The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-07-14
Balloon Trip, from 81. Louis to
hre g.,ii:f New-YOrk State. s,-l ,a-.a

|. bne gsil.ii New-YOrk State. ggl aa-.a.'
The trip, Of which the following from the
st. Louis Epening Neaos, is a, graphic ac-
count, was commenced at St. Louis, at GAO,
P. NJ, on Friday, July 1st, and terminated
at North Adams, near Troy, N, Y, at 2,2o,
?. NJ, On on Saturday., July Cd, Distance,
! ,I50 miles. -, .r -, 20 80
| will seize a few moments to give my
friends in st, Louis brief sketch of our
trip. We rose, as you know, beautifully
from our moorings, on Washington avenue,
St, Louis, at about Z o'clock last evening.
Mr., Wise, who has made so many aerial voy-
ages, declared that he never experienced so
happs an ascension. We almost felt as if
the .appllapdding shout of the thousands be-
low US, bpoyed US aoft, And each moment
our host Of ,on-looking friends increased, un-
til, at an altitude of aboqtone. thousand feet,
all ST., Louis seemed converted into, one
grand Washington Square" anda hundred
thousand faces. were seen gazing up at us
Again and again, was our f9g waved, in rec
ognition Of the ascending plaudits,; and when
our altitude had become SO great that it mel
lowed the roar of sound from your great city,
into one continuous hum, it was still musical
and cheering to our hearts, and we instinct
lively bowed our heads in gratitude for that
sympathy that was following us into the
fathomless abyss of ether. ..,....-..-
I speak of our ascension, because that term
expresses to you the feeling and the fact of
our departure from Washington square. But
You should know that the, aronaut has no
such perceptions Of his motion. As the rope
was loosed that bound our. gallant bark to
the earth, we did not seem to rise, but the
earth, ,itself, seemed to drop from beneath US,
and sink away from our. presence. We
might feel alarmed for our mother earth and
wonder, where itwould fall to but our own
position seemed stable and secure! If. we
had any sensation at all, it was that Of safe
ty, and secret .gratiticati9n that we had got
off of our planet before it began to fall. g,g
1t is this remarkable fact that emboldens
the aronaut, and invariably gives him cool
ness and selfposssssion.T \ map that can
not look from two story house without be-
coming dizzy, can ascend in a balloon, miles
from the earth's surface, without an emo
ton of fear. He feels that he is safe and
steady, though the earth itselfmay be loosed
from its moorings, and falling from his feet.
There is another singular effect produced,
as w ascend in a balloon, that was observed
in brilliant perfection as we rose from St Lou
is yesterday evening. Not only does the
earth seem to fall down from the balloon,
hut it seems also to curve up at the edges or
horison, and assume a boul shape beneath
us, The heaven is then concave above us,
and the earth concave beneath us---we are the
centre of the two-the one point around
which heaven and earth are bendingl So
wonderful is that feeling in the soul Of man,
that he1is ever in the presence of the Uni
verse. 2r.l So 95 ag 81 sni1a - -.I
And now we scared aloft above your city.
Its largest .edifiees shrunk into moleL hills
its spires became as spears Of grass--a thick
ening yapor overspread it all, and at last
became the only mark on the wond-
rous map spread out beneath us, to mark
where SO much life and power remained.-
The reservoir was the last distinguishable
object as we drifted away and still away to,
the Northeast ;9and the silver threads of the
Missouri, Mississippi and i linois were the
landmarks thsssdenoted to us the course we
Were sailing.u& .hsaztr1sg bua maagia s6i obs
Unjust here notice an episode of interest
in our trip. While we were at great height,
and little east of Alton, shot Id think.
the, gushing melodies oftunearthly music
greeted our ears. Weinstantly recognised
the Caliope of some passing steamer, which
was no doubt on the lookout for us and ga
Lifeton the Ocean Wave," was the stirring
air that greeted US. 1t was a happy strain,
aud suggestive that we truly. and in differ
ent sense from what the song meant, We're in
that 'home" where the "winds their revels
keep" We had lost all recognition of dis
tinct objects, and the song seemed to be
song of earth to her little sister Air Ship
above her, .s ,...,,.f, a..- r....s,.-,,..,. Z,
No pen can ever describe the glorious pam
Drama that curved up around US. as we float
ed int, the cerulean depths of heaven, Gil
gantie; wheat fields became little parterres to
the sight, and forests. fringing the water
courses, were narrow hedges, in the one sim
gle garden, which the, great earth had now
shrunk 4te be! The sky WAS cloudless,
the sun brilliant, but without its earthly
heat, aud the serenity was like the quiet
hiss of heaven, as we are WON'T think oft.
We. We're all lost in admiration of the
scene, and quickly absorbed in deep and ST.
lent meditation on its inellable splendors.-
We were not, as I have said. conscious of
motion The earth, which had become hol
low or bowi!shaped beneath us, ttlrned its
kaleidoscope of beauties ms, as il to dis
play them to our eyes alone II was entire
~ possible to write, or attempt To write n
description Of the scene, and Mr.. Hyde had
all his apparatus With him, but could not
..tl H., 4, -. - -