Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-10-07

ADVENTURES OF MEssRs. LA MOUNTAIN
AND HADDocK, THE "LosT BALLooN1sTs -
MIR. John A Haddock, who went with La
Mountain on that balloon voyage into the
Canada wilderness, has published in the Wa
tertown Retormer long account of their mag
nifcent sail through the air and of their wander
ings and sufferings in the wilderness of woods.
They left Watertown Sept. %, at 20 minutes
past O'Clock, p. M, and, miscalculating the
velocity of the balloon, went over three hun
dred miles in northerly direction, into the
northern wilds of Canada, where they landed
in darkness and rain. The next morning thew
contrived to ascend again and get view of the
region. at was an unbroken wilderness oflakes
and spruce" They landed again, took leave
OF the balloon, and then for four days sought
to find their way out. They struck stream
and went down it on an extemporized raft.
MIR. Haddock says
ut had now been four full days since we ate
meal, All we had eaten in the meantime
was frog apiece, four clans, and few wild
berries, whose acid properties and bitter taste
had probably done us more harm than good.
Our strength was beginning to fail very fast,
anu our systems were evidently about to un
dergo an extraordinary change. | did not per-
NIT myself to think of tood-the thought OF a
well-covered table would have been too much.
L thought over all of poor Strains sufferings
on the lsthmus of Darien, where he, too, was
padding raft down an unknown stream-but
never believed he could stand half the amount
OF suffering he did. Besides, he had means to
make tire--we had none.
Wpl Wat urp III
her back toward the place where we had en-
tered this last lake. We had gone about mile
when we heard the sound of a gun, quickly
followed by second report. No sound was
ever so sweet to me as that. We hallooed as
loud as we could many times, but could get no
response. We kept our poles going and had
gone about half mile, when | called La
Mountains attention to what thought was a
smoke curling up among the trees on the side
OF hill. My own eyesight had begun to tail
me to an extent that l could not depend upon
II when long, steady gaze was necessary.
lie said it was smoke, and that he thought Just
below 1t, on the bank, was bark canoe. In a
few moments the blue smoke rolled gently, but
Enthusiastically, above the tree tops, and we felt
that we were saved. Such revulson of feel
ing was almost too much for us. We could
hardly believe our senses, and credited any,
thing favorable to our condition with the ut
most caution. Our bitter disappointments had
taught MS that lesson.
We padded the raft with the ends of our
poles directly across the lake, near, perhaps,
three-fourths OF mile wde and made for the
canoe 1t proved to be large one, evidently
an Indians. Up the bank went, leaving La
Mountain at the canoe to cut off retreat by
the Indian, in case he was timd and wished to
avoid us. came at once upon the shantes of
a numbering wood, and from the chimney OF
the furthest building broad volume of smoke
was rising. halloed-a noise was heard in.
side, and noble-looking Indian came to the
door. Vous pariey Francais 2 was my eager
inquiry, as | grasped his outstretched hand.
yes, sir, and English, too He drew me into
the cabin, and there was the head OF the party,
a noble-hearted Scotchman, named Angus Ca
meron. l Immediately told my story-that
we came i'll with a balloon, were lost, and had
been four days without food, asking where we
were. Imagine my surprise when he said we
were 100 miles due north of Ottawa-in the
dense, uninhabited forest, whose only limit was
the Arctic circle. In a word, we were nearly
300 miles in due north course from Water.
town, in latitude Al.
Dinner was all ready. The party consisted
Of four persons-Mr. Cameron, and his assist
ant, who was also named Cameron; La Nab
MacDougall-a halfbreed-and his son Beau
Yen ulspdtcncu tne young Indian for La
Mountain, who came in after moment, the
absolute picture Of wrctchedness All that
the cabin contained was freely rendered us,
and zoe began to eat. Language is inadequate
to express our sensations while doing So The
clouds had all lifted from our somber future,
and the silver lining slone all the brighter
for the deep darkness through which we had
passed"
They returned to the balloon, and found it
torn so badly that La Mountain abandoned it.
The journey of one hundred and fifty miles
through the wilderness to Ottawa, they made
by the assistance Of Indian guides. They
reached Ottawa last Monday afternoon at five
o'clock. Mr.. ii. says:
when we rose above the thick masses of
clouds, before sundown,we undoubtedly struck
rapid current which carried US northeast. 1t
is my opinion that, after we hsd Travelled in
this current about one hour we struck another
current, from variation OF our altitude, which
! bore us of TO the northwest. When we de-
scendcd near the earth the first time we ought