The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-10-14
DEATH OF AERONAUTS
TWO MEN FALL FROM A DIRiGI-
BILE BALLOON HIGH
IN AIR
BOTH CRUSHED TO
DEATH BENEATH THE CAR

Tragic elimination of the Experiments
of De Bradsky, the Hungarian Aero
naut-Wife Witnesses His Departure
With Emotion as There Was Talk OF
Fatal Outcome.
PARIS, Oct. 13. = De Bradsky. the
aeronaut and a companion named
NORM, were killed by falling in a dirig-
IDLE balloon today. The balloon started
from the aerostatic station at Vau-
giriard. q suburb of this city, at 7:55
a. H., on trial trip. After preliminary
maneuvering with a rope attachment
Bardsky released the balloon and pro-
s ceeded southwark at a height of 300 or
400 feet. The prOpellers of the ma
chine appeared to work well. The rud-
der, however, was not quite successful.
At about 800 the balloon had return
ed to above the point of departure and
then it gradually mounted until it dis
appeared in the clouds. When the bal
loon was above Stains, near st. Denis,
the ropes attaching the car to the bal
loon broke from some unknown cause
and the car with its occupants were
dashed to the ground and met instan-
famous death. The balloon disappear
ed in the clouds.
Called to Workmen.
When the balloon arrived over Stains
the aeronauts called to some Workmen
in the fields asking the direction OF
Pantin. De BradSky and NORM We're
seen moving about the car. Suddenly
one of the wire ropes broke and then
another gave way, and the car, weigh
ing $50 pounds, crashed to the ground,
burying the aeronauts beneath 1T. They
were crushed, their legs were broken
and their faces were bloody, but they
were not disfgured. The bodies were
taken to st. Denis.
De BradSky was ready to ascend
early last week, but postponed the at
tempt on account of the windy wealth
er. The balloon in which he assembled
today was an improvement on his orig
inal design, it's size being increased, as
it was found inadequate to carry the
weight intended, and this entailed
lengthening the car, rearranglng the
suspension wires and other changes.
It was in the form of a cylinder ending
in cone, twenty-five feet long in front
and twelve feet long behind, the same
length as the Santos-Dumont a1rSh1p,
which won the Deutsche prize, though
in volume it was larger, because the
length OF the cylindrical part was
longer.
The balloon proper contained 2,7S9
cubic feet. The frame was seventy-f1ve
feet long and was made of steel tubes.
1t carried q car sixteen feet long, sus-
pended ten feet below the envelope OF
the balloon, which guarded it against
risk Of fire from the sixteen horse pow
er petroleum motor. The frame weigh
ed 500 pounds. The airship was pro-
apelled by a screw twelve feet in diane
ter, and had a rudder with surface OF
five square yards. A notable feature
was a sail apparatus consisting OF
wings made of light canvas, thirty-six
feet long and five feet wide, fixed to
the right and left of the envelope, Civ
iEg it the appearance of an enormous
aeroplane; and intended to enable the
airship to sail about or descend slowly
in case. the motor stopped.
ST. Paris Mortified. III,
The catastrophe sent thrill of hor-
ror through Paris, following the dis
aster to the Brazilian aeronaut, Severe,
who was killed May IL last, and whose
balloon started from the same shed.
The principle of De Bradskys ship
had been warmly discussed and it's
ascent was awaited with the -keenest
inter est. A number of aeronauts,
friends of De Bradsky, and the latter's
wife, though anxious that her husband
should demonstrate the success of his
invention, witnessed his departure with
considerable emotion, and especially as
the conversation of the spectators
turned on the fatal ending of the eX-
pertinent
:. De Bradsky first tried the ascension
al screw situated below the car, and
the airship, held by ropes, rose easily
and maintained it's equilibrium. De
Bradsky was satisfied and he said he
would maneuver over the drilling
ground A whistle was blown and re-
leased the ropes, the propelling screw
behind was sent in the proper direc-
ton, when suddenly a southwest wind
sprang up, and the airship Swerved to
the northwest instead of to the north
east. Crossing the main boulevards the
aerial craft executed a number OF eVo-
lutions, but continued northward with
the wind, eventually disappearing over
the great white basilica of the Church
of the Sacred Heart and the top Of
the hill of, Mount Matre. The aero
nauts wife and their friends wait
ed at the shed from till 10, and
grew anxious at his prolonged alb
sence.
When the balloon was perceived at
an immense height this increased the
anxiety, as it was known the airship
was never intended to rise to such a
point. 1t was, however, merely the
inflated envelope which drifted back
across Paris after the accident had re-
lieved it of the weight of the car. A
few minutes later a telegram arrived
with the news of the disaster.
Described by Witness.
A witness gave the following ac-
count of the accident:
81 was standing on the steps of my
building when heard voice calling.
1 looked up and saw an airship 100
yards in the air. M. NORM was lean
ing out of the car and asked through
q megaphone where was a suitable
spot to descend. 1 indicated a place
in the neighborhood, and the airship
proceeded in the direction | had indi-
Gated A few instants later I saw the
balloon turn sharply and at the same
moment I heard noise like the tear
ing of cloth. The piano wires attach
ing the front of the car to the balloon
had broken. Other wires followed
suit. the car became detached and fell
to the ground 200 yards distant. The
balloon itself bounded up in the air
and disappeared. I hurried to the spot
and found De Bradsky dead and ter
ribly bruised. NJ. NORM was lying I'M
der the remainder sof the car. He
lived but a few moments"
De Bradsky was Hun arian, thirty
six years of age, rich and clever, and
had been IN the diplomatic service. He
made his first ascension in 1901. NORM
was his engineer. He leaves widow
and three children.
La Chambre, the constructor of the
airship, says he had no confidence in
the mechanical part of the airship. but
SAYS the balloon had perfect stability
and constitutes real progress, mas
much as there was no pitching or sud-
den shocks. The defects were that
the car was too light and that the
motor and guiding screws We're too
weak.