FATAL ACCIDENT TO THE FLYING MAN.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1861, 18 September 1874, Page 3

FATAL ACCIDENT TO THE FLYING MAN.

M. de GnoOF (the " flying man") was advertised to make his second ascent front Cremorno Gardens, .July-9, at half-past '> seven, and a descent of 5,000 feet through •'■ .the air. There was ah enormous attend* ■ ance of people, and punctually to time M. de Groof made his appearance, fitted'' with peculiar bat-liko wings, which he"' worked with his arras. He was suspendod ; , by a rope about 30 feet below the car of ' a balloon, and so 'asconded from the grounds. The balloon rose almost perpendicularly to a distance of. about 1,000 yards, where it remained almost stationary for nearly 30 . minutes. It .then ' descended slightly, and getting into a " better current of air, wont over tho King's-road in a north-westerly direction . exactly over the .'Chelsea workhouse.;Near, St. Luke's church the balloon"; rapidly fell towards the ground, and to rwithin 100 feet of it.: When near the tower of the church the "flying mail" cut himself clear and came down to tho road, opposite the church, in Kobertstreet, Chelsea, with a fearful crash. He was immediately picked up and conveyed to the new infirmary, where Dr W. H. Nethercroft, the medical superintendent, immediately pronounced lifo extinct.- ' Another acoount states that when iu . the gardens M. de.Groof appeared in tho highest of spirits, and when tho signal was given for the asoent, he took his pipe , . out'of his mouth, placed it in his pocket,, and then-took an affectionate farewell of .v his wife, who was standing near him.!;, The balloon then'"ascendod very steadily, - and the deceased danced' on his : platform to the Hune played by the barid, : audhe was loudly cheered; by the spectators. After ascending a great height tho balloon hovered over the gardens: for fully half, an-hour, and .then went in a slightly : ; northerly direction,; and then slowly:,, descended. When over Robert-street, :• Chelsea,and on a level with St.-Luke's* Church, he was out, away. The machine ■ • appeared ,to offer no resistance whatever : > to the air, and De.Groof fell with a heavy,. thud on to the kerb, and was killed ott'' the spot. His body was at once conveyed / to the Chelsea Infirmary, where his'wife;,, shortly afterwards arrived, and the scene," as miy bo imagined, was one of the most painful description; The deceasod, who f is only 35 years of age, had no relative iu England excepting his wife. • 'i ',:,;:• . . It is stated in another report that just« as the balloon reached St; Luke's Ohurobju! it was obvious to the aeronaut that unless - ' he let go the "flying man," his- baU6on ■ would- inevitably come" in contact .with the spire of tho' ohuroh, and in the destruction of both lives. Just as the flying man .began rapidly to doscend.the aeronaut threw out three bags of'ballast, - in order to prevent tho balloon coming down also, and it is supposed that;thisv ballast coming in contaot. with the apparatus, put it out of gear, for the flying;;)' man was dashed to;the;ground with great '*■. violence in Kobert?Btrea#aud was t'ear«'- :! J fully injured, he waa'# putinja. cab and taken,ito thehospitaj. - :