National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-10-17
Professor Kings Ascension.

N remts Tessed-An smseresetns AreeNnt I
the Tri
p II will be remembered that Professt
v Ming, the aeronaut, made an ascensio
from the Pemigewasset Trotting Parl
d the ascension being the closing ever
e Of the Grafton County Fair. The In
o loon left the ground nj III =. NJ, an
O six minutes later was lost 10 the sigh
| Of the assembled spectators, from tn
a density Of the clouds into which
a passed. Nothing was heard of the bal
loon until three days after, although
I landing was made after a trip of tw
I hours and half IL was feared tina
, the ballon had followed the course takel
last year. upon the occasion of the MS
cension made from the same locality
when landing was made, after serie
OF dangerous experiences, in the wood
Of Canada.
MIR. King reports that when he reach
% the regions above the clonds ever,
Ncatige OF the earth was hidden from
hls view except long dark mountain
which appeared TO be ten or fifteen
miles north or northeast of him. This
was, doubtless, Moosilauke. All the
other mountains were covered by clouds,
the upper surfaces Of which seemed Ia
conform to the mountains and valleys.
For time he seemed to be drawing
toward the mountain which he first
saw, but az he assembled higher ht
probably took different direction, fol
the mountain faded from view or was
lost in the clouds. II had been Mr..
Kings intention not 10 ascend above
the clouds, but to avail himself of the
surface current and thus journey to.
ward the Pass,impsic River Railroad,
over which he might be enabled TO take
the night train, and reach Lowell early
in the morning. This plan was frustra-
ted by tritling circumstance. As the
balloon was only partly filed with gas
at starting, the lower section was drawn
up on one side. Upon attempting to
pull the valve-cord he found that it was
retained by the cloth or by entangle-
ment with tho collapsing cord, and as a
disturbance OF the latter was not par
ticularly desirable, he deemed it the
better course to let the gas distend the
balloon and thus free the cords.
At 81 the barometer indicated only
fifteen inches, or height of Is, 022 feet
above Plymouth, which has itself an
elevation of 4SS feet, making an altitude
above the sea level of 1880 feet.
Fifteen minutes later the barometer
had sunk to 14.75, showing an altitude
about lS, $50 feet, or nearly three and
three-fourth miles. Mr. King was Mt
this time sailing high above the clouds,
and not fnr south of the Franconia
Mountains, although he had nothing to
indicate the latter fact at the time. He
began to realize that he had reached
cold region. An overcoat became de-
sirable, and there were other indica-
tons than cold temperature of great
altitude. For example, he found that
the pulsations of his heart were very
rapid and very noticeable, and there
were disagreeable sensations in the
head. The Thermometer ut 3; was at
twenty-six degrees, and it fell success.
sively to twenty-three at o'clock, and
twenty-one at Al, the balloon having
fallen to about IS. 800 feet at the latter
reading. The wet bulb was covered by
film of ice, and the mercury therein
condensed slower, marking successfully
twenty-eight, twenty-four, and twenty,
while the dry bulb marked twenty six,
twentythree and twenty one respective
ly. 1t afterward sank to nineteen,
while the dry bulb indicated twenty
four at 40, when the balloon had
descended to within 16, 1874 feet of the
sea level. At 4.25 the balloon was at
an elevation of FAT feet, and the tenn
perature was twenty-four, the wet bulb
still indicating nineteen. While the
balloon was at its greatest elevation,
the gas had expanded and distended
the envelope to its fullest capacity, al
though it had not been half filled ut
starting.
Mr.. King gradually began to see
through riffs in the clouds, but napght
but forests met his view. He could
also see beyond the cloud banks in
southerly direction. Not long after
leaving Plymouth, but after he get
above the clouds, he heard several dis
charges of cannon or rock blasting, but
no other sound came up to him in his
lofty quietude, the music of the noun
tain rills and cascades, even, being
hushed. As he descended toward the
clouds, he heard rail- Dad train be-
meath him, and, as he passed through
the misty mantle, he was brought d.
rectly over it, though yet at consider
able altitude. 1t was train on the
Grand Trunk Railroad, which was pass
ing through West Bethel, Me-, on its
way from Portland to Montreal. As he
sailed over the valley, Mr.. King Saw
the dark reflection of the balloon in the
water of the Androscoggin river. As
the balloon approached the ground the
drag-rope did good service, as the bal
loon itself was brought beyond the
cleared land and over the woods. He
decided upon crossing the woods and
landing in a valley he had previously
seen to the east and northeast, leading
into the Androscoggin Valley, and &C.
cordingly did so, the journey taking
him a further distance of about ten
miles, and directly over the top of Black
Mountain in Bethel.
At 8. 43 o'clock he landed the balloon
in a little cleared space beyond the
woods, and found himself on the land
of Mr.. Stillman Littlehale in Riley
Plantation. Mr.. Littlehale's place is
on the Bull Branch of Sunday River,
and there is no other clearing beyond
this for n long distance. After leaving
West Bethel. the balloon took the south
easterly surface current again, and drift
ed northwesterly toward the township
OF success, a wooded section of country
Just across the New Hampshire border,
which would prove anything but a sue
cess as landing place for balloon
traveller. A continuation of the north
easterly course which the balloon had
taken over the Franconia and White
Mountains would have speedily brought
Mr.. King over the Maine wilderness,
| which lie trayersed In his memorahla