The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1906-07-05

IN OtDhnce OF the
At four o'clock yesterday morning an
anxious member of the celebration com.
mittee was teleponing Lewiston morn
ing paper for the weather report, the
reply Rain today and fair tomorrow"
confirming his worst fears as TO what
was in store. A little later various
embers of the committee were sym
pathzing with each other over the tele-
phone and at seven o'clock practically
all those who had labored so faithfully
on the days program for the past two
months assembled at the Office of Gould
K Lawrence for a consultation. At that
time rain was falling and had been with
gentle presidency for four hours and a
cancellation of the entire celebration
seemed unavoidable Orders we're in
fact given to omit the special train
hope, which proved afterward to be well
founded, rather than judgment based on
the conditions prevailing at that hour,
lead to delay before finally abandoning
other matters, and when the committee
again assembled at 1890 there we're thin
spots in the clouds and it was determin-
ed to have the balloon ascension and
Captain Taylor's slide for life and to
carry out the events at the Park if posi-
BILE
The balloon received first attention.
Sawdust was hauled to cover suffi cenr
area of mud in the depot yard on which
to spread out the big bag, dry fuel was
obtained and matters forwarded as fast
as possible.
1t may interest our readers to know
something of the manner in which hot
air balloon is filled and the method fol-
lowed in the present instance is practi-
cally Identical with that employed by
all who follow that profession. The
preparations consist of a trench 80 feet
long ending In stack or f1ue three feet
in diameter The lower opening of the
balloon, which is something like six feet
in diameter is thrown over this stack
and the upper end is hoisted up to a
level with the tops of the two poles
about 80 feet high. The slaves from six
hard wood barrels were then rushed in
to blaze with kerosene and the heat
finds it's way to the balloon through the
covered trench and the stack. The folds
of the balloon are held away from the
stack to guard against fire and as the
heat accumulates the balloon is allowed
to rise until fully inflated and the lower
edge is ready to clear the ground. The
fuel, after the barrel slaves are consum.
ed, Is kerosene for time, and toward
the last mixture of kerosene and gas
oline and at the very last pure gasoline
The initiation takes about rs minutes
from the time the fire is lighted aud is
watched all the time by man inside
the balloon who shouts to those outside
directions of all kinds and particularly
with regard to feeding the fire.
At yesterdays ascension the cloth of
the balloon got thoroughly dampened in
spite of the sawdust put down to pro-
tect 1t and owing to this and unfavorable
atmospheric conditions it seemed i'm
possible to give it its accustomed bouy
ancy Owing to the storm of the early
part of the forenoon final preparations
were not commenced untiilate and were
done with rush that produced the best
work When 1t seemed that the bal
loon would take no more hot air the
aeronaut, 1.-THE Black Prince gave the
word to let go and started up with the
balloon, seated on the bar of his para
chute The balloon did fairly well in
the first few seconds but Immediately
sank heavily back and swung the Prince
against guy wire which runs diagonal
ly across Court street and there he hung
in the ropes of his parachute about 80
feet from the ground, while the balloon
came down on the roof of the Seveno
block and the wires which pass it Oh
Water street. After few moments de-
lay rope was thrown out to the Prince
and he slid to the ground uniDjured but
for some bruises about his hands
To complete our description of an
ideal ascension we should say that when
the aeronaut is at any height above 500
feet he pulls rope which cuts connec
ton between the top of his parachute and
the balloon and sails to the ground, the
folds of the parachute spreading out and
supporting him in his descent AS the
parachute and the aeronaut drop about
800 feet before it OPP ms sufficiently II
serve its purpose it could not be made
use of in yesterdays ascension az the
Prince did not get more than so feet
above ground The ascention was dis
appointing to every one in that it lacked
the spectacular features of great height
attained and the parachute drop, but
this was made up for in part by the ex-
citing incident of the rescue of the
Prince from his decidedly perilous posi-
ton on the wire over Court street and
the crowd applauded him very heartily
when he finally reached the ground ia
safety
Daring the hour or 30 required for
initiating the balloon occurred Captain
Geo Taylor's slide for life from the
clock tower of the Maine Central sta
ton This feature attracted general
that filed every available point from
which it could be witnessed. The wire
on which the captain made his descent
is the size of an ordinary telephone wire
and looks to be as near nothing, so far
az support is concerned, as anything a
man ever depended upon for a trip from
such a height to the ground. Right
here 1t may se observed that the true
height of the clock tower can only be
appreciated by any one who looks out
of the window from which the captain