The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-10-29


Dots mine vanity.
Detroit Free Press.
A Remarkable Balloon Trip.
The great aerial voyage from the Mis-.
sissippi 10 the Atlantic coast began or
July /, 1859. 1t was the longest trir
ever made in n balloon. The adventur.
ers were John La Mountain. q noted
aeronaut,. 0. A.. eager, John Wise, and
VIM. Hyde, Of the St. Louis Republican.
The voyasers meant to sail from St,
Louis to New York. The balloon, the
Atlantic, was owned by Prof. La Noun,
tain. 1t was made of the best Chinese
silk, and held about co. 900 feet of gas. A
boat was attached for use in case of ac-
cident.. MI. Hyde described the trip in
q long letter to his journal. He said that
they left St. Louis at 81 P. NJ. The
cargo consisted of 900 pounds of sand in
bags, 4 large quantity Of cold chickens,
tongues, potted meats, sandwiches, etc. /;
numerous dark-colored, long-necked YES
sells, containing champagne, sherry,
sparkling catawba, claret, Madeira,
brandy and porter; a plentiful supply of
overcoats, shawls. blankets and fur
gloves; a couple or three carpet bags, q
pail of iced lemonade and q bucket of
water; q compass, barometer, thcrmo-
meter and chart; bundles of the princi-
pal St. Louis newspapers; an express
package directed to Now York city;
cards of candidates for clerkships in
several of the courts; tumblers, cups,
knives and other articles.
At the word, those who were holding
on to the sides Of the boat, simultane-
ously let 60, and the Atlantic rose
slowly and majestically above The many
thousands who were gathered in the vi
entity, and sailed off in a northeasterly
direction. Within a few minutes the
strips of timber land and fields of
newly-harvested grain in Illinois were
beneath the voyagers. At 7:l0 the ba-
rometer stood at twenty-four, and the
thermometer indicated fifty-five degrees.
Mr.. Hyde experienced 4 singular sensa-
ton about the ears. 1t was unpleasant
and annoying, but not painful-very
much such a feeling as a man has when
bathing, and his ears become filled with
matchmaking the tympanun CRATE
harshly Mt every sound. All aeronauts
experience this feeling on their first yoy-
age. In few minutes gas was blown off
from the tube ut the mouth of the bal
loon, the signal that it had become in
flated to its fullest capacity. Prot. Wise.
who had charge of the rope connecting
with the valve at the top, promptly gave
it a pull, and Immediately thereafter a
quantity of blush vapor tioated off and
circled upward. This was at fifteen
minutes after seven o'clock. A quarter
OF an hour later the air ship had de-
scended very considerably; the barome-
ter indicated twenty-seven inches and
the thermometer sixty-6ve degrees. All
his time the happy quartette had been
conversing about the magnificent seem
cry. relating anecdotes and watching
with inter est the progress of Mr..
Brooks balloon, the Comet, which had
preceded them from St. Louis.
Every vestige of St. Louis had now
vanished from their sight, and they were
drifting at a wonderful rate of speed
toward their destination. The motion
was perfectly steady. There was no
rocking of the boat or rar, no rustling of
the silk; nothing. indeed, but the reced-
ing forests and fields beneath to tell them
they were not poised between earth and
sky in a dead calm. No breath of
breeze was stirring. The buoyant down
of a thistle released from the willow car
would have fallen to the boat by its own
specific gravity. In all its calmness the
monster bubble foated through the
clouds. Twilight was on the earth, and
gave to the color of the soil all the ap-
pearance of frozen lakes. By this time
the sun had set to the inhabitants Of the
earth, though to the voyagers it was
four or five degrees above the horizon.
And thirty-two minutes after seven they
saw the Comet effecting a landing far to
the eastward. 1t looked like a mere
bladder.
At 7:lO they ere a mile high. To
atone for the descent caused by the dis
charge of gas few handfuls of sand
were thrown overheard. At eight o'clock
the barometer showed that the ship had
again lifted herself to the requisite
height. She was moving as steadily as
clipper ship. The weather was bitter
cold. Shawls. coats and gloves were
used, but the limbs of the eXcursionists
were numb, and their teeth chartered as
though they were suffering from ague.
An alarming incident occurred. Prof.
Wise crouched in the wicker car, GOV
cred his body with shawls and other ar
ticles Of warmth, and was sleeping. The
balloon had again become inflated to its
fullest tension, and the professor lay un-
der its mouth. MI. eager addressed
some remarks to him, but received no
answer. MIR. G. again accosted him,
this time in a louder tone. Still there
was no response. A third and fourth
time did he call, but heavy deep and
%convulsive breathings were the only re.
suits. MIR. eager, almost pale with ap-
prehension lest something fearful had
occurred to Prof. Wise. at once bounded
to one of the upright irons OF the fam
wheel machinery, and with assistance
from onc Of his fellow-voyagcrs clam
bcred. into the car. 1t was lucky for
Prof. Wise that he did. for Mr.. eager
found that the tube 1T the mouth of the
balloon was directly under the formers
nose, and that the expansion of the gas
had driven some Of the hydrogen di>
rectly into his face. He was ut that
time inscnsible, though rs 0 rs the
tube had been removed by Mr.. eager
from the professors nostrils, and a few
hearty shakes given him, the comatose
man revived. rubbed his eyes, muttered q
few incoherent syllables, and inquired
what was the matter.
While this was going on the Atlantic
had found the current that tine aeronauts
had declared was always blowing in the
upper regions, from the west to the east.
and was now travelling toward the very
star which they had picked out in the
armament rs the beacon of the course
they wished to take. The discovery
was n well calculated to perfect the
restoration of senses in Prof Wise, SO
happily begun by MI. eager. There
broke from his lips a little cough, and
saying, Boys, lets sing" he struck up
the stirring national anthem. Hail
Columbia" in which all Joined, though
the frigidity Of the atmosphere put quite
q damper on patriotism and melody
A little after midnight there were
MONETARY flashes Of lightning on ali
sides of the horizon. The milky way
appeared like luminous phosphorescent
clouds. and heavens jeweled tiara of
stars glistened below and above. Nights
queenly brow shimmered with the mel.
low light of the newborn crescent
moon. The mighty scroll of the ceru-
1o,n r;1l,rod frp,o,,oo 1 -,