Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-06-08
From the New ohesn. Crescent.
EXTRAORDINARY BAL
LOON ASCENSION.
SKYLARKING

We had the rare luck TO be one ol
the party who accompanied Mons.
GODDARD is his voyage to the upper re-
glons on Sunday evening last from
the yard al the corner of Poydras
and Barone streets. So extraordin-
ary was the spectacle, aud so over
whelming were the sensations inspir-
ed by our divorce from terra frma,
that we feel incompetent 10 lmpart
more than faint shadowing of them
within the limits of an ordinary news
paper article. The aerial party con-
sisted of Mons. GODDARD, his daring
assistant, Mons. Mandut, and three
passengers, viz. Mr.. Louis Dessom-
mes, Mr. Stat Davis and ourself. We
five men, the ballast, provisions,
wines, and other articles in the car
made a dead weight OF about fifteen
hundred pounds to be whirlrh M ~
the ethereal regions by tie beautiful
America.
Ii was astonishing, upon clearing
the enclosure. to behold the dense
crowds OF people outside. Poydras
aud Barrone streets seemed 10 be
paved with human faces rather than
round stones. 1t was exhlarallng,
not to say lattering, TO be so gener-
ally looked up 10 by all classes of So
cIety, to see the conmoilon beneath
US as we passed along-the stay-at-
home community scampering about
over their back-yards, galleries, aud
other places, in order to get good
view of us. We felt some nervous
ness in ascending, but this feeling
was soon absorbed by the sense OF
subIImity, the exaltation inspired by
the unequalled scene. 1t was well
worth beholdlng, end worth the peril
OF life Should an ascension be SO
cousidered) 10 any lover OF the SUI
blime. We return our thanks to the
face of Nature generally for the can
dor with which 1t revealed itself 10
US, the city its form and intrlcacIes,
the river its toIluosilles, and the
LAKES and bayous their whereabouts.
We will undertake 10 explain what
is the greatest wonder OF being up
in balloon. We were much puz-
zled by it at first, but explained il to
ourseli by recollecling what We have
been taught of the atmosphere. 1t
was the difference between looking
perpendicularly through the air and
horizontally through it-a difference
altogether astonishing. AT one mile
from the earth houses looked much
smaller than at a horizontal distance
of two miles. Horizontally distant
a house may look as large as your
hand, yet you will moi be able 10 dis
,;nonish !, by -, -,;n~r da,aii., Goo,
any other house. Perpendicular,
house may look no larger than a
sixpence yet you will be able 10
count lis windows, pillars, and other
smaller details, as if you held lis
daguerreotype in your hand. Horses
on the shell road seemed TO us like
ants creeping along chalk line ; yet
we were able TO distinguish their legs
quite as plainly as we could those OF
an ant on our forefnger. Charity
Hospital square looked as if we might
grasp it with one hand yet we could
discover the minutie of that estab-
lishment with a clearness and GER
tainty that seemed absolutely mira
culous. The chimney Of the gas
works, down which we looked, re-
minded us of tiny cotton-spool /;
the French cemeteries resembled
boxes of crockery stuffed in with
grass the Ridge cemeteries seemed
scraps Of green velvet, studded
with little bits of ege-shell ; the Me-
tairie race-track was SO utterly in
significant as to draw expressions Of
the highest establishment from all the
passengers the cypress swamp bore
the semblance OF a plain covered
with dogfennel and the Carrollton
and Lake train of cars over which
we passed resembied a snail creeping
slowly along, but sending up noise
prodigious for an object so small.
Before we reached the Metairie
Ridge, GODDARD hauled Manduit into
the basket and hung up his baronet-
er. Over the Ridge cemeteries the