The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1857-10-15
Terrible bxiiOOn Trtp.

ueIft3Sr UAseOvu hfVs
Last Summer We, tile yirtueus Junior,
took a balloon excursion with Mr.. u. w.
Brooks--drove the gauzc chariot fourteen
miles through the air, then descended and
left our companion in an oats held, ard
mounting TO the heavens with the speed d
an arrow, sailed for hours an atom in the
great space above. Broad farms were a
chidren's garden spots. houses bu, ipecks
in the great plain, the Ohio trickling NV
ule; Of silver upon velvet bed oi green.
Up higher yct--and nothing 20 be seen but
dark sombre plain miles beneath--hot
sound ~ human life in the ear--not an OBJ
icct upon which the vision might relieve II
self. hut the vessel above glittcring IN the
sunshine which At this hour rested upon no
ii &c, on the earth below--Inan Wa alone
WIFI I'm, God But that wa, all plain sail.
iHE' Mr. Brook. our companion os the
.irst part &c that trip la. had some rare
slvcn,urc~ since. Week before last, he
made balloon ascension AT ST. Louis and
lost his halloon most a serious los e. him,
Hc thus tells his adventure
When at tie altitude 81 one mile, con
meaced entering, a thick cloud and IN SIX
riuntee after leaving the park was envel
nlei in thick mist which was condensed
by euiu,np "a contact with the balloon, run
hin down upon the .ide and drenching me
through Still rising | encountered hail
storm ana inrtl.or zap snow storm. My
"blect wa t. get above the cloud entirely
AMI rraiaitit takc another current II af
whist would nsy, carried ne away e Ia Ill,
than1tr storm Which was inst approaching
hut e.. EXPANSION Of gas had filled the bal
lnon AMI was di.charping from the neck
downward into the car and knowing that
the balloon would collapse il allowed 10 go
umch HIGHER. | concluded ! would come
down lni run the risk Of th" storm, which
VA hnu at it, highest Tie thunder roll-
np the lightning flashing and whizzing
through tue air, the wind blowing with n
iaouriui howl, conspred 10 render my stu
alton anything hut M agreeable one, but
ttt, attempt must be made and pulled The
valve rope with nervous hand. and found
that u was East pulled three successive
dos ending. and when ! emerged from the
cloud, tie balloon wa coated with frozen
now which accounted for the valve not
aleair. hripr. After | rot out of the
c!pid ! encountered a vhIrlwind which APP
pca.ed Ia he between tue cloud had Just
lcit aud The storm cloud below, and 1t APP
pcarra n. II tho balloon would be torn 10
atom. The balloon aud car >waycd back
AMI forth VA the same manner, a. the dog
and parachute had done before. ! pulled
u, valve rope again, aha at down ~ the
car, holding on 90 III, sldcs wondering what
! would meet ncAt After remaining IN
thls wind aboni ten minutes. ! succeeded IN
discharged nearly thousand feet ii Asa-
before ! Conn.,, geine IL. ccnding the balloon
appeared t. h. fastened To this current Of
air, tforn which u would be- impossible to
tax. H.
Leaving the whtialIai, ! descended INTO
the storm cloud below The storm covered
AL area Of about twenty-five miles. The
cloud was dark, heavy mass, resembling
the sea ln u storm, the waves piled noun
tains higl, rolling against and piling on each
other ~ un. confused mass. the thunder and
llshinin. rolling and flashing, rendered IL
swiully grand NJ Language can describe ii
~ ! saw IL. After descending through the
cloud | discovered that ! was in another
fearful wind and likely TO fall in small
lake directly ahead Of me. ! instantly
threw overheard ballast, bag, rope and every
thing thar | could spare, and succeeded in
passing the lake aud landed in corn field
came down So rapidly that in striking the
ground was knocked senscless and thrown
from the car ; my rigLs ley and arm getting
tangled ia I'll. rnpcs was dragged four
hundred yards, sometimes on the balloon
and sometimes under il, until brought up
against large corn stack the netting hold
INK FAST, the wind tore the balloon In pieces
IN les time than IL takes 10 tell IL the gas
cscs ping snddenly freeing me from further
LANCER All this was done during the hard
80 rain ! over encountered. II was pouring
Town, and the field wa one complete mud
iole. ! was relieved from the ropes by Mr..
Thornton near whose residence came
town; got mp and found my clothes torn
n pieces aud the balloon n total loss ! got
~ AMI surveyed the wreck aud thanked
sod that II wa no worse and that WAS
aie. ! remained with Mr. Thornton until
hc storm passed by. y Zen he assisted me
n etnrning IL the city where ! arrived |
lat evening.