The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-12-02

asked Mr.. Stevens. II you are as ignorant
as was IL may interest you to know that
It is nothing more nor less than the heat
emanating from any kind OF FIRE built I'M
der the debated balloon. This, you
know from your experiments with the
Fourth of July paper balloons, has an as
eensional power. When all the heat has
been caught up in the bulky envelope IT
rises, and 1t continues to float in the
air until the heat turns into smoke. The
aeronaut with any experience intuitively
knows when this change Is about to oc-
cur, and just before the heat turns into
smoke and the balloon consequently col
lapses the aeronaut pulls little tackle
which is cleverly attached to a penknife
which cuts the trapeze on which lie sits
from the dangerous balloon, and down he
sails on his parachute. At balloon ascen-
sions I had often witnessed the aeronaut
doing what seemed to to be the limit
OF human fooihardness in performing
trapeZe acts while sailing through the air.
He would swing from his uncanny perch
foot and 'chin'' the bar and turn
cartwheels, until, sick with apprehension
1 would turn away. / asked Mr.. Stevens
about this. He said that these aerial
performers are always secured so that
they cannot fall. They are fastened to
the trapeze by belt which is three feet
long. Most aeronauts work for someone
who controls an entire company of bal
loonists. On the last Fourth of July Ste
vens had 40 men and balloons out work
ing all over the United States.
The balloonist gets S25 for each ascen-
sion and all his expenses are paid. The
man who sends him out gets 1925 for the
service and Is obliged to furnish the bal
loon and all the accessories. AS pro-
fessional Stevens made his first ascent
when he was IA years old, and that time,
he says. the man he worked for received
much as $500 for one ascension
while out of that he would pay him $500
or $500. And he made as many as FIVE
ascensionS in one week. But the money
was easy come and easy go, and the bal
loonmaker says that he would wind up
the season just poor he when
he started, and he would go back to his
home. in Cleveland, o., where his father
owned an amusement park which was
then known as Beyerlies Park, and later
was known as Forest City. There he
would get a position as shipping clerk in
some mercantile establishment until the
winter months were over.
The manner in which he became bal
loonist Is amusing and exciting. As a
boy he loved TO tinker around machinery.
He was eminently practical. One day
his teacher gave him an Appletons Chill
drens Library volume which narrated
the adventures of two children who in
some manner got into balloon and were
borne away. When they were sailing in
the empyrean blue they did not know
what to do. Eventually, however, as al
well-regulated morals. they came to earth
safe and sound In limb and body. But
the moral was that they had not been
selfpossessed, for If they had they would
have remembered that someone had once
explained to them that to lower the bal
loon all they had to do was to pull a |
small rope which all the time had |
dangled in their reach. Stevens thought |
that the children were very silly not to |
have discovered the rope for themselves, |
and the story, generally speaking. aroused |
his contempt, but 1t set his mind to run |
ming upon aerial navigation. though nat
urally that phrase was not in his vocab- /
ulary at this time. The fact that bal
loon could be made to rise sink at will /
was a revelation to him, and the idea of
the air easily he sailed
the water with his boat fired his imagi-
ration. He determined to become air
sailor. and in all seriousness he preached
the subject to his father. Ironically the
paterfamilias informed him that he had
no objection ar all; that If he ever man.
aged to find his boat to sail away in he
would be glad to see him OFF.
There came to the park about this
time man named Warden from Lon
don, who was advertised TO make
ascension with his balloon. Young Ste
vens zealousiy cultivated the aeronauts
friendship and helped him work about his
balloon, thus learning q great many things
1t.
The following Sunday he announced to
MS father that he was going to make
trip in the balloon. His father. thinking
L was but the idle boastfulness of Is
boy. told him to so right ahead.
In fact. he urged him to do SO. Piqued
by his fathers sarcasm. the youngster
picked up his fathers jack-knife. Watch
ng until he saw that there was no one
iround the huge bag he stole up the bill
IN which Ii was anchored. He clambered
INTO the car and leaned over and cut the
'ope which held it down on earth. In n
second he shot up into the air with a
'apidity that bereft him of his wits
his eyes tight. he crouched in
'orner of the car, clenching the OPEN jack
snife ia his hand. How long he remained
here he himself does not know. Finally.
however, his native spnnk came back and
lie stood upright In the car He looked
round him and saw strange. terror-hlliug
masses OF clouds. When he gaxed below
re could only family distinguish clumps
Il blackness and srreaks Of something
And as he gazed he received
new fright lie seemed TO be going
higher aud higher. The earth was rapidly
aiding from his sight. He says dear old |
dother Earth never seemed so good to