American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-09-19
REMARKABLE BALLOON VOYAGE.
CLEVELAND, Ohio. Sept. 6.

REMARKABLE BALLOON VOYAGE.
CLEVELAND, Ohio, Sept. g.
THE balloon "City of Buffalo," which
started from the park in this city at IL Il.
m. Friday, made a most interesting voy-
age of nearly 500 miles, and landed at
IL 20 p. IN. near Smiths Greek, ten miles
from Port Huron, Mich. Its course was
at first northwest from Cleveland until
when about five miles from Cleveland it
rose into an easterly current and was
carried down; the lake to point beyond
Erie Then the balloon was brought
down several thousand feet into a west
erly current and carried to the mouth of
Detroit River, thence northward over
Detroit and Lake ST. Clair 10 point of
landing A special correspondent of the
Chicago Tribune, who accompanied Prof
King, says of the voyage:
AT noon our altitude was 2,971 feet
and we seemed almost stationary for Il
short time. The professor gradually dis
charged his sand ballast, hoping to find
a sea breeze at higher altitude, and
thus be enabled to pass over the land.
After short experience there, however,
it was found that we were destined to a
voyage lakeward, and perhaps to Buffalo,
which would have been a satisfactory
arrangement. At IL 80 our altitude was
z, 527 feet above the lake. At 80 p. NJ
the Buffalo was off gainesville, and the
air was still very light and variable.
Prof Holden sat with his instruments
constantly before him, and he consulted
the barometer and thermometer from
time to- time, reporting to Commodore
King the status of affairs, whether we
were rising or falling; while the Leader
man took the bearing and held the COM
pass. After a good, substantial lunch
the members of the expedition joined in
the chorus of several songs under the
leadership of Prof. King. At two p. m.
we noticed the singular but well-known
phenomenon of the different currents of
air in the upper deeps. The schooner
which we saw far beneath US was max
ing short tacks with the wind from the
northeast, while we at height of L. 52
feet were borne slowly in that direction
that is, we were under the influence of
a light air lit could hardly be called q
breeze from the southwestward.
Capt King on getting over the lake
let down his drag rope, a twO-inch ma
Mia cord about $50 feet in length This
had tendency to steady the air-ship, so
that its motion was almost impercepti-
BILE. At 2:30 the masts of a three-masted
vessel were seen standing about ten or
twenty feet above the surface of the water
off gainesville, or between that point and
Ashtabula. Our highest altitude up to
three p. m. was 2,096 feet; at 3:15, 4,200
feet above the level of the lake, or a, $50
feet above sea level; at 6 As p. m, 900
feet. just below the Erie peninsula
Capt. King decided to approach the lake
and try the merits of the drag-rope De-
scending until within about fifty feet of
the water, we struck the northeast cur
rent of wind, and instead of reaching
Buffalo, as we had hoped to do at one
time, we were borne swiftly on the back
track, and were swept along about west
southwest. Soon afterward the current
again changed, and our course was
thence about west-northwest, and we
gradually neared to land, to our satisfac-
ton We flew past Point-au-Pin, and,
slowly descending, we eagerly scrutiniZed
the shores to distinguish any permanent
point or settlement that might lie in our
path. At seven p. m. We ran in over the
Canada shore, and sweeping down close
over the land we ascertained that we
were just below Pointau-Pellee, in the
town Of Morsea, in Essex County, and
crossing thence the township of West
Tilbury and the widest portion of Lake
St Clair soaring away above the clouds
in our transit This was one of the most
intensely interesting and remarkable ex-
periences of our trip. The feeling
awakened in me was similar to that [
have known on witnessing some of the
gorgeous transformations in the " Black
Crook" at Niblo's. The great globe above
our heads seemed poised in "a perfect
vacuum, while not a word was spoken
for some minutes, as the minds of all
seemed thunderstruck at the strange,
imposing scene
While sweeping over the County of
Essex we had frequent exchanges of
words with the inhabitants, whom X ing
asked to take hold of our drag-rope
One fellow, an Irishman undoubtedly,
sang out, "Och, yee's going too fast for
that SO on we swept on our airy
flight, now rising, now slightly falling
and discharging ballast from time to
time as circumstances demanded a
weird and imposing scene lay below us,
while at times we were borne along on
the wings of the wind literally, and all
the time a solemn stiffness reigned.
81 At one point of our passage across
the Canada shore our drag-rope caught
In the trees and we were steadily
anchored, as it seemed, but not so steadily
either, for the wind blew in strong gusts,
and the aerial monster swayed fearfully
above our heads. Finally, after most
exciting experience, we manage, by
throwing overheard sufficient ballast, to
tear the rope loose, and the balloon shot
upward with a tremendous jerk, almost
After an hour and "A half of this cloud
experience, as near as we could Judge
for, as no fire was allowable near this
gassy monster, we could only judge of
our couTse and time by guess-work-
hing Judged il wise to approach our
neither world more closely to take obser
vatlons, for it was the opinion of several
familiar with lake navigation that we
were going in the direction of Lake
Huron, course that was TO be carefully
avoided in the present state of our ballast
and gas, which had both been largely
drawn upon.
Sighting the earth once more we saw
lights and fires of charcoal burners, and
the top valve was opened freely and
often to expedite our descent. Nearing
the abodes of our fellow men once more
we found that our course had been
changed in all probability, and the lights
of a large town were discerned. As we
approached the earth and could distin