Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-03-18
La Mountain, the AerOnaut.


JoHN Ia MOUNTAIN, the famous aero
naut died at South Bend, Ind, on the i4th
of February. La Mountains life was full
of daring adventures and of incidents,
| which were frequently more interesting
| than agreeable He was among the most
fearless aeronauts in this OF any other
country, and pursued his chosen profes-
sion with higher object than to merely
make money by exhibiting himself He
was compelled to make balloon ascensions
Tor the public amusement as means of
support, but he hoped to make his exper-
iments useful in the advance of sci
ence and the development of meteoro.
| logical 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
| Gun Stream in the ocean, and flowing
steadily from west to east. He was ambi-
| tious to be the first aeronaut to cross the
Atlantic, taking advantage of this cur.
rent. He built the famous balloon AT
| lautic" for this purpose This Is one Of
| the largest, strongest and most beautiful
balloons ever made. The aeronaut deter
mined to test his theory by land voyage
first, and started from 81. Louis for the
East, accompanied by John Wise, Mr.
Hyde, an editor of the Missouri
Republican, and Mr.. eager, a scientific
man of 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 calm, though their motions
must have been very rapid. While cross
ing Lake Ontario, tornado seized the
balloon, and II was left wreck in the
l., 8 T-Hr
Atlantic" had travelled 1850 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 results In
showing the velocity of aerial motions,
and demonstrating the fact that a balloon
might cross large bodies of water A
small balloon was made from the remnants
of the Atlantic" and he started on trip
from Watertown, N. Y, with Mr.. John A.
Haddock, editor of the Ref0rmer. The
trip was remarkable one. The voyagers,
who expected to return in few hours,
were not heard from for many days. Pub.
| lie iceXcitement became intense. The mys.
terry was at last explained. Having no
compass, the aeronauts had lost their
bearings, and were carried fHr into the
dense woods of the Ottawa reservation, in
Canada. After wandering for many days,
subsisting upon leaves and berries, they
were accidentally discovered, in the last
stages of starvation, by some Indian scouts
in the employ of a lumberman. Their
story was widely published and illustrated
| by the newspapers. When the war began
La Mountain turned his attention to mill,
tary 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 ad
venture of La Mountain occurred il
Michigan, and probably fastened his
death. An impatient crowd cast him of
before he was ready, without an overcoat
or instruments, and the valve rope tied
several feet above the basket He shot
! like rocket up into heavy cloud of mis-
and sleet, which froze the valve-boar6
fast He climbed, with frost bitten fingers
upon the network, and tore the balloon
with his teeth. The opening extended S,
far that the balloon collapsed, discharginj
its gas, and fell with great velocity from
height of nearly two miles The aeronau
was picked up bcnumbed and insensible
though not dangerously injured.-N ]
| Tribune