Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1870-11-03
An Aerial Combat Fighting Aer0haats.

An Aerial Combat-FightiDgA erObaats.
The following extraordinary statement 4
anaaars in the Nonvelles d1 Jour, Bel.
Q. AN newspaper. 1t - contained ia Tue
note 10 that journal b. one OF its core
spondents at the seat OF war, whioh noe
was conveyed by a carrier pigeon
pms Oct. /, 1870. y adar returned
,-asterdav to Paris. His return was not,
howeSey, sisected without much trouble,
a,,houch his balloon was directed by a
good wind and iayorable currents SINCE DIS
departure from Tours Bat let me relate
the particulars Of his VOYAGE IN cnfono-
logicsl order. He left Tours at six o'clock
OF the morning aud arrived IN view oil faflS
NJ II o'clock, floating about 5000 metres
above the Fort OF Charenton. At the sane
time as the Intreplde, which was the name
Of NJ. Madras balloon, appeared IN slgnt, a
second balloon was seer Ia the same dlfec-
ton. III. Nedar waved long streamer
with the French national colcrs lmmed-
atelv atterward national nag hoated from
the car of the other balloon, Loud 'hur-
rahs" and cries of "C'est Duroufi from The
garrison Of The fort greeted the appearance
of the two aeronauts, whose bal
Icons gradually approached Sudden
~ and when ut a short distance from each
other, loud report was heard IN the AIR,
followed by series Of explosions, These
were at FIRST supposed TO be trlnmphal
signals or demonstrations, until NJ. Nadar
WAS observed to fling himself Into the net
ting Of his balloon and TO cling tolts sides.
During this time the other aeronsut con-
tinued discharging shots at M. Nadar and
MS balloon. The lntrinide was descend
ing rapidly, and it appeared evident to tue
spectators below that some incomprehen-
sible event had taken place above. Bat
mark what the French flag OF the neigh
boring balloon came 10. II was Withdrawn,
and a black aud yellow standard was ob-
served to be floating IN its place. All was
exclaimed Treason. 1T Is RUSSIAN
balloon 'He has fred on the lntrep-
ide. were the cries that burst Simultaneous
ly from the French people Nadar
was supposed to have been lost.
His balloon was taHl1g quickly, and
hnd once more nearly reached the earth
when N Nad,r vas Observed hGslly en-
paced IN casting out ballast, Thereupon
his balloon reasceDGs, and NJ. Nader was
peen again to climb up iho network and by
a marvellous effort 10 stop hole in his
balloon made by the shot OF his adversary
The Intrepide then became the assailaGt,
several shots having been fred by Ii.
Eadar at tho Prussiau balloon, which sud
denly whirled about and fe,i to the ground
with eiddy velocity. As soon as 1t reacbed
the earth detachment OF UhIanss who
were in the plain, and who had been toll
loving the aerial combatants throughout
this exciting struggle rushed forth, and,
surrounding the balloon, received their
champion God knows in what condition.
They then fastened off at full speed to
The Prussian advance-post. In the
meantime, M. Naday safely de-
scended at Charenton, where he IS still
at this moment" The Echo du Parle-
ment, commenting on this recital, observes:
"While the Nouvelles du Jour was pub
fishing this extraordinary account of an
mral combat, we read in the correspond
ence addressed from Versailles to the
Times of the Both September the following
paragraph; AN inexphcable phenomenon
has lust been witnessed at Versailles.
Two balloons attached to each other, were
seen lowering over Pairs, moved by a
strong east wind in the direction of the
Forest of ST. Germans, but they suddenly
disappeared behind somo distant trees. !"
The Brussels Journal also states that q
smaller balloon WAS perceived about the
same time above Netfe, near Bastogne,
near which place itseemed to have slowly
descended. II was supposed TO have as
ceuded from the garrison OF Metz.