The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-11-20
A PERILOUS BALLOON VOYAGE.
Narrow Escape Of M. Nadar, the
French AerOnaut.

Narrow Escape Of M. Nadar, the
French AerOnaut.
NJ. NADAR, the French erOnaut, has had
a narrow escape from death during bal
loon ascension. His balloon, Giant, went
up from Paris on Sunday, the 18th of Oc-
tober, with several persons in the car.
NADAR remained in the air nineteen hours,
and travelled distance of six hundred
and fifty Kilometres The following tele-
gram to his brother briefly tells the story
of his peril:
We came down near Neuburg. in the king
dom of Hanover, at about noon on Monday.
We were dragged for several1lOurs. our anchors
having broken. Saint Felix, my wife and my
self are seriously hurt; the others are pretty
well. Send ne a doctor from Paris; Pelletan,
if possible or another if he is absent Send
news at once to the Saint Felix, DarmOud and
Yon families &c. Let little Paul be sent to us.
Paul is NJ. Madras son, and the request that
he should be sent to Hanover naturally causes
intense anxiety to NJ. Madras friends. We
owe our lives to the courage and deyotedness
of Jules GODDARD. Tomorrow further details.
NADAR.
NJ EUGENE ARNoUIT, one of the passen-
gers in NJ. MADRAS balloon, writes as fol-
lows to the Paris Nation:
Unhappily the heavens made us forget the
earth, over which blew wind SO violent that
in few minutes our anchors, enormous full
crums of iron, were broken The valve was
shut, and the balloon, which could carry us no
longer, began giddy career. We rose from
twenty to thirty metres, and fell with incredi-
BILE force Little by little the balloon ceased to
rise and the car fell upon its side. Then began
a furious. disorderly race; all disappeared be-
fore us-trees, thickets, walls, all broken or
urst through by the shock it was frightfnl.
Sometimes it was a lake, in which we plunged;
a bog, the thick mud of which entered our
mouths and our eyes. 1t was maddening
''Stop! stOp!" we shouted, enraged with the
monster who was dragging US along. rail-
way was before us-a train passing; it stopped
AZ our cries, but we carried away the tele-
graphic posts and wire. An instant afterwards
we perceived in the distance red house; see
it now; the wind bore us straight for this
house. 1t was death for all, 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 count
ed-not one had any fear. All tongues were
mute, all faces were pale. Nadar held his
wife, covering her with his body. Poor wo.
man! Every shock seemed to break her to
pieces.
Jules GODDARD then tried and accomplished an
act of sublime herOism. Pie clambered up into
the netting, the shocks of which were so terri
BILE that three times he fell on my head. At
length he reached the cord of the valve, opened
it, and the gas having a way of escape the mon
ster ceased to rise. but it still shot along in a
hOr nj NJ WI iuin
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 we were cross
ing had yet few leagues we were saved. But
suddenly a forest appeared in the horizon; we
must leap out at whatever risk, for the car
would be dashed to pieces at the first collision
with those trees. got down into the car, and
raising myself know not how for / suffered
from wound in my knees, and my trousers
were torn-I jumped. made know not how
many revolutions, and fell upon my head. After
a minutes dizziness l rose. The car was then
far Off By the aid of a stick l dragged myself
out If the forest, and having gone a few steps
l heard some groans. Saint Felix was stretch
ed on the soil, frightfully disfigured-his face
was one wound. He had an arm broken, the
chest torn, and an ANGLE dislocated The car had
disappeared in the forest, after crossing river.
heard a cry. Nadar was stretched on the
ground with dislocated thigh; his wife had
fallen into the river, Another companion was
shattered. We occupied ourselves with St.
Felix and Nadar and his wife. In trying to as
sist the latter was nearly drowned. for l fell
into the water and sank. They tished me out
again, and l found the bath had done me good.
By the assistance of the inhabitants the rem
nants were got together. Vehicles were
brought; they placed us upon straw. My
1>t,nn In1 1ni,c on6h TO ho
like mincemeat; but I did not lose my pres
ence of mind an instant, and for a second
felt Inundated at looking from the truss of
straw at those clouds which in the night had
had under my feet 1t was in this way we
reached Ruthven, in Hanover.
In seventeen hours we had made nearly two
hundred and fifty leagues. Our course infer
male had covered space Cfthree leagues. Now
that is over l have some shudderiDgs. 1t does
not signify we have made good journey,
and / marvel to see with what indifference we
may regard the most frigh full death. for be-
sides the prospect of being dashed about on
our way we had that of being taken out to sea
and how long should we have lived then? 1
am glad to have seen this-happier yet at hav-
surround us are brave people, and we have
been as well cared for as the resources of the
little spot will allow.
P. ST. have just reached Hanover with my
companions, and reopen my letter to tell you
SO. The King has sent an aid-de-camp to us.
Are we at the end of our reverses? At any
rate am consoled to think that they can no
longer laugh at us at Paris. We have Kept
our promises and more.
A Geographic message was received in
Paris on Thursday from Dr.. Richard re-
specting the aeronauts. He says: cit
is a miracle that all of them have not
been killed. They are all bruised, but
whole