The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1869-12-31
Sflistellanrous.
THE UNPARALLELED ADVENTURE
OF ONE
HANS PFAALL,

BG ldte accounts rom hOtteruam,
that city seems to be in high state of
philosophical excitement. Indeed, phe-
nomena have there occurred Of nature
so completely uneXpected-so entirely
novel-so utterly at variance with pre-
conceived opinions as to leave no doubt
on my mind that long ere this all
Europe is in an uproar, all physics in
ferment, all reason and astronomy to.
gether by the ears.
1t appears that on the -- day of
-, L am not positive about the
date a vast crowd of people, for purpo-
ses not specifically mentioned, were as
sembled in the great square of the Ex-
change in the well-conducted city of
Rotterdam. The day was warm-un-
usually so for the season there was
hardly breath of air stirring and the
multitude were in no bad humor at be-
ing now and then besprinkled with
friendly showers of momentary dura-
tion, that fell from large white masses
of cloud profusely distributed about
the blue vault of the armament. Never
theless, about noon,a slight but remark
able agitation became apparent in the
assembly; the Gathering of ten thousand
tongues succeeded; and, in an instant af-
| terwal ds, ten thousand faces were up
turned towards the heavens, ten thOus-
and pipes descended simultaneously
from the corners of ten thousand mouths,
nj N oh urbt.I nAnlI M MOI rn1
to nothing but the roaring of Niagara, re-
sounded long, loudly and furiously,
through all the city and through all the
environs of Rotterdam.
The origin of this hubbub soon became
sufficiently evident. From behind the
huge bulk of one of those sharply de-
fined masses Of cloud already mention
ed, was seen slowly to emerge into an
open area of blue space, a queer, heter-
ogeneous, but apparently solid sub
stance, 50 oddly shaped, SO whimsically
put together, aS not to be in any man
ner comprehended, and never to be
sufficiently admired, by the host ol
sturdy burghers who stood open-mouth-
ed below. What could it be? In the
name of all the devils in Rotterdam
what could it possibly portend ? No
one knew, no one could imagine; nc
one-not even the burgomaster Myn'
heer Superbus Won UnderJuk-had
the slightest clew by which TO unrave
the mystery; so, rs nothing more reas
enable could be done, every one to t
man replaced his pipe carefully in tho
corner of his mouth, and maintaining
an eye steadily upon the phenomenon
puffed, paused, waddled about, ant
granted significantly hen waddleC
back, gruntcd, paused, and finally
puifed again.
In the mean time, however, lowe
and still lower to war DIS the goodly city
! came the object of so much curiosity
2 and the cause of so much smoke. In
r very few minutes il arrived near enough
3 to be accurately discerned. 1t appear
: ed to be-yes it icaS undoubtedly
species of balloon; but surely no sue.
. balloon had ever been seen in Rotter
dam before For VINO, let me ask, eve
heard of a balloon manufactured entire
ly Of dirty newspapers ? No man u
Holland certainly; yet here, under tn
very noses OF the people, or rather a
. some distance ADORE their noses, was tn
= identical thing in question, and con
J, posed, have it on the best authority
of the precise material which no on
had ever before known to be used for