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A PRIVATE ASCENSION FOR MR. MELDRUM

Mr. Meldrum was perhaps more greatly relieved than anyone in the crowd.  He told me he was worried as at one time it looked like the ship would drift down the river and over the Falls.  This did not occur to me even though we were in a swift river current at one time, however the breeze was strong enough to welcome this trouble.  Then I had the idea of taking Mr. Meldrum for a balloon ride.  I had one with us, but he would not go as he felt that would ruin his standing with his bankers.

By this time I was determined to make an amateur sportsman in aeronautics of this man who was broadminded enough to have engaged us.  Finally, after many conferences, he consented to make the trip.  We inflated the big balloon and started the ascent.  He was nervous until we left the ground, then he commenced to relax and enjoy himself.  We ascended very quickly to seven thousand feet.  I explained all the fundamentals of free ballooning during the few hours of our ride.  He proved to be a good student and I felt that we would have another good sportsman added to our list.  We drifted near Niagara Falls and obtained some photographs which were not very good but good enough to recognize the Falls.  Then we drifted toward Hamilton, Ontario, between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.  All of the time while aloft being within reach of the shore or land if a landing was required.  A violent thunder storm was rumbling in the distance and I kept my weather eye open for disagreeable possibilities.  However, we managed to keep out of its path and finally made a landing in an open cornfield much to the amazement of the farm folks.  We packed the balloon and carted it down to the railroad station.

We learned that we had just missed the last train for