Easter in Gympie 1895
Our story is of two teenage sisters Millie and Essie Viola (their names for each other Boo and Chum) and their incredible aeronautic adventures.
The jump that caused the most media attention happened in Gympie. Millie Viola was to make a balloon ascent from Queen’s Park, Gympie, Easter Monday 1895, but instead of bounding into the air, with the lady gracefully holding on to her perilous seat and soaring over the heads of the crowd, it only rose 8-10 feet, touched the earth again and dragged along for 50 yards before it finally collapsed, much to the disgust of the spectators. The management decided to make another try the next morning and admission would be free. A large crowd gathered in the park to watch the inflation of the balloon, twice during the operation the material caught alight but after a time the burns were noticed and put out. It was thought that too much time would be taken closing the gaps so they were left.
1800s Hot Air Balloon
The balloon which stood 50 feet high with an immense girth, had been filled with hot air obtained by means of a large fire, conveyed through an underground flue and then to the balloon by a funnel which was held by several assistants. When sufficient air was forced into the balloon, an iron plate was put on top of the funnel to keep down the flames. When the order was given to let go, one of the men holding it became entangled in the parachute ropes but disengaged himself. Once free from the weights that held it down, the balloon soared in the air amidst a shout from the crowd. Those nearest the scene saw at once something was wrong, the bottom of the balloon caught the plate over the funnel, lifted it off and a flame shot up into the interior, ignited the material and rapidly spread. The 17 year old Miss Essie Viola was the sister making the ascent and Millie threw her arms around her sister and tried to pull her off the trapeze. Essie with the utmost coolness said, “let me go; they’ll think I am afraid.” The balloon by now had just got free and the jerk it made loosened Essie’s hold on the trapeze, causing the bar to fall and caught her at the back of the knees throwing her backwards. One of her wrists was fastened to the trapeze ropes dragging her along. She threw one leg over the bar and in this precarious position with head hanging down she was taken up into the air. Essie regained her seat and waved a handkerchief at the silent and horror stricken crowd and called “Goodbye.” It is said the words were heard on the other side of the river, and a round of applause burst forth. The cheers were quickly hushed as the flames fanned the ascending motion of the balloon which was going up and up and the form of Essie getting smaller and smaller. She clambered up the rope of the parachute trying to disentangle the ropes but she was unsuccessful and the balloon remained stationary for a time and started to descend. The parachute partly opened but was still attached to the balloon. The women spectators could be seen sobbing and the men were visibly affected. Men, youths and boys were seen jumping fences, bounding over ditches and logs in an endeavor to witness the fall. Essie let go of the trapeze still attached to the flaming mass and sprung away from the flames, landing on her side in the grass and leapt to her feet. The burning balloon fell to the ground a short distance away and was dragged to a nearby lagoon to try and save some of the material. The spectators crowded around the heroine of the hour to shake her hand and look at her. The landing took place at the back of Elworthy and Mellor’s slaughter yard on the Chatsworth Road (possibly around the Forestry Complex area). A vehicle took Miss Viola back to the park, the news spreading that she was safe and sound.
This is an excerpt from a story which was written by Lyn Fleming and published in one of our past Newsletters, ‘The Gympie Researcher’ from March 2016. You will find the full story here.
Recent Comments