The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-10-05

~AsS " ALIAN 1LkJDn L. NJ
Explosion Of BalIoons. FearfuI rp,...,.r.
balloon containing Messrs. Coe and Cott-
man, two professional Gronant Is assembled from
the fair grounds at Rome, N. Y, on Thursday
last 1t exploded when about two miles hieh
In the air, and the adventurous had a fearful
return to the earth. The Utica Herald. which
records its account from ono of the occupants
Of the frail air ship, says:
The sound accompanying the explosion was
aoout equivalent to the discharge Of musket.
In ABOUT one minute after, the descent was SO
rapid as to increase the rent of the trxtn of
the balloon about fifty feet, thus leaving Al
most the entire upper portion of the air vessel
open. IN nail minute after the second rent
was discovered there was not a foot of gas in
the balloon. For nearly half mile. the vow
ayers came down at most terrific speed
ieeiing the same sensation that one ex periences
IN hlgn swing In rapid motion. The silk
and cordage, as the balloon oscilated. caused
arattilng sound like the rigging OF ship in a
storm. " -
Descending half mile, the main portion of
. .me palioon was thrown On one side of the net
,ihg, and caused the air vessel to sway violent
~, ana the basket and passengers were raised
70 an even height with the valve of the vessel
..seH Ihis motion was experienced several
,.ane, s,aes, anu as oiten was broken by the self
possession OF the nronauts in changing their
posiuon In the car Finally this sWaving
motion was increased by the yoyagers until
lhey succeeded i'll forming a parachute of the
remnants OF the balloon, when the rapid rate
OF speed in their descent was neasurablv i'm :
peoed During the last half mile before
reacnihg the earth, their rate of speed was but
J, .rine more rapid than that of the ordinary
descent OF we'll ordered balloon.
When reaching point within one hundred
ieet OF the tops of the trees near Pond Knolls.
In the Rome Swamp, each of the passengers
having sand bag ready to throw out, dis
o.
loon concluded its descent to the ground with
less speed. The passengers Were suspended
some seventy feet in the air on the limbs of
ohe On. VI the Aiiest trees in the swamp, while
the piiioon spread itself over several other
forest trees. by good fortune Messrs Coe and
Cottman reached terra firma in safety after
making q graceful descent from the tree
Irving ,anIi IN me swamp in safety, they par
.ooh ol refreshments remaining in the car
ana gave three Enthusiastic cheers for the for.
tunate result of their perilous trip.
AT the moment of the explosion. Mr.. Cott-
man asked MIR. Coe what was to be donep The
Rronaut assured him that the balloon wonId
come down all right, except at a fearful rate of
speed. at once the grapple and ropes were
thrown out and all the extra weights except
the sand bags. The aerial excursionists were
perfectly cool, and conversed together during
their descent. But for their presence of mind
they would not probably have escaped alive
Ihey both assured us that after the balloon
formed into parachute they had not the
slightest fear of HARM But for the few mo.
ments after the explosion, when the car and
the remnants of the balloon were swayinp al
ternately above each other, their fears could
not well be suppressed.
TERRIBLE SITUATIoN.-A thrilling case OF
somnambulism occurred in Detroit, on the
night of the 25th ult. A female form was
seen on the top of building walking to and
fro, on narrow ridge board which covered
the apex OF the root, approaching to the ex-
treme ends of the board. The house was O
high one, and a misstep would have been in
slant death. chimney stood directly in the
middle OF the root, around which she passed
with ease, placing one hand upon its top, and
walking down the sloping roof to get around
Once in this spectral walk she paused at the
edge of the roof and looked straight ahead
Inc BODY OF the walker at times, went for
ward in such a way that the upper portion
hung over the abyss, while the fingers reach
ed out until there was no further reaching
ana then clutched again with a quick, con-
yulslve snatch, and We're Withdrawn. The
form was motionless moment, and then com.
nenced its walk again, continuing as far as
the middle of the roof when it turned toward
the rear of the house, and moving down the
slope OF the roof, was lost to sight. She de-
scended through sky-light to her own room
and was found sitting on the side of the bed
wide awake, and in a state of mind bordering g
on distraction. She had no knowledge of the
occurrence, but had been awakened by the
noise of her employer entering the house, and
found herself standing in the middle of her
own room, in the condition described. The
girl had been suffering from brain fever,
from which she was gradually recovering.
CARVING AT DINNER.-This extract from
the recently published volume entitled "Din-
ner, Breakfast and Tea," furnishes some in
teresting facts touching the most laborious ac-
complishment, carving and how burdensome
it was made in olden time:
Carving was anciently taught rs an art and
1t was performed to the sound of music In
latter times, we read in the life of Lady Mary
w. Montague, that her father, the Duke OF
Kingston, "having no wife To do the honors of
his table at Thoresby, imposed that task upon
his eldest daughter, as soon as she had bodily
strength for the office, which, in those days,
required no small share; for the mistress of a
country mansion was not only to invite-that
is, to urge and teaze her company to eat more
than human throatS could conveniently swal-
low-but to carve every dish when chosen,
with her own hands The greater the lady,
the more indispensable the duty. Each joint
was carried up in its turn to be operated on
by her, and her alone; since the peers and
knights on either hand were so far from being
bound to offer their assistance that the very
master of the house, posted opposite TO her,
might not act as her croupier; his department t
was to push the bottle after dinner. There
We're at this time professed carving masters,
who taught young ladies the art scientifically,
from one of whom Lady Mary took lessons
three times week, that she might be perfect
on her fathers public days-when, in order to
perform her functions without interruption,
she was forced TO eat her own dinner alone,
an hour or two beforehand.
COMPRESSED AIR AS A MEANS OF CoMMUNI-
eating POWER.-Messrs. Debain, Bottom, and
Zellier, have recently applied to the Prefect OF
the Seine for permission to lay mains through
the streets of Paris for the introduction and
circulation of compressed air. "This enter
prise, as they say in their application, "coa-
sists in the compression of air by means OF
large establishments, which we erect outside
of the city, the compressed air to be led
through the whole city by system OF
pipes similar to those used for the dis
tribution of gas, SO furnishing n means OF
power and life wherever it may be needed
1t is well known that it requires considera-
Bile time to set up the ordinary machines for
obtaining power; whereas, we can introduce
ours generally in a half q day, and in the mos
difficult cases in two days, and when this is
once done, the operative who uses it is perfect
master OF 1T. He can run it by day and by
night, and can begin and end work whenever
he pleases, without interfering with his neigh
Dor. The amount of power furnished is mea-
sured by meter. He has no boiler TO heat.
and loses none of the power which is lost in
the ordinary use OF steam. In q word, it is
power domesticated.
THE GHNTILEs IN UTAH.-The growth OF
the GENTLE element in utah is fact which all
persons who have been troubled about the So
luton of the Mormon problem will be pleased
to remark There are several Gentiles elected
to the Utah Legislature, and u Gentle newspa-
per is published in the valley. The Mormon
City, located apparently with the design of re-
manning forever isolated from the Christian
inhabitants of the continent, is now on The
high road between the Atlantic and Pacific
States, The mountains and deserts about
Mormondom cannot protect it from the con-
quering march of American civilization. The
darkness Of concentrated barbarism in Utah
will dissolve in the benefeent light of Chris
tianity The growth OF the Gentle power
will be unceasing. even in the shadow of the