Year: 1869

In some respects the most remarkable
ascension that ever took place was one
made by an apprentice boy Of twelve
years old named Guerin, who was taken
up by the action of the balloon itself, with.
out his consent, and without any inten-
ton that he should 90 up on the part Of
any other person. Ii was rarehed air
balloon. The car was in the form Of a
boat, and was to be suspended from the
balloon by cords attached to each end Of
1t when the balloon was illed. There was
also au anchor suspended by cord from
the bottom of the boat, which was intend
ed TO catch upon the ground and hold the
balloon when it should come down.


After the balloon was filed and was
ready to 90 up some of the assistant held
1t by cords, while others went to work TO
attach the car to It, They had secured
one end, and were then going to secure
the other, when, by some means or other,
the balloon broke away from those hold
lug II and began slowly to rise, and at the
same time to drift along with the wind,
dragging the car and the anchor over the
ground. it happened that, as the anchor
was thus drawn along, and was begin.
ming to rise, 1t passed so closely over this
boy-who was sitting quietly near by with
his companions, not dreaming of being
anything but spectator Of the proceed
ings--as TO catch the fiuke In the waist
band of his pantaloons, and as it con-
tinued to ascend it took him up with II.
The boy uttered piercing screams and
cries and calls for help and there was
perhaps no harm in this so long as he
held on bravely. OF course no help was
possible except calls to him from below to
hold on. He found that the waistband
began to give way, and he instinctivcly
grasped the rope above his head with both
hands, and 80 sustained himself The
strength of his hands, without the aid of
the hook in his waistbAnd, would not have
been sufficient to sustain his weight many
minutes aud the waisthand was not
strong enough without the hands. Both
together, however, answered the purpose,
1t was very fortunate for Guerin that II
was Montgeltier, that Ia, a raretled air
balloon, and not one filled with hydrogen,
that was running away with him for in
! the latter case the gas within would have
continued to expand as the outside pres
sure upon 1t diminished by the increasing
elevation; and as there would have been
| no possibility of opening the valve, as is
usually done, to relieve it, the balloon
would have burst and collapsed, and the
poor boy would have fallen a thousand
feet or more to the ground with full force.
But being a MontgOlaer, the ascending
power gradually diminished as the air
grew cool, until at length, after float.
ing moment in equilibrium, 1t be-
gan slowly to descend. As the bal.
loon descended, the rope which had
begun TO untwist under the influence OF
the boys weight turned more and more
rapidly; and inasmuch as person sus-
pended from balloon is never conscious
of his own motion-the illusion which
makes the motion seem to be in the earth
and not in the balloon being perfect -as
1t is indeed on smaller scale TO person
going up in the elevator of q hOtel-it ap-
pesred to Guerin that the earth was spin
ming round beneath him In vast and
most frightful gyration. Guerin was more
terrified than ever. AS he drew near the
ground, or rather, as 1t appeared to him.
as the ground and the concourse of spec.
tators upon 1t came whirling up to him,
he cried out to the people to save him
They called to him in reply not to be
afraid, that he was all right and, receiv
ing him in their arms as soon as he came
within reach, they at the same moment
stopped the spinning of the earth and un
hooked him from the anchor.


The incident of course created great
sensation at the time and, as the account
of it became part of the history o.
aerostation, the story will be repeated II
all coming time Guerin found himsel
very suddenly flmous. AS he was only il
the air about fifteen minutes, 1t is very
probable that this boy acquired historical


immortality at an earlier age, and In 1


shorter time, than any other human being


jacob Abbott, in HdTper's Magazine 70


.Jlln