Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-10-22
THE MISSING BALLOON
LANDS IN AWlSC0NSlN FOREST WITH
IT'S LIVING FREIGHT.
Prof. King and His Companions Safe
An Account Of the voyage-Cireling
Among the Clouds-tand in a
Swamp-Tsrible Suffer
ing From Hunger.
FOR FIVE DAYS IN THE WILDERNESS.
TIE MISSING BALLOON.


Prof King Drops From the Clouds.
CHICAGO, October ga special to
the Ners from Chippewa Falls says:
Prof. King is now here. The balloon
landed on Friday night siIty-fve miles
up the river from here. The ssronauts
were two days in working their way to
human habitation, and it has been i'm
possible to reach Q railway or telegraph
station until now, owing to the impassi-
bility of the roads, which is due in large
parts to the unprecedented fall Of rain.
The Signal Service Offlcer's Report.
CHICAGO, October 2l.-The Daily
Ne1rs has the following from J. g. Hash
egsn, Signal Service enploye, who went
up in Kings balloon:
BALLOON, CHIPPEWA FALLS,
October 2l.
"The voyagers who took such hasty
fight last Thursday from civilization
feel no such disposition to-day. II you
should see US now-ragged, torn, water
soaked and exposed-you would
surely say we loved civilization. Before
five minutes after leaving terra firma we
reached an altitude Of 4,300 feet, NOV.
ing southwest. A few minutes later We
reached an upper current,
Moving Slowly Westward,
so slowly that we barely moved. But
what q prospect beneath US! We were
soon shut in by the night, and saw
nothing but myriads OF lights twinkling
in the distance.
We remained there suspended neither
raising nor falling for several hours, but
at last a puff of air sent us southwest,
changing before morning to west and
northwest. While going southwest We
remained about becalmed for three
hours, swinging in a circle over a small
city that from its location, / judged to
be Peoria, IllinSis. At 5:l5 on Friday
we passed over Spring Valley, Wiscon-
sin, startling the natives by dragging
our drag rope over their roofs, and one
ambitious fellow
Sent Q Shot After Us.
We passed over the Platte mounds at
7:l5 A. n.
We remained there for q long time
swinging round these picturesque
mounds, when the balloon, as though
anxious TO give US q heavenly view,
took an upward turn, carrying US 1000
feet above the strata of clouds and liter
ally burying Us in milk for an hour. In
passing Little Falls, Monroe county,
Wisconsin, we came so near the ground
that We came in contact with the trees
and were compelled to take large por-
ton OF one along as q sOuveneir. When
We were near the ground We were greet
ed with beautiful view OF verdure
In Every Variety of Form.
Children were hwbed, dogs called of,
horses whipped Vb ,sad old country
mstrons stood in thetf doors with arms
akImbo, and with most surprised and
comical attitude. At "a. n. we passed
over Putlam, or somsS other similarly
named place. At $40 we passed Tomsh,
Wisconsin.
"At 900 We arose among the clouds
and lost sight OF mother earth tor few
hours. The wind Increasing, carried us
at . rapid rate, probably forty or fifty
miles per hour, and not being able to
discern stationary objects we could not
tell where we we're or what course we
were pursuing. Meanwhile
The Rain Poured in Torrents
Collecting on the outside OF the balloon
| it poured down the mouth OF the bag
into the basket in a steady stream, COM
pelling US to put away our instruments.
| But it was useless; there was not dry
spot the size OF a pinhead among them.
| At l2: As P. NJ. the highest known eleva-
ton was reached, being $500 feet.
From the last person spoken to We
found we were forty miles from St.
Paul, and when we decended at 2:30 P.
N, on the west bank OF q river, half q
mile inland, we concluded we were in
the State of Minnesota, probably forty
miles from st. Paul, on the Mississippi
river. With this supposition in mind
we stepped out OF our car into about
eighteen inches of ice water and found
We were in cranberry bog
Aud Had to Get Out.
To recite our experience after that for
the succeeding five days is too horrible.
How we walked five days up to our
knees through bogyy swamps, without
i lOOu cACopL udll pint OA OOiAicoJ hO"
wolves and bears snsrled around US at
night; how We slept on wet ground at
nig ght through heavy frosts, only to start
sgain in the morning through swamps
filed with ice water and falling
over muddy logs at every step,
| cannot put in words. As a la,t t
resort we built raft, expecting to go
over st. Anthony Falls Oh our subse-
quent disappointment and our subse =
quent tramp will tell later, but oh our
Joy, when at four O'Clock on the evenir 8
oi the fifth day
We Reached Flambesu River
and were carried across by Cleramere
and Michael Miner, woodmen, and
here We are enjoying the good things
or CO more"
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