Lowell, Massachusetts – October 3, 1895
On October 3, 1895, “Professor” James Allen of Providence, R.I. took off in his balloon from the North Common in Lowell as part of the Merchant’s Week celebration. The ascent was witnessed by 10,000 people. Besides Allen, there were two passengers aboard, D.A. Sullivan, and W. I. Rombough.
Shortly after take off, Allen became unconscious, presumably from poisonous gas escaping from the balloon, and Sullivan and Rombough had to grab hold of him to keep him from falling out of the gondola.
Neither passenger knew how to operate the balloon, so they were forced to sit back and go wherever the craft carried them. For the next hour, the winds carried the balloon over the towns of Tewkesbury, Andover, and Bedford, before the balloon came down on its own in the northern part of Lexington. Neither of the men could explain why the balloon landed of its own accord.
Allen didn’t regain consciousness for quite some time.
Source: New York Times, “Unpleasant Balloon Ascension”, October 5, 1895
