Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-07-08


pationof witnessing an act of gratuitOus self
immolation, when one sees the wife of ones
bosom looking upwards hopefully as one
goes heavenwards, and joyous baby
growing at thu prospect Of seeing a parent
so elevated, then there occurs mOmenta-
nv beRilderment of ideas which renders re-
course to the solitary battle for the time al
most a necessity. .
THE SCENE FROM ABOVE.
Mr. Shott's balloon was last in being
filed, but was the first to rise Almost un-
conscious of motion we felt ourselves
sweeping upwards through the air In a
little time courage enough aeeulating to
permit of a timid peep downwares, the
city was seen there as map. The prairie
was there stretching far away The
crowd was beneath us--a few cheering, few
firing pistols, all evidently interested in
our heavenward course. The lake too was
there lying beneath, blue as a mirror.
The most timid would have taken cour-
age, as he sat there looking around upon
| the glOsi0us scene spread out below. In
| terspered with long reaches Of trees, there
lay the interminable prairie garden lands
each great expense, ,Oarrowed by distance
Il
/ toone little ield and thousands Of people
| were assembled to witness the ascent. We
could hear the noise of the city when the
houses seemed but mole-hills. Only when
| viewed from an altitude Of two or three
miles could it ever become apparent to
any one the immense extent Of grOune II
| covers Locking sl--i >I-s-5- or ttIe car
we could see the large balloon managed by
Mr.. Brooks rise from the ground. AigheI
and higher went up Mr.. Shots, while the
other balloon, dropping away in a north
erly direction, left him for little time al
the upper strata of air wholly to himself
Oar balloon was first caught in a current
which carried it to the very edge of the
lake, and then left it for fifteen minute.
suspended like a lamp beneath heaveni
azure dome How beautiful was every
thing beneath Upon the blue water
glimmered snow white sails at intervals
and two steamers, seeminly mOtionless
smoked along the waters. The opposit,
shores couln be descried-a low, but clearly
marked line of trees and sand hills Eve
rything seemed mOtionless. The railway
trains sweeping along the numberles
tracks surrounding the city appeared no
TO move. One could have imagined one
: self looking down upon world which ha'
been suddenly petEfed or frozen Tn
; land lay level as a table. The lake on tn
other hand seemed to tower up over it lik
a mountain. The vast round hill--fo
such it seemed-appeared from the uppe
regions hard as iron. The ground wa
soft and pleasant 10 the eye, and one in
voluntarily looking down upon it though
. Of the earth, the dear green earth, an
e compared it with the different appearanc
presented by the water Fo anvil tina
l ever blacksmith hammered upon eoul
r have harder look than was presented b,
: the lake as seen from a height OF abou
e two miles. .. ...
!, 1t seems as if the currents which ar
+ pnwing around these upper regions ha
agreee to a fifteen minutes cessation {
e operations in order to allow survey {
e the affairs below. After the lapse Of tha
:. time it became apparent that We wer
j. again under weigh. There was no pei
+ ceptible motion, no rocking or swaying {
: the car, nc. change in the appearance {
2. the balloon. But abe ground beneat
e began suddenly to SWIM as it were, an
L orchards, houses and fields became SUI
v denly cumulative ina rocking way. The
L these were lost, and there was nOthin
y below but the hard, iron like sheet Of watt
Y and even tat began to become dwarfed {
the balloon, upon quantity of ballast b
Is ing thrown overheard, suddenly shot u
d another mile.
The scene beneath was obscured for
moment, as the balloon passed throus
what must have seemed from below ligl
te Aeecy cloud but what made itself painful
W " noticeable rs dense and chilly mist
u 1t became at this attitude disagreeably col
s. Emerging from thss, there appeared not
n ING around save the deep blue sky owe
,h head, and beneath, as if seen through
- gauze veil, the now diminished city, 4
S narrowed fields of the prairie farms, viii
i'll the little.whit spots which were to tho
ne below the sails of large vessels, appeared
nd if seen through funnel all were so diva
ed and seemingly insignificant.
A further descent carried the balloon
a height of about three miles and a half.
chilly breeze again set the orchards a
til houses in motion, and, though there was
Il sensation Of moving We became console
e that we were proceeding in an opposite
n rection from that which we had been fro
ZEE erlv pursuing. When one is sitting in a ra
VS. way -lcar standing still-and another ira
happens to pass-no sooner does the Il
no car move along than the spectator feels
a if that in which he Is seated were rushi
raj along at full speed. The sensation il
it balloon is different, in thus far, that {
ps looks down upon everything in mott
rs remaining ali the while perfectly unc,
va. scioas of being himself at the time glidi
1k- along his noiseless course through the {