New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-10-03
Mr.. WISE'S TWO HUNDRED AND THIR-
TYFOURTH VOYAGE.
70 ~ ESsseS Of Tie ". j. Tyi1sse.

70 ~ Edsse, Of n. ~ u Trssa~
Sir. In the roid.. Of the baoonirg mania, with eli
lie perils and romances, made my two hundred and
tbiItv.fourth aerial voysge, from St. Johnsbury
Thursday. the 2eth Of September, 1859, - 40
bellisbment 10 the Caledonia Agricultural Fs1. As it
was an exceedingly pleasant and serene trip, am IL
duced to give you short narrative Of te performance,
ma ply nov notes taken in the air, IL for nothing
than TO throw oil upon the troubled waters Of aero
psutics.
Please don I bear down upon aerial travel too hard.
You know The proveIb, Fools VIII rush where az
gels fear TO tread"
But TO my memoranda of Thursday. At g. p. M,
e1-Gov. Fairbanks sdmobished that the time Tor
the ascension was at asnd. In another minute, the
"Gapymede' 10 proper ballast, the cord cut, and
up we went, ,lowly and nearly perpendicu'arly'
Having attained an altitude Of 6 900 feet in ~ MIN
uies and the balloon having become perfectly sta.
AIRY, going neither to fro, nor up nor down,
took gtnersl observation Of 81. Johnsbury and the
surrounding country. gszed, and looked aud pom
dertd and contemplated, and upon recurrence 10 my
reading, nvountarily exclaimed The tales Of the
Arabian Nights TeslizedH Scenery so varied, 20
boupdless, rich, aud 60 exaltilg, cannot be Por'
irayed by words.
dells Mountains and hils, not by tens, nor nund-
reds-myrisds encompass roe" In the southern
horizon gallery Of cloud .knobs, based upon hori-
sons ard OTsPPng
"FrancOpa Notch with its terrific gorge, looking Ike
grand csuseway TO some sub-mundene territory, grins
defiance 70 balloon observersi. locks a-fuly grand
Mount Washington looms up in patIiarchs grandeur,
ike father at the head OF national family Of mount
aips bills and knOls. The white AcAdamlzed rosd
up its sides looks ike a cok.screw. The coIiluence
OF the Connecticut and Passumsic River forms one OF
those charming grottoes that reed Of in the wdest
romance" "Now the train Of cars IL stopping at Pas
cum SIC TO take good look at the balloon, and hear
the nelfuous strains of the brass band on the Fair
ground" "Tine flee with memoy's delight" 81
hope Gsnymede will remain poised here all day."
There lie Straod Peak, upon which was near co n;
ing 20 three years ago." "How wonderfully close ali
there big mountain. peaks seem to be. " Not more
than 500 yards off they seem, ard yet they must be
over twenty miles" ~ zee lorty.two cities and VIII
lagos suroundineime ard the lakes, rivers and ponds
glitter in the spnbesms like sparkling diamonds
" TIE heavens between the mountains and clouds are
radiant with spectral cOlors Of the rainbow. '" WIZ
rice no bigherI DO no. wish TO DRIFT from this point in
space to.dsy-good enough for the imagination at this
place. 81 am up hour by the watch ard nearly in
statu quo over the point Of starting The horse
track on the Fair ground looks in size aud shape Ike
an old-fashioned elptical waiter" "The inclosure
with its 90 0O0 people, looks ike beehive, and the
Morgan horses, courspg around the track, remind me
OF rabbits in warren.
Thus fessted OF the scenery around ard beneath
while the Ganymede was still swaying to ant fro, an
hour and half after the ascension at nearly the sane
point in space. " Like comet that had become i'm
important and depse enough TO aspire to planetary
dignity, and seeking orbltal center, she was drift
ing to and fro quite sovenly for nearly two hours"
Having viewed and reviewed, aud contemplated the
beauties of nature and thought how the Creator had
made every thing 60 exquisitely grand and sublime
perhaps TO give moe exalted nature after this
grovelpg life on esrb-and after devout reverie Of
thanks ard alteration this grand prerogs alive but
not until after the Ganymede showed symptoms Of
Notwithstanding had bat little ballast aboard-did
| come down.
The descent was as light feather, and the slight
motion of the atmosphere below drifted me within two
miles of Danville Green. The country was deserted,
everybody but Mr.. Sommers had gone to St. JOINS
bury and he very kindly took me back to town in
season for supper. JOHN WISE.
Girard House, Oct. J., 1880