The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1859-07-11

tation and review OF our ballast, we de-
termined 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--a notion that
never had any belief with me.
just az we merged upon the lake, little
steam screw that was propeling up river
or bay, headed for our track, and some one
aboard OF her very quantity cried aloud to
us, ssThat il the Lake ahead Of you" Mr..
La Mountain cried back, sis it Lake Erie pn
and the answer was, Eyes, it is, and you had
better look out" Our, good friend, the
propeller, finding wo discarded his kindness,
rounded of again, sounded us good by
with his steam whistle, and went on up the
river.
Here we mounted up until the balloon got
full, and the barometer fell to %, in order
to make along near the northern shore Of
the lake, but at Mr.. La Mountains sugces.
ton that we could make the city OF Buffalo
by sailing but few hundred feet above the
surface OF the water, opened The valve and
We gradually sank to within 500 feet of the
water. Here We found gentle gale OF q
speed of about mile per minute, and we
resolved to float upon it till we should heave
In sight of Buffalo, and then rise and sail
over 1T. This was a most interesting part
OF our voyage. We overlook seven steam
boats, passed mutual salutations, and would
soon cave them fitting on the horizon in our
rear. One Of these lonely travellers re
marked as we passed, "You are gong it like
thunder.o
AT 20 minutes past 10 a. m. we were skirt
ing aloEg the Canada shere and passed near
the mouth of the Welland Canal, and soon
began to mount for more easterly current
so as to take Buffalo in our track, but We
circled up into it between Buffalo and Niaga-
IA 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 should land
near Rochester, detach the boat, leave out
Mr.. eager and Mr.. Hyde, and MIR. La Noun
tain and myself pursue the voyage to n point
at Boston or Portland. Accordingly we de-
scended gradually, but before we got within
1000 feet of the earth, we found most ter
rife gale sweeping along below. The woods
roared like host of Niagaras, the surface
ofvthe earth was filed with clouds OF dust.
and told my friends certain destruction
awaited us If we should touch ground in that
tornado. The huge s.Atlantico was making
terrific swoop ear,hward; already were we
near the tops of the trees Of tall forest.
and cried out, exctedly, "for Gods sake
heave over every thing YOU can Law your
hands on, La Mountain !" and in another mo-
ment be responded "all right standing on
the side OF the boat with shaft and wheels,
intended for the working of the fan heels.
ready TO heave it over should IL become ne
eessarv.
NJ. Hyde looked up to my car, and very
soleIniy said: "TLis 10 al exciting time,
Professor. What shall We do2n .sTrustto
Providence and all our energies" said l.
We were fast running on 10 Lake Ontario,
and = how terribly it was foaming, moan
iBg. md hoxhBg. | said, stLa Mountain. |
have $50 pounds Of ballast in nv car vet,
aFi heavy yalise. an express bag, (sent to
ths United States Express Company's office,
10 Broadway, New York, and lot of pro-
visions"
well, If that won't do, will CUT up the
boat Tor ballast, and We can keep above the
water till we reach the shore,n which was
near loo miles of it the direction We were
then gong.
Here handed nv ballast down TO Mr.. La
Mountain, as We rapidly mounted above the
terrific gale, thinking BY that course at least
to act out Of it's man track.
Everything now indicated that we should
perish IN the water or on the land, and our
only salvation was to keep afoat until We
got ont OF the gale, if we could. | said
s.you must all get into the basket, il YOU
want 10 be saved, should we ever reach land.
Aud 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 mangled by dashiug against
the rocks and trees"
b. this time MIR. eager and Mr.. hyde had
clambered into the basket with me. Mr.. II.
said very coolly,"I am prepared to die. but
would rather die on land than in the water
aaid. sWhat do you say, Mr.. eager ?n lie
replied, ~ would rather meet il ON land, but
do a. you think best" Mr.. La Mountain
was husily engaged in collecting what he
could for ballast. Everything was now val
uahle TO u that had weight. Our Garnet.
bags. our instruments e.. the express bag, our
provisions, were al ready To 90, and 90
they did, one after the other, until we v ere
reduced 10 the express bag, and that went
last.
We now deserted the shore, some FORTY
miles ahead, peering between a sombre
bank OF clouds and the water horizon. but
we were sweeping at a fearful rate upon tur-
hnlent water. and in another moment. crash
went the boat upon the water sideways, sta
wing in two OF the planks, and giving our
whole craft two fearful jerks by two succeed
ing waves. La Mountain stuck to the boat
like hero, but lost his bat, and got dash
Of the waves, but soon recovered, and threw
over his express bag and the last remaining
ballast, and cried out, "Be easy gentlemen,
III have her aaoat once more.'
In another moment we we're up a few hun
dred ieet again, and the steamer propeller
young America" was lacking across our
track. now proposed to swamp tho boat
and balloon in the Lake, and trust 20 being
picked up by the Young America, bu. the de-