Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-08-27
IN THE CLOUDS.
A.PeriIOus Journey I'm a Balloon
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Much has been said and very little
written concerning the sensation experi-
enced for the first time in agoiug up in a
balloon" and in order to give the matter
fair test, our reporter yesterday &C.
cepted an invitation from Prof Stout to
''foat through the air." not on a flying
trapeze, but in the monster balloon He>
cules. She was not inflated to her full
capacity Of 10000 feet of gas, but only
carried $4,000 feet. At 20 minutes past
3 o'clock yesterday afternoon, accompani.
ed by Mr.. Stout and w F futile, Esq,
a well known wholesale merchant of
this city, the air ship was loosed from
her mOorings at the Lindell hotel, and
slowly assembled The wind was from
the southeast, but was so extremely
light that no force was given to the bal
loon, and she did not rise above the
surrounding buildings. The basket first
came in contact with the roof Of Conroy's
grocery store, on Seventh street and
Washington avenue. Fer moment all
was confusion, but shortly breeze
caught the unwieldy object and she
swung round the corner and passed over
the roof Of the neighboring building on
Seventh street with such force as to
carry away portion of the brick
work. At this point the old
blatherskite caught in the telegraph
wire and swung around at fearful rate.
The wind freshened, the balloon tugged
at the wire, and only by main force could
it be placed beneath the basket, when,
becoming free at last, she rose high in
the air, and moved along like thing of
life. Only three minutes were consumed
in travelling from Lindell lot to point
over Carr place, at Fifteenth and Wash
streets. Standing very nearly stationary
about five minutes, she took an easterly
course, and almost imperceptibly drifted
among the clouds toward the river, and
over the centre of the Father of Waters.
Here is magnificent scene was present.
ed. For twentylmiles up and down, the
river was seen, stretching like broad
ribbon, and far to the northwest the
Missouri could plainly be discerned. The
city resembled, from a height of q mile
attained by the eronauts, the draft
of civil engineer, and it could
scarcely be credited that the streets had
been so regularly laid out, crossing each
other at right angles, and almost of uni
form width.
Crossing the river the balloon struck
western current, but had reached its
fullest expansion and began rapidly to
descend. The feelings of its inmates
may be better imagined than described
at this juncture as the fact flashed up
them that they were to land in the water.
Everything that could be spared was
thrown overload, including half gallon
of whisky, but to no purpose, and in
a shorter space of time than was des-
cribable, the three forlorn 9ronauts were
middle deep in water, with a prospect
Of frequent dips. Thrice the basket was
submerged before the anchor was made
sufficiently fast to barge stauncheon to
secure the vast "gasbag," when the crowd
that had gathered on The shore pulled
her on the beach, and the trio once more
planted their pedal extremities on terra
frma, thankful fer their safe arrival on
things terrestrial. A yawl conveyed the
party totown, well soaked and pleased
both with the trip and their safe de-
scent.
Many thousand people witnessed the
ascension. Long before the hour fixed
for the ascent, the people commenced
gathering about the corners and along
the streets fronting on the Lindell lot.
Every eminence was crowded, and the
neighboring house~tops teemed with
hundreds of curious spectators, many Of
whom had never seen an ascension.
Luckily, there was no accident, which
the dangerous perches Of many boys and
children seemed to justify the expecta>
ton of.