Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-07-15
y N w I'VE 7..T'ITTTI9 OF lXUUT EIQ03 ClN
TIE DAY BOOK.
THuRsaAY MoRNINa, July is, 1869.
CContinued from First page j

miles from the lake shore, as
we were told by Professor
King, although to the untra-
yelled balloonist it appeared
but across a couple of fields or
so. ..., ..... .-.s,
The voyagers now wished to
| descend, but dared not on ac-
count of the prevalence Of
forests in the country over
! which they were sailing. At
last all their ballast gave out,
and the bottom boards of the
car were taken out and split
and thrown over as occasion
required. At last they came
to a part of the country where
they thought landing might
be attempted, and they prepar-
ed to descend accordingly.
We could not distinctly see
the trees, apparently in front
and on either side of US, and
here again Professor King coun-
selled us: III
| Hold fast to the ropes of the
basket, but be careful to keep
your hands out of the way of
! the anchor-rope, Or you may
get them torn off! Look out
also for the branches of the
trees, lest they iurl You from
the basket,
| The warning came ia time,
and every man giasped the
ropes aud braced himself for
! the shock. On drove the bal
loon like an enraged monster
over he tree, the strong bas
ket--
w it'll h,l 'h.pru AID with iron b ind
crashing through the tops and
t. airing away great branches in
its rushing course! The shock
was awful, but though the bas-
ket creaked and quivered, not
Il wlthe was severed, not a
strand was parted I!
| The anchor caught upon a
tree at IL 0 clock, and as soon
as 1t was ascertained that our
| journey was actually ended, the
moinentous question arose, how
were we to get DOWN. We
could distinguish the trunk Of
the tree below, and the limbs
about lis, but we knew not how
| far it was to the ground, OF
what was beneath us. Never
at u loss, the @ronaut directed
that all the string and rope
which we could find be put to-
gether and an attempt made to
get soundings. The two flags
were tied to the ends of two
small sticks, seven feet each in
length, used tor flag stats, and
to these were added whatever
was available in the shape of
cord, and the trial made. No
| bottom,
| Another cause of apprehen-
sion was that the wind might
arise during the night and
drive the balloon against some
of the limbs with sufficient
force to puncture it, thus letting
the gas escape; but it was
| agreed that if the wind did not
| blow we might continue >us-
pended in our basket-four feet
six by five feet six, and three
feet leep-in safety until morn
ing, though it was careened to
an angle OF almost torty-fve de
sree5, Then, again, we might
remove all the ropes hut four
| by which the basket was at
tached to the hoop, tie them
together, and let one man lower
himself by hand and go in
search OF help. An! but all
the ropes we could spare, when
tied together, would not reach
the ground, iur our flags, and
flag ->tatfs, aud cord, and string
were fprty-tive feet in length, as
measured upon the arm, and
they did not, st "a
What next? Why, shoat
for assistance Good Alto
gether, now, and give it all
your power OF lung 'Hillioho}l
o-o-o-oh I But only echo am
swered, OHIO ooh : .1 "a 8E
Again what? Make the best
OF it That's it. Let 8 have a
concert, And didn't we singl
We sang UP in a Balloon,
which being encored, we treat
ed ourselves to 'Auld Lang
Sy1e,' 'Old Grimes When
the Day with Rosy Light, and
so on ad infinitum. AS a wind
II