The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-07-17
A Petiious FIighf-..The Balloon Col.
npses ora the Spire of "a Church,
The Boy Escapes by Aeapiiis to the
Roof.

The Boy Escapes by Aeapii,S to the
Roof.
4 balloon ascension by Professor La
Mountain was to be one of the attractions
of the independence celebration at kala-
mazoo, but how it failed to ill the bill, and
some of the incidents. are thus related by
the Daily Telegraph:
IAN arrangement was made with PROBES
sor La Mountain, the distinguished aero
naut, to make IN ascension. lie arrived at
this place in dne time. bringing with him
his munster balloon Atlantic This aerial
machine is sixty feet long. thirty feet in
diameter, has Il capacity of 1000 cubic feet
OF gas, and lifting power of 800 pounds.
1.-The necessary arrangements for imitation
were made with the GUS company, and 1t
was intended to commence the process at 3
O'Clock in the morning. completing it at T.
VI. The storm in the morning prevented
the contamination of the arrangement, and
at 10 o'clock this imitation had just COM
menced; and in short time 1t was dis
covered that the supply-pipe was entirely
the pondcrouS sack began to assume the de-
sired dimensions. In the mean time the
crowd became fearfully impatient. The
report was circulated that La Mountain
was afraid to go up, and that kalamazoo
had perpetrated Il grand Swindle on her
country cousins. Lii Mountain was almost
as impatient. and did all in his power to
appcase the multitude.
1.-THE crowd would not be satisfied. They
broke down the barrier that fenced them
out from the balloon, and a living tide Surged
into the enclosure. In vain did La Noun
tain assure them that aiioiher hour would
make the ascension a sure success. Ihev
would not be paciticd. They had come to
see the balloon 90 up, and go up 1t must;
and then La Mountain reluctantly discon-
ncctcd the supply-pipe, and attached the
basket. He stepped into it, but the mon
Stcr refused to ascend. He Invested himself
of cont and boots, but still the Atlantic
Rugged the earth. He next removed the
basket, and bravely seated himself upon
the hoop, but still no ascent. The basket
was then replaced, and one of his attendants
occupied the professors place, but the Dali
loon still persiStently refused to rise.
4" lad by the name Of DeatZ, Il resident
of Kalamazoo, then stepped into the basket,
and once more it was launched into the air,
a passing breeze just then caught the ma
chine, and by its friendly aid it slowly
foated up toward the sky. Our improrlsed
a$ronaut, who had not calculated upon any
thing more than Il "brief dance on the
breeze" began to look CHASTITY pale, as he
found himself slowly but surely leaving
mother earth. The balloon tloated majeS-
ticaliy of amid the deafening cheers of the
multitude, who evidently We're not aware
that al utterly inexperienced balloonist was
at its helm. Luckily for young Deatz,
at least, the runaway was intercepted
by one of the minarets Of the Episco-
pal church, tearing an immense hole i'll its
side, which gave our young amateur an OPP
portunity TO jump on the roof, and thus, IN
all human probability, saving him from Il
most fearful death. But the crowd, deter
mined not to be baked i'll their desires, soon
dsentangled the balloon from its mooring,
and it tfoated away tenantless towards the
clouds. AS it darted upward the netting in
some way became fastened on the transom
section of the cross which constitutes the
pinnacle of st. Luke's church, and III another
instant collapsed. and was suspended III q
shapeless wreck on the spire.