Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1859-10-13
Bursllhg Of the Balloon at Rome,
New York.

ne DdilOOu dt UrSL lCOh NOTtn- w est
erly course, but at height of abou, mile
took due South course for a distance O
about five miles; then at height OF over
miles the balloon struck the famous Easterly
current so often alluded to by balloonsts
= The body of the balloon was consta ntly
Expanding. There were clouds below float
ing in the air, and the reflection OF the sum.
light upon the air vessel was very percep
tible. The glare, at times, was almost blind
ing. When the Easterly current as reach
ed, the balloon drifted toward the East at &
tepeed Of about thirty miles per hour.
AT about twenty minutes before five, Mr.
Coe discovered that part OF the appara,u:
pertaining to the safety valve of the balloon
was deranged, and was so located that il
could not be restored. He at once attempted
to discharge the gas from the upper valve
in order 10 descend, conscious that the diff.
Guilty alluded to could not be overcome
The valve at me top worked well, but the
pressure on the safety valve (Which had
been deranged,) from the lower part of the
balIon, was so great that an explosion fol-
lowed, causing rent in the balloon from
the lower valve to its greatest circumfer
ence: the rent was some 40 feet in length.
The sound accompanying the explosion
was about equivalent 10 the discharge of a
muskeG. In about one minute after, the de-
scent was SO rapid as to increase the rent
in the texture of the balloon about so feet,
thus leaving almost the entire upper por-
tion of the air vessel open. Inhaf minute
after the second rent was discovered there
was not foot of gas in the ballon. For
nearly half mile, the voyagers came down
at most terrific speed-feeling tie same
sensation that one experiences in a high
swing in rapid motion. The silk and cor
dage, as the balloon oscillated, caused a
rattling sound like the rigging OF ship in
a storm.
Descending half mile, the main portion
OF the balloon was thrown on one side of
the netting, and caused the air vessel to
sway violently. and the basket and passen-
gers were raised to an even height with the
valve Of the vesseli itself. This motion was
experienced several times, and as often was
broken BY the self possession Of the Ero-
nauts in changing their position in the car.
Finally this swaying motion was increased
by the voyagers until they succeeded in
forming parachute of ;he remnants Of the
b.lloon, when the rapid rate of speed in
their descent was measurably impeded =
Turing the last half mile before reaching
the earth. their rate OF speed was but ;ri-
fle more rapid than that of the ordinary de-
scent Of well-ordered balloon.
When reaching point within one hum
dred feet Of the tops OF the trees, near Pond
Knobs, in the Rome Swamp, each of the
passengers, ,having a sand bag ready to throw
out, discharged his amount of weight, and
the balloon concluded its descent to the
ground with less speed. The passengers
were suspended some seventy feet in the
air, on the limbs OF one of the tallest trees
in the swamp, while the balloon spread it,
self over several other forest trees. By
good fortune Messrs. Coo and Cottman
reached terra frma in safety, after making
n graceful descent from the tree.
At the moment of the explosion, Mr..
Co:tman asked Mr.. Coe what was to be
done! The E-onaut assured him that the
balloon would come down all right. except
at fearful rate ef speed.
At once the grapple and ropes were
thrown out and all extra weight, except the
sand bags. The erial excursionists were
perfectly cool, and conversed together dur
ing their descent. But for their presence
of mind. they would not probably have es'
capped alive. They both assure us that aftel
the balloon formed into parachute, they
had not the slightest fear Of harm. But fo
the few seconds after the explosion, wher
the car and the remnants of the ballon were
swaying alternately above each other, thei
fears could not we'll be suppressed.-Usica
Herald.