Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1872-10-31
A Night Ride in a Balloon Over the
Wilds of Maine and Canada.

Wilds OF Maine and Canada.
The balloon voyage made by Mr.
Samuel A. King and the writer, Septem,
Der &c to -, which had Plymouth, n II.
for its place of beginning, and the little,
obscure settlement of SayabeC, in the
Province of Quebec, on the line of the
new lnter.Colonial Railway, for its ter.
minal point, must certainly be regarded
as one Of the most thrilling and remark.
able aerial journeys which has ever taken
place in America. In fact, few OF the
balloon voyages made in France or Eng
CLAN, of which record has been made,
equal it either in extent or duration or
distance. The widest and most desoate
regions Of New Hampshire, Maine, and
the extreme lower portion of the Province
of Quebec were traversed, to the VERY
shores OF the Cult of st. Lawrence, the
voyage even extending out over that vast
desert of waters, a contrary current of
air fortunately bringing the balloon to
land again. The whole distance travelled
must surely have been in excess of 500
miles, inasmuCh as the distance in an air.
line from Plymouth to our final landing
place is found to be 450 miles Our gen
eral course probably varied very little
from direct line, until the waters OF the
Gulf OF st, Lawrence were reached. when
we descended into contrary current
which was blowing inland Had we con.
tinued on over the Gulf in our original
course, we should have reached, in few
hours, either the Island of AutiCosti or
the northern coast of the Gulf contiguous
to the boundary line between the Prov
ince of Quebec and Labrador, 800 or 600
miles below Quebec, region sparscly
populated by Indians and few French.
Nearly the whole iourney--in fact every
inch of it after the White Mountains
were passed--was travelled in the dark
ness of a stormy night, and most of it
over trackless wilderness.
The balloon passed over not only nearly
all the highest peaks of the White Noun
tains, and within almost a stones throw
Of Mount Washington itself, but over
scores upon scores of other mountains in
Maine and Canada, besides lakes and
rivers inhumerable. The time occupied
in the voyage was from is on the after.
noon of Thursday the 26th, until o'clock
on the morning of the 27th-twelvc hours
and forty.two minutes and two addition
loon to the tree-tops and in making our
way to terra tirma, as our descent was
made in a dense forest. The ascension
was made in connection with the Grafton
County IN. H. Fair, and was the main
feature of the closing days proceedings.
The balloon used on the occasion had a
capacity of 10000 cubic feet, and was in.
tiated with pure hydrogen gas, manutac-
tured on the grounds, to the extent of
lG. coo or Il, 600 cubic feet. After the
balloon had been filled with the requisite
amount of gas, the preparations for our
departure were soon effected, although
they were slightly delayed by rain. We
provided ourselves as matter of course,
with warm overCOats, for the balloon was
quite sure to reach "a chilly region amid
the clouds. The remainder of our outfit
may he briefly enumerated. First in i'm
portance was a small basket of provisions,
our next important item of personal bag
gage was gallon can filled with water.
an Aneroid barometer dry and wet bulb
thermometer, Colton's Railroad, Town
ship and Distance Map Of New England,
a relief map Of the White Mountains, two
pocket COmpasSes, two pairs of opera
glasses, note book, small flask of brandy
and an umbrella made up the rest. The
people who gathered to see us off doubt
less marveled at our selection Of the
latter article, but they would have
deemed our choice wise one
could they have seen what good service
il rendered few hours later. We were
enabled to take three bags of sand ballast,
which, in its moist condition, probably
weighed about 225 pounds Strange as it
may seem, fully one half this amount was
left in the bags when we descended
showing that the balloon had expended
considerably less of its buoyancy than
2, 600 cubic feet Of hydrogen gas would
furnish, Notwithstanding the lapse of
nearly thirteen hours. while the actual
weight the balloon had to carry was from
time to time increased by the rain. A
thousand cubic feet of pure hydrogen is
supposed to be capable of lifting sixty
pounds, and this estimate would give the
whole machine a lifting power Of from
600 TO l,020 pounds. Allowing 300 for
the weight OF the balloon itself (gas.cn
yelope, netting and basket, and 225
pounds for the ballast, the remaining
weight was divided about a. follows:
Passengers, 1926, anchor, thirty five
pounds; anchor-rOpe and guide-rope, fifty
pounds; barometer, etc. twenty-five
pounds. At AIS o'clock we bid Plymouth
adieu and assembled, not swiftly but mod
erately, toward the murky-lookingu Clouds.
The surface current was apparently from
the north or northwest, but some of the
clouds had been drifting northeastcrly, in
the direction of the mountains The bal
loon probably remained in sight Of the