, 1873-10-31
A FRlGHTFUl BALLOON VOYAGE.
Struggling for Life in tl.o Pnciflc
Occnn-'A'hrco Miles High, ana the
Ensterty Current UmMtscOvcrcd.

Ensterfy Current Undiscovered.
From tho San Irancfsco Chronicle, Oct. 10.
+" Prof. Durot," was Advertised to take place
yesterday. Early In tho morning tho imitation
Of tho malnmoth balloon "New World, !" bolong-
Ing to- Prof.. Lay, was commenced. Tho matn
running into tue Gartlons is but small, md tho
balloon, therefore, filled slowly. Whom the
hour advertised for tho ascension approached 1t
WIS aacertatnod TINT tho advertised bal1oonist,
wav not going up. Among tho passengers
billed for tho excursion, however, WAS
Chronicle reporter, ". W. Austin, who had mado
two balloon asconslons. Whom the reporter
was lkoly to Prove hasco, ho volunteered to
tako cllargo Of tho ascension himaolf, md under
his guidanco tho ascension was made. At
o'clock there vas not sufficient gas in tho bal-
loon. aud delay y OF one hour was found to be
fcct OF gas. yet at o'clock thoro was but 10000
feot of gus in It. This was considered sufficient
to carry two passengers, and the Chronicle re-
porter and Edwin H. Olongh stopped into the
basket. The balloon shot upward with light
cisco, with its citizens and houses, looked
Like 4 panorama in tho distance. Market
street was clearly. Defined, and tho otllor
intersect it ut almost right nngles The pcoplo
below looked like pignies and tho houses we're
aB toy~shopa for children. Far away to tho
right spread tito bay. It was, to the ballooniatB,
tho I noantaina, grand in thoir solemnity, but but
seeming like so nany molehla to the voyagors
in tho mir. To tho loft was, apparently, thick
mist. Tho compass at this tinso told the direc-
tion of tho mist. It was directly west, aud the
commander Of tho balloon aurmacd at once that
this was tho Pacific Ocean. For the first two
minutes tho balloon drifted rapidly toward this
mist. Tho reporters hand was on tho valye-
rome, rcady to pull it any moment. But sud
t1n1jO
air changed, and tho air-ship was driven
rapidly toward tho caat. Over tho busy city, In
which thousands wore gazing upon tho pnny
looking monster, tho balloon swept. Sal, Fran-
Alcatraz was 5,st bonoatL tho basket, aud tito
course was still eastward. Tho commander be-
gan to tlattcr himself that ho had found tho
eastern current" and indulged in visionary
hopes Of rsaching New York on tho next morn
ing. Up, up. wont the balloon, and eastward,
oastwar1 WAS itH course. The bay now gintonod
in tho declining sun, and, looking down from
tho basket tho reporter SOW TINT 10 was above
the middle OF it. Three minutes more with q
favorable wind would have carried him beyond
foothills tho descout would have been
easily and tafey accomplished. Again tho
commander aud Lis companion 1attered them
nelycs that all waa woll aud as sort OF con-
gratulatorv sncri1ice the companion drank bot
tic of soda, six Of Which bud beeu finished by
Nlr. Stavons, tho proprietor Of tho GareenH. 1t
was now twenty-five minutes past4 o'clock-jnat
five minutes after tho great ascension. Tho
barometer showed that tho voyagors wore just
ono mile and II half above sea Lowell. The mir
current still went steadily to the cast, and tho
great theory OF IN easteru current seemed about
to bo established. The air-ship, releaBod from
the fotterB Of earth, seemed to Hoar aloft with
Joy aud gladncss. Up, up. it went, and at half
pnAt the barometer married. an altitude Of two
miles. Still going eastward aorosH tho bay, the
hr1t-
top, aud It waa difficult matter to determine
Which way tho balloon was really going. Tho
compass appeared to point in oil directions. Still
it waB possible to make M estimate by tho laud-
marks, md up to this time tho ntr-slip Ind I'LL
doubtedly gono east. Within two minutes, how
ever, tho balloon began to verge toward the west-
ward. The s'mst :" in the distance bocamo more
apparent. At this timo the air-ship must have
boon travelling at great speed. Tho mist tho
commander took to be the Boa, and ho at onco
| attempted q descent. They wero hoyering Just
| over the Golden Gate. It wuB evident to tho
| Chronicle MIN that tho only course left was to
| ascend. Accordingly ballast was thrown out.
| and tho air-eiip once moro roHo among tho
clouds. Up for three miles the balloon asconL-
| cd. Thon current Of wind, blowing directly
| towards tho northwest, struck It. Suddenly and
without any warming tic car began to doBcond.
1t was Mt this tino about tllreo miles hight
havo boon startling to any ono but an OK
pcriouced balloonist. Bag after bag Of sand was
caHt into the soa, but still tho balloon was
sinking. Noxt won't tho lunch which Ind been
aud, with sish nnd almost Il tear, the soda
water was sacrificed. Sill tho air-ship came
rapidly down. aud the anchor, as q lsst resort,
/ was Gust into tho yawning sca. dash. .
splurgo, aud the basket touched tile water. Tho
balloon careened oyor, aud uayel the lives Of it's
inmates by Keeping tic basket atloat. Through
tho ringing. waves Of the ocean tlle basket
pllongl'ed ita way, dragged aIong by the hugo
lug to the ropes. The chronicle man, unfortTil.
natoly, was at tho bottom OF tho basket aud US it
rollod around, rearing its WY through the waves,
he was battered md beaten, a,,d carried beneath
| duck. Huid Ills compani on:
"Cling on, old boy; there's boat coming to
| u.s."
Two sturdy men bont their muscles to the Mt
most, and aooM tho boat was, alongside !he
ono Of tic men. Olough grabbed and WIS soon
safe on board tho bout. The Chronicle
man tried to grab, too, bnt he was further
OF and tho boat yoercd OIL. Relieved Of the
weight ct T. o1S man tue balloon ut once arose q
balloon wont, lfghtonod ind b1oyant Tho re-
only hope was to pull the yalvo rope, briug It
down again, nnd trust to tho boat, ''Bring her
low you" She came down With d vengeance,
and with it came tho reporter. Onco agatn he
wns immersed in tho wutors Of tho PACIFIC.
'' Got out Of tho basket" aloutel tho boat;
men; ''get on tho outside; wen
have you all tight yet" Tho 70.
porter triod to oboy instructions, knowing
full we'll that all hope Of saving tho balloon war
was utterly impossible for him to oxtricate
himself from the intrcato mosllos Of the basket
A pair Of han,la erasped tho reporters head
another pair took Ills right arnlt md still another
his loft urn; llo was fairly dragged from tue
from tllo nir-ship it aprang aloft, shooting away
until il appeared a moro dot III tho distance.
MISCELLANEOUS.
President A. u. White, Of Cornoll Univorsi'
ty, made, tho othor day speech ill defonse ot
pralBlng agricultural colleges mid Aciontltlo farm
Ing, ho stated that little Cortland County. dur