Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1859-07-21

seemed more hopeful and Prof. Wise talk
ed as though we were certain OF getting
safe over the lake, though he warned VS. o
dancer as soon as we should be off the
water. Prof. W.'s theory was, that the
boat should get swamped, the balloon would
still have momentum and power sufficient
to drag us to shore, which happily had by
] this time appeared in the dim distance. A
propeller called "Young America" shortly
afterwards bore down upon US to come to
our relief, but we scudded some hundreds of
feet before her bows, and SO that hope fail
/ ed.
Finally, after skimming within forty feet
of the dark waves, for distance OF not less
than fifty miles, and perhaps more, we had
the ioy to know that We were out OF danger
of drowning; but new peril was before us.
Prof. Wise had been quite right in his pre-
dict.on. The hurricane blew US immediate
" ir 10 dense forest which skirted the
lake, and threatened to tear US limb from
limb.
Mr.. eager had thrown out the anchor, a
heavy iron one with three hooks. each an
inch and quarter in thickness. So rapid
was our flight that this stood out nearly
straight from the car. As the grapnel swung
against tree of moderate size, the velocity
of the balloon and ITS terrible strength
would tear it down and fling it to the ground.
One by one the hooks broke off, and we
were again at the mercy Ct all sweeping
wind. Mr.. Lamountain ard held on to
the valve rope. eadeavoring to discharge the
gas, but we quickly were compelled to re-
lase our grasp, and cling TO the "concen-
tratlng hoop" 70 avoid being thrown out. 1t
has been before stated that the meshes en-
welcoming the silk of the Atlantic had an ag
gregate strength of one hundred and twenty
tons.
|, is not strange that it was some time
before these strong cords were broken
The balloon actually went through mile
of forest, and, tearing down trees and break
ing branches, pursued its resstless course,
dashing our party in the willow car to and
fro against trunks and limbs, until the stout
netting had broken little by little and the
balloon itself had no longer any protection,
when striking tall tree the silk was pun
ctured in dozen places and rent into rib
bons, leaving the car suspended by the net
work twenty feet above ground. The course
of the balloon through the woods LETT path
similar to that of a tornado. Trees half the
the size of a mans body were snaPt mi
twain as though they were pipe-stems, and
huge limbs were scattered like leaves. 1t
is difficult to see how any one of the quar-
tie escaped with his life. 1t happened
that the landing was made within one hun
dred and fifty yards of settlement, and The
crash was So great that the people ran to
the syot to see =whut had bePpaae9- Sia- |
guIar as it would appear, there was only
one of the fourt injured in the least-Mr.
Lamountain receiving some slight contu- |
sions about one Of his hips, and the remain
der escaping without scratch. When we
got down, which was done partly by ropes
and partly by means of broken tree .seVes-
al persons wer standing around with open
mouths and eyes staring out wonder. We
then learned that we had landed on the
farm of Truman o. Whitney, near oackstt's
Harbor, in the township of Henderson, Jef
ferson county, New York. By Mr.. La
watch. the time was two and
twenty minutes. We had been nineteen
hours aad forty minutes travelling distance
which Cannot be computed at less than nile
hundred miles, and is said to reach as much
Us twelve hundred.