Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1859-10-15
ASHTABULA, o. SATURDAY MORNING, OCTOBER Is, 1859

was experianced-an extraordinary elation
took possession Of my soul, and fear was
us far removed as though ] had been sit
ting in my own room at home.
Two or three things struck me in looking
down from an altitude Of half mile The
small appearance Of our village from such II
hight aud the beautiful mechanical look
which the straight feuces and oboug-sqnare
fields Of the farmers present. The build
ings in the village do not, from such hight,
appear to cover tenth part Of The ground
The poor old courthouse looked like 81 pep
per-box standing on ten-acre lot and the
first church spire barely equaled in size a
respectable Maypole
As we rose into the light Aeecy clouds,
they looked between us and the earth like
patches of snow We see laying upon the
landscape in Spring time but when we
rose q little higher the clouds completely
shut ont the cart aud the cold white mas
ses below us had precisely the same look
that mountainous snow.covered country
does as you look down upon it from high
er mountain. Those who have crossed the
Alps by the Symptom Pass-or have stood
upon one of the lofty submits of the Sierra
Nevada, and gazcd down. upon the eternal
SHOWS below and around them, will be able
to catch the idea | am trying to convey.
In six minutes we were far above all the
clouds, aud the sun and we were face to face
We saw the time after that when his face
looked very iair to u.s. In eight minutes
af'er leaving the earth, the thermometer
kindly loaned us by T. H. Camp e. Co.,
showed a fall of "a degrees. 1t stood "a
when we left. The balloon rotated a good
deal, showing that she was ascending with
great rapidity.
AT 5:48 thermometer stood at AZ, and
falling very fast At $3.50 we were at least
two miles high thermometer "a. AT this
point suggestion made just before starting,
by Judge Clark of PIessis, was found 10 be
q very good one. He advised the taking
along of some cotton, with which to FL the
ears when at great nights, and my father
had procured me some. The unpleasant
ringing sensation had become painful, and
filed both ears with cotton. Ths.made
my head feel good deal as IA very large
hollow pumpkin may he supposed to, wish
a humming bird bnzzing upon its surface
Il comparison with which, d0uhtlesS, many
who read this account will hardly quarrel.
AT 5:52 we put on our gloves and ShawlS
--un extra pair for Mr. La Mountain being
found in friend Fuyel'S OvercOat-thermOm
eter 80. The wet sand bags now became
stiff with cold--they were frozen. Asceud-
ing very rapidly. At 5:54 thermometer
28 and falling. Here we caught our last
sight of earth by daylight. Recognized the
ST. Lawrence to the southwest of US, which
showed we were drifting nearly ndrtb. At
6 clock we thought we were descending ii
little, aud Mr.. La Mountain directed me TO
throw out abont twenty pounds of ballast.
This shot us up again-thermomete 26',
and falling very slowly. At 6:05-ther.
mometer 220-my feet were very cold
The Atlantic was now full, and presented
most splendid sight. The gas began to dis
charge itself at the mouth, aud its abomn-
able smell, as it came down upon us, made
me sick. | had been trying some of friend
Buruett's "Sinews of war;" but everything
that would came up left my poor stomach
in a food A moments vomiting made me
feel all right again. La Mountain was suf-
fering n good deal with cold passed nv
thick shawl around his shoulders, and put
the blanket over our knees and feet At
6:l0 ther. 1872 We drifted along until the
sun left U.s. and in q short time there after
the balloon began to descend. At $50,
thermometer 22-risng. Threw over about
pounds ballast. We must have been, be-
fore we began to descend from this hight.
81 miles high. At 6:30, thermometer SO
rising. We were now about stationary,
and thought we were sailing north Of east
We could, We thought, distinguish water
below us, but unable to recognize it. At
6:38 VT threw over bag of sand, making
, so pounds of ballast discharged, leaving
about l20 pounds on hand. We distinctly
heard dog bark. thermometer 28-ris-
ing rapidly. At 6:45, thermameter 33.
At so it was dark, aud | could make
no more memoranda. / put up my note
book, pencil and watch. and setteled down
into the basket. as much at home us though
at my post in THE Reformer Office From
this point until the morning can only give
my experiences Fl ON memory. The figures
in the preceding narrative were all made at
the time, aud the variations of the lhermom-
eter can he depended upon as accurate.
We heard, soon after dark, locomotive
whistle, and occasionally could hear wagons
rumbing along the ground or over bridge,
while the dogs kept up an almost ceaseless
serenade as ii conscious here was something
| in the sky monstrous and unusual. We
sailed along, contented and chatty, until
about half past 7, when we distinctly saw
| lights, and heard the roaring of mighty
waterfall. We descended into a valley
near very high mountain, hut as the place
appeared rather forbiddug, we concluded
to go up again. Over with 80 pounds Of
ballast, and skyward we sailed. In about
20 minutes we again descended, but this
time no friendly light or "decp-mouthed
waIch-dog's heavy bay" greeted us. We
were over dense wilderness, and settled
down over a small lake. We had our life
prtservers ready for use, but got mp again
by throwing over all our ballast except
a6out Is pounds. Mr.. LaMountain now
said it was folly and madness 10 stay up any
longer, that we were over great wilder
ness, and the sooner we descended the, BET
ter. We concluded 10 settle down by the
/ side of a tree, tie mp, and wait until morning.
| In moment we were near the earth, aud
/ as we fell | OraSned the extreme ton If n