FRIGHTFUL FALL FROM A BALLOON.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 5, 7 January 1899, Page 5 (Supplement)

FRIGHTFUL FALL FROM A BALLOON.

SEQUEL TO AN ATTEMPTED PAS-

SAGE-OF THE ENGLISH CHANNEL

Arthur Williams, an aeronaut, and Sydney Darby had a thrilling balloon adventure on November 22, which at latest advices it was considered mig^ht prove fatal to Darby. After waiting some weeks for a favourable wind to try to cross to France, they ' ascended from South London, though the day was stormy. When an altitude of 6000 feet was reached the air currents drove them in the wrong direction. They tried lower air currents without success and were in eminent danger of being driven seaward. Aeronaut Williams thus described to a correspondent his effort to descend: The question was how to make a safe descent when the bailoon was travelling at the rate of more than thirty rhiles an hour and we had no grappling iron to check speed. The trail rope, about 430 feet long, was just touching the ground and we were shooting towards sea at an alarming pace. 1 said to Darby, 'Our only chance is to climb down the drag' line. Are you willing to follow?' He replied that He would.do. as I did. Presei-tly ' the balloon bumped and jumped up again. Quick as thought I got out of the car and began to climb down the rope. There was not a moment to spare. Every second took us much nearer the sea. I supposed Darby was following close behind me, but when I touched the ground and looked up I saw he was only about a dozen- feet below the bar. Then ! i shouted to him to come down as quickly as he could. I held on to the rope and was dragged across two fields and ithrough a hedge. At last I was plunged into a kind of ditch. My shoulder bumped against something, and before I knew what had ' happened the rope had gone. Witti my 1 weight off the balloon shot up again in a moment. During that moment, only an unappreciable fraction of time, Darby's position was terrible. One end of the rope was 50 feet from the ground, and he was a little more than half way down it. Without taking a second to decide whether to let go and fall or be carried out to sea, he did the only thing possible. If he had delayed the fraction of a second he would have been hanging 1000 feet in the air. He relaxed his grip, keeping his hands around the rops, shot down like lightning and dropped 50 feet from the rope's end. His hands were frightfully cut by friction, but fortunately he fell on very soft ground. I found him lying on his back unconscious. It was the most perilous journey I have ; ever undertaken. I never had to descend !by the trail rope before. The. balloon was lost.