The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-10-07
From the York (Pa.) Gazette.
BALLOONlNG EXTRAORDINARY.

A daring feat accomplished on Saturday last,
by citizen Of our ueighboring town OF Gettysburg
Mr.. John WISE the American Aeronaut, par ercel-
ience had announced his intention 10 make his 18th
Balloon Ascension, that day, from enclosure in
Gettysburg-and with his usual punctuality, was
ready on the day and hour promised. His balloon
was initiate - his ballast, graphing iron, &c duly
slowed and he was about to step into the basket
AT that moment, Mr.. John Mcclellan, young gen.
teman Of Gettysburg, inquired OF Mr.. Wise whe
Their it would not be possible for tl1o persons TO
cend with the power then in the balloon. On re-
ceivng negative reply, Mr. Mcclellan seemed
much disappointed said he was determined to have
ride, and inquired the price at which MIR. Wise
would permit him 10 make the voyage alone ''One
hundred dolIrs sir" said Mr. Wise, who did not APP
pear to cons der the inquirer TO be in earnest =" /
will give you fifty dollars !" "Agreed-fork over ~
The joke Z" carried on, and the cream of it
transferred to the pocket Of the AeronaLt-and
his substitute snugly seated in the car vocfe-
rating his direction TO ''cut loose~ Mr.. Wise
thought that matters had now gone far enough, and
requested is customer TO get out, the time had
arrived at which he had promised to be off But he
refused TO do so, and insisted that he had regularly
hired and paid for a passage " in this boat and go
he would. AS Barney O'Reardon said TO the man in
the moon, when the latter respectable parsonage told
him to lave his houd" "The more he bid him,
the more he wouldn't ~
Mr. Wise then let the balloon up short distance
by rope, thinking probably, that as there
lent, that his substitute would have his courage cool
ed and |" give in" But this go-and think
ing that he had as good start he would have
MIR. Mcclellan cut the rope-ard icas of! After he
found that it the determination of Mr. Mcclellan
TO 60, Mr. Wise had but time TO give him few hasty
and imperfect instructions in regard to the manage
ment of the baoon--and in few minutes the daring
amateur aeronaut had assembled to height of about
two miles. Here he struck current of air which
bore him directly towards York. He says that the
nn-th .a1 Ilx oft hc h,I
thrown bag of two of sand upon it--that Gettys-
burg passd off towards Hagerstown, and that he
saw Carlisle Hano,er, Abbottstown, Oxford, and
Berlin strong aboutand that soon after, just ahead
of him, he saw Old York coming full tilt up the
turnpike toward him, apparently taking afternoons
walk to Gettysburg. Having determined to stop at
York, and fearing, from the remarkable speed at
which our usually staid and sober town was travel
ling, that she would soon pass under has balloon, and
give him the slip, he pulled the string attached to the
safety valve, in order to let off portion of the gas
This valve is constructed, that when the rope at
tached is pulled, the valve TO the interior and
az in closes by the force of the gas VIII the rope
let go. Unfortunately, however, the inexperienced
aeronaut pulled too violently at the valve rope, tore
the valve door completely off its hinges, and brought
il down into the car When this occurred he was
more than mile high and he Immediately and with
fearful rapidty descended rather fell to the earth
VIII n the valve door came oil, the gas of
capped iapdy, but the balloon caught sufficient air to
form parachute, by which the fall was moderated
and we are happy to say that the voyager reached
the earth about five miles from York, entirely un-
injured He says that the valve door
came down upon him, he knew that something had
:" broken loose" and just then remembering that Mr..
Wise had told him to be sure when he descended to
throw out his graphing iron, he preparing TO get
al IT among the numerous things in the basket when
the earth bounced up against The bottom Of the carl"
When first seen from York, the balloon about
10 miles fl, nearly due West. 1t appeared to be APP
proaching directly towards our town. until the valve
pulled il had fallen considerably. As it fell,
it seemed to find current that bore it rapidly toward
the North The spot at which it landed is about
Northwest Of our borough.
The escape of the gas distinctly seen from
York and the balloon neared the earth il had lost
its rotundity, and appeared to the gazers here to
come down heartily like a wet sheet