The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-03-31
La Mountain, the Aeronaut.

John La Mountain, the famous aero
naut. died at South Bend, Ind, on the
18th of February. La Mountains life
was full of daring adventures and of Incl
dents, which were frequently more inter
estino than agreeable He was among
the most fearless aeronauts in this or any
other country, and pursued his chosen
profession with higher object than to
merely make money by exhibiting him.
self. He was compelled to make balloon
ascensions for the public amusement as
a means of support, but he hoped to make
his experiments useful in the advance of
science and the Development Of meteoro-
looical theories He finally died poor,
at the age of Al. A pet theory OF La
Mountain was that there was current
in the atmosphere corresponding with
the Gulf Stream in the ocean, and How
ing steadily from west to east. lie was
ambitious to be the first aeronaut to
cross the Atlantic, taking advantage OF
this current He built the famous bal
loon Atlantic" for this purpose This
is one Of the largest, strongest and most
beautiful balloons ever made. The aero
naut determined to test his theory by a
land voyage first, and started from st
Louis for the East, accompanied by John
Wise MIR. Hyde, an editor of the Missouri
RepubIica1a, and Mr. eager, a scientific
man { f Boston The party were in the
air over nine hours, passing over Lake
Erie, and into New York State. Up TO
this point they had enjoyed what seemed
to them a calm, though their motions
must have been very rapid While cross
ING Lake Ontario, a tornado seized the
balloon, and it was left wreck i'll the
woods of Jefferson county, N. Y. The
/" Atlantic" had travelled 1880 miles IN
less than ten hours This disaster ruined
La Mountains plan of crossing the ocean
for the time He was saddened, but
felt that the trip had important rasults in
showing the velocity of aerial motions
and demonstrating the fact that balloon
might cross large bodies Of water. A
small. btlloon was made from the rem
nants t he Atlantic" and he started
on a trip from WATERFOWL, N Y, with
Mr.. j hn A. Haddock, editor Of the Re
.fornaeY The trip was remarkable one.
The yoyagers, who expected to return in
a few oours, were not heard from for
many dsys. Public excitement became
intense The mystery was at last ex-
plainea Having no compass, the
aeronats had lost their bearings, and
we're carried lar into the dense woods
of the Ottawa reservation, in Canada.
After wandering for many days, subsist-
ing upon leaves and berries, they were
Iaccidently discovered, in the last stages
of starvation, by some Indian scouts in
the employ of lumberman. Their story
was widely published and illustrated by
the newspapers When the war began,
La Mountain turned his attention to
military balloons, and was the first
aeronaut engaged in the service. The
advantages gained in war by ballooning
were very uncertain, however, and the
entire system was soon given up. The
last serious adventure of La Mountain
occurred in Michigan, and probably
fastened his death. An impatient
crowd cast him off before he was ready,
without an overcoat or instruments, and
the valve rope tied several feet above
the basket He shot like a rocket up
into heavy cloud of mist and sleet,
which froZe the valve board fast He
climbed, with frost bitten fingers, upon
the network, and tore the balloon with
his teeth. The opening extended SO far
that the balloon collapsed, discharging
its gas, and fell with great velocity from
a height of nearly two miles Tho
aeronaut was picked up benumbed and
insensible, though not dangerously injur
ed-N r Tribune .