Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-07-07

ASeA ehSAh AOA lilliGS dlOuhu uo' A'AA- -"
Mountain remarked that nobody lived in that
country but dogs, or else the people barked
like dogs, he having got little out of humor,
because nobody would tell him in what State
we were sailing, and he gave up the inquiry,
with the remark that it must be over some 9th
er country than America, as we had been NOV
ing along at rapid pace
Saturday afternoon, doubtful of their situa-
ton, they came over large body of water,
anc some one on board of little screw steam
er cried out to them "That is tine lake ahead
of you" Mr.. LaMountain cried back: "Is it
Lake Erie 2" and the answer was Eyes, it is,
and you had better look out" The parties in
the balloon decided to make the trial, lowered
themselves to within 500 feet of the surface,
and headed for Buffalo.
This, says Mr.. Wise, was the most interesting
part OF our voyage. We overlook seven steam
boats, passed mutual salutatons, and would
soon leave them fitting on the horizon in our
rear. One of these lonely travellers remarked
as we passed him, "You are going it like thun-
DER" AT 1920 A. NJ. we were skirting along
the Canada shore, and passed near the mouth
OF the Welland Canal, and soon began to mount
for our most easterly current so as to take
Buffalo In our track; but we circed up into it
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 make the city of New
York, it was agreed that we would make
landing near Rochester, detach the boat leave
out MIR. eager and Mr.. Hyde, and Mr.. La
Mountain and myself pursue the voyage to
point at Boston CT Portland. Accordingly, we
dpsppO6nH llv E,,ti
thousand feet of the earth we found a most
terrific gale sweeping along below. The woods
roared like host of Niagaras, the surface of
the earth was filled with clouds of dust, and |
told my friends certain destruction awaited us
If we should touch the earth in that tornado.
The huge atlantic" was making a terrific
sweep earthward; already were we near the
tops OF the trees Of a tall forest, and | cried
out somewhat eXcitedly: "For Gods sake,
heaye overheard anything you can lay your
hands on, Mr.. La Mountain p and in another
moment he responded call right" standing on
the side of the boat with a shaft and wheels,
intended for the working of the fan wheels,
and ready to heave it over should it become
necessary.
Mr. Hyde looked up to my car and very
solemnly said, 'This is an exciting time, Pro
lessor. What shall we doc" Crust to Prov
ldence and all our energies" said |. We were
last running on to Lake Ontario, and O how
terribly 1T was toaming, moaning, and bowling.
SAID, "LaMountain, | have $50 pounds of
ballast in my car yet, and heavy valise, an
express bag, (sent to the United States Ex-
press Company's Office in Broadway, New
York, and lot fprovisions.
"Well, if that won't do, | will cut up the
boat for ballast, and we can keep above water
until we reach the opposite Shore" which was
q rod nfr
were then going. Here l handed my ballast
down to LaMountan, as we were rapidly
mounting above the terrific gale, believing
that by that course we should at least get out
OF its main track. Everything now indicated
that we should perish in the water or on the
land and our only salvation was to keep
afioat until we got out of the gale, if could.
L said, GU must all get into the basket, if
you want to be saved, should we ever reach
the land. And truly tell you that the perils
OF the land are even more terrible than those
OF the water, with our machines and it would
be easier to meet death by drowning than to
have our bodies margled by dashing against
rocks and trees" By this time Mr.. eager and
Mr. Hyde had Clambered into the basket with
me. Mr.. Hyde said very coolly, 81 am pre-
pared to die, but l would rather die on land
than IN the water" l said, "What do you
say, Mr.. Gager?" He replied, 81 would ra-
ther meet it on land i; but do as you think
best" Mr.. LaMountain was busily engaged
in collecting what he could for ballast Eve
rything was now valuable to us that had
weight. Our carpetbags, our instruments,
the Express bag, our provisions, were all
ready to go, and go they did, one after anoth-
er, until we were reduced to the expressing,
that went overheard last
We now deserted the Shore some forty
miles ahead, peering between sombre bank
of clouds and the water horizon, but we were
swooping at a fearful rate upon the turbulent
water, and, in another moment, crash went
the boat upon the water sidewise, staving in
two of the planks, and giving our whole craft
two fearful jerks by two succeeding waves.
LaMountain stuck to the boat like a hero,
but lost his hat and got dash of the waves,
but soon recovered and threw over the express
bag and the last remaining ballast and cried
out: "Be easy, gentlemen, I'll have her afoat
once more" In another moment we were UP
few hundred feet again, and the steam-pro-
peler Young America was lacking across our
track. | now proposed to swamp the boat and
balloon III the Lakeland trust to be picked up by
the Young America, but the desire was that
we should make the shore and try the land,
and as we crossed the bow of the steamer
they gave us a hearty hulrah La Mountain
had now cut out of the boat all he could and
we were within fifteen miles of the shore the
gale still raging below. La Mountain might
have remained in the boat below and lump
out at the first touching the earth, and | saw
no improperly in that, as then we might have
had another hour or two to wait the lulling of
the gale but he said he would share our fate,
and he also clambered into the basket, as we
were reaching the land.
| saw by the swaying to and fro of the lofty
trees into which we must inevitably dash, that
our worst perilS were at hand, but | still had
blind hope that we would be saved. ordered
two men upon the valve rope, and we struck
within hundred yards of the water, among
some scattered trees, our hook, which was of
inch and a quarter iron, breaking like pipe
stem at the first catch OF it in tree, and we
hurting through the tree-tops at a fearful rate.
After dashing along this way for nearly a mile,
crashing and breaking down trees, we were
dashed most tearfully into the boughs of a tall
elm, so that the basket swung under and UP
through the crotch of the limb and while the
boat had caught in some of the other branches,
and this brought us too little, but in another
moment the Atlantic" pulled up her huge
proportions, and at one swoop away went the
limo, basket, and boat into the air a hundred
feet, and was afraid some of the crew were
impaled upon the scrags. This limb, about
eight inches through at the butt, and full of
branches, not weighing less than six or eight
hundred pounds, proved too much for the "At-
lantic," and it brought her suddenly down up-
on the top Of a very high tree and collapsed
her 1t was a fearful plunge, but it left us
dangling between heaven and earth, in the
most sorrowtul looking plight of machinery
that can be imagined.