The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-04-25
NEW SERIES-NO. 437.
FROM YORKTOWN,
DANGEROUS BALLOON ASCENSION OF GENERAL
PORTER.

"a
The New York HeraJd's correspondent,
writing under date OF the llth instant,
says:
The exciting event of the day has been
balloon reconnaissance by General Fitz
John Porter on scale of rather larger
magnitude than was intended. At five
o'clock in the morning General Porter took
his place in Professor loves balloon. He
supposed the usual number of ropes were
attached to it, whereas there was only one,
and place in this, as was afterwards ascer.
tanned, bad been burned by vitrioi, used in
generating gas. Taking his seat in the car,
unaccompanied by any one, the rope was
let out to nearly its full length-the length
is about nine hundred yards-when sudden.
ly snap went the cord and up went the bal
loon. This was an unexpected part of the
programme. The men locked up with as
tonlshment and the General looked down
with equal bewilderment.
"Open the valve," shouted one of the
men below.
"l'l manage it," responded the General
Up went the balloon, higher, higher. 1t
rose with great rapidity; its huge form les.
sensed at it wildly mounted into the regions
of the upper air it became a speck in the
sky. The wind was taking it in the direc-
ton of the enemy's territory. By this time
every staff officer and hundreds of others
were looking at the moving speck. 1t is
impossible to describe the anxiety felt and
expressed for the fate of him, the central
object of thought, in that far away moving
speck, every moment becoming less visible.
1t is seen to move in cur direction the
countenances of our men brighten with
hope. 1t passes over our heads. Soon it
begins to descend, but with rapidity that
arouses renewed apprehension. Quickly a
squad of cavalry, led by Captain Docke,
and Lieutenant McQuade, of the Generals
staff, plunge spurs into their horses
and dash away in the direction of the
descending balloon. The rest of the story
is as l received it from the Generals own
lips. While the rope was being paid out
be adjusted his glass in readiness for his
proposed view of the enemys territory. A
sudden bound of the balloon told him in
moment that the rope had given way. He
dropped his glass, heard the call, "Open the
valve" made the response given above, and
set about looking for the valve. He was
sensible of being fighty (the general loves
pun as we'll as the next one) but was not at
all nervous. he saw that the wind had
taken him over the line in the rebel en-"
treDchments. Having no wish to stop it
among them, he let the valve take care of
itself, and proceeded to take advantage of
his position to note the aspect of rebel
objects below. Crowds of soldiers rushed
from the woods, and be heard their shouts
distinctly. Luckily he was above the
reach oil their bullets, so he was not afraid
on this score. The map of the country
was distinctly discernible. He saw York.
town and its works. York River and its
windings, and Norfolk and its smoking
chimneys. A counter current OF air struck
the balloon, and its course was reversed, its
retreat from over rebeldom was rapid. He
opened the valve, and the gas escaped, and
down it came. He could not say how fast
be came down, but it was with rapidity
he would not care to have repeated. The
car struck the top of shelter ten-under
which, luckily, no one happened to be at
the time-knocked the tent into pl, and left
him enveloped in mass of collapsed oil silk.
He crawled out, and found himself in the
middle OF camp, not one hundred rods
from General McClelan's headquarters.
81 came mounted, you see," was his re-
mark to General Burns, who was about the
first man by his side. He give the details
OF bis aerial voyage to General Burns, who,
seeing the opportunity of getting off a joke,
could not lose the opportunity.