Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1863-11-20
A Disastrous Balloon Excursion.

There was o grand balloon excursion
from Paris three weeks ago b was
monster balloon. and carried two stor,
wicker house aud with thirteen persons j,
it. The trip was to be made to ST. Peters
burg. Russia. and few days before
the Emperor Napoleon had presented oh,
Of the proyrieiors Of the bs!losp. with
s. 900, TO aid in perfccting bis scheme for
navigating tho sir. The Constitutional give,
the following secOuos u sas freight ~ IN
uiGueassscos
Il The balloon ~as eGllsd The 6isai = j,
vas whits the car carried some legs ol
Inuttop, iCes, = lobsts-, champagne, ear
lrisGs whesIs, Chatesn Msrgapy wins,
swords, Lyons saussges. guns, wild boar =
head, speaking trumpet, dinner service
in handsome porcelain, a printing press, q
table, aud everything necessary for photo
! graphy. It was mounted by Madame La
! Princesse de la Tour d Auyergne, jules
and Louis Gobard. Mesrs. Nabar, de St.
Martin, Delessert, the Prince Witgensten,
Tournachon, ST. Felix, Paillat, Thirrion, an
anonymous individual, and myself
NJ Eug enc Arnoult. the anonymous pas
senger, furnishes La Nation with the fol.
lowing account of the disastrous experiment,
dated from Hanover, in Belgium. They
left Paris at minutes TO o'clock ON the
evening of the 18th ult:
You saw us leave the Champ de Mars on
! Sunday. You we're witness to the maj s-
tic ascent of the Cart, raising into the air
amid the applause 4 the crowd They
cried to us below. Bon royage" Alas!
AT nine o'clock at night we were at Err
quelincs, VIC passed over Malines, and to-
wards midnight we were in Holland
We rose very high, but it was necessary
Ito come down to see where we were. Ig-
norant Of that, our position was critical
one Below as far as we could see, were
marshes, and in the distance We conld hear
the roar of the sea We threw out ballast,
and mounted again. soon lost sight Of the
earth What night Nobody slept, as
you may suppose for the idea of falling
into the sea had nothing pleasant about it,
and it was necessary to keep a look ont in
order to effect, Unnecessary. descent. My
compass showed that we were going toward
the east-that is to say, towards Germany.
10 the morning after frugal breakfast
made in the cloud, we rcdescended. An
immense plain was beneath us. The VII
J lagos appeared to US like children's toys;
rivers seemed like little rivulets; it was
magical The sun shone splendidly over
all. Towards eight o'clock we arrived near
reat lake there found out OUR bearings.
aud announced that we were near the sea.
We we're compelled to think of landing in
order to take in little ballast. Unhappily
the heavens had made us forget the earth,
over which blew wind SO violent that in
few minutes our anchors-enormou full
crums of iron-were broken. The valve
was shut, and the balloon, which would
carry US no longer, began giddy career.
We rose from twenty to thirty metres. aud
| fell with incred;table force. Little by little
the balloon ceased to rise, and the car fell
upon its side. Then began furious, dis
orderd race all disappeared before US
trees, thickets, walls, all broken or bursted
through by the shock Il var frightfull. -
Sometimes it was lake in which we plung-
ed ]; a bog, the thick mud Of which entered
our mouths and eyes. It was maddeDing.
stop stop!" We shouted eurssed with the
monster Who was dragging as along.
A railway was before us-a train was
passing !; it stopped st our cries, but We
carried away the telegraphic post and wire.
IN instant afterwards we perceived in the
distance red house-I see Is now-the
wind bore US straight for this house. 1t
was death for al, for we should be dashed
to pieces. No one spoke. Strange to say
of those nine persons, one of whom was a
lady, who were clinging to slender screen
of osier, for whom every second seemed
counted, not one had any fear. All lounges
were mute, all faces were calm. Nadar
held his wife, covering her with his body
Poor woman! Every shock seemed 70 break
her to pieces.
Jules Gobard then tried and accomplish
\ ed an act Of sublime heroism. He clam
bered up into the netting, the shocks of
which were so terrible that three times he
fell on my head. At length he reached the
cord of the valve, opened It, and the gas
having way to escape the monster ceased
to rise, but it still shot along with prodigious
rapidity. There were we, squatting down
upon the frail osier car. take care' We
cried, when tree was in the way. We
turned from it, and the tree was broken,
but the balloon was discharging its gas, and
| if the immense plain that we were crossing
had few more leagues, we were saved
But suddenly forest appeared in the hor-
rizon; we must leap out at whatever risk,
for the car would be dashed to pieces at the
first collision with those tees. got down
into the car. and raised myself know not
how, for | suffered from wound IN my
knees. my trousers were torn.
| jumped out and made, know not how,
many revolutions, and fell on my head -
After a minutes dizziness | rose. The
car was then far IF BY the aid OF Il stick
I dragged myself to the forest, and having
cote few steps heard some groaus.
St. FELIX was stretched upon the soil,
frightfully dsifgurcd; his body was one
wound he had an arm broken, the chest
torn and an ankle dislocated The car had
disappeared. After crossing river lheard
cry.
Nadar was stretched on the ground with
dislocated thigh his wife had fallen into
the river. Another companion was shatter-
cd. We occupied ourselves with St. Felix
and Nadar and his wife. In trying to as
sist the latter was nearly drowned. for !