East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1865-05-17
A PERILoUs BALLOON VOYAGE.
NARROW ESCAPE OF N. NADAR, THE FRENCH
AERONAUT.

loon, Giant, went up from Paris on
! Sunday, the 18th of October last,
with several persons in the car. Nadar
remained in the air nineteen hours,
and travelled distance of six hundred
and fifty kilometres. M. Eugene
Arnault, one of the passengers in M.
Madras balloon, writes as follows to
the Paris National:
"Unhappily, the heavens made us
forget tho earth, over which blew a
wind so violent that in few minutes
our anchors, enormous fulcrums 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 incredible
force. Little by little the balloon
ceased to rise and the car fell upon its
side. Then began furious, disorder
ly race; all disappeared before us
trees, thickets, walls, all broken or
burst through by the shock; it was
/. frightful. Sometimes it was lake,
in which we plunged a bog, the thick
mud Of which entered our mouths
and our eyes. 1t was maddening.-
Stopl stopp we shouted, enraged
with the monster who was dragging
us along. A railway was before US
a train passing; it stopped at our
cries, but we carried away the tele-
graphic posts and wire. An instant
afterwards we perceived in the dis
tance n red house; see it now; the
wind bore us straight for this house
1t was death for us all, for we should
be dashed to pieces. No one spoke
Strange to say, of those nine persons,
one of whom was lady, who were
clinging to a slender screen of osier,
for whom every second seemed count
ed-not one had any fear. All tongues
were mute, all faces were pale. Nader
held his wife, covering her with his
body. Poor womanl Every shock
seemed to break her to pieces.
Jules GODDARD then tried and ac-
complshed an act of sublime heroism.
He clambered 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 of escape, the monster ceased
to rise, but it still shot along in
horizontal limo with prodigious rapid
ity. There We were squatting down
upon the frail osior car. "Take carew
we cried, when tree was in the way;
we turned from it, and the tree was
ing its gas, and, if the immonse plain
we were crossing had yet few
leagues, we were saved. But sudden
ly 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 these trees.
/ got down into the car, and raising
myself / know not how-for i suffer
ed from n wound in my knees-my
trousers were torn / jumped, l made
L know not how many revolutions,
and fell upon my head. After a min
ute's dizziness j rose. The car was
then far off.
BY the aid of stick dragged my
self out Of the forest, and having gone
a few steps l heard some groans.-
Saint Felix was stretched on the soil
frightfully disfgured-his face was
one wound. He had an arm broken,
the chest torn and an ankle dislocated.
The car had disappeared in the forest
after crossing river. / heard a cry.
Nadar was stretched on.the ground
with a disbcated thigh his wife had.
fallen into the river. Another COM
panion was shattered. We occupied
ourselves with st. Felix, and Nadar
and his wife. In trying to assist the
latter l was nearly drowned, for fell
into the water and sank. They fished
me out again, and / found the bath
had done me good BY the assistance
of the inhabitants the remnants were
got together. Vehicles were brought;
they placed us upon straw. My knees
bled my loins and head seemed to be
like mince- meat but did not lose
my presence of mind an instant, and
for second / felt Inundated at look
ing from the truss of straw at those
clouds which in the night had under
my feet. 1t was in this way we reach
ed Ruthem, in Hanover.
In seventeen hours VIE had made
nearly two hundred and fifty leagues.
: Our course nfeynae had covered space
of three leagues. Now that it is over
/ have some shudderings. 1t does
not signify; we have made good
journey, and / marvel to see with
what Indifference we may regard the
most frightful death, for besides 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? am glad to have
seen this--happier yet at having to
narrate it to you. These Germans
who surround us are brave people,
and we have been as we'll cared for
as the resources of the little spot will
allow
p. ST. have Just reached Han
over with my companions, and reopen
my letter TO tell you so. The king
has sent an aide-de-campto us. Are
we at the end Of our reverses? AT
any rate L am consoled TO think they
can no longer laugh at us in Paris
We have kept our promises, and
more"
A tclegraphie message was received
in Paris on Thursday from DR.. Rich
ard respecting the aeronauts. He
I says; "It is a miracle. that all OF
them have not been killed. They are
/ all bruised, but whole"
. A large number of Canadian ponies
, have been purchased for the Illinois
1 prarie battery of artillery, experience
ltox;.S.t f,<,D ~, st,oto1 thnt A,,, c,.,f,o !,