The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1859-07-26
MISGE4zIIz4Al 4zIIz4l A1EQJG
Tie BaiIoca Voyage from the Mis-
sissippi to the Lake Ontario.

Mr.. Hyde, the reporter of the St. Louis Re
publican, WHO was one Of the voyagcrs III the
balloon ANo"Gc, has written for that Journal a
narrative of the voyage. We select the fol-
lowing extracts
Every vestige of ST. Louis had now vanished
from our sight, ard we were drifting at a won
deriul rate ofspccd towards our far off destina-
ton. | 90 not think ever before experienced
such cxhilaraton Of spirit-such real JOY
Our motion was perfectly steady. There was
10 rocking of the boat or car, no rusthng OF
the silk nothing, indeed, but the rcccding
forests and fields beneath, to tell lis we were
poised between earth and sky in a dead calm.
To have been apprchcnsve of danger would
have been next to impossible-to have felt
fear would have been, not cowardicc, but pus-
lanimity Ny feeling was that ba!looning be-
sides being the most pleasant and swift, was
the safest mode of travel known. Seeming
down rapid current in boat on lovc Y cv-
cpinr, with sublime bluffs, romantic caverns
and green foliage on eithersidc, gstening waves
below and mild sky above, is grand and de-
lightfnl. Sailing on an unruflled lake, parting
the placid waters, and skimming like gull
with gentle fcctness. is incffahly glorious. But
these enjoyable methods Of travel, felt, yield
| ing in point of dainty plcasurablcncss to the
bird-like grace and impressive surroundings Of
aerial navigation. With us no breath of breeze
was stirring. The buoyant down Of thistle,
released from the willow car, would have fallen
to the boat by its own specific gravity. In all
this calmncss our monster bubble foated through
the clouds Twilight was on the earth, and
pavc to the color Of the soil the appearance OF
| frozen lakes. BY this time the sun had set to
the inhabitants Of the earth, though to lis it
was four or five degrees above the horizon.
While this was going on. the noble atlantic
had found the currcntthat the Gronauts had de-
clared WAS :.,,;;::ays blowing in the upper re-
ojons from the occilcnt to the orient and was
now travelling towards the very star which
they had picked out in the tirmament as the
beacon of the course they wished to take, The
discovery was one well calculated to perfect
the restoration of senses in Professor Wise, Sc
happilv begun by Mr.. Eager. There broke
from his lips little cough, and saying "Boys
let's sing" he struck up the stirring national
anthem "Ilai Columbia" in which We all JON,
cd and carried through with a great deal o
vigor and very little tune, as the trlgidltIv o.
the atmosphere put quite a dampcr on patriot
ism and melody. We kept along in the west
east current only little while, however, as
from experiments made it is important to sa!,
here. at the sacrifice of both gas and sand, i
seemed that the lower currents were blowing
nearly cast Git turned ont that their course Wa
rood deal north Of east, and it was deter
mined that the increase Of our comfort wouIC
more than compensate for the loss Of time il
making the coast by lowering the vessel con
siderable distance 1t was sometime before i
was ascertained what amount Of the ascendin!
power it would be necessary to discharge il
order todepress the balloon to the proper point
and not until quite large quantity of baIlas
had been expended it being no longer ligh