Rensselaer Republican, Volume 17, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 August 1885 — FEARFUL FALLS FROM A BALLOON. [ARTICLE]

FEARFUL FALLS FROM A BALLOON.

The Terrible Experiences of Two Aeronauts in Connecticut. [New Haven (Conn.) special.] At Winsted, Conn., a balloon ascension was made this afternoon by an aeronaut, Prof. Brooks, and Frederic Moore, a wealthy manufacturer of the town. The balloon was the largest ever used in the State. It was eighty feet high and 120 feet in circumference, and was calculated to have a lifting capacity of 1,500 pounds. All went well until the aeronauts had reached an elevation of 2,500 feet. There, although they were above the clouds, ttiey were caught in a storm which proved to be the heaviest experienced in that part of the State for years. Becoming terrified by the lightning they began to descend and passed through the cloud layers in safety, although the balloon suffered from the heavy rain, and the gas began to escape. When within 100 feet of the ground the machine was "rocking violently from side to side. As they fell the two men threw out sandbags, and, losing two much ballast, the balloon careened wildly, the gas escaped, and the car was overturned., Brooks and Moore lost their hold on the slippery rail and fell headlong from the car. o The crowds that had been cheering wildly a few moments before stood out in the pouring rain in their eagefness to see the descent and did their best to catch the aeronauts as they fell. Brooks was picked up very badly hurt. He is expected to die. Moore’s injuries are not so serious. Both men had had considerable experience in ballooning.