A BALLOON IN FLAMES.

Patea Mail, Volume II, Issue 142, 19 August 1876, Page 3

A BALLOON IN FLAMES.

Tim following is writU.-n by a cnm-spo'.i-di-ul of a S:tu Francisco paper ;—! hlli a; United States of dtiliiliihia; Sinitli Ami-rieii, May i>, 1870. —We have just Hdhie&k'd a terrible scene—a baliddii ai'CcHsem With tragical results. The grand Aerial ascension—Jimnaotieej” was advertised to take place at 7 o’clock on the morning Of the Bth of May; Cards of invitation were sent out to all the leading citizens, and iii this town of few diversions great excitement was Created. On Sunday afternoon an oven was built in the centre of the plaza for the purpose of heating the air by which the'balloon was to ascend, and all the preparations were watched by the people with a great deal of curiosity. There were perhaps 2,000 persons in the plaza. The balloon, a very large one, was inflated rapidly and successfully, and soon the aeronaut appeared brilliant in scarlet, 1 and gold and silver spangles,, barryiiig; ill his hand the Columbian flag. The ropes were loosened, and the balloon shot up like an arrow, amid the shouts of the enthusiastic multitude, the blowing of horns and the beating of drlnns,- the aeronaut meanwhile turning oil tile trapeze and performing "various gymnastic feats. It was a beautiful ascension. In less than a minute he must have been at the height of 2,000 feet; when tile balloon apparently became stationary. Ho then threw o'ift the flag. We coUld scarcely distinguish whet her it Was the flag or the man himself; but the next Second, smoke w r as seen issuing from the side of the balloon, and the next the unfortunate jeronaut had lowered a rope and was clinging to the end below. “Esta quemando—it is burning,” some one shouted,- and the people suddenly became as madmen, running and screaming, weeping and tearing their bain The gentleman standing next to me tried to quiet them by shouting ; “ It is not burning; it is false; brute# animal ; it is only the gas escaping.” But soon the flames burst from the top,- and pieces of Cloth began to float downward, the balloon descending slowly at first, then rapidly until all hope was over, unless ho should .touch the top of the mountain, which is about one thousand feet above the town. The spectators rushed in the direction in which the balloon was supposed to be coming. In five minutes the plaza was entirely deserted with the single exception of one poor lunatic, who began marching round and round the oven that had furnished the fatal spark, chanting ft requiem maSs# at intervals kneeling and crossing himself, smiling all the while; It was pitiful to see him. In about an hour the' Crowd came slowly back with the poor aeronaut, still breathing but insensible, with a broken leg and internal injuries.- He waff-seen by a man in a field to pass directly over the cross of the chapel in the cemetery, almost in reach of it, across the valley* of Qftebrada Seca, finally touching the ground half way up the mountain on the opposite side perhaps a mile ami a half from the point of starting. He niflst have retained his senses to the very last. As he came to' the ground he cried “ For Dios,” and struck on his feet, still clinging to the rope. The ignorant man who saw him, having heard nothing of the balloon ascension, thought he had come directly from heaVen and was frightened,-■ ami rail away as fast as he could, but meeting those in search of him tinned and 'conducted them to the spot. Tiie mitoriniiaie man lived but a few hours, ami was-hurried at it w.m; the same day.