The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1923-06-28
BallOOnist BOnnette Coming
nv r. T. Patten)

At the opening of the Norridgewock
Traction line in 1894 we had a con-
siderable celebration. One of the
features was balloon ascension and
parachute drop. the first, think, to
ever occur in Skowhegan. The as
cension occurred in railroad square.
1t so happened that the day was per-
fectly quiet-no air moving either at
the ground or at higher attitudes.
The balloon started up very prettily
and when the parachute cut loose
the aeronaut, Professor c. G. Bon
nette, came down within a few rods
of the spot where he left the ground.
This short distance, however, brought
about an important difference for 1t
landed him in the top of tall elm
tree, standing In what was then the
dooryard of Otis harrington. The
Harrington homo fronted on Court
street. occupying the present site of
the Maine Central Hotel.
Nothing unpleasant resulted on &C
count of this landing place. Mr.. Bon
nette settled down into the leafy
branches gracefully and used his arms
and legs to gather in as many of
them as he could for support. After
getting comfortably seated he spent
sometime in shaking the parachute
loose from the tree and then descend
ed. The landing in the tree really
added a good deal to. the interest OF
the event.
It was on this aerial journey that
Mr.. Bonnette took with him little
dog, attached to tiny parachute
and a goose. These were to be
dropped out at high attitudes and
were expected to sail gracefully to
the ground. The little dog came down
all right but he too, landed with his
parachute in the top of high elm
near the Court House. This gave
the opportunity for some boys to climb
up and get him. 1t was a young ami
NAL of the wooley variety and he
squirmed and wiggled his little tail
around in way which seemed to
Indicate that he was very glad that
the parachute business was over for
that day.
The goose did not acquit herself
AZ credibly. She was a poor flyer
She made a grand exhibition of flop
ming around in the air but came down
almost like brick. 1t had been
adyertis ed that the first one to pick
the goose up would become the own
err, so there was grand rush to the
locality where she came down. !
do not remember who was the lucky
~ party, but it is to be presumed
that somebody had dinner Of goose
the next day.
Now Bonnette had been in the bal
loon business a good many years be-
fore he ever came here. He had
Jumped off the clouds hundreds of
times and he has been at 1t ever
since. He has probably gone sky
ward with no more substantial mo-
tive mower than a cloth bag of hot
air. cut loose when from 1000 to
5000 feet from the ground fluttered
down with his parachute perhaps
three thousand times. What is more
wonderful he is alive to tell the tale
and is coming here to make an as
cension July 4th.
Perhaps the most marvellous thing
about it is that he has never had
an injury in all this hair-raising ex-
perience. One winter however, he
went into the vaudeville theatres and
was performing on slack wire about
three feet from the stage. This gave
way and in falling this short distance
he broke his hip. Truly the ways
of providence are mysterious and
past finding out. -----------.