The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1849-01-19
Miscellaneous.
TnE purcnNAN AND TIE BALLOON.
ny TAIcoNBRIDsE.


Agreat many curious and lacei'ous things
have boen told Of E onsuts. and their 9r'al
carriages, ',clept balloons. a balloon
makiny a descen, on or near people who
have never seen such a flying machine,
oues,ionably looks teefie 9 supernatural
Ike" and, no doubt. makes their hair rise
nbou, as sudden as " bread.sluffs " do semi.
occasionally.
The Pennsylvanians are great on balloon
ing, that State having produced abou,
bakers doz,a Of prIal expefImenialIs,s,
whose performances have been attended by
no disasters, some pecuniary advantage
10 the lEronauts--and considerable addl-
lion to the general stock Of useful science.
Some years ago, bal'oonist, named West,
made several voyages to the upper regions
from the town of Lancaster, Lancaster
County, Pa. About the same period. q
Dutch farmer from the Interior Of New
York State. Dutch as sour kroLf, took it
into his head 10 pay visit to some OF bis
equally Dutch frents. in the aforesaid Ian.
caster County. Nick Morgan was the old
farmer's nsme-simple and homes! be was
as the day is long-with not ten consecutive
ideas beyond the daily routine Of his farm !;
q railroad and locomotive he had never seen.
end a. 10 the matter Of balloons. they we're
nltoge.her such contrivances as be had never
dfeamed nor heard Of. Mounted upon his
old sorsel mare, with few edibles, and
clean shirt or tvo in his saddle bags old
Nick started on his tour 10 Pennsylvania.
The rrop had preceded old Nick some
few days 10 his visit, snd he hustled along
10 join her.
Rigging along quietly aud unsuspecting,
not far from his journsy's end, the old far
mer and the old mare we're crawling up the
slope Of little hill, when voice basled
out
Hurry on, old man want TO pitch
my grapnei into ihaiihill side-hurry. bur.
y!"
The old sorrel pricked up her ears, and
Old Nick's ey es pouched ou. I" considera.
be, and he screwed and twisted them be.
hind and before, right, left, and down be-
low, yet nothing could he see, when still
louder and more sten.orian than before
came the same awful voice
"Come, come. old codger, hang you,
ride on, ride 90, I say. or III pitch square
on to you p
The old man vas bewildercd, alarmed.
horri6edi He reigned up the old mare,
and the poor old critter," as terrified as her
master, trembed like Leaf. Cd Nick's
eyes fairly hung out 10 every direction, but
but no. the first ghost Of thing
could be see, save The hill on which he
stood transdxed, and few old stumps close
by.
To these old s,umps. West, the Fro
naui-who was some hundreds Of feet in
the air, Just over the Dd,chman-~isbed to
fas.en his graphing iron and stop bis bal.
loon; 40 night vas approaching, and no bet. !
ter spot could be easily found, there and
then, West was extremely anxious TO alight.
But the old fellow and bis horse materially
with this arrangement. Time
vas everything Just then, the E -onau. did
not wish to hook up The traveller, nor lose
his balloon, so. getting vexej al the Dutch. (
mans delay, down Yves, throws his crap
nell attached to many fs,homs Of strong
cord, but which, proving leeile too short,
Just lit upon the hind quarters Of the old
sorrel, hooked the Dltchman's Goa; tail,
aud clamaed tho back part Of the saddle
tight as waxl Al this critical junc;ure, a
puff Of wind bounced the balloon upwards,
and lifted the mare clean and clear of her
hind legs, and but for the girlh parting, the
poor q ,adruped, Ditchman and all, nigh,
have been carried bodily off! The old
mare turned up her eye just as the gifth Of
the saddle broke. and espy,ng the grea, bal.
loon over head, she bottled as If the yeri,a-
bic I" old Nick" himself was after her
Poor Nick Morgan! bis coat tail came
out by the roots. AMI he and the saddle we're
hiiched and hauled forty rods down the hill,
where, with all the breath Knocked out Of
his body, ihs poor old man lay stretched
out, like spread eagle.
:" There, you old internal old donkey
you" basled the Esonau,, as he was sail
ing away. there you are cuss you. knew
nw
Old Nick revived in time 10 hear ,hi
mslcdiciion. and &c. one glimpse Of the fly
ing machine. when up he bounced, and al
ter his mare he vent ten miles 40 hour
90, on he spIurged, until not two ounce
Of vital air filed his breathing apparatus
ever the fence OF bis relatives ground
Nick 1ew, and up the lane be travelled, bu:
tied into the house, ioamed, fomed, and Gu
Up such wondfous strange dldoes, that hi
wife aud friends believed he had gone star
mad
Exhausted quite, the poor old fello
threw himself down upon the bed, and |
all the combined efforts Of his friends, III
tongue Of Nick Morgan refused to opera
and unravel the mystery. AT length h
IRON esssyed-
" Nicholas vat ish de matter nit you? :
Unph speak, and tell your wife vot der ma
ter ish. umph :"
No reply, but turning bis head over, AZ
looking at his wife and friends with all Il
subducd tenderness Of dying calf, the o.
fellow offered up heavy doIeful grodn.