River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-07-12
10000 marks toward the expenses of the
Martin Luther festival TO be held in August.
AT SEA In Il BALLOON.
Details of the Voyage OF NJ. L'Etosts
Across the English Channel

4 u
Details of the Voyage of NJ. LRost s
Across the English Channel.
A correspondent of the London Tele-
graph sends the following from Brussels:
IN. RHoste, young man of engaging
manners, found to-day looking very
pale snd fatigued from the peril to which
he had SO recentlv been exposed. He
is suffering most from gi6diness, but
hopes that days rest will set him ~
! sgaiH. As soon as his health shall be
quite restored. he assured me with
much earnestness that iIs viii make an
other attempt to cross the channel. end
expressed himself eonGdant of ultimate
success, NJ. Lfloste said that after VA
rious Preliminary trips last week, in
company with ms friend NJ Eloy, he
determined TO make the st,empt to
reach England on Friday evening, na9-
ing q prediction for night trips. When
the time for starting approached, how
ever. his companion thought the
weath3f booked too threaten
ing for a6ffaI Davigation, and
energetically underworld 20 dis
suade him from his purpose, bat with
ont success. Even EIoy's refusal 60 en-
courage his rashness to accompany him
had no effect titton his obstinate resolu
ton to make the "trip. Accordingly at
midnight on Friday the balloon Pilastre
de Roster cast off and rapidly nded.
Almost immediately the weather,
which had bsen, bay all the evening,
set in very thicR, 'he result being
that ID Uoste passed the nlglfs ~ Inc
midst of a fog, which not only Chilled
him to the marrow hut prevented MN
from obtaining the least idea whether
he Was drifting or even il he were NOV
ing at all. However, the weather
cleared ON Saturday morning, when to
his no FrSIal DISGUST, he found himself
out at sea in the ne2ghhorhood of Cape
Grisnez. He at once threH 6us ballast
in order, if possible to find favorable
U;.fteft. and soon rose to a height OF
5000 meters, n which altitude he SUI
fered severely, his face caing half roast
ed by the heat of the sun,
while his feet We're numbbed ana
almost frozen Two hours later
he found himself over n town of some
sort, and drawing the value line, de-
scandad rapidly, and, with tbs assist
ance &C passerEtby cast anchot on the
esplanade at 9nnkirk, Being deter
mineu to persevere, ie calmly took
breakfast in his car, surrounded by q
gaping crowd, and afterward increased
his store of ballast. Noticing favora-
bic change in tie wind, he ungrapped
and rose gradually to a height OF 1000
meters.
"He must have travelled quickly, for
he soon found himself over the sea, and
the coast of Belgium. Far tip among
the clouds he found terrible differ
ence in the weather, for, almost with
out warning he sailed into d violent
storm wave. Here the beating OF the
rain. the heavy gusts of wind and the
loud reyercerstions of the thunder put
the stability Of the balloon to fearful
and unforeseen test. The whole lab e
wa3 convulsed with continuous vibra-
tons and tossed and pitched in a man
ner which made it difficult tOF the glddy
and benumed @ronaut to keep lis
hold on the car. However, with some
difficulty he managed to open the valve
and descended at noon on Saturday to
within as far as he could calculate. 800
meters of the sea. Unfortunately in
the lower strata, there prevailed a thick
fog. which made it impossible for him to
ascertain his exact whereabouts. He
made another ascent i'll hopes Of find
ing the elements more propltiOus, but
tbs stotm was still raging up in the
clotIds, ard lie therefore considered it
prudent to keep fearef the ssa AS the
afternoon wore on he noticed with slarm
that the gas in his balloon was danger
ousy decreasing, and he began to re-
alize his peril.
"At O'clock the ropes dangling from
the car touched the Seq, grd he knew
that the critical time had come. THE
whole Of bis ballast, of which the car
could hold but a Comparatively little
supply, bad by this time become com
pletely exhausted. He at once threw
out, one after another, instruments,
cases and indeed, every movable article
in the car But the balloon re-
sponded languidly, and in a
very few minutes the car itself touched
water, and the sea broke furiously al
most every minute clean oger the car,
drenching its unhappy occupant to the
skin. The ropes aud lines, too. were
dashed about in a bewildering manner,
and these combined horrors had almost
made NJ. l. Hoste despair, when
he caught sight Of the sales Of fishing
lager, which turned out to be the Noe
mi. The captain Of the Noemi almost
simultaneously caught sight Of the ba-
loon, which he for sometime took to be
q ship on fire and unanswered round
and round accordingly. When, hOweV-
err, he ascertained what the strange
craft really was he at once launched a
boat, and with immense difficulty res
cued the acronaut from fate which but
for his timely appearance, would not
long have been delayed. l. 'Eloste found
he had been rescued about ten miles
from the English coast. He and the
balloon which had burst, were taken
aboard the Noemi and landed at Ant
werp shortly after midnight, HIIoste
is full of gratitude to the captain of the
Noemi"