Rensselaer Union, Volume 5, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1873 — The Tragic Death of the Aeronaut La Mountain. [ARTICLE]

The Tragic Death of the Aeronaut La Mountain.

The balloon was one of the hot-air kind, intended to rise by the well-known upward pressure of the heated air confined, until, cooling in the upper rarilied atmosphere, if gradually descends. It is thought by some that the renowned La Mountain would not, after all his great experience, have been likely to use this inferior means of ascension. But as there is no gas at lonia it was impracticable for him or any one to use any otljer means than a hot air-balloon. At fifteen minutes before four the sack was supposed to be properly inflated, and at that moment the tether was cut and up it flew from the assembled multitude. The sack of this fatal air vessel was about one-third or one-fourth larger than the one of the same kind which recently made two ascensions .in this city. It probably held about 12,000 feet of air. The form was, as usual, oval, except where it closes to a point underneath. The swell of the oval was capped by a wooden hub, supposed to be firmly fixed there, and perforated by three holes, through which ran the suspension cords of the basket, crossing each other and coming down around and beneath the sack, forming six ends. To these the basket containing the aeronaut, was suspended. There was no netting, such as always covers and incloses the sack of the large-sized gas balloons, or the accident resulting thus horribjv could not, probably, have occurred. There was hut little wind at the time, and the balloon arose directly upward, remaining right over the Court-House square, whence it started, appearing of course to diminish in size, till it was judged, by that appearance and the rate of its upward move-" ment, to be 3,000 feet high. The shouts had ceased, and 10,000 upturned faces watched the diminishing object intently, when the basket was seen to separate tram the sack, which hong and wavered about in one spot for half a moment or so, while the basket and man were shooting downward with the velocity of a cannon shot! its the vast throng of witnesses eomprebended the frightful tragic spectacle, a thrill of intense horror spread through them, as from among (hem issued one widespread suppressed groan of agony, w afl seemed too horror-stricken to Of course there was no such

length of time In the downward flying of the devoted man as the reader has occupied In reading these last few lines describing it. From the instant of the dlsaster to the balloon till he struck the ground, the time .was not probably more than fifteen seconds, as measured off on the watch-dial by the second-hand. At a height of five or six hundred feet from the earth the unfortunate man got separated from the basket—in fact it appeared as if he leaped from it intentionally. This certainly made no difference as to the fatality of the fail. The concussion must have killed him just as quickly had he struck the earth with the basket beneath him. Wonderful as it may seem,from the time he sprang from the basket his position in the air remained erect, feet down, till he struck, notwithstanding the greater weight of the head and body, which causes most human bodies to turn and fall head first. It is possible he had acquired a faculty of his position in the air by athletic’force. Perhaps, in the hurried thoughts of despair, he fancied he might, by striking feet down, be spared from death. But the indescribable swiftness ot his descent must have knocked the b/eath out of him, even had he struck on a new-lv-made hay-stack. Many people declared that they' saw such movements of his limbs ana even expressions in his face as showed him to be alive and conscious until he struck. But this isconsidered by the greater number to have been entirely improbable. His shooting through space with lightning-like swiftness deprived him of all breath and sense of life, undoubtedly, while part way down. Indeed, it is hardly possible that lie intentionally jumped from the basket. It is more likely he fell from it when he had no longer any' power to hold on to it. With terrific violence lie crashed upon the earth, feet down, his legs driven up into his body, and all but his head being instantly maslied into a sickening, quivering mass of spouting blood, protruding bones and dropping flesh. His feet struck into the earth several inches. He struck a few feet from the jail wall, only about eight rods from the very' spot where he went up. Down came the basket right after him, and liis hat came wavering down. What became of the sack of the balloon is not known. La Mountain resided in Brooklyn, in this State, where he leaves a wife and child. He was apparently about forty years of age.—Grand Rapid* (Mich.) Eagle, July 5.