Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-01-12
Eight Miles up in the Air.

ter noon, q balloon rose in the air at
the foot of Cleed hills, on the west>
ern edge of the central plain of Eng.
land. 1t was inflated with the light
est of gasses which chemical skill
could produce, and 1t rose with sur
prising velocity. A mile up, and il
entered strata of clouds more than
thousand feet thick. Emerging
from this. the sun shone brightly on
the air, ship the sky overhead was
of the deepest blue, and below lay an
Unreasonable expanse o. clouds,
whose surface looked as that of the
earth, now wholly lost to view.
Lofty mountains and then deep, dark
ravines, appeared below the peaks
and sides of those clound- mountains
next the sun glIttered like snow, but
casting shadows as black as if they
were sold rock. Up rose the
balloon with tremendous velocity
-Four miles above earth pigeon was
let loose it dropped down through
the air as if 1t had been stone
The air was too thin to enable il 10
Ay. 1t was as TIA ship laden 10 the
deck were to pass from the heavy
waters of the sea into an inland uns
saline lake !; the bark would sink at
once in the thinner water. Up, up
still higher. What silence pro,
found The heights Of the sky
were Is still as the deepest depths
of the ocean, where. as was found
during the search for the lost Allan
tic cable, the fine mud lies as unstir-
red, from year to year, as the dust
which imperceptibly gathers on the
furniture of u deserted house. No
sound. nor life-only the bright suns
shine falling through sky which il
cannot easily warm.
Up-five miles above earth-high~
er than the inaccessible summit OF
Chimborazo or Dawngiri. Despite
the sunshine, everything freezes
The air grows too thin to support
life. even Tor a few moments. Two
men are only in that adventurous
balloon-the one steering the air ship
the other watching the scientific ina
struments, and recording them with
rapidity bred to long practice Sud.
denly, as the latter looks to his in.
struments, his sight grows dim ht
takes lens to help his sight, anc
only marks from the falling barome'
ter that they are rising rapidly. A
flask of brandy lies within foot o
him he tries to reach it, but biz
arms refuse TO obey his will. Ht
tries to call on his comrade who hal
gone up to the ring above; a wills
per in that deep silence would suffice
but no sound comes from bis lips
he is voiceless. The steersmar
comes down into the car; be find
his cemrade in swoon, and feels BIZ
own senses falling him.
He saw at once that life and dealt
hung upon q few moments. He seiz
ed, tried to seize the valve, in orde
to open it. and let out some Of th'
gas. His hands are purple with in
tense cold-tney are paraly they
will not respond to his Will. d.
seized the valve with his teeth ; i
opened little-once, twice thrice
The balloon began to descend. The'
the swooned ..marksman returned Il
consciousness, and saw the steersmar
standing before him. He looked a
bis instrument-they must hav'
been nearly eight miles up ; bu
now the barometer was raising rap
idly-the balloon was descending
Brandy was used. They had beer
higher above earth than mortal mar
or any living thing had been before
One minute more of inaction-o
compulsory inaction, on the part o
the steersman, whose senses wer.
failing him, ami the air ship, with it
intensely rarified gas, would have
been floating unattended, with two
corpses, in the wide realms of space
Once a aCeek.