Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-07-17
A GREAT BALLOON VOYAGE.

SAILING FROM BUFFALO TO New JER-
sEY IN THIRTEEN HoUBs-A VOYAGE
OF Four HUNDRED MILES, TRAVELS
ING FIVE STATES.
&C., &C., &c.
Another great American balloon voyage
was made on Saturday week, from Buffalo,
New York, being the third in point of
length that has been made in this country.
The Buffalo Courier" gives the following
interesting account of it:
Before cutting loose one of the voyagers
had his watch set at exact Buffalo time.
and by this chronOmeter Professor King
cut the rope, and the balloon left the
ground at precisely 604 O'Clock. One
minute after leaving the earth the balloon
lad risen to height of ], 400 feet. Pro-
lessor King decided to run rather low, and
| ,llnW the Buffalo to descend so that at
many times the drag-rope would touch the
| gro md, and frequent communication
puld be had with the people, whose gen
.al desire appeared to be that the balloon
puld come down." judging from their
| ltlal invitations, but who for the most
1T We're deaf to the questio. put to them
| regard to villages and other prominent
\
,catiun of Water Valley, which was pass
:. directly over at $40, was, hoMeXe1- dis dis
tnctly ascertained. This ;rsis the southern
village in the town Of Hamburger, aud very
soltl litter leaving it the balloon Travelled
I over Eden. Hearing the voices OF num-
Der of people, apparently
CELEBRATING THE GLORIOUS FOURTH,
the balloonist called out in sepulchral
tones, Prepare, prepare, prepared What
those who heard the warning thought
about it is one of those things the aerial
travellers did not find out, but it had the
effect of putting sudden stop to the voices
from below.
After the light of day died out. Professor
| King felt sufficient confidence that the di-
rection in which he had thus far sailed
would be preserved, to feel reasonably GER
| tain that the balloon would traverse the
mountainous regions of PEN sylvania, and
soon the hills began to uprear their hulks,
forbidding enough in the gloom. But bal
| last is power to q balloon, and there was
plenty Of that, little having been expended.
and as lofty hill after hill rose in front a
little sand would be sprinkled, and the
Buffalo would grandly soar over the
submits. There was peculiar feeling OF
victory in so easily overcoming those
mighty obstacles which the foot OF man
could surmount only by exceeding toll
and which railroads, aided by all the engin.
eering talent of the age, and by all that
money can do, must either cowardly travel
around OF laboriously bore through
sense of exultation, which only those be
ings who have had balloon experience OF
this sorI-and perhaps the birds-can APP
preciate. One thing was noted with pleas
ure, as
RANGE AFTER RANGE OF HILLS
was passed over. during the hours between
the death Of daylight and the rise OF The
moon, that the valleys were cultivated
and on several occasions the whistles OF
locomotives were heard These signs ol
civilizations proved that a region OF coun
try not entirely barbarouS was being Ell
tered, and nothing short OF crossing thu
Alleghanies would have satisfied any ont
of the party. The course could not be &C
curately determined between the dying Ou
of light and the rise of the moon, anf
hence the advent of her celestial highnes'
WAS awaited with much interest, and whel
the "sweet regent of the SKYE did sive
the scene she was most politely though en-
Enthusiastically welcomed. The great ad
), vantage of her illuminating presence wa
! thai tie direction Of the balloon could b
traced. The line If travel could be ascer
tanned by noting the course of the drag
. rope over the stationery objects on THE
) earth, and then the location in the heavens
| of fair Luna herself, OF that of the nortl
star, where it was not obscured by TIN
| higher clouds, would supply the thirt
point necessary to fix the direction. s.
the Buffalo"
SAILED ON ALL NIGHT,
flying over peak after peak. and the eyes o
those she carried so CALAMITY were pleased
with the sight Of cultivated lands i'll TIN
valleys. Below, also, were seen many sin
uous streams, some evidently large, and i
is likely that the west branch of the Sus
quehannl, the Juniata and the Susque
hanna itself were seen, and perhaps. eacl
several times. The mountains crossed
must have been tine spurs of the Allegha
MES, in Mckeon and Butler counties, TIN
Aleghanies themselves, probably crossed
in Clinton county, the Tuscarora noun
tains and the Blue mountains.
When day dawned the Buffalo" WA
|, found t. be sailing along with the Susque
hanna, and to the west of it. and just en-
} tering the northern portion OF Yorl
county. The seene was indsscribably beau
tifnl when looked upon from such heigh
as that at which the occupants were. Th
sun rose higher us the
BALLOON CROSSED INTO MARYLAND,
and the wind changed, causing it to take
more easterls direction, passing over TIN
Susquehanna five or six miles above Hayrt
de Grace at $40 A. M. then at an altitude
of nearly 5000 feet. The panorama wa
, one never before unfolded to the eye o
man, the noble Susquehanna, opening int
Chesapeake bay, and Delaware bay an(
river, with the surrounding surpassingl.
beautifnI country for over fifty miles
about being given to the gaze at once.
, At $50 A M. the balloon passed direct
~ over Delaware City, on the western
shore of Delaware Bay, and she was thel
at a height of nearly two miles. Three
} masted sea-going vessels in the water below
, looked
NO LARGER THAN THE LITTLE PEWTEI
which the boys buy for cent or two il
the fancy stores: and the island OH whicl
Fort Delaware stands seemed no bigge
than lozenge box. But up the Delaware
river could be seen New Castle and Will
mington, Delaware, and League Island
Which lie just below Philadelphia; while
to the south the course could be trace
down so that Cape May was distinctly Wis
ible, and beyond that the broad expanseo1
the Atlantic ocean. This was glory
enough for one voyage, and IS the country
below was advantageous for descent ans
the balloon was travelling rapidly towarc
the seacoast, which WAS not MANY miles
distant, Professor King decided to land
The basket first struck quite violently in q
corner of a wheat field, :ebounded over hall
Il mile of scrub oak and hickory saplings
and then came to decidedly tumultuous
settling at five minutes past seven in the
morning. The place of landing was hall
| W1v hptWpan Salem and Rri1oat0n Now
Jersey, and the distance Travelled was
about four hundred miles as the crow
flies.
I Our LII. D's.-In noticing the conferr-
i L i II n L.