Foxborough, MA. – July 6, 1975

Foxborough, Massachusetts – July 6, 1975

 

     On July 6, 1975, two Rhode Island men took off from the town of North Providence, R.I., in a hot air balloon.  One man was an experienced balloon pilot, and the other was taking his second flight in a balloon.  

     The balloon was carried by shifting winds to the northeast, and eventually the men found themselves approaching the town of Foxborough and running low on propane fuel.  The pilot lowered the balloon over an area of town known as Cocasset River Park, and both men jumped from the gondola and landed in the river.  They swam to shore without injury.

     Meanwhile, the balloon, relieved of their weight, rose again and continued its course, passing over the center of Foxborough before it came down in St. Mary’s Cemetery located at the intersection of Mechanic and Chestnut Streets.  Two concrete crosses were knocked over in the incident, but police described the damage as insignificant.  

     Source:

     Providence Evening Bulletin, “Two Jump Into River From Runaway Balloon”, July 7, 1975    

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