Eureka Reporter | 1909-10-08 | Page 7 | Lad Caught in Rope, is Carried into Sky Section

LAD CAUGHT IN ROPE IS CARRIED SKY BALLOON WITH BOY HEAD DOWN SAILS TO GREAT HEIGHT syracuse ind when his foot caught in the ropes of a balloon just as it shot upward here the other day quinter neff 12 years old was carried into the air until the bt 4 loon became a mere speck in the sky while thou sands of persons attracted to the harvest jubilee here gasped with nor hor william 11 II simmons the aeronaut who was scheduled to make the aacen slon had made all ready but did not notice the boys feet had become en carried upward head downward tangled in n the ropes of the basket simmons cast off the balloon swung loose and upward when the bag bap reached a height of about 20 feet th spectators beheld young neff whisked off the ground and carried upward head downward dow nvard there was A as a concerted yell of con stern ster atlon nation from the crowd below which caused simmons to peer ovel the edge of the basket when he saw the dangling lad h ht made instant preparations to cut looss loose the parachute it was the work ol 01 seconds to adjust the parachute and in it simmons leaped from the bal loon believing the boy would have a 8 better chance for his life alone simmons descended safely but the balloon relieved of the weight of the man shot upward at increased speed until it became a speck and the boi appeared but a slight dark object scarcely discernible each moment the onlookers ex pecked to behold the lad come ing to his death the great crowd stood transfixed the gaze of all fas bened upon the balloon and its dang ling boy young neff however had had the presence of mind to cling to the ropes which had entangled his feet and in sheer terror continued to hang on aa as the balloon sailed away the bag had been inflated with mith ordinary coal gas and was not very large and simmons had planned not to go high the balloon within a half hour descended in a field not far away wither a large part of the crowd rushed expected to find nett neff dead the lad was found to be somewhat bruised and so thoroughly frightened as to be incapable of speech for fully halt half an hour and then he merely said he was so scared seared he just had to hang to the rope