Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1871-01-10
From Paris to Norway in a Balloon.

NJ. A. LIE MaOut describes In le Courier de
tEurope the very remarkable recent voyage of
two French gentlemen, Messrs. Roller and Be
zier, in balloon from Paris to the neighbor-
hood of Christiania. in Norway. They ascend
ed from Paris at III o'clock at night, with
bag full of letters and dispatches addressed to
various parts of France, England, &c., but at
A. NJ. were surprised to find that they were
sailing rapidly over the sea. AS the balloon
gradually assembled they sighted, orrather were
sighted by vessel, which proved to be Ger
man, and tlred some shots at the balloon; hap
PLY, however, without effect. They let fall
their bag of letters and dispatches, which were
picked up by the ship and posted on reaching
port, and some of which reached their destina-
tlon IN damp and mouldy condition. Re
lieved OF this weight, the balloon again ascend
ed, and was lost for some hours in clouds and
mist. but at about P. NJ the same day the
aronauts deserted the tops of some pine trees,
and soon after effected their descent in the
midst of bleak and barren wood, of the To-
callty OF which they were In entire ignorance.
Having made their way through bushes and
underwood, they fortunately discovered the
walls of an unroofed howell aud inside it the
remains of some potatoes. These they were
only too glad to eat, being half dead with cold
and hunger, and they slept within the roofess
walls for some 20 hours before they felt strong
enough to pursue their journey. Getting un-
der way once more, they found some villagers,
to whom they made known by signs. and by
drawing balloon on paper, the strange route
by which they had come thither. The natives
sent for the village pastor and for another per
son who could speak little French, when they
were told that they were In Norway. The Wis
itors were most kindly and Hospitality treated
as persons who had literally come down from
the skies, and they were forwarded, together
with their balloon and apparatus, on sledges to
Christiania, a distance Of 100 leagues. On
reaching the capital their presence created the
greatest sensation; fetes were improyised in
their honor; mothers held up their children
to see the Frenchmen who had come down
from the Clouds and the people raised loud
cries of France forever" They gave some
tangible proofs of their sympathy for France by
raising subscription on behalf of the wound
ed French, which in three or four days reached
some "A, 900 francs. The @ronauts gave their
balloon to the University of Christiania, where
it is exhibiting, the proceeds of the exhibition
being destined to be given to the sick and
wounded. Messrs. Roller and Bezer, who are
both young men, under 30, and married, reach
ed London few days atterward by the North
Star, and have gone back by way of St. Malo
to Tours and the south of France, which ap-
pears to have been their original destination,
though on reaching higher altitude the wind
blew them 700 leagues in an entirely opposite
direction from Paris. Their exploit, says M.
LIE Maout, has been already celebrated In verse
by the greatest living Norwegian poet-M. Je-
mas Lie.