BALLOON FATALITY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 278, 23 November 1899, Page 7

BALLOON FATALITY.

CAPTAIN LORRAINE DROWNED,

BLOWN OUT TO SEA

CHRISTCHURCH, November 2

Captain Lorraine, the aeronaut, whose exhibitions have created great interest in Christchurch, was tendered a benefit this afternoon. The Mayor and most of the prominent citizens afforded their patronage, and the exhibition was splendidly organised. Thankful to the citizeus for their generosity Lorraine determined that on this occasion he would attempt to surpass all his previous efforts in ballooning. Ho proposed, if the conditions were favourable, to mount higher than ever, and vary the graceful parachute, descent by evolutions on a suspended trapeze.

The ascent wa.s announced for four o'clock this afternoon, and there was a large gathering of spectators at Lancaster Park.

Lorraine himself was in the gayest jnood, and everything seemed to favour him in his adventure. The afternoon was warm,'and clouds tempered the glare and 'heat of the sun. Not till he was about to ascend did the Wind threaten to rise. •

The "Empress balloon was well filled with gas, and the. captain himself secured the parachute by a slender tape to the ring- at the side, halfWay up the netting.

The trapeze was brought to him as he stood beneath the balloon by his wife, and as soon as the lady was clear Captain Lorraine cried "Now then, gentlemen, iet her go."

Up shot the globe, but a cry of horror went up from the spectators, for the parachute, by some means, had broken free, and hung below. It filled out, and prevented the balloon from rising, but for a few moments the captain clung to if.

■ The strain was too great, however, and horror was depicted on the faces of all the spectators when the bundle of silk collapsed, and fluttered to the earth.

Then the balloon bounded up with a great rush, and the rising north-wrest wind carried it strongly towards Sumner.

The captain appeared to be drawing the netting down on one side, and to be climbing up to the silk. Then it was remembered that he had no knife with him, and that he had to borrow pne to cut a string- beforehand.

His only chance seemed to be in his own nerve and strength. If he could turn the balloon ever so slightly so as to allow the gas to escape gradually he would descend. The great globe travelled away for half-an-hour, growing smaller and smaller, and it became evident that the captain had gone out past the coast line.

When at last it really seemed that the balloon was collapsing, and that it was acting as a parachute, though a poor one, folk breathed easier.

By a quarter to five the speck of black against the sky was no longer (visible, and the fate of the aeronaut (became a matter for conjecture. Signalmen at the Harbour Board's fetation at the Heads, who had been [watching the aeronaut,* saw him fall in the water near the Port Levy Eocks.

A telephone message Was sent to Captain Clarke, the harbourmaster, who at once despatched a tug. The (signalmen also launched their dingey, ivvhile arrangements were made for launching the Sumner lifeboat by Pilot Day. A message was received from the Heads stating that Captain [Lorraine sat for some time on the baliloon, which remained buoyant in the (water. The balloon subsequently sank, and on the latest advices the balloonist was swimming towards the heads, from which two boats were proceeding. At half-past five p.m. Captain Clarke received a message from (the Pilot Station, stating that Captain (Lorraine was seen to disappear in the ttvater.

A boat from the station pulled over fthe spot, but discovered no trace of ithe missing' man. The tug returned at twenty minutes to seven, having seen no signs of him, and there seems little doubt that Captain Lorraine has fceen drowned.

"Captain" Lorraine, the aeronaut, /who has lost his life in such a shocking manner, was well-known in Auckland, and, in fact, was a native of this town. His real name was David 'Maihoney, and he has relatives in this city. He spent his early years in Parnell, where he went to school, and When still a youth he went on the stage, and then found his way to England. There he took up the profession of, ballooning, and became an expert and daring aeronaut and parachutist. He made a number of'successful ascents in London, and notably at Earl's Court and the Crystal Palace. lAhout a year ago he returned to New Zealand, arid at the beginning of the present year he made a successful ascent at the Auckland Exhibition, dropping to the earth by means of a parachute. He gave other exhibitions, and then went to Wellington, where he made ascents from the Basin Reserve. While in Auckland some months ago Lorraine married Miss Slorrie Campbell, a, Christchurch young lady. At the time of his sad end the plucky aeronaut would be about 30 years of age. CHRISTCHURCH, November 3. Search was made to-day for the body of Captain Lorraine, the aeronaut who met with such a tragic fate yesterday, but proved unsuccessful. The deplorable accident of yesterday caused the greatest sensation in the city, and even the Transvaal war was % the moment quite forgotten. When Captain Lorraine saw that Ms parachute had broken away from the balloon as he ascended from Lancaster Park, he was near enough for the spectators to see his face grow stern, as he realised the danger he was in. A fortnight ago he told a "Press" interviewer that parachute ballooning would not stand the cost °fa valve, for this would be smashed every time a descent was made. It put to him that nevertheless a valve seemed a highly desirable safeguard when a thin, easily-snapped string was all that held one's means M safe descent to earth. "Oh, well," pc said, "we none of ns do trouble about it. A valve is a. delicately finished piece of join work, and is placed ot the top of the balloon with a cord Zianging from it right through the centre of the balloon. Now, a parachutist's balloon is ballasted on top in jrder that as soon as a man jumps off It may turn over and enipty itself of £<is. It is the top, therefore, that hits file ground, and we recicon that the ■'alve would be damaged and probably woken to pieces every time," Captain Lorraine went on to say that there was no danger in parachute MM, since the diole in the parage had been thought of. The re-

gretted event of yesterday has unfortunately proved him wrong, and it seems that parachutists are over-con-fident in doing without a valve of some kind. Were it only a square cut out of the silk and so fastened that in real emergency v, could be pulled clean out. and afford a gradual descent, it would be worth having. Yesterday it would have saved a brave man's life.

Mr .John Twomey, the look-out man at the pilot station, watched the approach of the balloon, and saw it collapse and fall. It fell less than a mile out from the shore, and with great velocity. After it hit the water he saw Captain Lorraine clamber on top of it. It was then about the size of a large tank, and he appeared to be sitting in ihc middle, with it bulging up round him. It grew smaller and smaller, until it was the size of a bucket, and then it suddenly disappeared altogether, .and the captain was left floating in the wafer. The sea wa.s a ;jobby one, and was breaking ovttr him. He was visible in the water for nearly 15 minutes, and then disappeared. Twomey could not say that he attempted to swim; on the contrary, he appeared fo be quite still in the water, and as Lorraine was a strong, powerful swimmer, it is very probable that he was so seriously injured by his terrible descent through ihc air that he was unable to strike out. for the shore. In any ease, the effect of breathing rarincd atmosphere at an altitude of nearly 20,000 feet must have so weakened his system that he was unable to exert himself. Mr Twomey says that the. pilot boat had actually left the shore by the time the man struck the water, so promptly was it away. Captain Lorraine remained above the water about 20 or 25 minutes in his estimation, and the boat was there about 10 minutes afterwards.

Another witness of the tragedy states that, when apparently about 2000 fee i from the water Captain Lorraine was lying in the netting of the balloon, to which he appeared to have lashed himself. The rate at which he fell for the last thousanu feet was so great that it was impossible for the. aeronaut to have been alive when he reached the water, and, even if he was alive, the concussion must have killed him. As far as this gentlemau could see, when the balloon j-eaehed the water the. small amount 8f gas left in it made it buoyant for a time, and while it rolled' about in the jobble which prevailed the body of the aeronaut got on fop of it, where it remained for a. short time, until its weight sunk the balloon. As the balloon went down the body floated for a time, until the ropes of the net to which it was attached drew it under. It is imagined that the fact of the body being pulled about in the wafer by the sinking balloon led to the supposition that Captain Lorraine, was alive and swimming.