Gloucester, Massachusetts – August, 1915
The following newspaper article appeared in the Norwich Bulletin, (Norwich, CT.), on August 26, 1915.
ANOTHER BALLOON ACCIDENT
Harold Cates, the aeronaut who figured in the fatal balloon accident at Woodstock fair, and who a few days ago figured in a similar accident at Gloucester, seems to be unfortunate, to say the least. The following relative to the recent accident appeared in a Boston paper: The parents of John McNeil, the boy who was entangled in a rope attached to a balloon, carried 30 feet into the air and dropped into a tree during the Gloucester day events last Tuesday, entered suit today against the committee in charge of the celebration, asking for $10,000. The boy was at first believed to be fatally injured, but physicians now say that he will recover and be none the worse for the accident.
The parents are Mr. and Mrs. John McNeil of 6 Acacia Street. William A. Pew appeared in court as their attorney. He attributed the accident to carelessness on the part of agents of the Gloucester day committee and demanded compensation for the boy’s injuries and the anxiety and suffering of his parents.
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The fatal accident at the Woodstock Fair, (Woodstock, Connecticut), mentioned in the article refers to an incident that occurred on September 16, 1913, in which 13-year-old George Bernier was carried aloft after becoming entangled in a rope attached to the balloon.