Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1859-10-14

long. Over these portages OF course the
silk must be carried on the backs of the Iu-
dams. %
After finishing up his business in the Vi
entity where we found him, oh Friday
morning Mr.. Cameron started bis return.---
We stopped on our way up tho creek, ~
Che place where we had erected bur signal
by which to find the balloon. We struck
back for the place and in about twenty min
utes found her, impalcd on the top of four
smallish spruce trees torn very much. La
Mountain concluded to abandon her. He
took the valve as a memento, and cut out
the letters TIC" which had formed part Of
her name, and brought it-home with. me.---
We reached what is known. as the "New
Farm" on Friday night, and there ended oar
sleeping on the ground--an operation al
ways unpleasant, but particularly so in the
Fall Of the year. On Saturday We reached
Desert through drenchiog rain from which
there was no protection. AT Desert we
were a good deal troubled to obtain Indi-
ans to take us out. At last we appealed
to Mr.. John Backus, kind hearted Ameri-
can trader, who agreed to procure us com.
plement of rod skins sufficient to take US to
Beau's place, go miles where it was thought
we might find horses, Saturday morning
we started from Desert, and reached Alex
is L; Beau's about P, NJ. The scenery
upon this part Of our route was sublime
and imposing. The priineyal forest stond
as grand and silent as when created. The
Indians we had in our employ to-day sur
passed anything ever beheld in vigor and
endurance. There were fifteen portages to
be made during the days run Of 60 miles.
They would seize the canoe jerk it upon
their shoulders with swing, and start up
on dog trot as unconceruedly as though
bearing no burden. Arriving at the bot
tom Of the fall, they would toss the canoe
into the stream, cry out "Arretes la,' and
away wo would 60 again, gliding down the
stream like an arrow. We Travelled fifteen
miles and made seven portages in hour
and 40 minutes.
AT Alexis EBeaus we first beheld a
horse and vehicle, which they called a
buckboard'-simply couple of boards
reaching from one bolster TO the other up
on which the seats were placed. Starting
at o'clock in the evening, we Travelled
nearly all night through the woods, over
ono OF the worst roads that was ever left un
finished, aud reached Brooks farm, a sort
of frontier tavern, in the early morning,
where we slept couple of hours, and az
ter breakfast pressed on by the stage to
Ottawa, which we reached at 8 o'clock on
Monday afternoon. Our first rush was to
the telegraph office, whence tho trembling
wires sped the glad news of our safety to
"the loved ones at home" At Ottawa We
were most Hospitality entertained. To
Robert Bell, Esq, of the Citizen, and Pres
ident of the Ottawa and Prescott Railway,
as well as TO Joseph Aumond, Esq, we are
under especial obligations by acts Of kind
ness which will not soon be forgotten. In
deed from the time we left the Busketong
until wo reached home, we met with moth
ing but continued stream of copgratula-
tions and proffered kindnesses.
At Ogdensburgh and all along The line
Of the Potsdam and Watertown Railroad,
we found large crowds awaiting our arrival
which gave unmistakable evidence Of the
deep sympathy felt in our fate.
Several general conclusions and remarks
shall terminate this narrative, already too
long, "Why did you permit yourselves to
go 50 far9" will naturally be asked, To
which we can only reply that the wind WAS
exceedingly light when We assembled, that
We we're very soon among the clouds, and
consequently unable to take cognizance Of
our course or to Judge how fast we were tray-
cling. Perhaps it is well hero to remark,
thatwhen you are sailing in balloon you
are utterly unconscious of motion, unless
you can see the earth. MORGAN you tell by
compass, in which direction you are trav-
cling unless you are sufficient of an astron-
omer TO judge from the shifting angles
formed by certain stars. In a word, if you
cannot see the earth, you cannot tell how
fast, nor in which direction you move
This will, perhaps explain why we uncon-
sciously drifted of to attitudes so remote.
When we rose above tho thick masses Of
clouds, before sundown, we undoubtedly
struck rapid current, which carried US N
E. It is my opinion that after VIC had
travelled in this current about one hour we
struck another current from variation of
our altitude, which bore US off to the north
west. When we descended near the earth
the first time we ought to have come down.
But we were unwilling to land at night in
a deep wood, even though we knew we
were not far from habitations, and wethonght
ii best to pick out better place. This
was our error and it came very near being
a fatal one to us-it certainly was so to the
Atlantic. In trying to find our better place
to land, we were upconsciously up longer
than we supposed, and wo were travelling
in current which swept us off to the north
ward at the rate of 100 miles an hour, We
soon reached country not pleasant nor
profitable to land balloon in.
The loss TO Mr.. LaMountain by the ca
lamity which. has overiaken him does not
stop with the loss Of his balloon. He had
several profitable engagements to fiji, which
must, ofcourse, all go oyer, entailing disap-
pointment upon the public and loss upon
lnhis present position, in poor
health, and not overly rich, I cannot but
hope some capitalist WIN furnish him with
sufficient means to carry on his underta-
kings. OF course the present misbap has
not changed his views relative to balloon
ing nor has il mine Nj LaMountain IS
brave man; be probably does not. know
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