Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-07-09

came completely distended. and where we !
found the current due east. Here ii became /;
chilly, and MIR La Mountain, as well as all /
OF as, suffered from this change of air; and
with all the clothing we could put on us it
was still uncomfortable, though the Their
mometer stood at AZ, and the barometer at
%. and this was the lowest of both the IN
strumrnts during the whole voyage, except
the crossing of Lake Ontario.
- Mr.. La Mountain proposed to take the low-
er current as it would take us but a few
points north of east. and / told him to do as
be deemed best, aud report his reckoning in
the morning. Alter bidding the party in the
boat good night and God speed, 1 coled
| myself up in blankets and laid down as best
| / could. and in few MINUTES was sound
asleep. and knew of nothing but repose un-
/ til lI:30 p. NJ. = = NJ = - 2 =
At this time Mr.. La Mountain again mount
ed for the upper current, being cesirous OF
| making little more casting, he hailed me
| to open the valve, as the balloon had become
so tense. and the gas was rushing from the
/ neck with noise, but finding no answer from
me- he suspected that / was being smothered
| in the gas, and he admonished Dir. eager to
| mount to my car by rope provided Tor that
purpose and Mr.. Gagcr found me breathing
| spasmodically. but good shaking. and the
removal of the neck of the balloon from my
| face, with plenty of pure cold air around me.
4
| what was going on, and resolved 10 sleep
| no more during the night.
At midnight felt quite well. with an in
| vigoratlng spirit of observation and interest
| in our experiment. The whole dome of
| heaven was lit up by mellow phosphorescent
| light, the stars shone with crystalline bill
| liancy and the milky wav looked like an IL
Illuminated stratum Of cumulus clouds. Wben-
ever we crossed water the heayen-lit dome
| was as visible below by reflection as above.
| So remarkable was this phosp horescent light
of the atmosphere that the balloon looked
| translucent. and looked like light shining
/ through oiled paper. We could also tell
| prairie from forest. and by keeping the eye
| for moment downward we could see the
roads. fences. fields, and even houses quite
distinctly al any elevation not over a mile,
! and even at the greatest elevation we could
| discern prairie from woodland and from
| water.
| Whenever we halloed it was followed by
distinct echo, and even this served as differ
| entail index TO height We always found
| response in numerous bow-wow-wowS. and
these too were always Indicative of the full
ness and sparseness of the habitations below,
| as we could hear them for many miles a.
| round US. Mr.. La Mountain remarked that
| nobody lived in that country but dogs, he
having got little ont of humor because no.
body would tell him in what State We were
| sailing, and he gave up the inquiry with the
| remark that it must be over some other
/ country than America, as We had been NOV
| ing along at rapid pace.
At A. NJ. Saturday, we came to a general
/, conclusion that we were somewhere Over the
| State of Indiana or Ohio. At A. NJ. we
| passed city, but could not make it out, but
| at 5 A NJ. we discovered Lake Erie ahead of
| us. and then concluded that the city we left
| a little south of our track must have. been
/ o,rt caA nlndn
and about All hour afterwards we lowered up
| on the margin of the lake a little north OF
| Sandusky. After a few moments cOnsulta-
| ton and a review of our ballast, we deter
| mined to risk the length of Lake Erie and to
| test the notion that balloons cannot be kept
| up long over water, because of some peculiar
| affinity of the two. notion that never had
| any belief with me. Just as we merged upon
| the lake, little steam screw that was pro-
| polling up river or bav headed for our
track, and some one aboard OF her very
quantity cried aloud to us, That is the lake
ahead of you ?" mir. La Mountain cried
back, lis it Lake Elie?" and the answer
was. Yes, it is, and you had better look
| out" Our good friend, the propeller, find
ing we discarded hss kindness, rounded of
! again. sounded us gOodby with his steam
whistle, and went on his way up the river.
| Here we mounted up until the balloon got
| full and the barometer fell to % in order to
| make along near the southern shore of the
| lake, but at Mr.. La Montln's suggestion
that could make the city OF Buffalo by
sailing but few hundred feet above The sur
| face of the water, opened the valve until we
| gradually sank t. within 500 feet of the wa
| ter. Here we found gentle gale of about "a
speed of mile per minute and we resolved
| to float on il until we should beave in sight
| of Buffalo. and then rise and sail over it. This
| was most Interesting part OF our voyage
| We overlook seven steamboats,, passed mntI-
al salutations, and would soon leave them fit
ting on the horizon in our rear. One of thes:
lonely travellers remarked, we passed,
| You are going it like thundrrP AT 20
| minutes past 10 A. M. we were sklrting along
the Canada shore and passed near the mouth
| OF the Welland Canal, and soon began TO
mount Tor our more easterly current so as TO
| take Buffalo in our track, but we circlcd up
| into il between Buffalo and Niagara Falls,
crossing Grand Island, leaving Buffalo to the
right and Lockport TO the left OF Us in our
onward course Finding ourselves in the
State of New York, but too far north To max
the city of New York. it was agreed that we
should make landing near Rochester, de-
/ tach he boat. leave out Mr. Gagrr and Mr..
( HYDE. and Mr.. La Montain and myself pur-
sue the voyage to point at Boston or Port
land. Accordingly we descended gradually
but before we got within Thousand feet OF
ing along below. The wood roared like a
host of Niagara. the surface of the earth was
filled with clouds of dust, and | told my
friends certain destruction awaited us If VT
should tonch the earth in that tornado. Thu
huge Atlantic" was making q terrific swooI
earthward; already were we near the tops OF
the trees of a tall forest, and | cried out, ex
citedly, 'tFor Gods sake, heaye over every
thing you can lay your hands on, La Mon
/ taiu a in her he npI
'.All right" standing on the side of the boat
with a shaft aud wheels, intended for the
working of the fan wheels, and ready te
heave it over should it become necessary.
Mr.. Hyde looked up TO my car and very
solemnly said. This is an exciting time
Professor. What shall we dor" Trust to Pro
violence and all our energies said l. w,
were fast running on to Lake Ontario. and O
how terribly it was foaming, moaning, and
bowling. | said, La Mountain, | have l5C
pounds of ballast in my car yet, aud heavy
valise, al express bag (sent TO the u. 5 Ex
press Company's Office in Broadway, New
York; and lot of provisions"
We'll, il that won't do, / will cut up the
boat for ballast aud we can keep above water
until we reach the opposite Shore" which
was near hundred miles of in the direction
we were then going.
Here | handed my ballast down TO La
Mountain, as we were rapidly mounting above
the terrific gale, believing that by that
course We should at least get out of the mai q
track