Balloon "Victoria" near Wessenden Reservoir, Peak District.

On Thursday, 25th June 1891 the new public Clifton Park in Rotherham was opened, the then Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) and Princesses Victoria and Maud attended with various other dignitaries being present. Having stayed overnight at Wentworth Woodhouse the royal guests opened the park during the morning of the day and then returned to London on a special train. During the afternoon a grand gala was held on the park which including the filling of and then the ascent of a balloon by James Whelan, of Huddersfield. This ascent was to be his 301st balloon ascent. With him for the ascent were his wife and another man. The ascent begun at 18.00hrs, it rose into cloud that was present across the general area which developed into a thunderstorm. The speed that this balloon would ascend and descend on this flight were noticably very slow as the balloon was in the air for around ninety minutes. The aeronaut let out 125 feet of the grappling hook rope to ensure that the metal hook was well below the balloon should a lightning strike occur and with ballast released the balloon rose to 4525 feet into a storm. The gas release valve was then opened and the balloon descended to around 1300 feet below the cloud, it was then realised that they were roughly over Wharncliffe Crags, north of Sheffield. A landing could not be made there so more ballast was thrown out and the balloon again rose to 7500 feet through and above the storm clouds. At that height the gas in the balloon expanded so the valve had to be opened and the balloon then descended slowly. At around 19.30hrs the grappling hook caught moorland and began to drag across it, and a short time later the balloon descended enough for the basket to drag across the ground. Owing to the wind the balloon could not be stopped so the basket was then dragged for around three miles through moorland, in what was described as "a great storm" before being stopped. Those in the basket were able to get out but had no idea where they were. To stop the balloon blowing away they packed it into the basket and left it when they walked away to seek shelter, they initially followed a stream that took them eventually to Wessenden Reservoir. Here they called out for help and a Mr and Mrs Wales who lived in a shooting house came to their assistance. They must have been informed where they were and had some idea of how to get to habitation because they then walked the four miles down to Marsden. Here they had something to eat and drink. Knowing how close they were to home the aeronaut and his wife hired a cab to give them all a ride back to Huddersfield which they reached at around 23.00hrs. It sounds remarkable that they would not have suffered some form of hypothermia as this was decades before the advent of modern waterproofing materials. The location where the balloon stopped must have been on the moorland south west of Wessenden reservoir for it to have travelled in roughly a stright line across moorland, presuambly for three miles from the south.

Aeronaut - Mr James A. Whelan, of Huddersfield.

Passenger - Mrs Whelan.

Passenger - Mr S Bennett.