BALLOON ASCENT.

Bush Advocate, Volume XX, Issue 1003, 15 April 1908, Page 5

BALLOON ASCENT.

At the axemen's sports on.Mon-j day, Captain Jonassen, will make an ascent in Iris balloon. 'A Wairarapa papier thus alludes to" an ascent re-" cently made by this intrepid balloonist. :t-t- " .'". '.. ■':'•" " <! ".-'"' ' * "■ At" first some "difficulty", ; was experienced in filling it, as the wood seJedt- j ed for heating was not suitable. Some? lighter wood was substituted, and the bag very quickly filled out. A parachute was attached, and with • the words, "Let go!"* the balloon shot up towards the sky. At the height of about 1000 ft it ceased to rise, and was borne along by a fresh current from the north-west. During the cruise in mid-air Captain Jonassen performed some clever gymnastic evolutions on the parachute ring. With breathless expectation the spectators watched his preparations for the descent. The parachute was released, and the aeronaut, hanging by his hands, shot, down some 50 feet at a terrific speed until the appliance opened out, meanwhile bracing liiniself for the shock caused by the sudden change in speed. Then he gently descended and when over a paddock at the rear of Bunny's bush, sprang from his umbrella-like apparatus while still a few feet from the ground, and alighted with the ease proverbially associated with a fall from a log. The captain was loudly applauded by the enthusiastic crowd which had collected at his landingplace. In returning to the show grounds he gave ample evidence of his splendid athletic, qualities, leaping hedges and ditches, while his companion? tumbled and scrambled over. He was disappointed with the ascent, as he had fully intended to rise to five times the height that he did. The reason of the balloon's comparatively short ascent was the superabundance of smoke with which it was filled.