Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1888-09-01 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

PERILOUS BALLOON VOYAGE.  Particulars have been published of the adventures of the aeronauts who ascended on the night of the 20th from Berchem in Belgium in the balloon of the Aerostatic Corps of Engineers. An hour and a half after the ascent the balloon was seen passing over Antwerp, and going towards the north-west. No news whatever was heard of the aeronaut. during the whole of the next day and night. It was not till 1 o'clock on the 22nd that a despatch was received from the Burgomaster of Dunkirk, who notified that the British steamer Warrior had picked them up at sea. It seems from the narrative of Lieutenant Croy, one of the voyagers, that when over Walcheren Island the aeronauts made a mistake, and imagined they were going towards the west when in reality they were drifting over the North Sea. It was then about half-past 2 a.m., the balloon being sufficiently low for the lights of the Wittig boats to be perceived, and for the fishermen to be heard calling out to them that they were drifting to sea. Ballast was at once thrown out, with the hope that a favourable current might be met with at a greater altitude. At dawn, 3 a.m., the balloon descended once more, the car touching the water. All little ballast as possible was then thrown out, so as to await the favourable moment of the appearance of a vessel to make their escape. At 6 o'clock a big fishing smack was made out, but though the men on board must have seen the balloon it hove out of sight. The aeronauts began to despair, and by getting rid of the remainder of their ballast they rose to a height of 2,000 metres. Before that M, Toulet bad made a sort of special anchor for the balloon consisting of a sailcloth tied to the end of a rope. At about 7 o'clock the aeronauts caught sight of the smoke of & steamer coming from the nottli. Hope returned to them, and M. Toulet again opened the valves and the balloon descended. This happened at about 1,200 metres from Zierikzee. The steamer was advancing at full steam towards the spot where the balloon had fallen, and where it was floating in a collapsed state on a rather rough sea. The speed of the vessel was cnly nine miles an hour, and when a few hundred yards from the balloon a boat manned by four sailors was launched to rescue them. It was high time. The car had served to keep them afloat, but those who were in it were almost exhausted. Lieutenant Croy, the only one of the three passengers who could swim, had taken off his uniform, and thrown it into the sea. Dressed only in his drawers, he was waiting to assist his companions. Captain Malutuden was so exhausted that he was almost in a fainting condition. M. Toulet himself, though accustomed to the emotions attending on ballooning, had begun to lose his presence of mind. Great precautions had to be taken in getting into the boat. All three of the aerorauts abandoned the car at the same moment. The balloon, thus lightened of the weight of the three men, shot out of sight. The rescued men were taken on board the steamer, which was a merchant vessel named the Warrior, Captain Cave, bound from St. Petersburg to Dunkirk. The aeronauts received the greatest attention from every one on board. After a 36 hours' voyage the vessel reached Dunkirk. Before putting in signals had been made, so that the rescue of the aeronauts was known in Belgium before they landed.  A Belgian Anti Slavery Society ham been definitely constituted for the special purpose of the suppression of the slave trade in the Congo State. The society, although national, no-operates with other similar societies and with African missionaries. The inquest has been concluded at Whiteohapel upon the hody of the woman who was discovered early the other morning on the 'landing of some model dwellings, having received 39 stab wounds, some of which had been inflicted with a bayonet. A woman who was in the company of the deceased on the nlght of Bank Holiday stated that they met two soldiers, °se a corporal and the other a private. After drink. ing at several public-houses, deceased went away with the private.—The jury returned a verdict of wit. ful murder against some person or persons unknown.