Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-01-03
e. THRILLING.
Airsslgrs q W PsrI.Iaa BaIIooaIsis
From tha London News, sth ]


ture narrated by Edgar Allan Poe
there has been no such voyage through
the air as that taken by two Parisian
a fortnight ago. They did not In
deed, enjoy the celestial revelations
nor accomplish the astronomical feat
described By the most imaginative O
AmeriCaus, for these two aerOnaut:
were eavel0ped in thick fog during
the greater part of tE5ir Journey
They we're not kept in constant alarm
by me lear Of running againsga planet
or Of falling down a lunar mountain
crater; on the contrary, the vision O
a star would have been hailed with
giaiuess in that long, dreary night
of thick darkness and cloud. 1t was
not IN the heavens above nor i'm the
earth beneath that their peril lay
Their fear was that they would be
Wheimed in the waters under the
earth. A quarter of an hour before
midnight OF Nov. 2ith this wonderful
journey began. At that moment NM
Paul Roller and Deschamps stepped
into the balloon that was 10 carry
them out of the bele8gured Paris
Whittier. they knew not; their desti-
nation depended upon wind and
weather, and such contingencies i'm.
pOss tle 10 arrange or f0reSee. They
wished 10 90 20 Tours, for they had
with them many bags Of letters from
anxious friends TO still more anxious
friends, many important dispatches
from the one half of the government
20 the other halt, whose safe delivery
involved, perhaps, the fate Of the great
s0rtje then at hand. But the wind
blOWeth where it listetb. In Paris,
the vaaes pointed to the north, and
the north wind would take them
whittier they desired to 90. The bal
loon, released frUm its trammels, shot
alOft more than a mile high, in order
that il might escape the unfriendly
saiu-6s OF the ueadle-gun. In that
high region the travellers found the
wind blowing in an opposite direc-
ton. They saw the whole PTussian
camp beneath them at g safe dis
tance, but Is they sped over
the heads of the foe, it was
not toward the Loire that they took
their way. These were departments
of the north. over which they were
hurried. Then they seemed to hear
the sound Of iunumerabl locomotives
rafting through some dea@ cutting.
They were beyond the region Of rail-
ways; the distant roar arose from the
waves SIS they dashed against the
rocks of the sea coast. There was no
means Of arrestiug their flight. In
few minutes they lost sight of the
breakers beneath them, for they were
Whiried into a thick mist, wherein
was no vision of any kind. They
knew that they were being swept on
ward, but they had no means Of
measuring their pace or Of ascertain
ing their destination. Emerging from
the mist, they saw the open sea be
meath them. dotted with ships. They
counted seventeen, among them
French corvette, and they made sig
mails 10 her, but she did not under
stand them, or at least did not answer
them. They thought they would de-
sCsud and float until the corvette came
up and took them of; but the ubiguit-
1us UHlan was there, as everywhere
alse--lhit IS 10 say, q vessel, no
i0ubt German, fired at them, and
hey had once more to eX-
change the perils Of the water for
hurled along toward the north with a
speed that 'dizzied the eve and be-
Vildered the brain. They were being
swept away toward the frozen sea,
Jut for them the mysteries Of the Are
ic Pole, the problem * the northwest
passage, would remain unsOlved. for
Oug ere they reached that wonderful
Jut desOlate region they would be
C1rpies, concealed TO death.
% they gave themselves up for lost,
md they sen out one Of their carrier
pigeons. not "a Noah sent forth his
love % return with the token Of de-
iverduCe, but to convey to Paris the
idiugs OF their destination. Yet
Hope springs eternal in the human
Jr-ast. D." and even i'm the hour Of de-
pair the travellers would not neglect
me last chance OF salvation They
ct down a rope, which dragging
through the sea, somewhat retarded
heir terrific pace. At last there was
and again. They threw out one of
heir bags Of letters, and, lightened,
he balloon shot upward. They had
10 desire 20 continue their voyage to- 1
yard the North Pole, so they opened
he valve, let out some Of their gas,
descended 10 the tops Of the trees,
nd at last, after much difficulty, sue
eeded in making the balloon fast,
nd alighted almost UnhUrt on the
old earth.
Where are they? They had not
he la.ute-t conception. They were
avenOUsly hungry, cruelty cold
he escaping gas nearly sufiOcated
hem, and they both tainted. There
vas not a house near, not a sigu Of
humanity. All around was snow and
he pine forest. Presently, they
aUglt sight of some creatures NOV
ng about; they were wolves. If the /
5Olves had been as hungrd as the
er0nauts it would have gone badly
ylla NM. Roller and Deschamps, es-
,ecially as there were only two men
o three beasts. But perhaps because
gesgierg tes iCUUs had dined quite re-
emily, they did not attack the new
Omers. These continued their toll
ONE journey, and, after plUnging
through the suOWdrifts came upon
abin where a fire was burning. I'll
vas empty, but soon two WOOd-cUt- I
ers entered, and then began one Of
hose pautOmimes TO which, since
poor mankind has, for
want Of q common language, been re- |
.uced whenever it goes a few miles |
,eyOnd its own home. The French |
nen naturally enough wished I
o know where in the world |
hey were. But though they |
ried the pUrest Partisan accent /
heir hosts could not understand a
FCrd. One Of them had a box Of |
matches in his hand, and a happy
hOught seized NJ. Boiler; he took the
,oX, and read on IL, Christiania."
30 they were in Norway, and they
lad made the journey Of six hundred
niles or more in thirteen hours, thus
handsomely beating the Scotch limi-
ed mail 70 Inverness by five hours.
Presently the pastor and the engineer
4 mines appeared. The latter was,
Il course, called Nills5en-everybOdy
3 called Nillssen in Norway, just as
.verybJdy is called Smith In England.
The engineer, not being English, was,
Il course, a good lingUist, and under
TODD the story Of the aerOnauts, and
,ut them in the way TO Christiania.
At Drammen they found that their
,allOOn haG been caught, and they
in safety their letters, instru-
nents, and carrier pigeons. The bal
0On they presented to the University
# Christiania, where it viii be one Of
he most remarkable articles Of the
-ery miscellaneous museum.
THANEnN AZ q PAeO