The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1857-07-02
m mani the RiiIoou On Lake
Eric.

The .DetfOt Free Press gives the PartIcu.
lars Of This affair as follows,
The balloon was about two aud a half
miles'high when FIRST seen. He procured
telescope, and bringing Il 10 bear on the oh
lect, aseertained at nnce that Il was q large
balloon, with man In the car underneath
Comprehending the danger TO which the
aeronaut was subjected, as night was com.
ing on. and the wind was blowing a heavy
gale and increasing fast, he immedIatelv
ordered the flag hoisted and the whistle
sounded. When this had been done the
aeronaut waved small flag In return, and
commenced descending. The balloon was
at this time about fifteen miles distant from
the propeller, and driving toward her a the
terrific speed of sixty or seventy miles an
hour. The balloon continued descending
with great velocity until it struck the water.
ABOUT one mile to the windwnrd Of the propel.
lor.
The aeronaut was half buried 10 the water
but was soon released from his uncomforia-
BILE situation, as the balloon, with the effetts
Of the recoil, sprang into the air and made Q
bound Of about hundred feet in height, and
q quarter of a Eile in length 1t then stuck
again. and rebdunded in like manner, and
continued taking the same terrific leans.
dragging its passenger through the water,
now completely submerged, and again hy.
ing through the air, in manner entirely un.
co:trollable. 1t bore down upon the pro.
1 pellor, however, 10 its mad career, and pass
ed some twenty or twenty FIVE rods astern,
where boat, containing two mates and d
crew, were waiting its arrival. 1t passed
over them, and the men caught the grapnel
that was hung out, and secured it in the
bow of the bont. Mr.. Steiner jumped out
and reached the boat by swimming, and an
effort was made to return to the propeller.
A tremendous gale was blowing by this
time, and the balloon started off to leeward.
carrying the yawl boat and its crew off at the
rate of fifteen or twenty miles an hour
Captain Woodruff shouted to the mate to
shift the grapnel to the stern of the boat, and
pull with his oars, 80 as to hold his wav
against it, until the propeller could run down
and pick them up. In attempting to do this
the line to which the grapnel was attached
was jerked from their hands with Irresistible
force, and the balloon ascended, and was out
OF sight in less thaa one minute. The pro.
pellor was then reached without much din.
Guilty.
Mr. Steiner states that he started from
Erie at about hnlf past three in the afternoon
with the intention of taking trip to Canada
before night. He had intended to have
started IN the morning. but was prevented
by the heavy rains. The balloon rose to
the height OF three miles, and was driven by
} some favorable wind across the lake, and
arrived within three miles of the Canadian
shore when the wind changed and blew him
back, half way across the lake. Another
} strong current then struck him, which car.
ried him down the like toward Buffalo at d
, railroad speed. He was on this course when
be discovered the propeller about the same
time that Captain Woodruff. He commen.
ced letting off the gas, and descended in time
; to reach the boat as described. His escape
was morrow one, for if the boat crew had
been unable to secnre the rope as he pass.
4 ed them at bis f'orful rate OF speed, he must
have drowned, as no person could withstand
being dragged through the water ut q veloci.
ty OF fifty miles a hour for any great length
Il Of time.
Z Captain WoodfIff says that he was as
+ cool and deliberate, when he got through
with the dangerous affair, as though he had
t been sitting on deck as witness, instead of
acting as the principal participant. He call.
: ed for some brandy and water, and sat down
q to supper as if nothing had happened. The
loss of the balloon seemed, to be his only
concern, as it cost him $50e, but he said i
wouldn't take long TO make another. lie
hopes to recover it some where en- the Can.
4 ada shore.