Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1870-05-21
Five Miles Above the Earth-A Thrill
ling Adventure.

One dull day in August, jnst ssIcr
noon. balloon rose in The cir at the foot
Of Cloei HUI, on the western edge OF tie
centre plain oi EagIanJ. lsuas inflicted
with tue lIgh hIesI vi gssses Which cheml-
cal skill could produce, and il rose with
smszing velocity. A mIle Up and it en-
iefed stratum Of cloud more than a,tou.
sand feet thick. Emerging from this, tie
son shono brightly on the airline; The sky
overhead was OF the clearest and deepes,
blue, and below lay cioudland-an im.
measurable expsnse OF white clouds
whose sutlsce looked as solid as that Of
the earth not wholly lost 10 view. Lofty
mountains. and deep, dark ravines, sp-
pesred below the peak and The sides Of
those cloud mountains next The sun gilt
ierine like snow, but casting shadows as
II they were solid rock. Up rose The
balloon with tEeH endouslveloeIiy. -Four
miles above lbe earth a pigeon VAS lo0s-
ed; it dropped down as il IL was o stouc.
The air vas too thin 10 enable il 10 rs.
II was as II barque l,den TO ihe deck
were TO pass from the heavy waters o,
The sea into an inland unss!lne lake, the
bsrque would sinh st onre in The thinner
walere Up, up. stliI higher Whist a 81.
lence profound TIE heights OF he sky
were sill as The teepe'I depths OF the
ocean. where. as was found during the
search for ,lrp lost Atlantic cable, the mud
lies as unslirred from year 10 yesr as the
dus. which inpercepuby gsthcrs on the
furniture OF deserted Euuse. No sound.
no llfe-onIy lhe bright sunshine falling
through a sky It could not warm.
Up-mfes above the earth !-ti her
thtn The Inaccessible summit of CGmb1-.
razo OF Dswangr. Despite the scn.
shiae, everything fretzes. The air grows
TOO thin TO support lie. even for few
minutes. Two men only orc in the ship.
that adventurous bsloon-lhe one sIeer-
ing the air ship, The other watching ibo
sclenufc instruments, and recording them
with rapidly OF long practice. Sudden
ly, as the latter looks at his instrument
his sight grows din he takes lens TO
help his sighr. and only marks from the
''Is' 'hND o'c "S''hk
pidiy. Brandy is within foot 0l bIm:
he TIED 10 reach ii. bot hs srms refused
10 obey his will. lie tues 10 cell on bis
comrade, who has gone up IN the ring
above, whispering that deep silence
would suiiicc-bul no sound come. irum
hrs lps-he is volc, less The stcersmSn
comes down in the car; lie sees hIs com
rsde in a syoon. aud he feels bis own
sense falling him.
lie saw al once Tia, life and death
hung upon a few moments. lie seized
or ireG 10 selze the valve, in order to let
out gas. lie seized the valve with bis
teeth, it opened lil,le-once, twice.
thrice. The balloon began to decend.
Then the swooneJ marksmsn returned 10
consciousness AMI saw he sleersmsn
standing before i'm He looked a, his
lns'rumebis but now The barometer was
raising rapidly; The balloon was descoud.
ing. Brandy Vas used. They bad been
| higher above The earth tbtn mOuII man
or any living hing had ever been before.
! One minute more Of inaciion-- Of CON pull
sory nacuon--on the par, Of a steersman
whose senses were falling him, and tho
sirship with its intensely rau fed gas
would have been floating unattended. with
two cOrPseS IN tue wide realm Of space.