Year: 1859

From 4 late Australian paper we take
the following accoun, of the destruction by
fire Of the Australian Balloon" in Sydney.
y :. W


Pursuant tJ announcement, the Aus
traiian Balloon was inflated in the vacant
ground attached 10 Mr. Polack's premises.
between Pitt and George streets, and In
due time ascended from this spot. Tie
occupants Of the car were Nr. Green, one
OF Tie proprictors Of the balloon and Mr
Alfred Wardell, son Of Mr. Wardell. Of
Iauxhall Gardens, London. Owing 10 the
nature Of the wind, the eronauts were com
PEELED to descend in the yard Of the Wool
pack Inn, at the llaymarkct One of them
(Mr WardelD having got out, the other
attempted to rise again 80 as TO descend in
a small paddock somewhat further on. but
the pressure of the crowd, which by this
time had poured into the yard, prevented
hIm from 50 doing. There was no resource,
therefore. bu; to empty the balloon of its
Gas where It then was. Cat the subtle va.
por escaped with great rapdity from n
large rent in the body of the balloon, and
impregnated the whole Of the surrounding
atmosphere. Still all might have passed
off we'll but that some reckless fool took
this opportunity to light a lucifer and to
cast the still burning match away For a
description Of what followed We take the
words Of an eyewitness


The effect of this was horrible in the ex-
tremc. Streams Of gas. which had Just Is
sued from the balloon into the air, ignited
instantly, and vivid lines and sheets of flame
trayersed the yard in all directions like
flying fiery serpents. During the time that
this awful sight was visible, the terror and
confusion that prevailed was such as bafiled
decription. 1t must be borne in mind that,
in spite Of reiterated and untiring efforts of
the police to clear the yard, it had been
hardly possible for them to do more than
to keep tOlerable order in the excited thronc,
especially as multitudcs were still endeavor-
ing to get in, while those i'll the yard tried
with desperate efforts to get out again INTO
the Haymarkct When the fire appeared,
and several in the yard and on the shed
were slnged and burned, there was frantic
rush to the gateway, already blocked up,
and numbers, breaking through the wood
work, escaped to Durand's alley on the the
one side and over the stables into George
street on the other


The fire at first did not touch the balloon,
which was kept, by the exertions of Mr.
Brown and his men, in the middle Of the
yard at "A great l>k, and with a courage
and presence Of mind which cannot be to
highly praised The fire engine was prompt.
ly sent for. and brought down 10y Mr..
Browns orders. but very happily was no.
required, as the old buildings would doubt
less have burnt like paper. All this passed
rapidly, perhaps in less time than it takes
to tell it. The FIRE, darting about in the
air, caught the car and then, seeing any
attempt to preserve the balloon utterly
fruitless, and fraught with extreme danger
to life and property, the balloon was pur-
posely cut, and the enormous body Of gas
left remaining in it-several thousand cubic
feet-ignited, and the balloon was consumed
in one mass Of flame, which appeared for
one moment and then vanished


FROM the hrst sight OF the eXplosIon-
by which, from the cool skill with which it
was managed, no harm was donc-tbe scene
was indeed terrible The screams of the
women and children-seyeral Of whom
were thrown down and trampled upon-;hc
shouts of the men, and the rush of the pan
ic-stricken mob were something appalling.
BY the untiring and vigorous excrtions Of
the police the rush was partially stopped
in the gateway. About dozen persons
sustained more or less injury on this occa-
sion, but none Of those injuries have been
such as to occasion death