New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-10-12
SYSTEMATIC BELLOONING.
INTERESTING LETTER FROM Mr.. JOHN
WISE.
To ~ E<ssov If Tie N. y. T,ibs.&

iu'nhy &C, are the rs6sons iof my MAKING tAls COM
uun.eaiior. From my eNlsst manhood, AID for
twenty four year,, my time has been devoted to the
profession practice of bsooning; snd tha, amount
of experience would certainly develop, to any ordi-
nary mind, rational conception of its merits. When
man the results ninety mes out of
one hundred experimental inyeS igstons, ne ~i losi
caly infer that the results tie rule, and the
cepton the accident. Well, this ratio holds good both
TO the great eastward current well TO the SAFETY
of bauOonirg. ont Of ll3 accents in which reached
an altitude of three miles, the balloon sailed to the
east liz times. In the exception she remained nearly
stationsIy-arded three miles west of the point of
ascension. Out Of 23i clear aerial voysges and 2l9
topical sscen.icps met with two slight accidents
sno the lose Of two balloons by their getting away
| from ne. Both of the accidents occurred in my nov-
tste-ore being Dashed against house when start
fg' the other By having the escaping ga: from the
balloon when descended, ignitsi by candle, and
causing en- explosion. The o.s of the two balloons
was csuied by being csught-oncs in a whrlwind, the
other in a jumper bog in the State of Maine. The
lister catastrophe occurred from my mistake, q. q
great hight in taking the juniper bogs for praires.
This ought to be a decisive argument in favor of
toe safety Of baloonipg in proper hands IL cetainy
lie to its workings in experienced hands. You would
surely rot expect safe and very prosperous voyage
in a ship bound from New-York to San Francisco if
che we're differed by captain who bad only one
years experience in navigation in an oyster-boat.
Even this comparison tells svoraby to balooning 80
far as is intrinsic peril. are 10 question.
II had not determined to put at rest thi, moo.ed
question of baIoopng safely and systematically across
the oceans and around the globe at my o~n expense,
would write you long treatise OF it's details giving
such ncon'rovertibe scientific sustensnce to leave
no doubt of it, results and thereby receive that aid
which would enable me to make outfit which
would insure degree of comfort and certsnty very
desIsbe 10 an enterprise that has created 80 much
misgivipg but as that would be to me tedious,
and perple1ing, and embarrassing than it is to put
my own means ard ensrgy to its corsummstion,
though the outfit will not be as complete as would
like to make i: if had a few thousand dollars
to e1perd, you will excuse me from meeting in q
newspaper article more than the main stumbling
blocks in the way Of the public confidence to its
results.
OF the St. Louis trip, wherein over a thousand
miles were trsversed in nineteen hours have little
to say. 1t only showed that space be travsrsed
with grea. Iapdity over gIest distance by the use
of balloons.
Another stumbling block has arisen in the public
mind by the late trip of Messrs. LaMountan ana Had
dock. / have read Mr. Hsc docks narrative with
much interest and care Ii to me strange that
person SO wel-qualifed in scientific observations
MIR. Hsddock appears TO be IN his thermometrical
notngs, inasmuch az those notiDgs must have been
made with very sensitive instrument to show such
long ranges in such short irctemens Of time l. e. III
in elk mnutes should not have used that Intelligence
in the first landing which made an hour afts he
"put up bis " note book, pencil and watch, and
" settled down in the basket as much at home as
though at his post in The R:former Office that
Landing being made near where they heard "a Loco
motive whistle, and occasionally could hear wagons
"rumblpg along the ground or over bridge, while
the dogs kept up almost ceaseess sercnade, as if
scious there something in the sky monstrous
" and unusual"
Here certainly was better place to como down,
though it were in the woods than to proceed into
more inbospitsble country Mr. Haddock must be
well enough acquainted with the nature of the region
into which they were going. Instead of coming down
here prudent seroDauts should have DONE he says
ave sailed along, contsnted and chatty until about
half past seven, hen We distinctly saw EShts, aud
heard the roaring Of mighty waterfall We descended
into valley near very high mountain, but az the
place appeared rather forbddng, we concluded TO 90
up again.
"Oyer with 80 pounds Of ballast, ard skyward we
sailed" This was cheer recklsssness, cannot count
it stupidity and this must not be turned to an account
of the perls of balooning."
Mr.. Hsddock says:
/" In about twenty minutes again descended, but
this tine DO friendly light or deep.mouihed watch
dogs heavy bay greeted ia. We over dense
wilderness, and seited down over a smsll lake. We
had life presefvers ready for use but got up again
by throwing over all our ballast except about Is
poupcs. Mr. La Mountain now said it was folly and
madness to stay up any longer; that we were over
great vii 'eness ard the sooner We descended the
better We concluded to ssttle down by the side Of
tree tie up, and wait until morning. In moment We
were near the EARTH and as we fell grssped the ex-
IRENE top OF tall spruce which stopped her descent,
and fastened to ii by the large drsg.rope.
The touch of that spruce thrill Of discomfort TO
nv heart, for knew that IFS kind did not grow IN any
well settled nor any warm country"
Now, without wishing TO oetract one single lots Of
fame from this remarkable adventure, intention
ally to disparsge the consummate skill described in
the last quotation NUT confess that it puts all my
abli y and experience hors d. combat. The ease and
composure of this landing, by eisurey settling down
by the side OF tree, tie up, and Wal. TIL morning"
when tie ballon was rushing along at the rate Of
over nile per minute" il feat in aeronsutcs that
very much surpssses any claim that could make for
it. control and safety. He ssys: I'm moment We
" were near the earth, and fell / grssped the
" exreme top Of tall tree, which stopped her de-
scent
Taking al this for sober truth, why should this
remark able TIP disparsge tie foreshadowed uses Of
balloons II only proves that the aeronGuts were
either reckless or iIconsderate very ignorant Of
the geography of their country, and the hsrislps
they endured should rot be laid to the ntrns, pers of
bsloOnpg. Their track being northward does not ]s
prove the existence of the great Eastern current.