page_title: Washington Harrison Donaldson
section_title: Biography
hierarchical_section_title: Washington Harrison Donaldson / Biography
caption_attribution_description: English: Front page of the Daily Graphic (New York), 7 October, 1873, showing the ascent of Washington Donaldson's unsuccessful attempt sponsored by the newspaper to cross the Atlantic.
context_page_description: Washington Harrison Donaldson was a 19th-century balloonist who worked in the United States. He was known as much for his failures as his successes.
context_section_description: His early life was spent upon the stage as a gymnast, ventriloquist, and magician. He was a graceful tight rope performer. In 1862 he walked across the Schuylkill River on a rope 1,200 feet (370 m) long, returning to the middle and finishing by jumping into the river from a height of 90 feet (27 m). He also walked across the Genesee River at Rochester, New York on a rope 1,800 feet (550 m) long, recrossing it with a man in a wheelbarrow trundled in front of him. From 1857 until 1871 he travelled through the United States, appearing not fewer than 1,300 times in his various specialties.
  Bartering instruction in magic and all the paraphernalia of his exhibitions, Donaldson found himself the owner of a balloon. Without the slightest previous knowledge of balloon management, he made arrangements for an ascension, taking his first lesson in a failure, which happened for want of lighter gas or a larger balloon, the latter being too small to carry him except with pure hydrogen. The balloon was enlarged and tried again with coal gas, as in his previous attempt. This time, 30 August 1871, it succeeded in getting off after Donaldson had thrown away every available thing, even his coat, boots, and hat. This ascent was made from Reading, Pennsylvania, and the descent 18 miles (29 km) distant. He made another ascent from Reading in September upon a trapeze bar.
  On 18 January 1872, he ascended from Norfolk, Virginia, and his balloon accidentally burst when a mile from the ground. He said of it:
  “The balloon did not collapse, but closed up at the sides, and, swaying from side to side, descended with frightful velocity. I clung with all my strength to the hoop. I could not tell how badly I was frightened, but felt as though all my hair had been torn out. I scarcely had time to realize that I was alive, when, with a crash, I was projected with the velocity of a catapult into a burr chestnut tree. The netting and rigging, catching in the tree, checked my velocity, but I had my grasp jerked loose, and was precipitated through the limbs and landed flat upon my back, with my tights nearly torn off, and my legs, arms, and body lacerated and bleeding.”
  Shortly after this, he ascended again from Norfolk. This time, in his haste to avoid being carried out to sea, his balloon was wrecked among the trees, although he himself escaped injury.
  He then undertook the construction of a balloon which he called the “Magenta.” It was made of fine jaconet, held about 10,000 cubic feet (280 m³) of gas, and weighed about 100 pounds. He made several ascensions with this balloon, two of which were from Chicago. On the first occasion he was carried out or Lake Michigan and dragged more than a mile through the water, bringing up against a stone pier finally with such violence as to render him insensible. On 17 May 1873, he ascended from Reading, Pa., in a balloon made of manilla paper enclosed with a light network, the whole weighing but 48 pounds, although it contained 14,000 cubic feet (400 m³) of gas. He travelled ten miles (16 km) before landing.
  Donaldson was a convert to John Wise's theory of a constant current blowing from west to east at a height of three miles (4.8 km), and, as the veteran aeronaut had said a balloon could cross the ocean in this current, Donaldson was ready to take the venture, and so announced his intention of making the attempt. Wise offered to join him, and they set out together to raise the necessary funds, they went to New York City and opened a subscription, but while this was in progress the proprietors of the Daily Graphic offered to furnish the funds required for the construction of a very large balloon and outfit, together with the gas required. This proposition was accepted.
  The construction of an immense balloon of cotton twill was carried to completion. But before the inflation some differences arose between the aeronauts regarding the reliability of the balloon. Donaldson's inexperience placed him in a secondary position throughout the entire transaction, but when the time for action came he found himself the principal, Wi
caption: Front page of the Daily Graphic, October 7, 1873, showing Donaldson's team ascending
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