Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-10-08
Bursting OF a Balloon ana fss Terrific De.
scent--ThiiIing scene.

HfSm the utica kN IL ueralos Get J.
We have already noticed the ascension from the
Fair Grounds at Ronle on Thursday By Mr. Coe
and Mr. Joseph 5. Cottman and have briefly record
ed their rapid descent owing to an accident 10 the
balloon, which took them sky-ward. Yesterday we
met the gentlemen who made the trip, and from
their own lips learned the particulars of the ex-
citing voyage We annex the
NARRATIVE OF MEssRs. coz AND GOTHAM
They started at precisely four o'clock-the ascent
was rapid after reaching an altitude of about two
hundred feet The balloon at first took a north
westerly course, Ibut at the height Of about mile
took due south course for a distance of about iiv-
miles, then at a height of over two miles the bal
loon struck the famous easterly current so often al
luded to by balloonists.
The body of the balloon Was constantly expand
ing from the effects of the heat and air. There
were clouds below floating in the air and the reHec
tion of the suns Light upon the air vessel very
pereeptibe. The glare at times was almost blind
ing. When the easterly current was reached, the
balloon drfted toward the east at speed of abont
thirty miles per hour and the Foyagers in high
giee. At this point the scene below grand in
the extreme-the earth had almost assumed the as
pect OF piece Of mosaic w0rk-sman objects we're
not visible, yet streams, villages and cities dis
eeIHahc as distant objects on the surface.
At about twenty minutes before FIVE Mr.. Cos dis
covered that part OF the apparatus pertaining 20
the safety valve of his balloon was deranged, and
located that If could not be restored. He at
valve, in order TO descend, conscious that the diff
Guilty alluded to could be overcome The valve
at the top worked well, but the pressure on the
safety-yalve, (Which had been deFanged,) from the
lower part of the balloon, so great that an ex
plosion followed causing rent in the balloon from
the lower valve TO its greatest circumference The
rent was some forty feet in length.
The sound accompanying the explosion was about
equivalent to the discharge Of a musket In about
one minute after the descent was so rapid as 70 In
opaa aaat f0ff tor of hall aho
forty feet thus leaving almost the entire portion Of
HE ar-yessel open. In half minute after the Sc
eond rent was discovered, there was not foot of
gas in the balloon. For nearly half mile the Voy
ayers came down at most terrific speed, feeling
the same sensation that one experiences in high
swing in rapid motion The silk and cordage as the
balloon oscilated, caused a rafting sound like the
rigging of a ship in a 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 and the bas
ket and passengers were raised to even with the
valve of the vessel itself This motion was expert
enced several times, and often was broken by the
selfpOssessi0n of the RrOnauts in changing their
position in the car. Finally this swaying motion
increased by the Yoyagers until they succeeded
in forming a parachute Of the remnants of the bal
loon when the rapid rate of speed in their descent
was measarably impeded. During the last half
mile before reaching the earth their speed but
tfie more rapid than that of the ordinary descent
of wcOrdered balloon. ssssaas ~ s.-a-...
When reaching point within one hundred feet of
the tops of the trees Pond knolls in the Rome
Swamp, each of the passengers, having a sand bag
ready to throw ont discharged this amount Of
weight, and the balloon concluded its descent to the
ground with less speed. The passengers were
pended seventy feet in the air. the limbs of
one of the tallest in the swamp, while the bal
loon spread itself several other foPesttfees.
By good fortune Messrs COe and C,sttnan reached
terra frma in safety, after making graceful de-
scent from the tree, Arriving in the swamp in safe
ty, they partook Of refreshIaents remaining in the
car and gave three enthusiastic cheers fOF the for
tunate result OF their perilDus trip.
AT the moment OF the explosion, Mr.. COttman
asked Mr.. Coe what was to be done! The aFonaut
assured him that the balloon would come down all
right, except a fearful rate of speed.
At once the grapple and ropes were thrown out
and al the extra weight except the sand bags. The
aesisi exeursiOnsts were perfectly cool and convers
ed together during their descent But for their
presence of mind, they would not probably have
escaped alive. They both assurs liz that after the
balloon formed into parachute, they had not the
slightest fear of harm. But for the few seconds
after the explosion, when the and remnants of
tho balloon were swaying alternately above each
other, their fears could not well be suppressed.
Yesterday arterpoon the balloon was brought to
Rome in damaged condition, An examination OF
the airship satisfied Mr. COe that the appliance call
cd 'safety-yalven - which he invented himself and
which il designed to work by a rope from the out
side of the balloon, had been damaged before he
started on the trip and as consequence could not
be made seryicable This valve is underneath the
main valve. and is calculated to open and close ac
cordingy the air and heat may expand or depress
the body of the balloon Once finally closed, beyond
under the influence of an extraordinary heat, be
came too great for the endnranc9 Of the fabric OF
which the balloon was constructed, and the S4plO-
sion followed, rs a matter Of course