The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1854-10-26
STRANGE ILLUsIoNIxA BALLOON,

The Petersburg, (Va) Intelligencer
gives The following description ola singu.
lar atmospheric phenomenon observed by
Mr George Ellinott the aronaut, in re.
cent ascension from that city
After he ascended about three thou.
sand feet he discharged some FIVE pounds
Of bis ballast, when he shot onward and
upward with amazing rapidly, till he be
gan to approximate the clouds. He then
discharged about FIVE pounds more OF
sand, the remainder Of the bags, when
she again dartedupward among the clouds
which were 50 dense as TO wholly exclude
all terrestrial objects from his view, and
Of course he was lost 10 all observers be,
low.
These discharges Of ballast were dis
tinctly seen by his visitors, and on the
first occasion some one exclaimed that the
balloon had bursied.
While among the clouds, he says it
seemed to him as if he was in the midst Of
a large ground glass globe, some two OF
three hundred feet in diameter, against
the side Of which opposite TO the sun, the
shadow Of the Lady Isabella rested, some
five or six times larger than the corporal
one. About half way between him and
the shadow, which seemed as if resting
on the glass wall, another balloon wa;
seen Of a size between the shadow and
real one, resting as if in vacuum, which
/ displayed every color faithfully Of the
original. He then saw another Elliott
clad and with features like himself, ant
seemingly self like. He then extended
his own fingers, when he was mimlckeC
by his image and whether he extended
one finger or more, or whatever he did
this figure duplicated exactly. When h
would cause his balloon to oscillate, thi
balloon would move exactly like his -
, When he threw out more ballast to ele
yate himself this figure sank dolcH instea(
of rising with him; and when lie aros'
above the clouds into the rays Of the un
clouded sun, he left the mimic aronau
below him.
In the rays Of the sun above the cloud
he found it so warm as to cause him t
perspire freely, state Of heat never be
fore experienced at this height, near
twonty.four thousand feet, where the al
is very ratified and generally very chilly
He then opend the valve for the purpos
of descending, and as soon as he sank on
or two thousand feet, which he ascertain
ed by barometrlcal indications, he felt a
. if he had entered an ice house, and col
chill seized his whole person.
, Here again he methis mimic @rial voy
ager, whom he kept in company for som
, time, from philosophical motives. Wher
J ever he moved sideways, this mum gentle
man would move in the same direction
But when he moved up or down, the dl
plicate would move in a directly opposit
way and when he concluded to descenl
: the image moved upward until the TT
colored flask was ont of SIGHT, when h
, could see the car and the Pronaut sti
: standing in it as if in a basket attached
f nothing. He still kept looking until b
e head was Robespierred, and finally, piet
d by piece, his body, and at last his feet ar
o basket ascended out of sight.
n Professor Elliott says he has been uT
J. hundred and one times but never sa
r anything in the form of an Illusion Il
/; this before and he asks the opinions
/. the scientific and learned as 10 the prob
d bic cause of this remarkable phenomena
. for the information of the public.