In 1875, when Prof. John N. Shearer made an ascension in Dewart Pa.
The Sunbury Gazette
July 1875
GRAND BALLOON ASCENSION - A Balloon ascension will take place in Dewart, Northumberland Co, Pa, on Saturday July 24th at 3:00pm, conducted by Prof. Sherer, one of the most celebrated and daring aeronauts of the country. As opportunities of this kind are selcond afforded to people in the country, and a great deal of pains and expense has been undergone to induce this celebrated Professor to honor Dewart, if is hoped that a universal acknowledgement will be given his entertainment by the citizens throughout this and adjoining localities.All who are desirous of witnessing a brilliant and daring exhibition of the Trapeze and a successful Balloon Ascension are cordially invited to be present.
The first piloted hot air balloon was launched in 1783, by french brothers Joseph-Michel Montgolfier & Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier.
Early balloon flights were difficult to pull off and dangerous. Aeronauts and passengers fell to their deaths when balloons unexpectedly deflated, caught fire or drifted out to sea. Partly due to this inherent danger, untethered balloon flight became forms of public entertainment, titillating crowds who wanted to see if something would go wrong. The novelist Charles Dickens, horrified by balloon ascents, wrote that these “dangerous exhibitions” were no different from public hangings.
In Pennsylvania, Hot air balloons were ascending as early as 1851, when John Weiss, a Philadelphian, rose in his hydrogen-gas filled balloon from the public square of Kutztown in Berks County and amazed the multitudes which had gathered to witness the feat. In 1879 Weiss met his death during an ascent made in St. Louis.
John N. Shearer, Aeronaut
John N. Shearer was born in 1843 in Bern twp (Reading area) PA. He spent several years connected with circus troupes, as a clown, a gymnst, and an equestrian. In 1867 he began occupying the "respectable position" of cashier and room clerk for the Keystone House.
A circus background seems to be common among the aeronauts in the Reading area at this time. Donaldson, of whom there is an entire book describing his flights, was known for walking a tightrope across his street, before he took up ballooning. Shearer took a trip with Donaldson in 1874.
According to Shearer's obituary, "Mr Shearer became interested in balloons while he was employed at the Hotel Penn, where he became acquainted with Washington Donaldson, who was considered the greatest aeronaut of his day. Donaldson lost his life in an attempted flight across Lake Michigan."
It was in October of 1872, at 29 years of age, that Shearer made his first ascension in a balloon. He borrowed the balloon of Prof. James A Dale of York, and sailed from Reading to Ephrata. He landed without difficultly after a trip of one hour and five minutes.
It was to be the first of many ascensions for Shearer, but not all would be as successful as his first.
Dewart, unfortunately, was not one of his successes. The 3 pm ascension did not take off until 6pm that evening. I could find no explanation for the delay, although it was noted in several papers. And as he rose into the air, a large split was spotted on the side of his balloon. Shearer returned quickly to the ground, "showing off his jumping skills" as he jumped out of the way before the balloon landed on him.
Amusingly, the Reading Times reported that "Mr Shearer stepped upon the trapeze bar and in a moment the balloon ascended to a great height. For fully 15 minutes the balloon remained stationary over the town, the day being very calm. Mr Shearer alighted in a garden in the outskirts of the village, and the balloon then again ascended without him, going about a quarter of a mile. "
The events may be the same, but viewed from the perspective of the local papers, reported as:
The Democrat said: "The balloon ascension by Prof. Shearer at Dewart on Saturday was not a success. The balloon, which was filled with hot air, bursted a couple of minutes after it left the ground and descended rapidly. The professor had to show us what he knew about jumping when he neared the earth, to prevent the balloon from falling up on him."
And the Sunbury Gazette reported: "The ascension was not as successful as some others Mr Shearer had made. The balloon was filled with hot air and when about a thousand feet up, a split was observed in the side of it, which occassioned it's rapid descent."
It's estimated that 2,000 people had come to Dewart to watch the aeronaut. In addition to the ascension, there was a parade, featuring the two Watsontown fire companies, and the independent order of Red Men, in addition to a mysterious masked group calling themselves the "Rollicking Roosters".
Where the description of the balloon ascension merited only a few sentences in every paper, the Rollicking Roosters received a much longer write up.
"The members of this society were masked, and appropriately so when we consider the elevated principles of the order, a clue which we gathered from the speech of Capt A.B.A. to the society. He said the two leading members of the order were Henry Ward Beecher and Brigham Young, and that arrangements were being perfected to have these worthies in attendance upon the fair near that place [Dewart] that fall. The Rollicking Roosters on their parade carried very ludicrous emblems and insignia's of their order, chief among which was a dung- hill rooster."
I don't know about all of you, but I feel like there's a joke here that is just beyond my understanding. I'll need to research these "Rollicking Roosters" a bit more, later.
Shearer made his last flight in 1882, sailing over the fields of Gettysburg before landing in a clump of bushes, unhurt. He died 43 years later, at the age of 81, in 1925.
For More Hot Air Balloon Stories:
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Find More Stories & History Of Dewart Here:
And more local history from the Susquehanna Valley here:
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Read More
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The Aeronauts is free to watch on Amazon Prime
It has nothing to do with Shearer, but is about hot air balloons in 1861
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Although not about Shearer, there was another Aeronaut in Berks County at the time, and the book that details his ascensions does mention a trip in which Shearer was along, in 1874. The Book can be downloaded, or read online, for free at google books here:
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Shearers's First Ascension, in a borrowed Balloon in 1872
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At another ascension in 1875, a man was caught in the ropes and pulled 12 feet into the air with the balloon. He broke one of his legs when he fell to the ground.
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More Ballooning -- A Narrow Escape
Mr. John N. Shearer attempted to ascend in a balloon last Saturday, from Penn Square, and made a narrow escape from a horrible death. A young man named Bennethum, who had accompanied him before, was seated on the concentrating hoop or ring immediately under the balloon, while Shearer stood on the trapeze bar below. At about 2 p.m. the word was given to "let go," but the balloon had arisen not more than thirty feet, when Mr. Shearer found it necessary to discharge some ballast, and called to his assistant to cut a bag and throw out some. He did it as quickly as he could, but by this time the balloon had got above the portico of the Keystone House, and Mr. Shearer found it was too late to do any good. He found that he could not escape the telegraphic wire, which is the dread of all aeronauts, and which would have cut both Mr. S. and his assistant, or dashed them against the top of Jameson's building on the opposite corner. To save the life of himself and his assistant, Mr. Shearer, jumped a distance of at least twenty feet, and fortunately landed safely on the Keystone House portico. The telegraphic ware was torn, and the balloon, with young Bennethum in the hoop, shot up rapidly but gracefully to a great height, and sailed off in a northeasterly direction. The young aeronaut took matters coolly and bowed his adieu to the immense crowd below.
Mr. Shearer immediately proceeded to his room in the Keystone House and donned another suit of clothing -- (one of his suits went off with the balloon) -- ordered a carriage, and left by the Perkiomen turnpike, the direction which the balloon had taken. He drove to Pleasantville, in Oley township, twelve miles east of this city where he found that his protege had safely landed, and packed up the balloon ready for shipment back to Reading. Young Bennethum landed without the least damage to himself or the balloon, and received much assistance from the people of Pleasantville and vicinity. The party immediately started on their return home, and reached Reading at 8 o'clock, on Saturday evening, and were warmly congratulated on their arrival at the Keystone House by many friends.
Another ascent was made by Mr. Shearer at o'clock on Monday afternoon, also from Penn Square. This time he met with no accident. The balloon sailed off gracefully and landed in Chester county, opposite Pottstown. Mr. S. returned to Reading by the 6 p.m. train.
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In another trip, Shearer sailed for about an hour before coming into severe storms. The winds, rain, and snow whirled the balloon out of control. Shearer tried three times to throw a grappling hook at fences, and a stump, to anchor himself, but each attempt failed, with the fences breaking. Twice he was pulled across the tops of trees, banging him around, causing cuts to his arms and neck, and much bruising. Eventually he was able to grab onto some branches, and held the balloon there while spectators were able to come to his rescue.
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The Dewart Ascension
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"Through newspaper accounts I learned that in the fall of 1880 the gas-powered hot air balloon of Professor John Shearer broke from it’s tethers at the Reading Fair Grounds. Dangling from a bar (no basket) the good Professor had a thrilling, but at the same time terrifying, 14 mile ride across the mostly rural eastern Berks County countryside before tangling in a tree and touching down on the farm of Henry Boughter (Rachel’s father). About a dozen men, women and children saw the balloon coming down and ran across the fields to help pull the balloon out of the trees. Apparently both the professor and the balloon survived the ordeal relatively unscathed. Professor Shearer walked back to Reading that night. He hired Rachel’s father Henry to bring the balloon back in his wagon the next day.9"
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Obituary For John N. Shearer, 1925
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