Daily Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1854-1855, 1855-10-03
An 1lrAL VOYAGE.

The foiiowine interesting aructe VII
possessthe more interest Just now from the
fact Of balloon ascension having 20 re-
Gently been made in this neighboshood ::
BALLooS WILLS DE PARIsA
Mendsy evening. Sept. ~, lS593
Mkseas. KpiToRs ~ fHE ClsctxxAyl
GAxssrE Your reporter had the rare
good fortune this evening to accompany
the intrepid Mons, GODDARD and his accomp-
lishcd lady, Mad. a., on voyage through
the blue ssbiime Of heaven" an excursion
40 rcple,r with subljmity that almost hes
i,ate u attempt giving y description ofour
1 path upon the ethereal waste. We cul
loose IRON. jerra 6rms about ave o'clock and
/ forty uipatss. and reached ans altitude oil
+ twelve hundred feet IN about four minutes.
+ The spectacle as we cleai ed the enclosure
vas truly cxhiiirsting. The dense masses
Of human beings in the streets, on the
house tops, trees and every available posi-
| zion; the deafening cheers OF the multitude
| and waving of handkerchiefs, hats, &c, al
! together overcame the nervousness which
! | felt upon our departure; and whenat the
/ height above mentioned, Cincinnati, Coving-
i ton, Newport, Fulton, the La Belle Ririere,
and the country as far as the eye could
reach, formed gorgeous panorama beyon
the power OF imagination to conceive or the
pen 10 portray. AS the monster balloon
ike bird in air, r. treated high, the COM
motion below be came less visible and our
city appeared
"A creeping mass, alive with shapeless things
while the rumbling OF wagon wheels, work.
ing Of ponderous machinery, and the mu:-
murs of the masses came softened to our
ears like the mingled notes Of far off mel
ody.
The evening was remarkably fine and the
atmosphere clear, and the extended land
scape girdled by ahorizon rich in grandeur.
was lying massed and mapped around Us.
When we had reached 1,2o0 feet, Mems,
GODDARD left the trapezium on which he had
performed such daring feats and on small
rope ladder sscended into the car. A few
pounds of ballast were then thrown over
hoard, and quickly we rushed far into the
skies. Our city, the great Metropolis OF the
West, appeared Ike q. Lilliputian villa, built
OF toy houses by children on the parlor floor,
aud the little spires gIistened in the rays of
the setting sun. Striking another current
of air, we took a northeasterly direction,
passing over the House of Refuge and Cum
minsyille on our len. by this time the
beautiful purple which had tinged the west
ern sky had faded, and the solar ligh, disap.
peared; but the moon, on her queenly
throne, revealed 10 US the face Of nature so
fair and lovely that we gladly welcomed her
reign. AT an altitude of four thousand feet
we viewed with lively emotion Spring
Grove Cemetery, where dots Of white en-
bedded in green foliage marked the reposing
! place OF the remains Of mortals, whose fond
spirits had
Pas d from storms below
To uutnown worlds
Rising still higher to the elevation OF
nine thousand feet, We gazed down with
establishment at train of cars on the c.,
II. and ID. r. R., which appeared to be
moving slowly along as snail upon a
thread. The canal, clustering in the moons
pale light, seemed a chord OF silver adorn-
ing rich green velvet. Houses, trees.
animals and various things on the earth, al
though dminuiive, were perfect in form,
which was matter of surprise to me, when
contemplated the distance we were from
I them-which is, perhaps, owing to the
/ fact that they were viewed from perpen-
! dicuiar position and not horizontally, as we
see them on the earth.
Mons. GODDARD now spread out table,
and v e partook Of hearty super of roast
chick ms, turkey and duck, bread and cakes
Of various kinds and wines aud cordias;
which we enjoyed exceedingly, although a
mundane affair for US who aspired TO be
celesiials. As We journeyed hither and
thither, we drank the health OF several
farmers we hailed with our trumpe,s. We
were not unfrequently greeted with the
watch dogs voice as he bay'd the whisper
ing wind, and the occasional cackling Of
startled fowls.
In due time a cluster Of lights in advance
indicated another town, which we learned
TO be Mt. Pleasant, and from whose inhabit-
ants we received several hearty cheers.
/ Continuing on eleven miles West of this
village, our balloon was relieved Of more
ballast, and we rose to the height OF fifteen
thousand serea hundred feel, when We struck
another current of air and passed over
! Glendale, towards Montgomery. At this
elevation the horizon was expanded; its
diameter grew sensibly greater, and the
earth presented a concave appearance.
Mountains and Wales, woodlands and fields,
mingled into prairie, divided by intersect-
ing lines, Here thought that realized
what Pope says
.sHow high progressive lie may 90.
Around how wide, how deep extend below
While at this altitude, Mons. G threw
overheard q champaign bottle, filed with
water, which occupied three minutes and
! twenty-five seconds in reaching the earth.
We distinctly heard the fall. At half pas,
eight o'rlock our balloon veered to the
north, and in few minutes Hamilton was
seen in the distance. All was stiffness,
and our attention was directed for the time
being towards the beautiful shadow o. the
balloon gliding along the surface OF the
ground. Descending TO twelve hundred
feet we played with echo; screamed till we
were hoarse, and held our breath 10 listen
to the rustlng Of the wind among the trees
beneath. Al one time, gazing at the mil
+ lien stars consolidated above us, and then
down upon earth oil calm and fair and pas
/ siye, apparently luiled upon an angels lap
into GREATNESS dcwy sleep,
So still.
That We could only say Of hing, they be.
+ AT 9 O'Clock we reached Hamilton, and
I at two thousand feet, conversed with its in
habitants for several minutes. Under the
impression that we were desce nding. several