The Sun. — 1851-09-11 (London, England)

THE LATE BALLOON ACCIDEA T.  TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIDIES. Sir,—As one of the four persons who aster tcle din Mr. Bell's balloon on Monday last, I should e e 'zeem it a favour to be allowed to lay before the pal )iic a brief narrative of the circumstances attenckant tb ereon. I should not attempt to trespass on yi 'fur valuable space, had not a most incorrect and inco, esisff nt account of the accident appeared in nearly a ll tl le journals of Tuesday. The report I allude to s tat es that immediately after "an alteration was visi bit in the shape of the lower part of the balloon" the t ipver part of the machine collapsed, and goes on to sa3 r t, 'it Mr. Chambers, by some unexplained means, m ana,ged to place his arm over the top. There is also something said about a pressure of " 151 b. to the squ are inch ;" which, considering the altitude we had atta fined when the accident occurred (nearly a mile) is sifnoly nonsense. 'that really happened is as follow s :—We ascended steadily, and proceeded with t tioderate speed towards the river in a south-westerly oi irection. Mr. Chambers, the person who was permitte d by Mr. Bell to become the custodian pro tem. of th, lives of three persons, was busy waving flags and cutting away some comical figures of paper attached to the car, and I was admiring the wonderful panorae la beneath me, when I heard a report like that of a ne usket above my head, and immediately exclaimed that there was a rent in the balloon ; an assertion denied by Mr. Chambers, who had got by this time among the netting, and ordered us to throw out ballast, notwithstanding which we descended % with frightful velocity—the houses, churches, and ii elds beneath us getting horribly nearer and nearer every second. Exclamations of " We're all right, we're sill right !" half hoping, half despairing, broke from us, followed by an awful cry from one of us at least of " It's all up with us !" Then, Sir, we three men in the car stared death in the face for some 40 seconds, while Chambers (an old man, but as brave as a lion) had cut the cords attaching the neck of the balloon to the hoop, the consequence of which was that the whole of the silk flew up to the top of the netting, and formed a parachute. We were then steady for a moment— then oscillated (a proof of comparative safety)—then went down, down again, with frightful force. Certain death was now before us; but not one of us lost presence of mind, though I had not the slightest hope of escape. Mr. Chambers was entirely calm and collected. We cut away the grapnel, threw out more ballast (bags and all on my part), and descended with a concussion not nearly so severe as I expected in a market gardener's field. I fell on Mr. Gardiner, Mr. Chambers, jun., on me, three bags of ballast on him, and the car over us all ; while " the pilot, who had weathered the storm," was thrown with considerable violence from among the cordage round the hoop where he had been standing. So much for the accident itself. The cause I think lies in a nutshell ; and I am loth to allude to it since it argues a want of prudence on the part of the person who, by his presence of mind, saved our lives subsequently. When we ascended, the neck of the balloon was tied round with a silk handkerchief. On clearing the earth, the balloon ascended to a higher and much more rarified atmosphere ; the atmospheric pressure became less ; the gas expanded rapidly ; and the balloon burst. What lam stating I know to be true, and I do not state it without the sanction and advice of experienced aeronauts. A few words, Sir, in conclusion. lam a young man, and the feeling of curiosity which prompted me to ascend may perhaps find an excuse in my being an artist, and an enthusiast withal, in aerostation as a science. But I am too thankful for that Divine mercy which permits me to be here to-day, a living man and not a shattered corpse—l am too sensible of the mischievous folly of which I and my brother balloonatics have been guilty, to let this opportunity pass without recording my humble, but solemn protest against the whole system of ballooning as at present existing. If any beneficial result was to be looked for—if any scientific ends were to be gained by balloon ascents, I should be silent; but it is madness and folly to permit any enthusiast or any charlatan who may be the possessor of a silk bag which he can afford to fill with coal gas, to risk his own life among the clouds, as well as those of the madcaps who are with him, for the amusement of some hundreds of gobeinouches who have paid a shilling a head to see their fellow-creatures commit constructive suicide. Whether he and his companions come down in safety, or are sent, unprepared and unshriven, into the presence of their Maker, the risk is still the same—the utter uselessness and folly of the thing remain intact. When some personage more important than a poor caricaturist has been killed in a balloon, the attention of the authorities will perhaps be drawn to the subject, and this wanton trifling with life be perhaps put a stop to, like any other dangerous nuisance. Apologising for this intrusion on your columns, I am, Sir, your obedient servant,