Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1875-07-29

the tremendous shock Of the tempest
hope for the voyasers' safety CAV,
place to q reluctant belief that they hat
| both perished. The Little Guide,
small CT sft, employed in the lumbc'
and tan-bark trade, entered this per
about 9 O'Clock. Upon her arrival, hsl
captain, a Sweds named Andersen, and
his mate, q com patriot named Rasmus
sen, both told how at Z o'clock -
Thursday evening, when Oh Gross,
Point, some twelve miles north Of Chi
go, and while standing out 80 mile
from the shore, they had seen the bal
loon dropping its ear once in whil'
into the lake, only some mile AID Z
half distant from their vessel. Reali
zing the dangerous situation of thu
aronauts, Capt. Andersen headed hi
schooner in their direction. But be
fore he could overtake the machine
which was bounding at "a rapid rate OF
the water, there was a sudden lighting
of tho car, and the globe shot upward
to great height, soon disappearing
altogether from the view of the crew
OF the schooner.
THE PROBABLE FATE OF THE ERo-
NAUTs.
Mr.. Elias Colbart, whose patient and
successful investigations in meteorolo-
gy entitle him to perfect credit, war
rants, with his ripe experience, the fol-
lowing theory:
When the balloon left the circus
ground at O'Clock 1t rose at an alti-
tude Of s, 900 feet into the current Of a
wind blowing steadily to the north
east. Before the impulse OF that cOntin-
uous breeze it ran about fifteen miles
an hour on q course which had for its
starting point Chicago and for its con-
elusion the neighbhorhood of Grand
Haven, In Michigan. There were
about 120 miles Of water to be traversed,
80 that the voyage, under favorable az
spices, at the rate Of fifteen miles per
hour, would terminate in eight hours.
Land should have been reached about
lam. All O'Clock the Little Guide,
standing out some 80 miles from the
Illinois shore, OF Crosse Point, and
about 20 miles north of Chicago, sight
cd the balloon, still on its course, and
exactly where our calculations would
place il, TO wit: about 80 miles from its
starting point, with so miles yet to
travel before ID could arrive at its des-
tination.
From causes easily understood upon
reference to an interview with Prof.
Steiner, printed below, the balloon had
lost great deal of its carrying ability
even at this early stage. L. already
hovsred on the very surface Of the
lake, and dragged it's car over the
crests OF the waves. What it was that
Donaldson threw overheard to Hghtsn
the craft we perhaps shall never Anoy.
1t Is not i'm possible that his unfsFtu-
nate companion relinquished his hold,
and bewilderedby the fury Of the race
across the hungry plain OF waters, fell
out of the car and so perished.
CAUGHT IN A HURRICANE.
Meanwhile q terrible hurricane wAs
gathering at . point parallel with the
northern extremity of Lake Michisan.
Tho storm centre, .ss meteorolosieza
writers term it, was spinning round
and round on its eastern course, twenty
times faster than the draggled balloea
was plunsing before the northeaA
breeze.
or courss when the car dipped into
the lake it Immediately retarded the
flight Of the balloon, acting upon 1t like
a brake. With this impeachment the
machine probably could travel no inst
or than to y miles an hour.
The reader can Just here realize the
Of Donaldson and his compan-
ion.
Running northeast, they knew neth-
ing of the tornado whirling tempestu-
ously to the northern emo OF the lake,
bic, with their destruction.
The moon shone fit1ully, clouds thick
ened behind them and chased each oth-
er in constant procession across its faee.
Perhaps they deserted the lamps OF the
little schooner twinkling two miles OF.
The lake was ruffled by the steady
blow, and as they wore torn through
It by the unwieldly monster, over
which they had too little control, in
waves must have broken over them,
and angryly tested their grasp OF the
car. The tempest, on the olher heho,
gathered volume and Jury IN the
north, spun round on its centre sho
swept in fury over the fsse OF the iaKs.
w men the balloon had achieved PROB
lbly wo-thirds of Its disastrous voy-
age, and only forty miles had 10 De
to complete 1t, the storm
burst in all its terrors on the laoorlnG
sphere. -
The path OF the hurricane and the
course of the balloon intersected just
.bout forty miles from Grand Haven,
Ind it was at the point OF that infersee-
ion that
THE GALE STRUCK DOWN THE BAL
LOON.
As the storm wind poured It's fury
.bout, the doomed machine sPan
.ound and round like top, with the
,oor wretehss In Its car dragged thre'
he waves In their cage, which whlried
hem from side to side, giddy with
and dismsy. At last, II
1rimwood had not been dashed out OF
he car before this supreme hour, q"
hands must have loosen
ID their death grasp. Donaldson, an
experienced gymnsst, probably hung
IN with o stronger and more skhifo
hold. But even il the older OF the Two
ost men survived his comrade thers
.ould not have been many minus ns-
ween their drownings. Onee niriy
prwling upon the surface oftne watsS.-
he balloon could not escape non
adversary by flying before IL. IL see<
,nly the violent ccncussicn, and thea,
'snt In twain Hike the vail ofths Ten-
.le hy IL death blow, tae huge yet un-
n bstsntinl creature hurt and sxnk.
H.- M s-n r.sn yrsat their f3f8 We