Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-10-31
THE AERONAUTs.
what Sort of a Trip they Had.
Voyage of the Consultation.

We announced yesterday the ascent o.
the great balloon Of Professor Books, the
Constitution, with cur friend Nourse, the
sgsnt Of the Ph91ix Mutual. as a Pos
senger, and Professor Brooks at the
helm. Their friends were more than
delighted to meet them, yesterday NOR
ding, safe and sound on Ihs streets for
after the melancholy fate Of Bntton's
dog, very few entertained any hopes Of
eve seeing them again, except as man.
called ~"corpuses'' at least. From Mr..
Nourse we learn the following incidents
Of the trip, which we give as near as pos
sible Ia his Own language:
At twenty minutes to five o'clock we
babe adieu TO earth, and went up rapidly
but essily aud smoothly. 1t was aston
ishing how quickly objects beneath
us dWindled into in~signifcance. While
looking st them, almost in less
lime than it takes me to tell it, 8
crowd Of men seemed to dviDdle
INTO mere specks, aud soon tn loss
their individuality altogether. Houses
and fields became mere marks on tht
surface of the earth, which seemed spread
Jut beneath US like a map. In q sur
DrisiDgiy short space of time we reached
the altitude Of S00 feet, having fOated
also a mile and q halfor two miles north
ward. At this hight the view was en-
trancing. Tie sun was just on the hOri-
zpD, and lighted up in q golden glow the
whole earth beneath US, except far off g.
the esstwa d, where 8 black line told u
that night bad already set in. Twisting
and winding through dark regions o.
swamp and forest, the Mississippi river
.sy beneath US like q silver thread, visi-
ole with its tributaries, rivers, creeks and
lakes for two hundred miles. There were
40 clouds around Us, the atmosphere be-
ing very heavy, and the clouds floating
very high. At this hight 5000 ieet) We
ceased to ascend, and Prof. Brooks
thought il a good time to let 90 the dog,
which we had brought up to sent
DOWN by parachute. OSing to some
tampering with the parachute be-
fore we assembled, (Of which the Pro-
lessor was ignOrantb it did not open out.
and the consequence was the poor ami
NAL shot earth ward with the velocity OF
a cannon bali, and was lost to our sight,
almost iustantaneO0sly, as We assembled
with intense rapidity IS OOH as we were
relieved CT its weight. At this hight Of
5000 feet we struck another current of
air, aud were carried westward slowly.
Having been up now ABOUT half an
hour We began to think of descending, !
and the Professor made the Necessary
arrangements for letting out gas. While
;oing this 8 new current Of air struck u
and We were carried in an eastward diFec-
lion, descending slowly all the while
At twenty minutes past i've We had
gotten within five hundred feet Of the
earth and were travelling northeast with
the speed Of q race bGEss, the Professor
keeping 8 sharp look Out for s good place
20 lsnd. We kept along this way for If
minutes, when Wec1mm -nOed cross
3 corn field, and the Professor singing
to me to drop the grapnsls, opened
the bag and w came down most ele-
AS soon as W. touched the
which was at twenty minutes 10
SIX O'Clock, (exactiy q hour from q
start a gentleman and IsTvsnt came e.
our assistance, and We found hat We
had landed on the farm Of J Z. Douglas,
neaF the indian mound Tuck
nuOa," at The mouth Of & creek, twelve
from the city. Inc gentlemsu
who came to our assistance was Mr.
Douglas himself, TO whom We are under
yerv many obligations. AS soon as pos
;ible, he caused 8 team Of oxen TO os
yoked Up, sad brought us and our bal
Don safely back to town, "hers we az
lived 81 half past three am.
-" There we're some negroes in the field
adjoining the u in which we landed,
as sOon as they saw our balloon tkeS
.ook to their heels, running like good
Ga asking z OF them, SITTER
yard, why they ran, he answered thai
hey did not take the balloon for Ru-
ziux. bat they were afraid that big thing
you d hUEstJR
Mr.. Nourse expresses himself as highly
lshghJed with his trip, snd says he
-Culd ike to go sgsin, especially II he
an der such such skiilful guidance,
sScb corsr1, lands as Prof. Brooks.
We understand that tn Professor has il
contemplation to make snOlner asS4U'
D q few days, on which voyage he VIII
2 accompanied by q member Of the
bus BrittOG says he will not lend
mother deg to be 2srscbuted.