New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-10-10

A THRILLING BALLOON ADyEHTURE.-The Utic
| IN. w Herald gives the following account of tL
explosion of balloon among the clouds and its de
| scent with the aaronauts:
| We have already noticed the ascension from tn
| Fair Grounds at Rome, on Thursday by Mr.. Coe aut
| Dir. Joseph $ Cottnan, and we have briefly recorded
their rapid descent, owing to accident to the bal
| loon, which took them sky ward. Yesterday we me
the gentlemen who made the trip, and from their lip
learned the particulars of the exciting voyage. WI
| annex the narrative of Messrs Coe and CUttiraE,
| They started at precisely o'clock-the asccn
was rapid alter reaching an altitude of about two
hundred feet. The balloon at first took northwest
erly course, but at hight of about mile took due
south course for distance of about five miles Their
at hight OF over two miles the balloon struck the
famous easterly current SO often alluded to by bal
| l00nist.
| The body Of the balloon was constantly expanding
| from the effects of the heat and air. There were
clouds below floating in the air. and the reflection q
the suns light upon the air vessel was very percent
| he. The glare at times was almost binding. Wher
the easterly current was reached the balloon drifteJ
toward the east at speed Of about thirty miles pel
hour, snd the voyagers were in high glee. at this
point the scene below was grand in The extreme
the earth had almost assumed the aspect OF mosaic
work small objects were not visible, yet streams
| on the surface.
| At twenty minutes before 5 Mr.. Coe discovered
1nat part OF the apparatus pertaining to the safety
Valve OF MS balloon was deranged, and was SO 10
tempted to discharge the gas from the upner valve
in order to descend conscious that the difficulty al
luded to could not be overcome. The valve at the
top worked WELL butthe pressure on the fety-yave
which had been deranged rom7the lower part Of the
| balloon, wa SO great that an explosion followed
causing rent in the balloon from the lower valve
to its greatest circumference. The rent was some
forty feet ia length.
The sound accompany ing the explosion was ahont
equivalent to the discharge of musket. In about
one minute after the descent was SO rapid as to in.
crease the rent in the texture of the balloon about
hf'y feet thus leaving almost the entire upper Dor.
ton OF the air vessel open. In half minute after
the second rent was discovered there was not foot
OF gas ia the balloon. For nearly half mile the
voyagers came down at the terrific speed feel.
Ing the same sensation that one experiences in high
swing in rapid motion. The silk and cordage as the
balloon osclllated, caused rafting sound lke the
rigging of a ship in storm.
Descending half mile, the main portion of the
balloon was thrown on one side Of the netting and
caused the air vessel to sway violently aud the
basket and passengers were raised to an even HIGHT
with the valve Of the vessel ITSELF This motion was
experienced several times, and as often was broken
by the selfpossession of the aeronauts in changing
their position in the car. Finally the lying mott,
was Increased by the voyagers until they succeeded
10 forming parachute of the remnants of the bal.
loon when the rapid rate of speed in their descent
was measurabiy lmpeded. During the last half mile
before reaching the EARTH their Of speed was but
trile more than that of the ordinary descent of
well ordered Balloon.
When reaching point within one hundred feet of
the tops OF the trees Pond Kuolls in the Rome
swamp, each of the passengers having sand bags
ready to throw out, discharged this amount of
weight and the balloon concluded its descent to the
ground with less speed. The passengers we're s,ls.
pended some seventy feet in the air, on one of the
iallrst trees in the swamp while the balloon spread
itself over several other forest trees By good for
tune, Messrs. Coe and Cottman reached terra iirma
IN s-fety, after making graceful descent from the
tree. Arriving in the swamp in safety they partook
OF refreshments remaining 10 the car, and gave three
enthusiastic cheers for the fortunate result of their
perilous trip.
Ia ten or fifteen minutes the farmers in the neigh
borhood' arrived, and furnished the voyapers with
necessary assistance Mr. james Brown, of Rome.
and o. s. Smith, of New London, brought them to
the village of Rome, where they received the warm
congratulations OF hundreds OF citizens who had been
anxious for some time as to their fate.
AT the moment OF the explosion Mr.. CottIaan asked
Mr. Zoe what was to be done. The :eronaut assured
MN that tho balloon would come down all right. ex.
cept ut fearful rate of speed.
AT once the grapple and ropes were thrown out and
all ine extra weight. except the sasd bags The
@rai eXcarsionsts were perfectly cool aud conversed
together during their descent But for their presence
o. mind they would not probably have escaped alive
Ihey both inform us that after the balloon formed
parachute they had not the slightest lear of harm
But for the few seconds after the explosion. when
the car and the balloon were swayiug alternately
above each other, their fears could not be well sun
pressed.