FATAL BALLOON ACCIDENT. A FAMOUS AERONAUT KILLED WHILST DESCENDING. London, September 7.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 309, 20 October 1888, Page 6

FATAL BALLOON ACCIDENT. A FAMOUS AERONAUT KILLED WHILST DESCENDING. London, September 7.

The craze for ballooning, which has been very pronounced during the pasb season, will be checked, if not totally crushed, by the shocking disaster and death of Mr Simmonds, of Wilham, in Essex, last Monday week. Mr Simmonds bore the reputation of being the safest and most cautious of living aeronauts. He had made no less than 495 successful ascents, and his trips were considered sofree from risk or danger that people booked seats in his balloon m as matter of fact a way as they took tickets by train. For some time past Simmonds had been making periodical ascents from the grounds of the liish Exhibition, approved visitors being admitted to the car on a payment of £5. On Monday week Mr Simmonds advertised a special trip (the wind being favourable) to Vienna. He had already made two unsuccessful attempts co gee as far This was the third. The want of success which attended his previous efforts led, no doubt, to the fact that but few gentlemen were clesiroua of going up with him upon this occasion, and only two put in an appearance at the time fixed for the ascent. These were Mi- W. L. Field, of New Brighton, and Mr Meyers. Upwards of a hundred soldiers held the ropes, and moved the sand-bags as the final arrangements were made.

PREPARING FOR THE LAST JOURNEY. Mr Simmonds was unusually active, dhected every movement, and watched his assistant untie the mouth of the balloon when everything was nearly ready. The two passengers took their seats in the car, which was made of iron wire ; sand bags were deposited in the bottom ; a carpet bag was handed in, then coats and cork jackets. Mr Simmonds was the last to take his place, and he seemed somewhat flurried. He called loudly for his wraps, which were handed to him ; then he bade the soldiers cast off the sand bags, and held on to the ropes. The balloon leaped up a few feet, the soldiers holding on to the long guiding ropes. It rolled to and fro, amid the laughter of all who were present ; but Mr Simmonds was yet in doubt, and directed the men to carry the balloon some twenty yards.

THE START. . Then he called for another bag of sand. The buoyancy of the balloon was again tested, but the result did not even then satisfy the aeronaut. He called for another bag of eand, and' before it was brought

I added sharply, "'-How long are you going to keep me waiting x forthafc bag V A soldier lifted the bag, and Mr Sknmonds took ib from him. This appeared to satisfy him ; his assistant, who had been adjusting the cords in the mouth of the captive, lowered backwards ; Mr Simmonds threw off the ropes, which two lines of men still grapped in their hands, and the " Cosmo " started on her last serial voyage precisely at four o'clock. As the balloon rose, Mr Simmonds waved a whito handkerchief, which was visible even after his figure was not discernible, and, rising higher and higher in a gentle wind, passed \ westward away. Thero seemed to be some [ inclination to the north before the balloon had risen to the highest point, and then a distinct trending to the Pouth. There was a clear sky, and the course of the balloon could be seen for nearly twenty minute" after it left the earth.

THE COURSE OP THE BALLOON. What afterwards happoned is at present, to a certain extent, mere conjecture. Until those who accompanied Mr tfimmondg are sufficiently well to give an account of the journey, itmust necessarily remain so. Howi ever, there is every reason to believe that the voyago at the outset was vety enjoyable. The course was over Romford, Brentwood, Ingatestone, and Chelmsford, to Ulbing, in Essex, which wai reached about 6 o'clock, tho distance traversed being about thirty-seven miles. The locality was everything thai could be desired for descending, and the ground seemed all right until the grapp'ing irons caught in one of three elm trees, and Mr Simmonds endeavoured to come to earth outside them.

THE CAR SMASHED TO ATOMS. The balloon, unfortunately, came clown with a bump, and in going up again struck a tree violently. The silk buist with a loud report, and became detached from the car, which again came to the ground with such terrible force as to smash it to atoms. Mr Simmonds and his companions were much injured. Sevetal persons who witnessed the unforturate descent were quickly on the spo , and other help was procured. Mr Gutteridge, surgoon, oi Maldon, three miles ott, s<»on anived and pronounced Mr Simmondb s case hopeless, as the base of his skull was fractured ; and he died three hours afterwards. Mr Field sustained a broken thigh, but Mr Meyers escaped with a severo shaking.

AN EYE- WITNESS'S STORY. A correspondent, who was standing in a field only a few hundred yards trom the scene of the disaster, says: — "The grappling irons caught in a tree, and the balloon came down, but rebounded violently, unfoitunately colliding wibh another tree as ie got up again. It was torn almost asunder, and exploded loudly about fifty fort fiom the ground. Tho car fell, and rolled over and over with the occupants until Mr Simmonds was so cut as to be almost beyond recognition. The district where the balloon alighted is quite open, Avith few houses near ; but some labourers soon arrived and assisted tho injured men, who were afterwards seen by Dr. Gutteridge."

MR SIMMONDS'S EXPERIENCE. This was the 495 th ascent made by the deceased aeronaut, and his experience extended over a period of thirty years. Mr Simmonds had on five occasions successfully crossed to the Continent, and, singularly enough, in these journeys he had almost always selected as his starting-place Maldon, only three miles from the place where yesterday he met with the accident resulting in his death. In March, 1882, he started from Maldon with Colonel Brine, and then, owing to the collapse of his balloon, narrowly escaped DROWNING IN MID-CHANNEL, being rescued with his companion by a passing vessel. Later iv the same year he successfully crossed from Maldon to Arras, and in the follow ing year, accompanied by Sir Claude de Crespigny, he, again starting from Maldon, succeeded in descending safely at Oudekerk, near Flushing. In 1883, also, he crossed with Mr Smale from Hastings to Cape La Hogue. Another balloon trip taken by (Sir Claude de Crespigny, who&e residence is also close to the scene of yesterday's mishap, with Mr Simmonds, was unfortunately attended by an accident, Sir Claude breaking his letj in the descent. Four of Mr Simmonds's ascents were made in the United States, six in India, and one in Egypt. Amongst other journeys which he made wa- one from Swansea to Simonsbath, in Devonshire, which was the place of his birth; and the deceased was fond of mentioning: this fact, which he regarded as a happy augury of his career in the profession he had chosen.

HIS INTEREST IN FLYING MACHINES. Apart from ordinary balloon ascents, Mr Simmonds took great interest in parachutes and flying machines. One of hib own invention was tried in 1874. It is said to have carried some sand bags about one hundied feet high and then to have fallen. It Avas again tried in 1875, and again iailei. Mr Simmonds was in charge of the balloon in which on the 9th of July, 1874, the Belgian "Flying Man," Vincent de Oroof, ascended from Cremorne Gardens to test the powers of his paiachute, with which ho claimed to have made a successful descent of over 400 feet in Essex during the previous month. The experiment was fatal to De Groof, whose apparatus on this occasion would not act, and who was dashed to pieces on the pavemont of a street in Chelsea.

Another failure has occurred at tlerekino, and the settler will be brought back to town at the expense of tho Government. Seven Governorships of the colonies will be vacant next year — New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland, New Zealand, Jamaica, Ceylon, and the Cape. Baron Reuter, the telegraph king of Europe, keeps a secretary whose sole business it is to invevStigate and relieve cases of distress. Masterton people have discovered a metal bearing the colour of gold, and malleable, but which is also very light, and soluble in acids. A French weather prophet has been sent to gaol for six months for predicting a cold July and loss of crops. New Zealand is more long-suffering. A scientist wants people to remember that " when they drop a tear they let fall a mixture composed ■of water, salt, soda, phosphate of lime, phosphate of soda, and mucus." They can go on crying all the same. The returns of attendance at the Melbourne Exhibition show that during September there were 270,742 visitors, as against 204,835 for November, 1880, the second month of the last" Exhibition, giving ail increase of 65,907 in favour of the present Exhibition. For August and September together the attendance was 583,014, being an increase of 188,751 on the attendance for October and November, the first two months of 1880-81 Exhibition, equal to 47*87 per cent, over the previous record. The receipts for August were £15,620 3s Id, and for September £14,827 Is, making £30,447 4s Id for the two months the present Exhibition has been open. The paid admissions to concerts during September were 17,470.