New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-10-13

/ true position. Althougn We nau zen
Plymouth only ffty-seyen minutes before,
we were already sailing over mounts Clay,
Jefferson and Adams, forty miles distant
from Plymouth in an air line. While In the
clouds we had sailed over Pemigawasset
mountain, lust, west of Mount Carrigain,
| Wiley mountain, and thence across the
| White mountain notch not far above the
Wiley House, and over mounts Webster,
| Jackson, Clinton, Pleasant, Franklin, Clay,
Jefferson and Adams Mounts Monroe,
! Washington and Madison were left little
distance to the east, and with these three
| exceptions we had passed over every peak
| of the White mountain range proper.
Although had been upon the summit of
| every peak+ east of the White Mountain
| Notch save Mounts Webster and Madison,
| failed to recognize any of those we saw,
| until subsequent developments showed our
| course to have been as above, clfGum-
| stance well enough accounted for in the
| changes and unfamiliar appearance OF
| eyeryt hing when seen from above. Mount
| Washington was yelled in clouds as we de-
scended from a much higher altitude but q
| short distance northwest OF 1t, and salleo
| over Clay, jefferson and Adams, and from
| the latter we looked across the great gun
| inst in time to see its cone dlmly appearing
| among the mists which were for the moment
partially dispeIled. None of the buildings,
| however. were to be discerHad, and 1t was
not until we had crossed the valley OF the
| Androscoggin and approached Lake I'm.
| bagog, far beyond, that the real truth OF
our position dawned upon u.s.
| NIGHT OVER UNKNOWN PLACES.
Thew passed the Androscoggin valley
| imagining that it was Saco valley. They
| heard the whistle of a steam engine, but
were unable to hear anything 1urther'
| Their progress at this time was at the rate
| of fiftY miles an hour. They soon discoy-
cred that they were leaving the human
| habitations behind them. They heard wood
| cboppIng and saw camp fires apparently IN
| dense woods Night had now fully set In
| About ten o'clock Mount Carmel, the last
| recognized landmark. faded from view
The report says:
II was a strange sensation, and by no
means pleasurable one, to be thus jour
neying through the air over a wild and
densely wooded region of which we knew
nothing-for even our course was hidden
from uB-with strong probability that we
would ultimately be compelled to descend,
perhaps in the very heart of the wilderness,
and work our way out as best we might
without the most remote indication Of
which direction we had best take to reach
the nearest settlement, and that 100 miles
or more away.
TREES AND WAVES.
They made several brief halts, but moved
on when their balloon showed any signs of
becoming entangled in the trees. The night
wore on very heavily. They had to be on
the constant lookout for mountain peaks,
and could not possibly get wink of sleep.
They found it hard work resisting drowsl-
ness. The stiffness around them was pain
full. While they sat up straight they were
comfortable enough, but on attempting to
take a reeumbent position they suffered
martyrdom. They were chilled at times
II II 1 I i Id
the earth they were very cOmfOrta BILE.
Twice during this painfully long night did
they hear the sound of breakers, and once
they were assured that they were flying
over water of some description. The pros
pect of Watery grave was not very pleas
ant, and they actually felt relieved when
found themselves among the tree tops
again.
With daybreak they began to feel that
they were in the neighborhood of some set
Element. The report proceeds:
We were now close to the tree tops, and
the guide rope was catching among the
branches. To detain the balloon when it
should become fastened to some of them
was no difficult matter, for there was a
light wind at the surface; but it became
necessary to steer clear, SO far as possible
of the high trees and the dead and scraggy
branches. A puncture of the balloon might
cause us to be precipitated to terra frma
more uncerem Oniously than we might de
sire. BY much pulling and hauling, and
not little pushing, we managed to naVi-
gate ourselves safely over the branches.
After much maneuvering they succeeded
in anchoring themselves to a tree and de-
scending to the ground, They quickly
made their way out of the roads and found
themselves near SayaheG, in the county of
Rimonski, province of Quebec The report
closes thus;
OUR VOYAGE AND THE DISTANCE TRAVELLED.
In the absence Of the maps of the re-
giOns it was almost impossible to estimate.
as to the distance travelled by the balloon,
and in the Geographic report Of our land
ing it was very considerably understated.
When we landed we were travelling back
ward on our track, and in the early hours
we had twice approached the coast Of the
Gulf OF st. Lawrence, once going far
out to sea- From our landing place
to the nearest point on the st. Law
renee river, Sandy Bay, the distance is
ten or twelve miles, but we must have APP
preached the shores Of the bay. and not
those of the river. northeasterly course,
in which we had been travelling through the
night, would have brought us to the coast
somewhere in the vicinity of Matane, thirty
five or forty miles beyond Sayabec, and ones
of the last parishes IN the province of Que.
bee. The whole distance travelled must
have been over 500 miles, of which some
eighty five miles were over the State of New
Hampshire, upward of 200 miles over
Maine, nearly 200 miles over Canada and
twenty miles or more over the gulf of St.
Lawrence, and it is possible that we sailed
over a little corner Of New Brunswick. Our
course over Maine, after leaving the region
of Lake Umbagog, must have been in gen
eral northeast line over the northern parts
of Oxford, Franklin, Somerset, Piscataquis
and Aroostook counties.