PARACHUTE DESCENT AT MANCHESTER. Terrible Death.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 404, 21 September 1889, Page 6

PARACHU TE DESCE NT AT MANCHESTER. Terrible Death.

Great excitement and alarm was created in Manchester on July 16th by the sight of Professor Higgins, the parachutist, attached to a balloon soaring over the city at a great height. The professor had been announced to ascend and descend at the racecourse with Miss De \ 7 oy, but Higgins went up alone. Different causes have been assigned for Miss De Voy's übsonce from the balloon when it was* released. One account has ife that there was something wrong with her dress, while, on the other hand, it is said that Higgins and his assistants, aware of the danger of ascending with the wind so strong as it was at the time the balloon left the ground, directed her to leave it and remain behind. The inflation of the balloon was completed soon after seven o'clock, but it was some htfcld time later when Higgins gave the word and the balloon was released. It at once rose to a great height. In tact, it sped upwards and southwards so fast that Higgins mado no attempt to descend on the course by means of his parachute. In the balloon with him was his assistant, a man named Lennox. Both the men and the balloon were carried at a great speed across Old Trafford and in the direction of Wibhington. The first clear ground dn which Higgins had any chance of alighting with safety appears to ha\e been Alexandra Park, a,nd when above this place he seized his parachute, let go of the balloon, pnd commenced # to fall with terrible velocity. His parachute soon opeped, and his speed slackened considerably, lln place of landing on the central grass plot in the park, howevei, he fell into the large lake, and of course received a thorough wetting. This, fortunately for him, was his worst experience. The balloon, relieved from Higgins weight, *hot up high into the air, and Higgins, apparently fearful that pomething would happen to his assistant, tried to get the crowd of persons by whom he was surrounded to go to the assistance of Lennox. Some at once commenced to run across the fields in pursuit of the balloon, but a large crowd gathered around Higgins and escorted him out of the park on his road home. The balloon travelled in the direction of Withington, and is said to have burst when approaching or passing over Fallowfield. At any rate, it was observed falling at a terrific rate towards the earth. Mr C. S. Lings, of Burnagelane, was walking with his daughter in the garden at the rear of his residence when he saw the balloon approaching at a great 1 speed. He called the attention of his wife to it, and she expressed the opinion that it was one of the balloons sent up at the beginning of the fireworks at Belle Vue Gardens. Mr Liners sent forhis glasses and kepta close view of the balloon from that time to its fall. It was circling round and round in a very eccentric mannor, but all the time continued to fall rapidly. One of his men, who was also watching it, called out that it was on fire, and that he saw smoke coming from it, but this appearance seems to have resulted irom Lennox trying to lessen the speed ab which he was falling by throwing out ballast. The pace dt'which the balloon was descending was so terrific, however, thai the sand, instead of falling earthwards, actually seemed to stream up into the air as the balloon shot through it, and it had the appearance of smoke issuing from the balloon. The silk envelope of the balloon at the time Mr Lings first saw it was in a collapsed condition, and he cleai-ly perceived a great rent towaids the top of it. AMr Linton, who saw the balloon pass over Fallowfield, states that ab that t time he saw the man Lennox out on bhe netting which encloses the silk porbion of the balloon, climbing up to the top of'bhe balloon. Evidently lie had then discovered that the gas was fast leaving the balloon atthe top, and was making a desperate effort to remedy the injury. When Mr Lings fiisb saw the balloon, however, Lennox musb have regained his place inside the car, and must have been trying by throwing out ballast to lighten the balloon and slacken its speed, for when itwasexamined subsequently not a scrap of ballast of any land was found in it. When it had descended to a distance ot some four or five hundred yards from the ground the silk portion " collapsed entirely, and the balloon then presented the appearance of an elongated cigar. So rapidly did it then fall, and so certain did it seem bhab ib would fall on bhe .spot where Mr Lings and several mpmbers of his family were standing, that he called to them bo run away oub of danger. A few seconds later the balloon fell with a terrific thud in a field close to tho house. Mr Lings and two or bhree of his men ab once rushed bo the spot and tried to get the man from beneath the .car. Apparently the car had fallen straight on to the ground,- and the whole ,of the upper part of the balloon had fallen on Lennox, completely covering him. It did not take Mr Lings and hi& willing helpers long to remove the silk envelope, netting, etc., from above Lennox, bub when they reached his body he gave not the slightest sign of life. One of his legs wa? twisted and broken, and he was badly cut aboub the face and head. He had apparently been instantaneously killed. "Of course medical aid was called in, bub a single glance ab bhe body showed Dr. llo&« (bhe first docbor on bhe ground) bhab the case was a hopeless one. Later on bhe body was removed to the Farmers' Arms, Burnage-lane, while Mr Lings caused the balloon to be taken into his stables. Lennox, Mr Higgins says, was recommended to him by the aeronaut Ballini as a man in every way likely to enhance the [ effect of his exhibibion. ' Previous to as*cending,'he conbinued, 'I gave Lennox a sovereign in order to defray the expense of recovering the balloon and taking it back to the Racecourse. He was then, in my opinion, perfectly sober, and, indeed, as cool almost as myself, as my manager and several persons can testify. When I left the balloon I saw ib rising rapidly and sailing away in the usual manner, and there seemed to be nothing wronrj. The ' only account I can give of the fatal terminabion of au otherwise successful ascent is that bhe ripping of the balloon was largely caused by Lennox losing hjs presence of mind and grasping the mouth of the balloon, thereby causing the gas within to expand, and so burst the material. He should have cut away the car, and worked the valves, ( and no doubt he would have gob down safely. I had a somewhab similar experience ab Snaresbrook, near London, when I broughb bhe balloon down and escaped with a mere sprain, and for this feat I was awarded a -gold medal by v the Balloon Society. Lennox was in Liverpool with me a short time ago, but did nob go up in the balloon. I was perfectly satisfied with him, and did not wish for a better man. In future, however, we (speaking of Mips De Voy and himeelf) will take no one up with us, and I will let the balloon take its chance. From the time Professor Higgins left the balloon till ho reached the ground the space of time was 14min. 12sec. The parachute I used is constructed to carry two persons, and will hold a weight of twenty-four stone. At the inquesb on the body of Lennox the coroner, in summing up, said that these ..ascents were not in, the interests ot ,

science, but in order to make money, and there ought to. be some legislative restrictions upon them. The jury, after a short consultation, found a verdict of " Accidental death," but they added that the deceased had not sufficient skill to be employed as a balloonist, and more care ought to have been exercised in the selection of an assistant. They were also of opinion that a rocommendation should bo made to the proper quarter in order that such displays of ballooning by persons of insufficient knowledge should be prevented.