Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 November 1879 — THE WISE-BUBR ASCENSIOH. [ARTICLE]

THE WISE-BUBR ASCENSIOH.

Th* CmSMaa* Voier Whisk ** Waa ■oSa-ASoat is «ha Air Wllhsnl a The ascension of Barr and Wise was madenfrom Dindell Park, Sunday afternoon, September 28. The ballon* filled much faster than Professor Wise had expected it would, the gas-pressnie’ at the Lifidell Park being greater than had been represented to mm. ; At fwefv# [o’clock the "balloon was inflated sb!R-' ciently to carryfodr passengers, ahd it * was the Professor’s intention .time to take three companions with him—young Burr, Charlie Gonter, and Mr. Downey, his nephqw. ,The ascension was not to be made until five .o'clock. About three o'clock a gentle breeze turned to strong wind, and the balloon surged about in a violent manner and finally broke its fastenings—the net-work to which the sand-bus were, attached. Professor Wise anu his assistants, one of the latter his grandson, caught the balloon and held it down till the valve was opened and the gas let out. The balloon, of oourae,collapsed and fell to the ground entirely.- The Professor was disgusted with the wav the Pathfindet had acted, and he said that he would postpone the ascension to some future day. * The netting was all broke and it would take all the afternoon to fill the balloon again. The ascension would no doubt have been actually {KWtponed had it not been for the Professors friends, and particularly the three that were to accompany him on the voyage. They could fill the balloon again in time, they said, and reprir the netting. There would be a big crowd' of spectators there, and it would be a shame to disappoint them. Balloon people were generally looked upon as humbugs, any way, and it would never do at allto disappoint the hundreds and thousands who would surely gather on the grounds to see an ascension. Young Burr was particularly anxious that the ascension should be.made. He was all .fixed.for

,the trip; the Professor had promised him time and again to take him along, and he didn’t want to .be. disappointed. Beside, if the Professor wouldn't make an ascension himself, he, Burr, would for him, for the people must not be disappointed. At last the >old aeronaut gave in, and the inflating of the balloon recommenced and the netting patched up. It was agreed between the four parties most interested in the ascension that in case the balloon received only sufficient gas by five o’clock to take one man, that Burr should go up. If there was gas enough for two, Jhen Professor Wise should go. If three could go, the third should be Charley Goriter, and if four, then Downey was to be one of the voyagers. When the hour of five o’clock arrived the netting had been repaired and the balloon about two-thirds inflated. The Professor thought that she would carry no more than two persons besides the packages of Mabley’s advertisements and the Iron Mountain Railroad circulars and a couple of sand hags for ballast. All these things were Eut into the basket, and also several ottles of Anheuser’s bottled beer and a dozen or two sandwiches. The park was pretty well filled with people, or at least that portion of it about the balloon was, and the street outside the park was crowded with people. The scene in the vicinity of the balloon was of a very ‘ lively character. “Crazy Ward,” a cracked-skull painter, with an ambition for the stage, was making himself very conspicuous in the crowd about the balloon, sawing the air with his arms, ’reciting Shakespeare and Byron and yelling to Professor Wise every now and then, asking him if he didn’t remember the time when, they two sailed over Lake Michigan oqce m a balloon. When the gas was cut off and shut oft and the basket fastened to tke nettiug, about forty men in the crowd stepped forward and took hold of the netting. The sand-bags were then all unhooked from the netting, and the basket and balloon were dragged over to the extreme southwest corher of the" open space ’.between .the trees, seme fortyfeet from the’ position- the balloon first occupied. Tins was done because a strong wind was blowing from the sout hramd.the-Profooeoe wanted all the *

room he could get in which to clear the trees- Bor* steilpfetHiittf. the basket ' and Stood upright: He was smoking a cigarette at the time, and his hands were kept busy shaking hands with his tato “ Now can you all let go when I say “All right, lether - v . The band# of Ail left- lld? basket At thelamewime, Nhi up taking a direction almost due north. The basket brushed through the tree tops on the . north of the ouen space, but it was o*dy i* dm e htaH^-fancT no danuge was dona. ¥«*mg Burr stood upon the rim of the basket and waved Jus hat at the crowd below with one ,’&sst.m&sasseis\ Wze of an clothes-line and 1,800 feet long, lay in a coil on the ground* when ta*fcatteete9lartedd)», aad < there wuiAiakaib «£etp wteay from the line. Let htis—mlui 4tte crowd obeyed, giving the rope plenty of room. In a-few second*,, perks#* memrty aadb,. dte, the end bf. tha drug-rope * was reached, and drassmsaps D&ough the trees and out of sight. A# balloon passed over this, fair grounds, some of the visitors there caught bold of it, and Professor Wise was Compelled to cut the rope loose from the balloon.. This was the only anchor line the aertmauts had, and a balloon without a drag-rope is in a much worse oondition than a ship in a harbor is without an anchor. Had the idiots at the fair grounds let the rope alone, Professor Wise and George Burr Would probably be alive to-day.— St. Lottie Times.

—“The worst drunkard in America” has been hooked in Bath, Me. He is sketched hs t ? trakret* afipjgjfe •al appearance that is rough and coarse to the last degree. ' Bpt there rolls from his lips the most bei4iti|uldanjguhge ever heard. All the standard worts of literatim in tha dead and living .tgagaeA come too U| fag quotations the most I I choi<s W Ids lips,.and impromgJu are dashed off wito snap and Dubble A the Bohemian refused, saying that-he wouldn't give -up his whisky for tifaOOO * day. ... it. There, lure boomerangs of various kinds, but they-are all equally dangerous, aqd for the same reason.