Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-28

edglng us banks, forming squares ana long
parallel lines of light in the streets and soli-
tary parks. Farther and farther apart they
streamed, until they were altogether lost in
the suburbs. The effect was bewildering."
At seven thousand feet, one of the passen-
gers, sitting on the ring, remarked that the
balloon was getting very tense, and the order
was given to ease it by opening the top valve.
The valve line was accordingly pulled, @and
Immediately afterward We heard a noise
similar to the escape Of steam in a locomo-
tive, and the lower part of the balloon col
lapsed rapidly and appeared to fly up into
the upper portion. AT the same instant the
balloon began to fall with appalling velocity.
the immense mass of loose silk surging and
rustling frightfully over our heads, retreat
ing up away from us more and more into the
head of the balloon.
"The suggestion was made to throw every
thing over that might tighten the balloon |
had two sandbags in my lap, which were
cast away directly. There were several
large bags of ballast and some bottles of
wine, and these were instantly thrown away;
but no effect was perceptible. The wind
still appeared to be rushing up past us at a
frightful rate; and, to add to the horror,
we came among the still expiring discharge
of the fireworks that foated in the air, so
that little bits of exploded cases and touch
paper, still incandescent, attached them
selves to the cordage of the balloon and were
blown into sparks. presume that we were
upward Of mile from the earth. How lorg
we were descending have not the slightest
idea; but two minutes must have been the
outside.
1--WE now saw houses, the roofs of which
appeared advancing to meet US, and the next
instant, as we dashed by their SUBMITS, the
words Hold hardl' burst simultaneously
from all the party. We were all directly
thrown out of the car along the ground and.
incomprehensible as it now appears to me,
nobody was seriously hurt
IN 1865 there went to Paris young Belgian
named de Groof, who was fully convinced
that he had solved the problem of aerial
fight. He did not succeed in interesting
French experts; but later in England met
with some encouragement. Finally in the
presence of large crowd, de Groof made his
attempt. His machine was attached to a
balloon; and after reaching height of four
thousand feet he cut himself loose The ma
chine fell like a stone, and crashed down
upon the rough pavement of Robert-st.,
Chelsea, with sickening thud. De Groof
was dead.
A SINGULAR mischance caused the death
of an American aeronaut named Van
dergrlft number OF years ago. Vandergrift
made an ascension from Columbus, Ohio
But the balloon was not properly ballasted
from the start, and. escaping from its re-
straints, made rapid rise to a height of
about three thousand feet. Vandergrift,
who had provided himself parachute. left
the car, intrusting himself to the parachute,
and abandoning the balloon to its own fate
The parachute, while descending slowly and
safely. was caught by the wind and carried
over the swollen waters of local river
Vandergrift had escaped from the perils of
the air only to fall victim to another ele-
ment, the water. Despite all efforts at
rescue, he was carried away by the seething,
racing waters and lost.
A MOTHER dramatic incident was that
= of Brownlow. Accompanied by an
other baloonist, he made an ascension from
St. Louis in 1902. The balloon rose rapidly
to a height of about four thousand feet. At
this point Brownlow leaned over the side of
the car to adjust some rigging. A sudden
change in the wind lurch of the car, and
Brownlow fell over the edge of the basket;
and with cry that his aerial comrade said
would haunt him to his death, shot down
ward toward the earth. The balloon. thus
lightened, sprang upward with great leap,
and Brownlows companion lost conscious
ness. When he recovered the balloon was in