New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-10-08
BALLOONING.

The aspiring Mr La Mountain has printed, since
lis descent this is not expetive because be might
have sent it down by parachute express to the
new.pspers and never himself have sunk to this
lower sphere TO read the proof in which case bow
much more interesting would it have been but
Re has fallen, and has printed, and We have also
printed, the usual three columns which sailors OF
tie atmosphere always publish, in order that ten
der di.positionei public msy see how nearly they
came to ceryical fracture (Ang., breaking their
necks) without being fractured after that fashion
All these airy records to the unscientlic mind
seem not unlike All ar-ssiors appear to suffer
the same things Sometimes they are very cold,
snd then they put on their great coats Sometimes
they descend too rapidly and then they throw their
great coats overheard. Sometimes they are hun
CRY, and then they eat Sometimes they are thirsty
and then they drink. Sometimes their noses bleed
and the nasal sangu6cahon is recorded 10 the same
sentence with the barometrics observations if any
happen to be made. Generally they indulge in
deal of the finest writing about the appearance OF
the earth under them, of the stars above them, OF
tbupder.stprms in the distance. When they are in
trouble they write "Oh, misery" When they are
out of trouble they exclaim, joy" These are Dir.
La Mountains own expressions, but it is fair to
admit that his misery" seems to have been much
greater than bis 10y" He appears to have been
not merely a. Joyous as, but much colder and a deal
mere hungry than, any other airtrayeler of modern
times. That he was very uncomfortable, very
much in want Of hi. breakfast in great need Of dry
pantaloons, and suffered generally inside and out,
We verify believe. That he cried when he lost his
balloon, that, he says, tears blinded his sight
We can also believe; for the dear old Atlantic must
have been valuable piece of property: but is he
not rather hyperbolcal, for an aeronaut, when
be compares his emotions to those of father over
90 the coffin of beloved childl' perhaps it was
"foolish and nonsensical," says he. 1t certainly
was, if be felt as he says he did. Crying, under
such circumstances, was precisely the last amuse-
ment for man to indulge in. The cheerfulest
part of Mr.. La Mountains narrative is when, safe
and sound be sits down to "a table laden with
"carrots, potatoes, pork, and so forth" He calls
these honest edibles ga revusion, and says that at
first sit was altogether too much" However, be
had the good fortune to leone TO bis stomach,
which soon became pleasingly "rayenous."
Its a singular factor rather it is not singular
at sll-that far more than moiety Of this aerouau
tic narrative il devoted to Mr. La Mountains ad-
ventures not in atmospheric limbo, but upon the
soIid earth This for the interest of science, is to
be regretted A gentleman with passion for trouble
and starvation, who wishes in the morning to
be able to exclaim Misery" and in the evening
to eIclaim "Joy :" can easily be gratifed BY miss
- :. 4, ru,tbip fauU milaa NJ
this city. When enthusiastic air-yoyagers will
leave this honest old earth, We expect them to have
the noseb.eed, We expect them TO be cold, We ex
pect them 10 be hungry We expect them TO be IN
comfortable in the air and hardly less when they
have landed To read Of these things at our "slip
pered ease,' over the morning muffin and coffee,
il deli ghtful to the sensitive mind So il is delight
full TO read Of poor shipwrecked sailor tormented
BY Arabs, or of wretched captured soldier scslPed
by Indians; but those Of US who are the
mo.t eager for novelties do not ask any
man and brother to voluntarily submit
himself to slavery or scaping for the cake Of pre-
sentiDg to US pleasing dish of horrors. Suppose
that Mr.. La Mountain should choose to enter hot
oven, calling the operation an experiment in Ma
tursl Philosophy Are We TO cry because he is
taken out crispy and overdone ? When Sir Hum
phrey Dsvy inhaled various new and possibly nox-
ious gases, be ran a risk Of valuable life not a.
together foolshy; because if he had died, then We
should have known that the gas was deadly, and
surviving the heroic experiment. he was able to
give to the world an Ineligible account Of his SEN
sstions. But what has Mr. La Mountain to tell
US! That be VISA cold ? We knew be would be.
That be Wa. hungry That, too, was before prob
able That be assembled with ease OF course be
did Tha. his descent was perilou'7 Who ex.
pec.ed it to be otherwise Clearly, Mr. La Noun
tain IL not Gay. Lusase, nor Blot We defy any
body TO find in his narrative anything Of the sight-
est Importance to science. He is no more valuable
in his way than Mons Blondin is in bis. Both
run gres. risks for the sake Of money or Of nOtO-
rety. That is al
It i. easy to see that thus far TIE balloon il just
where il was City years sgo-s great, beautiful,
fascinating toy. An seronaIt encounters now al.
uOst as many perls Is the Msntso.feEs did in l7s3