AN AERONAUT DROWNED.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9662, 3 November 1899, Page 2

AN AERONAUT DROWNED.

EXCITING INCIDENT AT CHRISTCHURCH. CAPTAIN LORRAINE BLOWN OUT TO SKA. (Per Press Association.) CimisTciiuncii, 'I his day. An iuronaut, Captain Lorraine, was drowned yesterday. A benefit had been tendered to him, at which he proposed to make a higher ascent than ever, but as soon as the balloon was let go the parachute broke away and fell to earth. A rising northerly wind swept the balloon out to sea, and Captain Lorraine having no knife, could not let tho gas out. Eventually it came down into the water near Port Levy. Messages were received from time to time from the signalman at Godley Heads. Bouts and a tug were sent out, but they Wfra too late. As long as the balloon remained buoyant Captain Lorraine sat on top, but finally it sunk, ami he took to swimming. Before the boats coul.l Teach him he disappeared. The tug returned at 0.30, after a fruitleas search, and there is no doubt the unfortunate aeronaut was drowned. He was only recently married to a Christchurch lady. Captain Lorraine, according to an interview in the Christchurch Press, is a native of Auckland. He is connected with the Northamptonshire regiment now in South Africa, having held the position of balloon instructor since 1592, though he was on leave of absence for a year. Captain Lorraine remarked that he had twice crossed the English Channel to France, and added that on his return to England lie intended to attempt a trip from France to England, which had not yet been accomplished owing to the prevailing winds being contrary. Captain Lorraine has made several ascents at Auckland, Wellington, and Chi'istcliurch during the last few months. His last ascent at Ghristchurch a few days ago is thus described : -Captain Lorraine took bis seat on the small rope below the balloon, and, with parachute in baud, gave ; the word to let go. The Empress shot up 1 rapidly for a short distance, and then, for ; a few thousand feet, rose with less rapidity. 1 When the aeronaut started a fairly strong r wind was blowing from the north-east, but when lie attained a height of about 7000 ft he met a strong south-west wind, which carried him io the direction of j Opawa. The balloon continued to rise. I When the aneroid registered 12,000 feet, , Captain Lorraine says that lie was nearly I benumbed with the cold, which had beon . intense from an altitude of 3000 ft. At the [ former height lie left the balloon, and although the parachute opened rather sooner than on the previous occasion, he '. suffered several very severe jerks before he ' was fairly settled on his downward course. j As soon as the parachute had fully exj pawled, Captain Lorraine sat on the trapeze, and for ft while came down very steadily, but when he Btrnck the underk current of air at a height of some 70U0ft, 1 for some distance he appeared to be comI ing down on an inclined plane, and con- ' tinned to do so until about 500 ft from the 3 earth. By this time he had drifted over * a mile and a half from the place of ascent, ' and as he neared the ground he turned • over, and hung on to the trapeze. When 1 a couple of hundred feet from the ground, 5 the parachute almost ceased to act, owing 5 to the density of the atmosphere, and the ' rest of the desennt was so rapid that the 1 aeronaut, who struck the ground with his £ feet with great force, was thrown forward. > He described a complete somersault, and ' was rather badly shaken. When the 3 ascent was made large crowds of cyclists and people in traps and on horseback foll lowed in tho direction the balloon had i taken, and within a few minutes of Capj tain Lorraine's landing, a crowd of some . five or six hundred people had assembled I in the vicinity. They cheered him loudly f as ho got into a conveyance and was driven . away. Upon returning to the Park he ! received another ovation. Professor Gaudron, a French aeronaut, . had an exciting experience on August 24, at the Alexandra Palace, London. The i balloon ascended amidst the applause of thousands of spectators, but when it had j reached an altitude of some 5000 teet it i was noticed that the head of the parachute i had by some means become detuched, and l was hanging from the professor's hands. . It was evident that the parachutist was t, endeavoring to replace it. All the time r the balloon was rapidly ascending, and L eventually it disappeared from sight. 3 Great excitement prevailed as to the | aeronaut's safety, and it was not until a i telegram had been received from Potter's . Bur, some ten miles distant, announcing , his safe arrival, that the excitement was » allayed 1 .