Balloon Accident--la Mountain Killed

The correspondent of the Detroit Tribune gives the following descriptioii of the balloon ascensión, accident, and killing of La Moüntain, at Ionia on the ■I th nst. : The next amusement on the programme was the ballooa ascensión by Prof. La Mountain. A gust of wind rose about half past 2, and it was found that the ascensión would have to hu postponed till the wind should go down. In tliu course of half ai. hour it suusided, and a calm seemed to pruvail - and about 3 o'clock Mr. La Mountaiu got his balloon on to the ground, and it was decided to make the ascensión. The earthen furnace tor heating the air had been const.ructed under his own direotion, so also the apparatus to hoist the balloon in place for iiiilating. The canvas had soinewhat of a worn appearance, as if the worse for being filled with heated air too often. At the summit where the canvas was sewed together a block some 10 or 12 inchea iu diameter was fastened, and through a holo in this six guy rupes were sccured, hanging down over tho sides of the balloon, being at thu bulge of Ihe balloou soine 17 feet apart, and these were tied t& the basket by the professor himself. Tbere were no ropea running around the balloon horizontiilly to keep the guy ropes froni slipping or to prevent thu whole ttiing fruni shding out between tha ropes with a gust of wind. At üiöó 1'. M. the professor ötepped into tho basket, and tho balloon took a shoot up almost perpendicularly, with the professor waving hu hut to the crowd, all apparently enjoying the sight. Iu a moineut more, however, the mouth of the balloon was observed to wave abpUt two or three times, then to pass between the ropes, careening over on the side, when the ropei broke out from their fastening at the top and the fall iueiiceu. xjh iïiouiitHin was noticed to be apparently making soine.etfort to get the basket above kim, and, if possible, to to break the fall, but after the lirst struggle ho feil so rapidly that nothing oould be distinguished but the falling bady, his bat coming after hini about 100 feet or more behmd, and the old canvas, nearly collapsed, floating down gradually. The body struck the ground half a dozen feet f rom the northweut corner of the ja.il building. It struck with sucb a terrible thud that it jarred the ground ior 50 roda around, and inade au inden tation in the solid ground eight inches in depth. There was scarcely a bone in the whole body not broken into fragmentg. It was as lirup as a rag. There were very few fractures of the skin exoept the right foot, the bone of the right I lc!g bcing driven through the ottom of the foot. The body was laid out on i coueh, a fircle formed and a procession of uil who wished to view the remains passed around. The professor is a brother of the celebrated aeronaut, who died two or three years ago. This one's name was Edward La Mountain. He is a jeweler by trade, and livcl at Brooklyn, in this State. He had said just before he went up, that he wished to take the train for home as soon as possible after coming down, as his wife was very sick. He himself had not had his clothes off for 10 days. There were froin 10,000 to 12,000 people who witnessed this horrible tragedy, and it haa been the theme of general conversation by everybody. It is singular to hear the various estiinates of the h eight he had attained, varying from 500 feet to half a mile. He was seen by people four miles from the city, at an angle of 35 A grees. The best estimates make the ueigjii íiuiu wincii ue leu iroui i,uuu to 1,500 feet. Those who were on the hill back of the town, said the itrangest sight was to witness the people swaying back and forward like a field of wheat moved by the wiud. Looking at it from what we now know, it appeared like nothing but a pieoe of recklessness, almost suicidal, üince one single rope around the balloon, 10 feet trom the mouth of it, would have averted the catastrophe.