and ate his
flesh.
vlay Iriffad flou hy Inv apI ,tpdo,