The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1873-07-03
ELEVEN HUNDRED MILES RY BAL
LOON.
An Interesting story ReiO1d-FrO
t~s~.sr Wase.s chance Of success.

An attache of the Daily Graphic yesterday
had an interview with Mr.. eager, of the
firm of Charles Haviland & Co., Park place,
who was one of the party of aeronauts who
made the remarkable balloon voyage from
St. Louis to Henderson, jefferson county,
n. Y in 1859.
"Yes," said Mr.. eager, 81 was one oil
the party; and must say my experience on
that occasion fully convinced me of the FEAST
biliiy and advantage of aerial navigation"
"How many formed the party? How did
YOU come 20 take part in the triP|'
swell, / became acquainted with Mr..
La Mountain, the aeronaut, at Bennington,
VI. | made few little experimental as
tensions with him: and 1 saw that balloons
are almost a. manageable as ships. So, when
he proposed to start from st. Louis on a
voyage across the Atlantic, l helped him
with funds for the construction Of the balloon
| Atlantic We made the ascension from St
Louis on the first of July, 1859, at O'Clock
in the evening. There were four of us on
board-Professor Wise. John In Mountain,
W. HYDE, then local editor Of the St. Ldui-
Republican, and sill on the paper, and
| myself"
Then You were in the balloon all night?'
"Of course. We wanted about two hour
| making experiments in raisisg and lowering
| the balloon into different currents of air.
| We made the SIN rise and set five or six
times"
"Wow do you mean?'
"Why, when We descended into a lower
current the Gun would set; then when We
| raised the balloon to higher currents We
would make the sun rise again. 1t was moi
| Till 9 O'Clock that We fairly set cut on our
Journey"
"How high did you ri~e, do Jon sup
pose?'
''Oh, at one part Of the journ"--. WI" ~"
got into the tornado, We ~en; =. - O.! as
four miles"
| "Was it very coldT'
| "rerrible; water froze in the bucket in a
: very few minutes"
"You were swept along with great rapid
ity. suppose
I'VE went eleven hundred and fifty
miles in nineteen hours and twenty min
utes."
"Why, you must have been battered
about a good deal going at such rate as
that"
"That's the great mistake which people
make about ballooning. Don't you see, the
balloon is simply borne along upon vast
current OF air always setting IN one dIrec'
ton, according to different elevations. You
cannot tell that You are moving at all. There
il nothing to josie you or cause oscillations.
You may be moving along at the rae OF one
hundred miles an hour. yet you perceive no
movement Whatever. When We were caught
| in the tornado We went q hundred and
twenty-si1 miles in SO minutes, yet no mo-
ton could be perceived; it Was As though We
we're suspended in the air. 1t was only by
! looking over the side of the car that the mo-
ton and direction of the balloon could be
ascertained. My impression is, that but for
l,eing caught in the tornado and wrecked, a.
We were, all could have gone across the At
lantic in from thirty-six to fOrty-eight hours.
II ia a trip shall never regret having made.
have much faith in balloonine, and be-
lieve We shall zee them utilized yet"
"Do YOU think that Professor Wise {
theory about the Eastern air current is cor
rect!'
"Most undoubtedly. He clearly proved
| its existence on that occasion. We ascended
at St. Louis, and the Eastern current swept
us eastward to Henderson, Jefferson county,
n. Y, at twenty minutes past two the next
afternoon. We passed over Lake Erie and
spoke with some of tie ships. We went
over the Lake q; about s.vent; feet above its
surface"
| "Ifow about this tornado?"
swell, you see We we're caught in il be-
| fore We were aware OF il. Professor Wise
happened to look out, and he saw the tope
of the trees bending like wheat in field.
He said: We had better rise quickly, or We
shall he caught in the Storm So We threw
out ballast, and shot mp four miles. That
was when We went along 1t the rate Of one
hundred and tweuty-eix miles in ftty uin.
u,es. We thought We would descend in
Jefferson county. tu: tree caught the bal
loon and tore il"
"Eid any Of you have any accident"
s'Oh, no; We we're none Of us hurt at all.
You eee the landing is the only time when
there is any danger With balloon. You
! 90 IN straight enough, AID while you are
| floating in the air there is nothing can pos.
sibly harm you; but when You come down
| You have 20 ne careful of trees and build
ines."
looning!
'.Nost certainly. think it il going "a
accomplish grand results; and Professor Wise
| is the man to take the initiative"
"You think he will GET over the Atlantic
safely?
II thinR all the probabilities are In hin
favor."-Duily Grapkie.