The Sun.
London, England, 1824-07-02 00:00:00

ASCENT IN AIR. HARRIS'S BALLOON.

It was announced some days ago that Mr.
ROSSITNIt, one of the late Mr. Ifaants's Committee, and the
uncle, we believe, of his widow, would ascend yesterday in the
same balloon which had proved &oil to that unfortunate gen.
tleman, for the benefit of his widow and family. Something was
also said about a young Nobleman, who was to have come of age
on that day, ascending with him. The place fixed upon for the
ascent was the garden of the Bedford Arms public-house, Cam-
den-town—the time 4 o'clock. Long before that hour arrived,
numbers of persons of all conditions vela; to be seen moving
along Tottenham-court. road, and as it approached nearer, the
crowds flocking towards Camden town in all directions, both on
foot and in vehicles, increased rapidly. We were considerably
disappointed, therefore, at the comparatively few individuals who
appeared within the.gardens ; the others estimating the gratifi-
cation of their curiosity at a hundred per cent. less ; and therefore
remaining on the cheaper side of the walls. Still, however, the
number inside, not taken relatively, was very considerable; and
we were gratified to learn that upwards of 3,000 tickets had been
sold. The process of inflation commenced at about half past
two o'clock, and proceeded rather slowly. The balloon was at-
tached to a platform about .5 feet high; and also held fast by ropes
faStened to poles erected at some distance from the platform.—
Mr. Rossiter himself took an active part in superintending the
arrangements. He is a thin middle-aged man, and was
dressed in a plain snit of black. We saw nothing, however,
of his intended Noble companion : perhaps his Lordship, upon
reaching his full age, attained at the same moment his age of
discretion. In the mean time two candidates presented them.
selves for the vacant seat in the car; one was Mr. Richmond,
of Bow.street, the other a Mr. St. Ashen, who stated that he
had already made aerial excursion, having ascended with his
father in a balloon from some part of France (Nantes, we tin,
derstootia Mrs. Rossiter having expressed a great reluctance
to her husband ascending without some person who had been
up before, the committee decided in favour of Mr. St. Auben's
claim. lie is a gentlemanly looking young man, apparently
about twenty or twenty-two years of age. At about five
o'clock, the inflation being completed, the car was attached to
the balloon. Several bags of sand, and a couple of pigeons,
were put into it. Mr. Rossiter then came forward to the edge
of the platform, and addressed the persons near him ;
_he said
that he bad to return them his most grateful acknowledgments
on behalf of the widow and friends of the late Mr. Harris, for
sure
eir supportilnrinedxhibitingto
upon
nit hiins
retu. occasion.a
felt
He great
beautiful
piecepl ea-
of mechanism ; and he trusted soon to be able to show
them that its security was equal tomostst
its beauty. Ile then
bade them farewell, amidst warm and hearty cheers, and
prayers for his safety. All his friends shook hint by the
and; as indeed did every person who was able to reach him.
The scene at this moment was one of very intense inter-
est. Mr. Rossiter was himself in deep mourning for a near
relative, who had but a short period before met his fate by a
similar experiment in that very .machine; and he was sur-
rounded by his wife and children, also in black. NVhen, there-
fore, he took leave of his children, particularly the Younger
ones, on the platform, and stepped into the car, the feelings of
the spectators may be more easily fancied than described. As
soon as he was seated, he took Ofthis hat and put on a sealskin
cap. We thought we could observe in his countenance a con-
sciousness of the danger he was about to encounter. Mr. St.
Auben maantecl, die car neatly at the same time. When just
stepping in, his cheek appeared to blanch for a moment, but be
instantly recovered his intrepidity; and as soon as the balloon
was detached from its fastenings, and began to ascend, he stood
up boldly, and taking offhis hat, waved it to the people. The
balloon, however, was either not sufficiently inflated, or there
was too much ballast in the car ; for no sooner had it quitted the
platform a few yards, than it fell to the ground. Some ballast was
immediately thrown out, andit arose a little, but it came against
the corner of an out-house, from which there was some diffi-
culty in getting it clear. Mr. St. Aubin again tossed out afew
bags of sand, and it began to ascend steadily until it came in
contact with one of the poles, which held it for a moment or two,
and excited considerable apprehensions lest the top of it, against
which the wind pressed it with great force, should penetrate the
balloon. It soon, however, disengaged itself, and being then
clear of all obstacles, it rase majestically to a considerable height,
and proceeded north-eastward. There being a fresh breeze at
the tame, and the sky being much clouded, although the clouds
did not hang low, the voyagers, or rather the beautiful machine
that sustained them, only remained in sight for about five or
six minutes, when, entering a dense fleece of vapour, it wars.
completely veiled from our view. In about fivosso.vistres-tifte -
wards, the most painful alarm was eaciiied t,Y its re-appearance,
as it was supposed, descending rapidly. The balloon seemed to
have emitted the greater part of the gas, and hung heavily on one
side, which caused a claumsy rotatory motion. It was at too
great a distance to discern the car, but from the evident velocity
with which it was approaching e earth, all hope of the unfor-
tunate aeronauts' safety was abandoned; and the general eja-
culation was, "Oh ! God, they are dead men." The alarm,
however, subsided, upon is being stated that the object in view
was only a kind of pilot balloOtt sent up from some part of the
city. At half-past six o'clock, one of the pigeons arrived at a
house in Old-street, St. Luke's, with a Babel fastened to it,
stating that a safe descent itad,,been effected at a place called
'layering l'ark, within" 'three miles of liumfunt. The owner
of the house immediately proceeded with the pigeon to the
Bedford Arms, where the gratifying communication was read
from a balcony to the friends of the parties, who received it
with loud cheers. At about half-past ten o'clock, Mr. Rossi-
ter and Mr. St. Auben arrived at the Bedford Arms in n post.
chaise, with the balloon strapped on the top.