Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1853-10-21
Extraordinary Feat!---Wonderful ESCAPE

| ~--~S ~~~ N>-~~S~J - OlAGC41u1
, A remarkable circumstance TRANSFERRED AT
San Francisco, on the 29thofAugust, which
is without parallel; and it is to be hoped
may remain SO. A balloon ascension had
been advertised and the company were as
sembled to witness it. The aronaut fail
ed to fill his balloon sufficiently to bear up.
The car was then detached, and hoop
with board laid across it was thensubsti-
tuted; the angry multitude demanding that
the aronaut should fulfil his engagement.
SILL there was not buoyancv enough to car
ry up a man: and boy Is years old, who
was selling peanuts and orangesin the crowd
was placed upon the board and launched
away into the ''upper deep, and, to all
| appearance into eternity.
No sooner had the balloon risen than the
crowd began to express their regrets He
was risingvery rapidly to henortheast. No
one can tell what his fate may be. He has
not even fixed himself properly on his seat
but was sitting on the edge of the hoop and
leaning back upon rope. If he does not
succeed in opening the valve to let himself
down, he will be in danger of becoming SO
numb with cold as to fall out, or he might
be frozen to death by the extreme cold; or
if he succeeds in getting down safely, no
one knows how far it may be from any hui
man habitaiion.
Several of those present positively asser-
ted that the boy let the rope go, and that
! it blew over the netting If this be true,
there is little hope of his escape alive
The -4lta California of the Goth reports
the return of the boy after his perilous Jour
ney 1t says
Joseph Gates, the boy who made an as
cension in a balloon, from Oakland on Sun
day afternoon, and for whose safe return
there appeared little ground to hope, arriv-
ed last evening in the Sacramento boat, safe
except sprain in the ANGLE He landed
in Suisun valley. fifteen miles from Benca
and five miles from any house. He re-
tanned his presence of mind throughout, dur
ing the hour and half that he was in the
| air, in which time he travelled about fifty
miles.
He was excited wien lie started, but
when he had risen slight distance he be-
came perfectly collected, and leaned back
in an easy position against the cord. Here
| he sat, and for long time heard the cries
the crowd below, and saw the whole bay
and country from San Francisco to Sacra-
mento
The only unpleasant sensation he felt
was cold in his feet He took off one shoe,
and tied a handkerchief about his foot, and
| then took off the other shoe, but dropped
his handkerchief, and had to put on that
shoe as it was before.
He wanted to come down soon after the
balloon started, but the rope broke: but he
was not discQncerted nor frightened. -. He
! knew very we'll whi.her the balloon was
| going, and wanted to land near Bencia,
| but could not climb the ropes to cut the bal
/ loon, as he wished This he knew was his
/ only hope, and he perscvered until he sue
ceeded in getting up to the body of the
balloon and cutting hole with his pen
knive. He was careful not to make the
hole too large, and when he was satisfied
that it was of the right size, he slipped
down 10 the hoop. The balloon descended
very gradually, and as it reached the
ground in the open plain he sprung off
The balloon, liyhtened of its weight, rose
again rapidly.
He then walked five miles before he
reached house, and the next day he
walked to Benca. The Ronautic tour is
undoubtedly one of the most remarkable
on record. When we consider the youth
and inexpericncc of the navigator, the I'M
cXpectedness of the trip, the scanty accom-
modations, his success in climbing up the
cords and cutting the balloon in a perfect,
successful manner, and his fortunate es-
cape from the many dangers, the voyage
has scarcely an equal for romantic inter
est from the tine of Montgoliier to the
present day To climb the cords was
labor of extreme difficulty, for they were
only about quarter of an inch in thick
ness and the distance of the hoop TO
point practicable for cutting, was about
twelve feet. But few persons could perform
the feat of climbing such cords near the
earth, and much less three miles above, for
that was about the hight to which he as
cended. He saw not little danger, but
hisvoyage willbecome famous, and his name
will be spoken from Europe to Australia
He can sell oranges and peanuts with apcr-
feet rush for few days. One Of the first
questions on his arrival here, was what his
partner had done with the money for the
oranges and peanuts in the basket he left
behind. He was not entirely absorbed by
the romance of his voyage nor forsetful by
the fright.