The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-07-05
ADRIFT IN The AIR
Spectator and AsrOnaut Carried
Up in Burning Balloon.
Both Fall Into a Tree at Vine
wood.
NOT BADLY HURT.
Escape With a Few Bruises and
Scratches.
People Held at Park Till Early
Morning by Wreck.
Il BADLY HURT.

At Vinewood a thriller not on the
program was pulled off. Without seri-
GUS injury to either. Walter Curtis.
Kansas City, No, balloonlst, and Wal
ter Taylor of Topeka, an involuntary
passenger. fell two hundred feet from
a burning balloon. landed in a tree
top and fell on down on top of a pop
corn stand. They both escaped with
a few bruises. Taylor lives at the cor
ner of Goldfinch and Indiana avenues,
Highland Park. He was standing near
the balloon while it was being inflated.
When it arose his feet were entangled
In a guy rope and he was carried Up
into the air several feet below the
parachute and Curtis.
thrill ran through the crowd
which rose to a sensation when it was
seen the balloon was on fire In in
slant the men began to fall, the bal
loon following them. However, the
men were not hurt by their experience,
but the balloon was a total wreck.
About 10000 people attended the
park. Although frecrackers were sold
the celebration was quite sane. No
excessive noise or firecracker acct
dents. Fireworks closed the program.
About 10 o'clock in the evening two
outgoing cars filed with passengers
left the track at the Burrow curve
when it ran into a switch, splitting
rail at No. 8 crossing. Both the front
and rear trucks left the tracks. No
one was injured Out nearly TWO nOuIS
were consumed before it was placed on
the track. Meanwhile the service on
the Vinewood line was tied UP. A
short time after it was resumed an
other derailment just east of the same
place caused another delay.
People Had Hard Time.
Several thousand people huddled
and herded on the platform and
against the gates of the car station,
waiting from 10 o'clock to 1 o'clock
this morning for cars to cor and take
them back to the city. Women and
little children suffered al kinds and
forms of inconvenience and discomfort
and actual pain and anguish in the
press while they waited through the
long hours of the night anC morning.
There had been derailment on the
Vinewood line to account for the delay
but no one at the park but the car
officials knew this, and they wouldn't
tell. The crowd was expecting a car
every minute and no one dared to
leave the gates or the platform. Had
the railway employees made some kind
of announcement of the cause of the
delay and then gave an estimate of
about the time a car would be due,
the crowd could have at least have
rested on the grass in the park.
Then to make a bad matter worse.
the trainmaster in charge Of the Vine
wood track undertook to arrange
passing place on one short switch for
three double headers coming into
town and about eight double headers
coming out from town The result
was that the several hundred passen-
gers on the three double headers
homeward bound had to spend nearly
an hour at the switch packed in the
cars like sardines. WOme- became
sick and the little children moaned
and cried as they stood up half asleep
in the crush and heat.
10. 4 4, .
10 o'clock and it was 2 o'clock before
the first of the park visitors reached
their homes. A worse experience
short of trainwreck and death and
serious injury cannot be imagined At
least three-fourth of the crowd was
composed of women and children.
They waited three hours in suspense
and anxiety. not daring to leave the
platform or their places at the gates
for a moment. An official or two of
the car company stood at a telephone
but he gave out no information re-
garding the arrival of the next car.
Then when the passage was made at
the switch the crowd was in anything
but good humor
The incoming cars backed back and
pushed forward while the string of
outgoing trains slipped by in an end
less procession. OF the four or five
switches between town and the park
this was the only one the trainmaster
could see for passing point.
Vinewood is too far to walk home,
go the crowd was at the car company's
mercy.
Derailments on the vinewood line
are common enough lately and the
people were getting used to ordinary
delays of an hour or so in getting
home from the park. but three de-
railments in a row last night on that
line accumulated troubles in a lump
and it was too big to go down at one
swallow.
A straw vote taken in the crowd
last night resulted in an overwhelm-
ing majority in favor of Huntoon park
as a future place to seek shade, rest
and amusement. Huntoon park is
within walking distance of every
home.
There was no whining and little
fretting or fussing on the part of the
1000 martyrs to a search for a little
pleasure. But the abuse vas handed
out in steady monotone. The protest
was deep enough to be called a growl
a murmur of wrath and Indignation.
Sullen resentment instead of loud
talk. Many people walked clear home
from the park, women ar children