The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-06-30

could no longer be located by the eye The
CITY and its engagements showed every street,
almost every lot and alley distinct for time,
the block of the city proper being perfect
souares the enlargement and outskirt lots at
all manner of angles The river in front
tcurved below the city, and seemed to run al
most direct back in its course, passed Hender-
SON Tapped off to the South, and probably fot
thirty miles was line ofcoiling silver tilllost
in the distance. Henderson Newburg, and
Rockport were plainly visible at the same time,
the letter town, forty miles distant by river,
seemingly not ten miles from Evansville. The
atmosphere was pure and clear, with no mist
except as distance gave the appearatce.-
Pigeon Creek, whose course we pursued some
distance, and which stream we repeatedly
crossed, was a mere thread lined by a forest.
and apparently not yard in diameter. The
canal was streak, but comparatively straight,
and was visible, except where trees interviewed,
for many miles. Farms like beautiful garden
spots, were spotted about the forest, the trees
Of which were mere clusters of shrubs. The
wheat, corn oats, grass, &c, of the various
farms, were in different colors, the ripened
wheat golden, the corn and grass beautiful
emerald green. and the oats light silver
green, and all presenting charming co ming
ling ofcolors, and almost invariably laid off in
squares or palallelograms with mathematical
! precision. 1t is beyond the imagination of
man to conceive scene of such magnifcence,
and it is certainly out ofthe power Of pen and
brain to bring it before the mental view even
as shadow of the reality The memory will
with US be far beyond what any future scenery
may probably present to cur view. We told
Mr.. Brooks at the time, it was Every pretty
but we don't think that exactly conveyed our
ideas! twas magnifeent-not grand, for we
connect that idea only with mountain scenery,
! while below US was a level plane not rise in
the ground visible. We have not spoken of
the railroads, only differing to the sight in APP
pearance from the ordinary roads by their
straightness, and we have not alluded to the
thousands of minor details which helped form
a panorama as far superior in its nagnifcencc
to anything which We had ever seen before, as
heaven is above earth Man may neyerrealize
how beautiful is this earth till he sees it from
the Sky above. Omnipotence must have a
higher opinion, giving it mortal feelings, of the
sublimity of its handiwork, than the human
insects which creep over its surface and
whicha mile above cannot be recognized by
their own species,
But we were going up, up. Evansville in
the distance, gradually lessened-the streets
became invisible-it assumed the form of a
cluster of houses, the white predominating-
soon so small that the price Of the best lots,
with Improvements included, got down to so
low figure that we turned our eyes ahead
/ for better prospective investments. Farms
dotted the forest like lovely little gardens
but such immensely ofrich forest green by the
side of improved lands A man must go up
in balloon to realize how much room South
ern Indiana has for new settlers
But while thus progressing. two specks of
mortality invisible to eyes below, floating
thelplessly through the great heavens over
houses, that looked like egg Shells, and men
that were as invisible to US as we to them
--let us return, and speak of the trip in an
other view. We left the enclosure a few min
utes before 5 O'Clock. In ten minutes We were
at our greatest altitude before partially de-
scending and rising again We set the bar
ometer when few hundred feet above earth,
having forgotten it at the start. The index
needle moved rapidly as we assembled, and
when at our greatest altitude showed we were
Enear two miles high. The thermometer
stood at $50 when taken from its case and
] hung up, probably several degrees cooler than
the atmosphere. We had difficulty in proper
lily shading it when aloft. When two miles
high, the mercury had dropped seven degrees,
but we felt as warm as when upon earth, as
floating with the wind we Of course did not
feel a particle of breeze, while TO clouds OBJ
secured the sun. Mr.. Brooks entirely regua-
ted the navigation. The mouth of the balloon
was wide open and gas escaping freely through
that avenue, when guarding against the slight
lest danger Of explosion, he let out some of
the gas through the valve. We then descend
ed very rapidly, as we ascertained by throw
ing out feathers, and as we afterwards under
stood, could be so plainly seen through spy
glasses, that fears were entertained some acc-
dent had happened to the balloon. As for our
own feelings, whether. ascending or descend
ing, no matter with what rapidity, it was i'm
perceptible to us. naa @
By throwing out feathers, they appeared to