New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-08-09
NARRATIVE OF PROFESSOR WISE'S
aa,s Ahx,AL VOYAGE,
Made from ST. LUIS No., July3o 1859, accompanied
Nv his son, Chas. E. H'se.

We s,arted from Washington sqOsre, AT III q H.,
the piece beng grated us by mayor 1iney, no 40
III. serve order and decorpm ouriDg me p'ephpnhs
tor the voyage There va onr,ng the mornins
drzzrg syn pom OF rain, and bad TIE experiment rot
~ en- purely scF btoc oi = We shouc nave PosPohea
j. Cd sncouit Of the weather. -,
Az ne asc.nded st. Louis presented ooid ana
handsome into the rlver roIt ~iin ~ orosd sni
busy l.v.e, and ir buIdreds Ut steam ooes nlooreo
along the shore. The city has cbarscterl-uc
commercial aspect. the various flushed aud no.
finished pubic bui]oings, with a raber orgy hue,
WV. II H.. appearance old city, notwithstanding
sas IL thiry yess sgO with only slx tbOns.Dd nbao-
abta, whle i humbers not less than one hundred
am si1ty thousand.
The Mis- issIppi, uroer the atmosphere OF tue Gay
10. keo Ike MUDDY frog poLd alter heavy sno'ef
ard the s'ean els plying on ia mud saturated ooson
seemed 10 travel about fact az sder paoir IN Tue
saue eemeLt, and shoVed no larger IMAM d c',iNhoh
yswl though some Of them were be'chipg up souu
upon volumes Of the blsekes smoke ever ga aea
cIe.tiue al the anne tine a resOundiOg clabg5r WIN
,ter beis BELL. always sonD0 foil ao1 fOng 10 tue
ear Of the aeroIau,; even COW oil pave p4i,
s,porous capg when heard high above toem'l ine
city comp Led Of five distinct clusters ., hoa7cs CIV
ing al APPEARANCE OF hVe cOhsohonVo' ''""6'' INV ~
municipality. , ,;..:o.
,ts,tiI toward the northwest, then norm, ann theo
nnub.east ~ we rose higher, we passed over
tie lagoops along the lrois shore. These marshes
s.Id mn their i.sna ic eiuvia 900 feet high Inc
high ADDS to the vert OF s. Louis sReBed mp In
btalby contrast 20 the Darrow flats oelo* Beiiei5n
ian. c.m.tefy would have been taken for gentle
man q perk studded With gf0aps OF eN4nsteiy ~hie
s,aiusfy and seIpeItine gravel ~sks bad not oeeo
scqusted with is particular locay, hVe mh's no'th
az The CITY, The loud toOt OF the locomotive tnre1
our beaos TO the south, where We saw tram OF cars
sIakmg" along ugh the praire grass, zee mug.
serueit With black up'urDed head, making Dead"1y
for Eat 81. Louis This nlabd depot i'the very Pc
tur. Of Dc an pot Of pestiIontIai noIass ani II
makes one wonder how -uch miserable looking place
lat uS n tO n
the raj roads that the states th0nsaDd ibes
from Az u west Iru. II WAS the nature oil the day
made plo, m itself look IT ore gloomy.
HAVING now scanred the city ana lts enVr9ns,
We nook q look over the great pfar-s that un-
6 lded themselves 10 the east. Like vast ceSn,
wih here and there issnd full OF trees, does
this pnaue country look from above. MY ION re-
marx that the people al Dg here must have mighty
big farus considering the distances the houses were
apart The Impression that this vast CONAN made
upon NE at the time, WAS that bOuhtnul Da'u 70 was
extending invitation to the double condensed lnnho
itauts % the Old World TO come aid partake OF lts
s res IL II refuge and paradise tor all VINO "isa
TO tie supplied with iOOd aud comforts ,
Having pow reached all altitude in which we sailed
due east, we saw, Ttn compass ano chal oeioie ~
that cond not be reached by that current.
Our next voyage being posted to take place IRON that
city, we had determined before starting % MAKE
point a. near 10 it as We could we lowered ashlo,
but we panty saw that the south-ea wlnu below,
which drove s little 10 the north west at starring,
had DOW supplied the atmosphere with moisture
enough to make growing rain ciond' Slowly, out IN
teresringly the vspor assumed milky hue Presently
il assumed the appearance Of vascular cloud then
il spread ont ana hinged down III the middle and soon
il bad the appear C great udder with the ~aer
oozirp through it, bu. more copIou'ly at and roond
abOu its plotuterabt center. ~ was an Interesting
phepomen, D. ard II ste ped ss though nature was uu-
bosom ipg her mammal give the thirsty earth SOME
su.tebabce. | have noticed these udders anu water
spouis before and thus wa cbed this one more MI
nu,ely Above This rain meteor there was layer oil
ctr I'D elo
and warming the balloon and causing her to rlse from
expsn sion Of gar and this took us up until the barome
ter fell To 93J, and we're smiling east oth-ea7'.
This WAS the highest point attained aud tue ther-
mon ri fell to 80 having stood at 81 when We start
ed Here We uncorked bottle OF water and 1t smoker
brofusely. ,
Enoii @ now that il was impossible TO sail in the
direction of Lafsy cite, uoless we sailed III the ran, we
tried IL for the third time but we found two serons
objections: first, il would always ssturate the net
work with so much weight Of water as to require
d.utroua use Of the sand shovel; IN the next, tue
water oud follow the surface of the BALBOA, and,
INNING down it's neck would send torrent on our
heads and shoulders This made II too di-agreeaOe 70
remain VI and under the RAIN could we have snihcent-
y cnuuteIva led the depr sizing effects on the balloon
II The weigh of water thus encountered 0y the large
quantity Of ballast We bad aboard.
Here would IemsIB, that IN order to sail balloon
in rain another coDcomitant to s psTaphernaiia be-
cones Zee. ssary. II uust be provided with "a light
wa'.r shedding covering over its upper hemisphere.
Such covering couii down foot or TWO below its
equator woul1 make the whole area within Its circum-
ference dry and thus provide dry place Tor the pas
sepgers as well as avoid the expenditure OF ballast
otherwise by the absorption OF rain IN the
net work.
A.. We sailed in the lower current and within 800 feet
Of the earth we held distinct conversation with the
people below who seemed 10 enjoy II very much. Some
a. BED wbeTe going others where we came
from, how We felt, who we we're, and how we hked 10
ride high, ard nearly all of them flushed by wishing
us safe voy age aud good luck TO You, while many
I. - nd ECa xbent heyt In md
We went on the tenor Of our way, with wave OF
on, flag ghded on, they would give us parting
salute by SWING of their hats and kercheis, and
hearty huuah.
the lower current and wishing TO intercept the Terre
Haute railroad we landed Oh Ridge Prairie at O'Clock
and 20 minutes about 30 miles northeast of st. Louis,
tavirg given up the idea OF gahiog Lafayette 10 the
IAN. noe find that this rain reached Lafayette about
dusk on Saturday evening showing that the current
would have taken Us TO near that point had We re-
named in il.
We thought of tying up for a few hours when we
landed If the rain would not pass over, and then
renew cur voyage We had stin $50 pounds of bal
last, but m LANDING learned another necessity 10
the perfection OF systematic baoonng, 10 wit, better
comirg.to mschiuery The common balloon hooks or
gralnels won't do for the prairie country Our grapue
caught hold IL the pralne sod for moment, and IN
tearing up, il brought with clump of prairie grsss,
which nutiied II 81 completely that il did not catch
firmly after that, and encountered Drag Of half
mile wing to br Dg the Jupiter 10 without exnaust-
ing her Of gas bot finally had to succumb 10 the
breeze ara eXhsust her power through a capacious
waive ana thus bring the voyage 70 a close.
While were trailing along the ground We were
devsirg me 10 avoid recurrence of the trouble.
II be done by fixing four six claws to the bot
tom edge of the basket. In addition to this plsiuy
saw ard felt that if we bad good hickory peg,
mounted with an iron socket poiut and a hole through
the bottom of the car, could with one blow Of q
cleversized hammer have pinned it fast. AS ~e were
on experimental TIP, We noted all these things,
l. IL. IL. h,,.ir