The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1881-11-03
SIXTY MILES THROUGH CLOUD
LAND.
Professor John n. Shearer loses the
valve cord to his airship.
From the Reading Eagle

Professor John N. Shearer returned
to Reading at l o'clock this morning,
after most pleasant though perilous
ride through the clouds for distance
of sixty miles. He says he thoroughly
enjoyed his trip. He had no basket,
but only wooden ring upon which to
sit. He made the ascent at o'clock
yesterday afternoon, from the fair
grounds, this city, and just as he was
about to give the word "let go!'' he dis
covered that the cord passing through
the balloon and which connects with
the valve at the top in order to regu-
late the escape of gas in descending,
had become entangled on the inside
and could not be reached, as it was a.
bout thirty feet away. This however,
could not be helped, and the balloon
shot slowly upward until it was about
1000 feet above the earth, when it
passed directly over the Ohlinger dam.
Including the aeronaut, ballast, ropes,
etc, the air ship now carried about
$50 pounds. The scene, as viewed
from the air ship, was grand. The
earth seemed to be slowly receding,
and everything that was going on in a
dozen townships could be seen at the
seen at the same time Fertile val
leys, capacious farm houses and barns,
with here and there a small village,
could be viewed for miles.
When about fourteen miles from
Reading, Professor Shearer slowly rock.
ed the airship from side to side, allow
ing some of the gas to escape, until he
was abont 500 feet from the earth. A
man came running toward him, and
Mr.. Shearer inquired the name of the
place he was approaching. The man
replied: "Pleasantville," when some
ballast was dropped, and the balloon
assembled 5000 feet. Professor Shear.
er struck on in his course, and, passed
on toward Philadelphia. The an was
cool and pleasant, the temperature ir
the clouds being about IS to 80 degrees
The aronaut's only fear was that ne
could not descend before dark. He
made another attempt TO land at Lex
ington, Bucks County by shaking out
some more gas, his feet had already
touched ground. but the jar threw ou
about thirty pounds of ballast and the
balloon went up with lightning like
rapidity, soaring the people who had
gathered to assist Professor Shearer
lie now assembled 1000 feet, about one
and one-quarter miles, which was the
highest point he reached in his journ
ey. He continued on in his course
until the sun went behind the clouds
This was the eronaht's favorable op.
portunity. According to a law ofphi
losophy the sun has an effect upon ga;
in making it lighter and expanning it
Therefore, when the bright orb of day
disappeared the airship became heavi
er by about eighty pounds, or five
pounds to every 1000 feet of gas in the
balloon. The "Ariep gracefully de-
scended in large open field on the
farm of Joseph H. Myers. near Doyles
town, Bucks County at 5 O'Clock, where
it was recovered by the farm hands
Nj. Myers conveyed Mr.. Shearer and
airship to the depot in Doylestown in 8
wagon. This was Professor Shearer's
thirty-fifth trip in a balloon, and one OIL
the most successful. He Travelled
about sixty miles. But for the absence
of the sun thus making the load on the
airship heavier, he might still be sail.
ing through cloudland.