Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1874-01-21

nearly FIVE thousand miles IN balloon,
and has seen more of the continent of Af-
rica than all former travellers put togeth-
er. is a French soidier--a lieutenant
in an engineer regiment. During the
siege of Paris, when balloons were sent
every few days with letters to the Bordc-
aux Government, there was naturally Y a
lack of eropauts Lacaze volunteered
for the service helng bold young fell
low of tweuty-three, without family ties.
After two ascensions in captive balloon
he was Judged competent to take charge
Of an aerial mail, an' on the 9th OF JAN
uary. 1871, he s'srdcd in the balloon
Richard Wallace, at nine o'clock in the
evening.
The night was a very dark one" said
Lacazc, aud "though there was hardly
any wind at thJ surface of the earth. no
sooner had assembled TO about a, 600 feet
than was conscious ,ba, the balloon was
in "a srroug current. The clouds hid the
lights of the city from me, and | could
form no idea of the direction in which l
was going, At dawn iound myself pass
ing with tremendous rapidlty in soulher-
ly direction. hut from the occasional glimp.
ses which | obtained OF the earth TIN ough
the riffs Of cloud, | could furln 10 idea of
the diataucc | had travelled. | had sup
posed that u balloon did not move much
faster than thirty miles per hour, and up
on this calculation | formed the theory
that at dawn | must be- not more than halt
way between Paris and Bordeaux. De-
sinng 10 descend as near as possible to the
latter place. | decided TO keep oil, aud II.
the balloon had fallen somewhat during
the igh' | threw cut sand-bag, aud
went uerriIy on my way.
Nov had enormously underestimate
the speed Of the balloon. which must nave
been fully eighty miles per hour. lus'cad
of being over the centre OF France was
near its southern coast, driving rapidly
tow ,rds the Mediterranean. lnisDorance
oi this, | made my breakfast and snok ed
a few cigarettes. happy III the belief that
| was serving my country ny making au
unusual successful Voyage. l had been
kept awake all nj gh', aid, though moi
conscious of fatigue, must have really been
,oncwha, exhausted by the nervous e1.
clIcnenl Of the voyage. Al all events,
fell as;eep, and when l awoke found
that ,he sub Was high il The heavens.
Tie hurrrr Of the moiuenl l can new
cr forget. | bel,=ved myself certain to
Pc drowned, Il mode of death to which |
a. French soldier who has a right to
EXPECT an honorah,c death on the battle
II ii, Is strongly objected. There wa'
.,.hlng to hc d.ne. however. To descend
Was only 70 hasttu the inevitable caias'
.,ophc. The expanoicn of gas cause by
he heat Of the SUI had seui the balloon
up to IA Tremendous height, hut Us il
showed no signs OF bursting, and remained
at nearly the sai,,e level, thought it oes
no, TO waste the gas by descending near.
er The earth. Ny balloon was well sup
piled with ballast, Of which there were
400 klos of saud-hags, while the car
the dispatches, the food ahj everything
detachable. with tae solitary exception Of
The 9tonaut. weighed in the aggregate
abou, 300 kiIos none. The baloo'
was OF 2.049 cubic metres In measure
u'en'. ana you VI at once u"dcrsiant
taut Inc inevitable leakage Vt tie lar wa
ne cris lhIng III Inc va! Of L I0og voy
age. As II was. calculated that by
gradual throwing out OF ballast, AMI b.
finally cutting loose the car and clingin
10 the netting could keep in the nj
from five to SIX days. provided did no
meet ai'h heavy rain.
1T had not occurred TO me that ha'
r-ach, the Aledilerran an, hut lsupp.se
that change OF wind had carried the Nv
er the Atlantic. iheiei0re resolved 4
stay by the balloon II. long as it renliine'
in the air until should meet vessel
whose crew might save me II descende'
hear to them. Bofore noon ] passed owe
German nap.oi.war. Or course | di,
not propose to give my "e,palches to th
enemy or i' ark mercy Of the invaders o
Frunce. The vessel. however, gave M
fixed point from which to take my de
parture. and | found l was still mosip,
south, aid at very rapid tate.
Il saw 10 more Vessels that day. A
about seven o'clock iD the ai'ernooh sav
IN the far southward the dim line of tn
i. coast. For the first time | now realize,
, my situation. Hastily Juggling out ih
book Of charts which belonged to the bal
locn, followed with my eye eours
nearly due south from Paris, aud perceived
that nust be approaching the coast o
Africa. The discovery did not redssur
f me. | could not venture to land in tn
, dark, and the night would be upos me be
! fore | reached the coast. There was D, th
, ing to be done but to wait for daylight
/. and trust that the wind yould be so as no
to carry me toe far into the interior.
i. The night, you may well behe,c. wa
, an anxious one. and said my prayer
, more than once with an earnesiness tha
greatly comforted me. could see IL
I lights below ne. aud could FIRM no ide'
Q OF The rate ! was trave'ing The morn
. Inv came AZ lDst. md when fhe hlessc
/. sunlight permitted me TO perceive any
/, thing below m., | found myself s,ill float
r INK southward. though at u slow rate, an
: at an elevation Of not more than tire
2 hundred feet over vast and boundlcs
: cxpunsc of sand. 1t was the Desert 3
0 Sahara.
40 descend and die in the sand wa
/, even worse than 10 descend and die in tn
I ocean. How mIey leagues distant A
!, geria might be ! could form no idea, an