Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-07-16
Balloon Travel.

Prof Wise, the most celebrated of all
balloonists, has entered into contract with
the publishers of the New York Daily
Gra9hic, to make balloon voyage across
the Atlantic this summer. The result of the
expedition, if the voyagers succeed, is to be
ielegraphed to the Graphic alone. Prof
Wise is to be accompanied by his assistant,
Mr.. Donaldson.
The theory of the daring voyager is that
there is an easterly current of air at con-
siderable height above the earth, the current
owing its direction mainly to the motion OF
the earth, and that on striking this his bal
loon will be carried with rapidity across the
ocean. He expects to be no longer than
sixty hours in making the journey. Prof
Henry Of the Smithsonian Institution urges
him to first make trial trip from San
francisco eastward across this continent, to
test bis theory of an easterly current of air,
before launching out over the ocean.
Wise thinks the journey across the CONT
nent would be attended with more difficult
ties than that across the ocean, as he would
haze to rise to greater height to clear the
mountains and further in 1859 he made a
balloon voyage from St. Louis to Jefferson
County, New York, and fully satisfied him.
self OF the correctness Of his theory
While Wise is planning for the most dar
ing expedition of its kind ever ATTEMPTED
there comes the account OF the death of La
Mountaln at Ionia, Michigan. This unfor-
tunate man, who had impoverished himself
by aerial experiments, undertook to make an
ascension on the 4th of July at Ionia. He
used hot-alr balloon, thing that no expe.
rienced aeronaut would trust himself in. and
beside made such careless arrangement of
the ropes attaching the basket to the balloon
that the spectators wondered at bis course
The ropes were attached to hoop that en-
c'rcled the balloon near the top, and running
downward from this hoop, inclosius the
swollen canvas, supported the basket in which
was the aeronaut. With strange reck ess-
ness each of the eight or ten ropes was
wholly uDconnected with the Others and
tbeo we're unevenly distributed about the
balloon.
Leaving the earth LaMountain ascepded tn
the height Of some two thousand feet when
the balloon had diminished in apparent size
to the dimensions of a hogshead. When this
point had been reached, the crowd to it's
horror beheld the balloon suddenly escape
from the basket. The ropes had become on
one side go widely separated that the bulg-
ing canvas forced its way out and the boon
was torn from Its fastening as the weight of
the car sank upon it in it's reversed position.
LaMountain struggled as he fell to get the
basket over him as parachute or umbrella
to retard his fall. In this he partially suc-
ceeded till within one hundred feet of tho
earth when he folded his arms and fa1I;n.
leet first was crushed into mere pulp.
His family was left in destitute circum-
stances. and purse was made up by the
spectators for their relief.
There was a celebrated aeronaut of the
same name who died six years ago, and
many at first confounded him with this man
VINO has SO suddenly been destroyed. The
o'ner LaMountain was skillful man who
nad made many ascensons, understood his
business. and died a natural death.
Ihe voyage of Wise and Donaldson will
determine whether the most skillful of the
men IL this dangerous profession are found.
Ing their expectations on the real or supnosed
conditions of the atmosphere. The exneri-
ments of so careless man as the Micbioan
unfortunate prove nothing as to the safety
If well constructed balloons.