New Britain, Connecticut – April 29, 1871 

     On April 29, 1871, Professor J. W. Hayden, an aeronaut with the Stone & Murray Circus, was giving a balloon exhibition in New Britain.  (Hayden was often advertised as having made 10,000 balloon ascensions. )

     On this particular day, the balloon with Hayden inside rose to an altitude of 1,000 feet and suddenly burst.  The escaping gas caused a rapid fall and when the basket hit the ground Hayden suffered a broken leg.   

     Sources:

     New Orleans Republican, (News item, no headline) May 4, 1871, Page 4.

     Cambridge Chronicle, Circus Advertisement, June 3, 1871