The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1865-11-29

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l. FFomLbe California Sunday Mercury .s d
In lS52 a famous Rronaut advertised.
that he would make an ascension from
Oakland, California; It was total
novelty to nine-tenths of those he ad-
dressed, and the public rushed to see
him in crowds. In the center of the
space from which the ascent was to be
made.the huge sphere foated, held down
sUoiyulgar earth by a dozen ropes grasped
by as many persons elected from among
the obystanders. The, navigator of the.
heavens had not yet made his appear
nance, and the audience was growing
impatient, asmanifested by their shouts
and curses. he WAS probably playing
fFeezeout poker with some hushmineF
IN some adjoining tavern, a la Artemus
Ward, and could; not be choked off. In,
q lew minutes more "the machine"
wouldhave been torn into threads, when
a gust of wind arising, the balloon was
suddenly .wrenched from the uhands
that held it, and rushed like rocket
straight toward the clouds, Did we say
Hrenched from all ? No, not from all
a cry of horror rose from the lately
turbulent crowd /; for there, clinging to
q slight wooden cross-piece attached to
one OF. the cords, was a small, dark.
~
be n human being. A lad who had been
selling papers among the crowd was
one oOfi those who had volunteered to
hold the guys, and, not being sufficient
ly alert, had been carried off with the
balloon. The spectators were inppaI He'd I
and every observer moment tarilyi expec-
ted to see. him drop. But the young
adYenturer had no such idea, and those
Who had glasses saw him Chamber up
the cord, and seat himself astride the
croSs-piece. The balloon ascended, np-
ward in the glowing rays of the sun, it
seemed Ike speck; then vanished.
It would have been difficult lust then
to have insured the life of that boy at
any premium. As for the involuntary
eeronaut, what must have been his feel
tngs as he found himself thus severed
from the firm earth to which he had
been accustomed. At first his little
heart was in his throat, and he seemed
to have suddenly fallen from some vast
height into an abyss of fathomless air,
The world Vanished instantaneously
from sight. The boy had unfortunately
wound the cord about his hand in such
a manner that it was impossibletol let
go at once Yet knowing the fate that
awaited, him, should he fall, he had, by
the exeEton OF m amount of strength
wonderful in one so young, cOntriVed to
assume the position of comparative
safety already noted There he saw the
wind driven clouds of different strata
rush past him with frightful velocity
/ and, looking down, could dimly discern
the landscape, and the ocean with its
ships spread out as on a map, During
the afternoon the people of Benecih saw
the car dash by, and little thought of
the obbipg heart that from thataw
eminence. awaited in cold and anxiety
the coming night. The blood begun to
congeal in the veins of fthel little traveller;
the act OF breathing grew difficult; his
musEles increased to such fearful ten
siop, were beginning to relax; NUMB
ness was seizing on the fingers that
grasped the cord A few minutes more
must evidently terminate the terrible
ride through space. II .-''et
All at. once the rope attached to the
valve ewas thrown against the boy. He
ielutched 1t in his despair as an additio-
nal hold upon Hfe.5, Joy :. The valve
opens F! The gas rapidly escapes! The
balloon is once more nearing the earthl
1t rushes into the leafy embrace of ii
grove oftrees, and after a aviolent strug-
gle, rests. When some rahchman, who
had been watching the descent, reached
the spot, he found the young adventurer
seated on the grounds at the foot of an
OAK, ooHng the very picture ofastonish-.
ment, butinone the worse for his Jour-
'ney, except q few scratches.
I'VE have heard, of fpersons whose hair,
from terror, turned gray in a single.
night. The hair of the lad, on coming
down, was a bright red, but as it was
red before he went up, We do not know
that this was anything remarkable.
We meet hin-the boy then, the man
now-daily? he looks likeInnother NOR,
tai, and seems to have forgotten all the
circumstances to which hewas indebted
for his elevation. ssalH ~ IN
al4 .ylI7inTt77 TITr7T--7- - IT,
A House An WashIngtOn for General
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