The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1879-11-18

~ tOWhru lluke OuUdrlO. Inc ballast
was now nearly exhausted, and TO have
determined on crossing the second lake
would have been sheer recklessnees and
hardihood. Here 1t was debated whether
1t were better to land Messrs. Gager and
Hyde and in their stead take in sufIi-
cient quantity Of new ballast and again
steer for the Atlantic ocean. The air
ship was lowered, but was Immediately
caught In the hurricane which was then
raging, and carried very near the tops Of
trees, which were bending and swaying
to and fro by the force of the wind. Mr..
La Mountain at once threw over the
buckets and their contents, and the lift
this gave them kept them from being
crushed In the woods.
Like bullet they shot out onto the
lake. The boat was got in readiness,
and the trooping winds sent them out of
sight of land. They were in dreary
waste Of 900 square miles of water. At
length they neared the dashing pillows.
The steering machinery was cut away,
and they rose like feather. For time
the ship was buoyed out of the way of
danger, but she frequently darted down.
ward, as though bent on destruction.
Carpet.sacks, overcoats, provisions,
everything was pitched into the lake.
La Mountain finally cut away the
lining of the boat. The oars were sent
after the lining. Everything had now
gone but an overcoat and two blankets,
which were saved to be used as q final
resort. A propeller, Young America,
bore down to their relief, but they scud-
ded some hundreds of feet before her
bows, and that hope failed.
Finally, after skirmishing within thir-
ty feet of the dark waves for a distance
of not less than fifty miles, and perhaps
more, they were out of danger of drown
ing, but a new peril was before them.
The hurricane blew them into dense
forest which skirted the lake, and threat
ened to tear them limb from limb. Mr..
Gager had thrown out the anchor, a
heavy iron one, with three hooks, each
an inch and quarter in thickness. So
rapid was their flight that this stood out
nearly straight from the car AS the
grapnel swung against the trees of
moderate size, the velocity of the balloon
and its terrible strength would tear them
down and fling them to the ground.
One by one the hooks broke off, and
they were again at the mercy of an all
sweeping wind. Messrs. La Mountain
10 ha x,a1x,
endeavoring to discharge the gas, but
were quickly compelled to release their
grasp, and cling to the concentrating
hoop to avoid being thrown out.
The balloon actually went through
mile of forest, and, tearing down trees
and breaking branches, pursued its
course dashing the party in the willow
car to and fro, against trunks and limbs,
until the stout netting had broken, little
by little, and the balloon itself had no
longer any protection, when, striking a
tall tree, the silk was punctured in
dozen places, and rent into ribbons,
leaving the car suspended by the netting
twenty feet above the ground. The
course in the woods left path similar
to that of tornado. Trees half the size
of man g arm were snapped in twain
as though they were pipe-stems, and
huge limbs were scattered like leaves.
The landing was made within 150
yards of a settlement, and the crash was
so great that the people ran to the spot
to see what had happened.