The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1856-10-04
TEHii1)! DE>CtNT OE 4 RaI.tt,nY.

! h" following is Mr. A'l,.rt Smiths A..
rouat Of a trip winch he with thrr" others
81. :" M'. G,p>on'> balloon from Vauxh,l.
u 'i'''h>' Lon'"n, several Years since. II
may not bc without interest to our readers
.last at the present tim.. showing. As it does
that balloon a>"rnsions hace proved DANCER
aus experiments. y desire to SEE London by
-i'-iI-;!'t led ;n,m 10 take lie trip in the
nl2h'
II i"nnd that two gentlemen, besides th,.
owner I" the h.Iloun were 10 IT,, nv cou.
?ani"ns s-iir. Cnxwcl and NJ. Prc,iinor..-
he hti.""" lt>r!i "a> 4 very tinc IN .iii.-
hot :" Large As The S-au, bot higher. could
perceive. than any NJ h, other, used for sin
lie ,>'"i;S. IL h,d iitlrd >,.vrn people from
the .r"ini ln>t before cot tiirrr. and A,
i'arcd IN every wav calculated 10 N, Ak. A
,rni ascent
he ;lrrworkS-,ic frame of whirli r.S.m
hlei very iar.r skeleton drum-w-r,. To-
~ hung some thirty ar forty f,..t b,.loy It
and iIrri from the ear bv a fus-e-a most
at TIA, h.iioon IS but Il few feet oyerl,. al I
must confess that the preparations cave me
sonic unea>IIlc>> there was too much ront,
>ion-too much n,>c-top much >ur,r>tlu,
'n4 interfering Al al onrc: ato.,.t,.-r iIilcr
"nt Il IA" irti.iui anl cu.i",'t.t :n,nn-r ia
Witch Mr. H.crn nal taken II, up A week OF
tHo hritie.
N ii-t. however. everything wl> rronounr
II r". " to >:.rt. W. took n ,n.,,,. .>;nr..
'r the Trip, d.. had II been Iaitc DARK il l.
IL intention ot NJ e., u>nn la i,,y, remain
ci ny III ni@ht and wi II TX or ei.it h,,-
ot >ifd To- ballast. Ttyr the command to .i,i
-" tn" h.ni I'.ayrd "O.i she ro,.> :" t.,.
view OF \cni'e was lighted up with h.u. fir, :
'hc people huzzar'i. aud the balloon rose witt.
'N':vih' N"io'I!N, shooting straight up Il,
once. tut turnlnr rpini a> II a>rcni..i. Tn,
hr>t attempt t" iIcht the match o. the fire
works tu..d bat IT caught readily ~ tl,,
second. and then icgan 10 shoot ON, cascade,
Of 'ciorrd fires. whirh nal vrrv ir,u,Itul
"iirri. and must have looked cx cccdn.lv I'm
posing from the Gardens, a, they ti,c,,i lh,.
Ar around us
1t - !inp '>-itic II form tn" i,ct,cst ilc.
ut What the appearance oi London i. seen 10,
n"ft. from The ricv .tion We hli attained
- nearly a> r'ni br jm:...G ir,n The a.;,.r-
en- hrrai'h OF The river al the brii.,-> aiou;
tour thousand icct In he ol, uriry all ira
rc> OF houses or enclosures are lost sirtt of
can compare 1t 10 :ot!In. else than iioatinu
over dark h!ur and Aour,..,.>S sea. spancled
with hundreds OF Thousands of .,arS Tb.s.
stars were the LAMPS. We could see then,
stretching over the river at the Er.l.r,. c,lp-
."9 rs banks. tornlinE squares and long rar-
a!.ci .l~> Oi ..-' la the streets. and solitary
pa As-in'th"r and ,ul',-r a;,.::, until .i:.v
"crc altogether lost in the suburbs, iii. -
i"ct was too i'cwi.t.:iuC.too novel AMI ezra
or:Intft. To allow an, ot Us even 70 sneak :.
VT couii only gfzc Oh Ihcm IN ra,,t AND ,icr;,
att. .n'i,n.
Th' iirrworkS had commenced. at Nauxh,ll
ana We sl~ The blaze of li.h' about the gar
d' II very DIST ;ly. as We rs the cx,,lo>, Ms
OF TIE rockets: and Hash Of lightning now
ana then Illuminated the entire panoram,s
hnt WIS to- trta>tDv to "a n INV of lis
features. Above u> ihc >kv WAS deeply blue.
studied with lHnuilicrab,- stars III fat: a.
t"v". below. and around we a;,,,"arrd sal
inc through galaxy oi twlnk;lnr points of
licht inc'ilculaDc and inlrrrn,nat,ic. Tie
impression made on NV mi,d In i!i.s.. few
minutes vii! never he tilAreh: neither will
'hr scene ty which so speedily followed
W" were >:I.I Yong up. higher and hich-
tr. until In" gentleman assured us we had at
tanned the hci.iit Of >..v..n thousand feet. near
l. mile and a quarter perpendicular
when Mr.. Coxwri. who had the ,h,r,c of
the valve line, and was sitting on the hoop of
the netting above us. informed Mr.. (,yrson
that the balloon WAS getting very tense. from
she extreme rarct,'fion OF the external air at
the elevation We h:d attained. An order
was immediately given ior HIM to ..ea.e her."
hv allowing some of the .a> "a escape tv tn.
top waive. Ii NAV fc Necessary 10 cxnl,in
that the top OF the balloon is furnished with
what Is termed "a butterfly valvr"-a cir.u-
lar doubic-hip trap, oI"ning downwards tv
a cord which passes 'hr"u.ii the interior of
the balloon. and closing again with srriny
when sufficient "As has escaped. whlch it read
ly docs ~ r",Sf'n ot is ,u"vamrv Mr. Cox
wc! i'ul"d tlI> iinr. and immediately att,--
wards We heard nor" similar to. hni no. 50
io"d as The '>ra'c Of spare steam IN "A loco
motive; ard The lower part Of the t,lloon col
la>ped rapidly, and a,p.,red 10 ily ~ into
IT. upper portion. Mr.. G.y>on cried ont
immediately. "'io,d h"av-n>, what has
gone to which Mr. Coxwell answered
= he valve las gone vt are all dead men -
or words TO tnaj Affect: and that me Instant
the balloon began to fail with appalling ,e-
iorltv: the immense Pass OF loose silk. SURF
ING AMI ru>tlIng fri.htiu y over our heads.
a> II fltrpc! 10 AMI fro. like the saii oi si,ip
when tackIng. between the net work and cord.
bE which our car was >lunc. rrtrratIng up
away from us more and more into the head
of IKE ttiloon
Two OF our party directly cavc way 20 ex
ciatnafipn> of extreme terror. IN tn. midst 81.
winch the Suggestion was made 10 throw cv-
"r,'ting over tha, might ease the ialionu.-
had two sand bags III nv lap. which were
ca>' AWAY directly. and Mr. Cnxw.l lower
ed himself fr"n fhe hoop INTO rh. tar. wh,r
We al h"Gin 10 hunt a'.It biIui">t cur f,.tt
tor Whatever We could find T..ere were >.v.
tral bao> o! ballast. and some sn,.I,.> q, v,u,.
or brandy. and these were iu>t.,,',,,.m,,lv
thrown away; tut no effect wa, ,,trc-p'it.!,..
Ihe wind >tIi APPEARED 10 kr rushing ur ,a.t
Us AT fearful rate and To add TO the L,rr.r
"i ttc>c lew uiOr.euts. ". rat,. amidst iL, -.
l!tin9 discharge Of the fireworks. wo,..b .in,,
ei on 'h" air; so that little htts ci .>p,ml.I
ca'"S and 'otchEarrr still inr!n!..>crri. =,
! A. h"d themselves 10 tie co'Gay. o' TN bal
'o'n' aud were biown into parks. Tn. ..cni,