The Sun. — 1863-09-03 (London, England)

BALLOON ASCENT.—NARROW ESCAPE.—The balloon ascent on Monday, by Mr. Glaisher, Mr. Coxwell, the representative of the Newcastle Chronicle, and others, was highly successful, though the descent was attended with considerable danger, as the following report for the paper just named will 'show :—Mr.Coxwell, looking out for a favourable position for the descent, thought at first to pass a range of hills right ahead of us; but, finding a favourable field nearer at hand, he lowered as quickly, and warned us how to avoid injury by bumps, In accordance with his directions we cowered down in the car, and holding fast the ropes on each side, were ready for the bumps when they should come ; and come they did. In avoiding the wires on the North-Eastern Railway we got out of the pan into the fire, as the phrase goes, and caught the telegraph wires on a waggon-way that had been quite unobserved. The Mammoth, impatient of restraint, swayed his immense bulk to and fro, and dragged most monstrously against the resistance of the grapnel on the wires. " Bravo wires!" said one, and bump went we on the ground. Up for an instant, and then down again with a bump bigger than ever, and most vilely stunning in its effects. The huge balloon flapped and tore in front of us, and suddenly carried us right off from our hold. Looking over the edge of the car, it was seen that she had torn up two of the telegraph posts, and brought them over the hedge into the field of shorn and sheaved corn. Worse than this, an exclamation from Mr. Smith told us that the rope had broken, and that the grapnel was left hanging to the wire. Mr. Smith shouted to the peasantry, who, like the Britons of old, when alarmed at the appearance of Caesar, had congregated on the adjacent heights, and requested them to come to our assistance and seize the rope. They came down fast enough, but not understanding what was required of them, and being perchance apprehensive of being carried off into the heavens, did not seize hold of either car or rope. 111 r. Colwell, with a degree of promptitude and energy which proved him to be equal to any danger,applied himself to the valve rope, and pulled with might and main. Nevertheless, the balloon had still power to drag the car and us along the field of corn, first by slight and occasional elevations, then by regular dragging. the car lying on its side, and the monster balloon tearing along at an uncomfortable rate. Mr. Smith, taking the string, relieved Mr, Coxwell, and, obeying his rapid orders, pulled with all his strength, Yet on we went, the carin creaking and straining heavily, while we, crouched it, were bumped and knocked, and thumped. and ones or twice fairly covered in with sheaves. A thick and high thorn fence was right in front of us, and it seemed likely that we should be into it. Mr. Coxwell knew better, and through his generalship, and the activity and strength of Mr. Smith, aided also by our friends of the country, who had at length seized hold of the car, we pulled up just at that point where a clever hunter would have risen at the fence. The balloon, indeed, was quite over the hedge, the car still on the right side. when the people, seizing the net-work, helped to hold her back, and so saved us from a scratching. Inquiries as to our whereabouts elicited the intelligence that we were near the village of Pittington, and that we had come to earth on the farm of Mr. Newby.  Escape and Suicide of a Patient from Armstrong's Lunatic Asylum,  Mr. Wm. Carter, the coroner for East Surrey, held an inquest at Mr. Aylett's, the Crown Tavern, Caureh- street, Lam beth, on t he body of Sarah Jones, aged 28, late an inmate of Dr. Armstrong's lunatic asylum at Peckham. Police-constable 184, of the L division, said that "Monday morning last his attention was called bll ry. a gentleman to something lying near Waterloo idge, on the bed of the river. He went down, and found that it was the deceased. He gave information to Mr. Adamson, and the body was taken to Lambeth dead-house. Ann Hailes said that she had laid out the body. She found a mark on the back of the head, and another on the left elbow, as if they were caused by a heavy fall, In her pocket were two handkerchiefs and a halfpenny. Eliza Shallon said that she was a widow, and had known the deceased for about seven months, by 3 reason of being employed 'at Mr. Armstrong'f lunatic asylum at Peckham. -Witness -was an attendant in the asylum. The deceased was a lunatic patient. She last saw her alive at three o'clock on Sunday afternoon last, at which time she was under the charge of Mary Ann Osborn, another attendant, and also herself and Emma Marshall. She last saw her whilst they were walking out, and after passing Camberwell-green they turned, for the purpose of going up Denmark-hill, when, at the corner of Church-street, she was missed by Osborne, who ran back towards Camberwell Church. Witness did not see her again alive. Mary Ann Osborne said that she was an attendant at Dr. Armstrong's. On Sunday afternoon the deceased and other patients left the establishment for a walk. There were 33 patients and three attendants. On arriving at the corner of Churchstreet, by the Green, she missed the deceased. She left the other patients, and ran after her, but could not find her, and she gave a description of her to a policeman. She was not suicidically inclined, and was a very quiet girl, and most amiable in her manners. She had of late got much better in her mind. She was entrusted with knives, and no fear was apprehended that she contemplated suicide. The delusionsshe laboured under were about religion. Elizabeth Jones said that she was a widow. The deceased was born 7 weeks after the death of her father. Witness resided at 7, Gloucester-street, Lambeth. She had been at Dr. Armstrong's establishment for 7 months as a pauper patient. She never knew her to threaten to destroy her life. She used to wander in her mind. She could not tell how she got into the water.  The learned Coroner summed up; and The jury returned a verdict that deceased destroyed her life when of unsound mind. The Coroner recommended the attendants to use all proper vigilance in future, so that a similar case might not occur again.