Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1871-08-02
Balloon Ascension from Montpelier,
July ith. 1871.

Al an interview on the morning Of Mon
day, July 3d. with the Committee and Gai
Officials, the latter gentlemen informed IN,
that they had supposed it would make nc
difference whether the balloon was filled in O
couple Of hours or os many days; and
butonc of their banks Of retorts was fired up, II
was absolutely necessary that part Of thc ga,
should be run into the balloon on the afternoon
Of the Sd. Although such o course was very ob.
icotiouabIo for many reasons, (most Of which
were stated yet, there being no alternative
reluctantly asson,ed and made immediate
preparations therefor. desire here and
now to state, that no reflection whatever /.
Justly chargeahle, either to the Committee or
the Gas officials, for the fact that the osccn
sion had to be made with a partially filed
balloon on the contrary, everything in then
power was done TO the very utmost to insure
successful exhibition. On the evening Of
the Sd at & o'clock the first flow Of gas COM
mencei, and in couple Of hours or so there
were hy estimate five thousand cubic feet Of
20. transferred to the balloon From this
time until about 3 r. NJ Of the 4th the gas
was alternately shut off or let on as required
/ for Illuminating purposes. At the last mem
toned hour notice was received from the
works that we had exhausted their supply,
and that no more gas could be furnished
Mr. James Starkwoather, my very efficient
co.aijutor upon whom, by his own election
the cxhausting measures Of initiation had
wholly dcyolycd) at 1853 p. NJ announced
everything ready for the AERIAL flight. At this
moment | was more than ever impressed
with the hazardous journey before me, and
rapid summing up Of the conditions of " the
situation developed the following First,
the gas at our command instead OF being sulli-
cient to liit two persons, together with a
liberal supply Of ballast, as originally intend
ed was found to be only capable of taking
the rronaut and thirty-6ye pounds of sand,
quantity by no means adequate to insure a
safe landing in high wind Of course it
was necessary under these circumstances to |
leave behind everything that could be dis
pensed with, such as the barometer, Their
field glass, oyercoat, etc Secondly, |
the wind, which by estimate was moving at
the rate of twenty-five miles an hour. Such
wind with ample means at hand TO regulate
the motions Of the balloon, would possess no
particular torrors to an experienced air nayi-
gator but where the means Of so regulating
the motion are wholly wanting, it renders
o safe descent difficult if not impossible |
Now what was to be done? Either the as
,ension was to be made HeN, 10 the gratifca-
ion of the largest crowd ever assembled in
or they were to be sent away
grumblng and dissatisfied if it were post.
'onod to a future day. As far as the assem-
lied multitude could be expected to under
tand the case there was nothing to prevent
arryiug out the advertised programme. And
rad a postponement been announced, the dis
appointment, to say the least, would have
provoked many hard thoughts and express
lions, and perhaps something worse For
hese, and many other reasons that would re-
luire too much space to specify, | decided
% 60, and accordingly, at the appointed time
he last connection with earth was severed
md the ascent began. Itwould be proper to
mention here that the place chosen for the
imitation was admirably sheltered from the
force Of the wind by a noble row of trees
As the balloon rose above its shelter it was
driven by the power of the wind into the
tops Of the trees between it and the State
House, momenariy checking its motion |
swinging clear Of these, the basket struck |
heavily against lamp post 1t was evident
that all the ballast must be Immediately
thrown out to prevent the apparatus from
dashing against the walls of the State House
this being promptly done, so largely increased
the ascensive power, that all earthly obsta-
cles were cleared at a bound had hoped
and expected to get away from the ground
without dischargng the whole of the ballast.
With eight or ten pounds Of the same, toll.
erably safe landing might have been made
within a few miles of Montpelier. But this
was not to be- aud for the first time in my
balloon experience, was utterly powerless
to control my descent, which must take place
whenever and wherever the gradual loss of
gas should compel Having no barometer,
had no means of determining the altitude, but
should Judge that few minutes after starting
it must have been nearly or quite two miles
The atmosphere was generally clear, ant
with good field glass, should have proba
bly, been able to discover many points Of in
terest invisible to the unasssted eye Tx
perts in the art Of ballooning will readily
understand the reason why | decided not tC
open the valve but for the benefit of other
will state, that such course would hay,
added to danger already sufficiently formida
BILE besides, il would have been, to a certain
extent taking my fate into my own hands
instead Of trusting wholly in Providence, a
| had mentally resolved to do, when the DIES
perate condition of my affairs was fully real
lied.
At twenty-five minutes past five, it became
apparent that my final contact with cart
must soon be made. According to the bes
information have since been able to obtain
the balloon must have travelled at a rate o
speed Of about fifty miles an hour Its patti
had evidently deyiated many times in ethe
direction from straight line; (the place o
landing is said to be forty-six miles from
Montpelierl confess that, within the limit
to which must here conGne myself, | an
unable adequately to convey an idea of tn
tumultuous character of the landing Suite,
it to say, that the grapple caught for an in
slant only, to be violently wreached away sew
, oral times until AZ last an anchoraoa ,vas an