The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1868-12-24
Five Niles Above the Earth,
a THRILLING ADYENIURE.

One dull day in August, just after noon,
balloon rose in the air at the foot of
Cloet Hills, on the western edge Of the
central plain of England. II was Inflated
with the lightest of gases which chemical
skill could produce, and it rose with
amazing velocity A mile up and it en-
tered a stratum of cloud more than a
thousand feet thick. Emerging from this,
the sun shOne brightly on the air ship
the sky overhead was of the clearest and
deePeet blue, and below lay cloudland-
an Immeasurabie eXpanse Of cloud whose
surface looked as solid as that of the earth
not wholly lost TO view. Lofty mountains
and deep, dark ravines, appeared below
the peaks and sides Of these cloud noun
tains next the sun, glittered like SNOW,
but casting shadows as if they were solid
rock. Up rose the balloon with tremend-
Gus velocity. -Four miles above the earth
pigeon was let loose 1t dropped down
through the air as if it had been stons.
( The air was too thin to enable it to fy.
It was as if = bark laden to the deck wore
TO pass from the heavy waters of the sea
into an inland unsaline lake: the bark
would sink at once III the thinner water.
/ Up, up, still higheri What a silence pro-
found The heights of the sky were as
still as the deepest depths Of the ocean,
/ where. as was found during the search
( for the lost Atlantic cable, the tine mud
/ lies as unstirred from year 10 year "a The
/ dust which imPerceptibly gathers on tho
furniture Of deserted house. No sound.
no iife-onIy the bright sunshine falling
through = sky which it could not warm
Up-fve miles above earIh higher
than the inaccessible summit OF CHM
borazo or DawangiTi. Despite the sun
( shine, everything freezes. The air grows
too tE.n TO support life, even for few
minutes. Two men only are in that ad-
venturous baIioon-thc one steering tho
air-ship, the other watching the scientific
instruments and recording them with q
rapidity bred Of long practice. Suddenly
as the latter looks at his instruments. his
sight grows dim he takes lens TO help
his sight; and only marks from the fall
ing barometer that they are testing rapid
ly. A flask Of brandy lies within 2 foot
Of him he tried to reach il, but his arm
refused TO obey his will. He tries TO cal
on his comrade, who tas gone up into the
ring above; whisper in that deep ST.
lence would sufice-but 80 sound comes
from his hps-he is yoiceless. The
steeTSman comes down into the ear !; he
sees his comradc in 4 swoon, and feels his
own senses failing him.
He saw al once that life and death
hung upon few moments. He seized or
tried TO seize the valve, in order TO open
it and let out the gas. His hands ars
purple with intense cold-they ar0 par
alyzed, they will not respond to his will
He seized the valve with his teeth i!
opened little-ouce, twice, thrice. The
balloon began TO descend. Then the
swooned marksman returned to conciOus~
ness, and saw the s;eersman standing be-
fore him. He looked at his instrument
bat now the barometer was rising rapidly;
the balloon was descending. Brandy Has
used. They had been higher above earth
than mortal man or any living thing had
ever been before. One minute more oi
aciion--of compulsory inac.ion--on the
part Of the s:eersman, whose senses were
failing him, and the air-shiP, with its in.
tensely rarified gas, would have been float.
ing unattended, with two corpses, iu the
wide realms Of space.