Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1853-10-26

mountain, and this was but short time before
sundowh.
When the balloon 6rst attained position above
the line of the mountain it seemed TO be about
| five times the height of the mountain; when last
seen about eight times. 1t then appeared to be al
an angle of about eighteen degrees with the base
line of the earth. The distance from the place Of
departure and the height above the earth must o
course remain subject Of conjecture. The direc
ton in which the balloon was going when last
seen was that of Sacramento. The balloon was
distinctly seen throughout lis progress by the Cit
zens of San Francisco and the additional distance
added by the bay appears to have varied the ap-
pearance Of the object but slightly.
From the same paper Of .4nga't ~.
SAFETY OF THE YOUTHFUL AERoNAUT.-It is
with great pleasure that we announce the safety
of Joseph Gates, the youthful aeronaut, whose fate
has excited so much interest in the community
within the last twenty-fnur hours. He came down
last night on the steamer Antelope frora Benicia,
in excellent condition and fine spirits. He states
that for two or three minutes after he shot up his
head grew dizzy, and he had TO cling convulsive-
y to the cords and shut his eyes to avoid falling.
! This soon wore off, and he proceeded to look
round him perfectly sefpossessed He enjoyed
his ride wonderfully-somewhat cramped from
straddlinr the narrow board. The scene present
ed from his lofty perch he represents as magnif-
cont. The mountains, bay, ocean, and plains. all
extended in one grand panorama before him. Sev-
eral times the plank, which was but loosely rest
ing upon the hoop, seemed disposed to tilt, while
at others the balloon, propelled by gust of wind,
would swing to and fro, rendering it somewhat
difficult to keep his seat. He preserved his pre-
sence of mind, however, and managed to keep
things in position. He sailed leisurely along for
some miles before gentle breeze, until he struck
the counter current of air, when the course of the
balloon was changed to the northwest,and he was
swept along at much moro rapid pace. As he
moved with the wind, he was only conscious Of
his progress by the rapdity with which he passed
over objects upon the earth below. As he contln-
ued to ASCEND he began to experience chilly SEN
saton. although at no time did he suffer severely
from the cold To use his own expression, she
enjoyed himself frst-rate," and his only fear was
that he might land in some remote place in the
mountains, away from the settlements and expos
ed to the attacks of the ''grizzlies" When he
had gone as far as he thought agreeable, he took
hold of the valve rope to let off the gas, in order
to descend lie pulled it with all his force but it
would not work it appeared to have got entan
gled in the cords extending from the globe of the
balloon to the hoop upon which his seat was rest
ing. This somewhat alarmed him. He tugged
and jerked at the rope, and it broke Imagine
now the condition of the gallant boy. floating
miles above the earth upon frail unsteady plank,
in balloon over which he had lost all CONTROL
The fate of the ship in the vortex of the maelstrom
could not have seemed more hopeless. When his
last stay parted with the rope, he chung for few
minutes to his seat, and collected his thoughts
Was he to float forever in the air, a wonder to
the birds and spectacle to men. or was he to be
precipitated from that fearful height upon the
mountains beneath2 Finally the conviction fore
ed itself upon him that he must puncture the no
DIV of the balloon in some manner, if he would ev.
or descend in safety He therefore determined to
climb up the ropes which extended from the hoop
to the balloon, and cut it-and this he actually
did! He took his knife out of his pocket; opened
it and held it in his teeth then cautiously raised
himself in standing position upon his unsteady
seat, firmly casped the ropes, and. to use his own
expression, commenced TO "shn it" up to the bal
loon. His weight thrown on one side caused 1t
TO tilt slightly, but he managed to make his way
ND distance of eight or ten feet, uncasped one
hand. took his knife, and ripped large hole in
the silk. The gas Immediately gushed out, and
the balloon commenced to descend very rapidly
He succeeded in reaching his seat again in safety
It was now about six o'clock in the evening -
The balloon rapidly approached the earth. He
prepared hmself,and just as it was about to strike
he Jumped off, and was once more upon terra fr.
NAL In the leap, however, he slightly sprained
his ankle. The place where he landed proved tc
be in Susum Plains. about fifteen miles from Be-
nicia and five miles from the nearest house. M
sooner had he eaped off, than the balloon. light
ened of his weight shot up again like rocket in
to the air, darted off and was lost. Young Gates
walked to house about five miles off, where he
was kindly received, supplied with good supper
and bed slept soundly .and awoke next morning
greatly refreshed. He started off and walked to
I3enicia, where he remained until the Antelope
came by last night. Altogether it is the most ex
traordinary balloon ascension on record. The es
cape of the boy is, under the circumstances. al
most miraculous. lie is certainly hero. The
above statement embodles the facts gathered from
several gentlemen who came down on the boa
last night and conversed with him. He is now a
his fathers house in the neighborhood of the Hos
pital, and was too indisposed last night to give a
nv further account of his adventures.