LOSS OF A BALLOON IN THE ENGLISH CHANNEL.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1041, 25 February 1882, Page 4

LOSS OF A BALLOON IN THE ENGLISH CHANNEL.

Thebe is every reason to fear that Mr AV. Powell, M.!'., who was carried out to sea in a balloon in the neighbourhood of Bridport on Dec., 10, lias perished in the English Channel. The accident is fully detailed in the letter which we publish below by Captain Templer, who, with Mr Gardner, son of the late member for Cheltenham, accompanied Mr Powell in his fatal ascent. The balloon, which was named the Saladin, was the property of the War Office, but about six months ago it was lent by the Government to the Meteorological Society, for whom Captain Templar and his associates made their ascent at Bath on Dee. 10. On leaving Bath the balloon was carried over Somerset to Exeter, thence into Dorset. Near Bridport the aeronauts attempted to descend. The balloon struck the ground with great violence, and Captain Templer was thrown out This caused the balloon to rise, and as it did so Mr Gardner fell out at a height of about 8 feet, breaking his leg. Mr Powell remained in the car, and was then rapidly borne out to sea in a south easterly direction. When last seen he was waving his hand to Captain Templer. It is not known at present how far the balloon was carried, but as nothing has been heard of it from the Channel Islands or from France, it is feared that it has been lost in the -sea. For two days the steam-tug Commodore and various craft cruised about in the Channel in search of the balloon, but saw nothing of it.

From subsequent information we find that on the afternoon of Dec., 10, the balloon reached Symondsburv, a village a short distance from Bridport. Here the voyagers inquired where they were, and were told Bridport was only a mile distant, and that the sea was equally near. Mr Gardner says it was their intention then to effect an immediate lauding. The current, however, was stronger than they had imagined, and they suddenly found themselves close to the sea. All endeavour to select a favorable spot for their purpose was then abandoned, and they made every effort to land at once. The carr dragged the ground and the aeronauts were thrown over each other in the car, two of them, as already stated, Captain Templer and Mr Gardner, being finally thrown out. Captain Templer was injured but slightly, sustaining only a severe shaking and a broken finger, but Mr Gardner’s leg was badly fractured. The balloon was soon lost sight of in the darkness, but it was affirmed by some that it fell into the sea.

The following letter from Captain Templer, who accompanied Mr Powell in the ascent, will be read with interest

On Dec. 10 I ascended at Bath, accompanied by Mr Walter Powell and Mr Agg Gardner, at 1.55 p.m., for the purpose of taking the temperature of the air, and the amount of snow in the air, for the Meteorological Office. We cleared the snow clouds at 4,000 ft. The temperature of these clouds was

28 deg., and the wet-bulb thermometer read 26 deg. At 4,200 ft. we passed over Wells, the time being 2h. 50m. At this height I worked over Glastonbury ; the temperature now rose to 41deg., and the sky was perfectly clear. I passed then between Somerton and Langport, and I here found that 1 was in a N. | W. current. 1 asked Mr Powell to send the balloon up to 6,000 feet, to ascertain the temperature of a small bank of cirrus. I found this temperature to be 31deg., and then 1 asked him to place me at 2,000 ft. altitude to regain the N. i AV 7 , current, and we then came in view of Crewkerne. I now kept at a low altitude until I reached Beamiuster. Mr Powell here observed that we were going at thirty miles an hour, and here we first heard the roar of the sea. The balloon suddenly rose to 4,000 ft.; at this time I said to Mr Powell ‘ Go down to within 100 ft. of the earth and ascertain our exact position.’ We -coasted along close to the ground until we reached Symondsbury. 1 here called to a man and asked him how far the distance was to Bridport, and he said about a mile. I asked Mr Powell to ‘ take in,’ our pace now increasing to thirty-five miles an hour. To avoid the little village of Neape, Air Powell threw out some ballast. This took us to 1,500 ft. elevation, and we had still two miles ’to get in. I opened the valve and descended about 150 yards short of -the cliff. The balloon, on touching the ground, dragged a few feet, and I rolled out of the car with the valve-line in my hand. This caused the balloon to ascend about Bft., when Mr Gardner dropped off and unfortunately broke his leg. 1 found that the rope was being pulled through my hands, and I called to Mr Powell, who was standing in the ear, to come down the line. He took hold of the line, and in a few ■mere seconds the line was tern through my bands. The balloon then rose rapidly. Mr Powell waved Lis hands to me, and I took his compass -bearings, and found that he was going in S. 5 E. direction, Some men coming up, I placed Mr Gardner in their charge, and sent word to the Coastguard and Bridport Harbourmaster to keep a good look-out and to go out with boats. I then proceeded to Bridport and telegraphed to the Commanding Officer of Royal Engineers, AVeymouth, to have a steamer in readiness for me to go in search. I proceeded io Weymouth and found the steam-

ship Commodore with steam up. I here received a telegram from the Bridport Harbourmaster, saying that the balloon had been seen to drop in the sea south of Bridport. lat once proceeded to sea, and searched the alleged place of his descent, making due allowance for the wind and current. This proving unsuccessful, I crossed the Chanrel till we sighted the Casquets Light, and then returned in a N.W. direction, ultimately reaching Weymouth about 5 am. on Sunday, and have organised further search. I am of opinion that what was seen to fall into the sea was not the balloon, but part of the gear, thrown out to lighten the ballon, as it could not have fallen so close to the shore as to be visible in the dusk of the evening.”

No news of the missing balloon had been received up to the 14th December.

Air W. Powell, of Eastcourt House, Wiltshire, AI.P. for Malmesbury, who it is feared is thus lost, was the youngest son of the late Air T. Powell, of The Gear, near Newport, Monmouthshire, J.P. and D.L. for that county, by his marriage with Anne, daughter of Air AV. Williams, and was born in 1842. He had sat in the House of Commons, in the Conservative interest, as member for Alalmesbury, since 1868, when he was returned by a small majority over his Liberal opponent, Viscount Andover.

Almost hopeless as the case of Air. Powell seemed at first, it is a good deal more hopeless now. That he should have landed anywhere on the coaat of France, and should have been unable to make his whereabouts known by this time is unlikely in the highest degree ; and that he should have been carried very far to the north or the south—to Norway or to Spain, in safety is nearly if not quite as unlikely. Thepropabahties appear to be that the balloon decended into the sea at no distance from the place where it passed from over the land. If there were so, and no vessel happened to sight him, Air. Powell must have met his death very soon after he Was carried out to sea. And if he has really perished, it is to be hoped that he perished soon.