A PERILOUS ADVENTURE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 431, 17 January 1912, Page 2

A PERILOUS ADVENTURE.

A.CROSS THE SEA BY BALLOON.

Mr. Dorouf. who was the first aeronaut to escape from Paris during the siege, was destined four years later to a perilous adventure, which was equally shared by his wife. During the siege, after he had quitted the capital, he was sent to Lille for the purpose of attempting return, but the armistice intervened, and Durouf found himself appointed by the Commune a captain of their balloon service. But. the Commune was duly crushed, and Durouf himself a prisoner. He was tried by * Council of War ; but, in consideration of what he had done during the war, he was unanimously acquitted. ■ At Calais, August 31st, Durouf and his wifo had arranged to cross the Channel. A Vast crowd was assembled, it being a festive occasion, but the wind blowing hard from the south-west it seemed foolish to attempt the journey. Accordingly, after having taken council with some scientific persons among the spectators, Durouf decided to keep the balloon in a state of inflation in order to see if the wind should alter ! its course, but at present to desist from the attempt. He thereupon retired to his hotel, without reckoning with the vast assembled mob. Their dissatisfaction very quickly reached the ears of himself and Mme. Durouf, accompanied by provoking insults. At last it grew so unbearable that he abruptly quitted his friends at the hotel, with the remark that he "would show the Calaisians that he was not afraid to die to please them." The couple thereupon ordered the car to be re-attached, in spito of all the expostulations of the authorities and their friends, and hurriedly got inside. The lady was even more zealous for the ascent than her husband, although it foreshadowed almost certain catastrophe. She was without bonnet or cloak ; they carried nothing to eat or drink, and only a few sacks of ballast, not aggregating 200 pounds. At seven o'clock the balloon shot upwards, and ten minutes later the foolhardy pair were out of sight in the growing dusk travelling at a terrific rate towards the open sea. A sentiment of horror spread through Prance and Europe when the news of the rash proceeding be:ame known. During three days the public gaze was directed towards that part, of the ocean where the Durouf s had last appeared. At length a telegram sent from Grimsby relieved the general apprehension, til appeared that the two courageous aeronauts had been saved by the crew of an English fishing smack, on the Skager-rak. Durouf and his wifa t vere almost perished from exposure :ombined with excessive thirst. The crew of the smack were pursuing their usual avocation at the southeast end of the Dogger Bank when they perceived the balloon high in the air going towards the Norwegian coast. The car, descending, was soon in a slanting position on the surface of the waves, and as there was a high sea, rushing along, drenching the unfortunate occupants. Having got up their fishing gear, the smack immediately gave chase and ran before the wind in the wake of the drifting balloon. After a pursuit of an hour and a half the vessel came within a short distance, when the crew got out and the captain and mate rowed after the distressed aeronauts. The car kept rising out of the water and was sometimes entirely covered by the waves. Its progress being thus arrested the boat gained upon it. The balloon grappling, seemed to have got fouled, for the rope was cut and iragging along the surface of the sea. The man made two attempts to reach the rope, but failed, and from the irregular motion of the balloon there was great danger of their craft being upset. After several efforts they succeeded in getting Durpuf and his wife, who were now half Jrowned and thoroughly exhausted, into their boat. The balloon being detached from the ear floated off in a north-easterly direction. The adventurous couple landed at Grimsby, September 4th, being heartily greeted by hundreds of fishermen and other spectators.— From "Travels in Space."