Year: 1874

ia BURSTING OF BALLOON IN MID-AIR.

 The San Francisco Call gives the follow. ing particulars of the bursting of a bal looon in mid-air near, that city, on the 4th instant, one of it's reporters having been in the car, which carried five gentle man and two ladies. The ascent was made from Woodward's Garden, San Francisco, and for the first half hour the voyage was a pleasant one. Then the wind increased, and MT. Buislay, the assistant balloonist decided to descend, although opposed by the rest of the party The account continues:

 "About three miles directly east lay the coast hills, and on the other side stretched large fertile valley. All were certain that the captain would not attempt to land on that side of the hills, at the rate the bag was travelling. and when Mons. Barbler announced his intention of land ing on the bay side MT. Buislay protested very strongly, and advised him to go over the range of hills, The advise was dis reparded, and the captain haviug given orders for all to sit in the bottom of the basket, dropped his one hundred and fifty pound anchor over the side and passed out about one hundred feet of rope. A pull at the valve cord brough t the monster down like an aerolite, and the anchor dragged over potion of the Estudillo ranch for about 8 quarter of a mile without retaining hold

 ''Our reporter looked over the side and saw the balloon passing over a small shanty, situated ill the eastern portion of the range. He shouted to his fellow voyagers to look out and all crouched down in the basket to be prepared for ths shock. No one except MT. Buislay anticipated such terrible shock as fol- lowed in few seconds. The balloon pass- ed over the house. and then tho onchnr struck light fence, which did not in the least impede it's progress. One. of the fiukes dragged against the house and the conoussion threw all the voyagers into heap in the basket. They had hardly time to recover from the shock when the rope broke, about three feet from the an chor, and the balloon shot almost perpen- dicular up into the air. Buislay shouted out that the anchor had been lost, and to look ont for landing. All instinctively felt the perilous position they were placed in, the wind carrying the bag along at terrible rate. But the voyagers sat in the bottom of the basket quietly, if in suspense, awaiting the swoop to the ground, now impending. Into the air it flew, until, four hundred feet up, quick, sharp. but slight report was heard, followed by tearing of silk. The bal loonists looked upward, and saw the whole center of the balloon exposed, while the lower half was Tapping around in ribbons.

 ''Look out, the balloon has burst" shouted Mile. Gaugain. All clung tight ly to the ropes and sides of the basket. The words had hardly been. spoken, when In less than flash. what was left of the balloon was dashed to the ground at an angle of about forty-five degrees, and at terrible velocity. The suspense was almost momentary, for with thud, which almost crushed the basket, 1t was dashed against the ground aboutRa quarter of a mile from the spot where the anchor had been left.

 The concusslon was terrific, and the two ladies and five gentlemen were thrown to- getherin mass Not a word was spoken by the ladies or any one in the car, as they almost stared death in the face. The basket was capsized as soon as it touched the ground, and it completely covered the occupants. The lower part of the bal loon by this time was in ribbons, and as the upper portion formed a parachute it It dragged the car along the ground at fearful speed, under which the struggling occupants rolled along the ground without any possible chance of freeing themselves from the basket or the ropes, the former covering them as with box, and the lat ter preventing any possible chance of the party dropping out. On over the ground the car was dragged, for distance of three hundred yards, the voyagers with it, and coming in contact with the land at every bump of the balloon. The inmates of the Alameda County Hospital, where the balloon struck, ran towards it, to ren- der assistance, and about forty willing hands caught hold of the long rope at tached to the basket. The balloon, after few intellectual tugs, at length settled down. after doing all the damage it could.

 "When taken out, Captain Barbier was unable to walk, and was carried to the hospital, close by. Miss Alice Burning ton sustained 8 severe concussion on the right side of the head, but was otherwise uninjured. Mile. Gaugain escaped with a slight cut on the cheek, and Mir. Gui- soulphe with a badly cut face and arms Mfr. Marret was badly cut about the scalp, and his right ear was almost sever- ed. The Call reporter escaped with a cut lip"