The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1855-03-17
SKYLARKING NO. TWO.

[Mr. Stoddord, Of the NewOrleal,s Crescent, in
company with several other gentlernen, went a-hal
looming the other day This is his description of the
sport.l
We have always had wholesome horror of
high places and although one may every day
behold the spectacle Of dizzy height, occupied
upon most insecure footing, yet one fails to
become so accustomed to it as not to regard it
among the most fearful Of predicaments, physi-
cally or otherwise.
Stimulated, however, by more than one illus
trous example, and relying implicitly upon the
skin and experience Of M. Eugene GODDARD, a
skill which has already acquired worldwide
celebrity, We on the afternoon of Tuesday last,
embarked with that famous gentleman on his
239th voyage towards the celestial regions.
Most persons will readily understand hat
looking at q balloon from the earth is a matter
somewhat different from looking ut the earth
from II balloon. In the latter case one expe-
rcnces the reality Of translation to another
sphere, and finds himself suddenly out of the
world, enjoying another and much higher state
OF existence This occms, too, so suddenly,
that one has hardly time to understand his own
sensations, much less TO analyze er define them.
We did not, as we rose into the air. experience
the sensation OF ascending but felt precisely,
while leaving the earth, as if that useful arti-
Gle were sinking away from usdown down, to
some internal center" 1t appeared to us
very much as if the earth had hitherto derived
its support from our balloon, and now that the
connection, or copartnership, was dissolved it
was sliding helplcssly away into fathomlcss
space. We were consolet, however, by the as
slraucc, derived from reasons of natural philos-
ply, that, should any thing serious happen TO
our balloon, in the way of a collapse or an cy
posion, the friendly planet with which we had
been so long acquainted would return immedi-
atey to our assistance with all proper speed
Although the wind had risen at the time Of
our departure, (5 ooclock,) we found the air
calm q few hundred feet above and for some
time we assembled almost vertically The
square below u.s. with its throngs of men aud
women, became reduced in appearance to the
dimensions of some of our banket-shcet eX-
changes say the st. Louis Republican, or the
New Y ork Courier and Enquirer; the lofty
steeple of the Cathedral dwindled to an indis-
tinguished point, and jackson Square, in front
oft looked like g L'llipution playground at
tached to u Liliputian mansion. The whole
city, as if by sudden stroke ofmagic, lay spread
out beneath us. Its public buildings, public
squares; its broadest streets and obscurest al
ttyS, itS nasllS, CdtiS, swamp Improvements,
etc. oil could be comprchended with Il single
glance of the eye, and allappeared to have been
reduced to exceedingly narrow limits When
VIC had arrived at 4 point directly above the
head of the Now Basin, We arose above the
current of mir which had borne us thither, and
remained stationary for q short time. Looking
down here upon the space between Julia and
st. Joseph streets, ii appeared no broader than
amah's hand, ard the canal seemed only caclt-
lated to float the toy-boats of very small chill
dren
Towards the northwest the eye could trace
the Mississippi River through all its windings te
a distance almost incredible for human vision
on The north appeared the waters Of Lake Pont
chartrain, and far away in the southwest loomet
up the Gulf Of Mexico, covered with clound
and mist In that direction lies Cuba, but w
couldn t sec it, although VIC looked anXiously, a.
requested by y iiIibustering friend who has late
ly been troubled with apprchensions for it
safety. Sitting at onr ease in the cushioned
car, VIC gnzcd upwards Mt the frail globe Of sill
which held MS suspended thousands of feet in TIN
air, and then down upon the paved streets ana
the inhosptablo roofs of sIate-and, we mus
confess that Uncomfortable speclations upon In
consequences nj fall 80 tremendous, should i