The Express.
London, England, 1861-08-03 00:00:00

BALLOON ASCENT £ITILIORDINARY.

The following is a detailed narrative, taken front
the Morning Post, of the perilous balloon journey referred
to in a abort paragraph in our yesterday's impression :
" The ascent was made in the Royal Normandie, con.
'treated for Mr. Simpson, of Cremorne Gardens, at • cost of
6001., the conductor of the expedition being Mr. Lythgoe.
the experienced aeronaut of 94 previous Jorney.. The
day chosen for the ascent was that of the recent ari4antic
flte at Cremorne of the 24th ult., and two seats had been
secured by Mr. Arthur Vivian and Mr. Noel Anderson.
At U o clock at night the balloon was released,
and shot into the air. Many MIN being traversed,
it was deemed expedient by Mr. Lythgoe to pene-
trate the clouds beneath, in order to ascertain the
nature of the surface of the country with the view
of effecting a landing. On emerging from the clouds a flat
country could be dimly discerned, and preparations were
instantly made to let go the grappling iron on the first
favourable opportunity. This soon occurred, and it was
not till then, when, as they approached the earth, field
after field as it were flew under them, that they realised
the fearful velocity at which they were travelling. The
grappling-iron was dropped ,• an instantaneous check was
felt, proving that a firm bold had been taken ;in another
instant a sharp snap was heard, and the balloon, swaying to
and fro, burst again into the air. Now were put to the bet
the experience and presence of mind of Mr. Lythgoe, who.
deprived of the usual means of effecting a binding, had,
as it appsn, but one course open to him, viz., bursting
the balloon against trey or some other opposing object,
thereby exhausting its powers. Seeing a bank of trees at
some dirtance, he made up his mind, if possible, to run
into them ; and, to effect this purpose, descended on to
the land. The wind was blowing with frightful force, and
the oar dashed against the earth with such a shock that
Mr. Vivian was nearly stunned, and Mr. Anderson, not
bevies time to secure himself rufficiently, was thrown
parts
y out of the car as it tuned over, his head and shoal-
Wag thus pushed along the ground. In struggling, he
pitched with a somersault from the car, and on recovering
found himself,at 12 o'clock at sight, in the centre of a field
of beans, the balloon long ago vanished. After some diffi-
culty he made his way to a village two or three mils dis-
tant, which, on inquiry, wee discovered to be High Roding,
in the north of Essex. He was "haltered in the cottage of a
labourer, who maid he had heard shortly before, as he !MI
returning home, shoots laming from the clouds, which he
not unnaturally concluded to be unearthly ; immediately
after which he became sensible of a gigantic body rushing
with great violence past his ear. The cause of his fainting
soon interpret( dby the traveller. The baleen, relieved et
2501 b. of weight—much ballast having been lost at the time
of the ihst concussion with the earth—shot up likes rocket
to the supposed incredible height of three miles and a
aut. Mr. Lythgoe allowed as much gas to mow u was
at all consistent with safety in demending,-heit stal
it was some time before the balloon began again to take a
level own through the air. The cold at this height, where
the temperature is stated to have been below 40 &ELT!!
Wean. The deep silence was relieved only by the
of the silk, which was like the reports of Orearma.vra
leek as indicated by pieces of p thrown out, they man.
monad gradually to dscend, when before long a tha
grumbling sound was heard, which resembled the mamba
of the ocean. The sound died away, but recommenced very
shortly ; and a break is the clouds below opened to their
view the sea iminediatelzerseath them ; but, watching the
line of breakers on the they, to their infinite
discovered that the course
the balloon was bearing gra-
dually inland. It was determined now, immediately on
coming over the land, to let out the gas as quickly as pee.
bible, and effect $ banding at all hazards. The shock was
terrific, and the wind blowing very heavily at the time, the
balloon made the most tresisndeas bounds, dragging the
two inmates al the car, Dania( on by the ropes, over more
than two mike of country, carrying them through dikes
and many other obstacles. When sufficient gas had escaped
from the balloon to prevent it from again, at an
agreed signal they both let go at eeoc, and a series of
somsrsaulta, found themselves ou their backs on some
marshy land, the balloon being brought up at a few hundred
yards' distance against a mill, from which, however, it
very quickly enamel, and was so more seen. After some
diffioulty in crossing the country the travellers arrived at
a labourer's *Wage deer, and on being admitted discovered
that they were close to Lowestoft, on the coast of Suffolk,
the hour being 2 o'clock in the morning. High praise is due
to Mr. Lyibgee, the aeronaut, who displayed great skill
throughout, and inalataieed the most perfect coolness sad
peewees of mind. The halloos; has sines bees famed."