A CAPTIVE BALLOON ESCAPES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7173, 13 December 1901, Page 4

A CAPTIVE BALLOON ESCAPES.

AN EXCITING ADVENTURE.

A captive balloon, the car of which contained seven men and one woman, broke away at San Francisco on November 2nd.

The balloon was stationed at Market and JHeyenth streets, and sis ascensions had been made successfully. Tlie balloon was allowed to go up one thousand teet, and was held by a rope. An aeronaut named Dudley accompanied each party. When e<'ght persons were obtained an ascension was made. On this occasion there was little wind, and the ascension was successful. After spending fifteen minutes at a height of one thousand feet, the managers began to haul the rope by means of a windlass When two-thirds of the rope had been hauled m, that part of the rope where cloth was wound around it to indicate the number of feet, caught in the windlass and was suddenly snapped off. Before tha operators could catch the rope it flew off the windlass, and the balloon began to rise rapidly and drift southward. The balloon was big, and hlled with hot air. It swiftly rose to higher than one mile, and soon passed out of sight. News came from several suburban cities that the balloon had been- seen drifting over the country heading southwest. At 8 o'clock news came from la Honda, that the balloon apparently touched in a mountain gorge near there but soon rose, and sailed away about nve hundred feet above the ground. | At La Honda no one could be seen in the cage, and though the balloon was hailed, no reply was received. The loose rope was trailing from the car. The balloon landed six miles from Vescadera, on tho coast, fifty miles from ban Francisco. All the members of the party were rescued.-