The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-06-07
AN AERIAL VOYAGE.

AN A14tAEAI fO1A
Thrilling Experience Of Three Venture
some AeFOnauts.-An Ascension made
TO Crafty an Iufuriafed Cr0wd-Fiye
Hours strife Against Death by DrOWn-
ing.
Count tZambeccariw was going to ascend
from Bologna in balloon holding four
teen thousand cubic feet of gas, and
sought for two friends to accompany
him on his trip. These were found in
Dr. Grassetti, of Rome, and myself
The week before the ascension while
we were making preparations was a
time of great excitement for us. The
Count was thoroughly cool; he had often
trusted himself to the frail ship and
risked his life; but with us it was diff
ferent. Two things make an aerial trip
dangerous: First, the covering must be
chosen of some light material, which is,
therefore, less durable and firm; and,
secondly, one is entirely dependent
upon the wind. Wherever it takes the
balloon and however it drives it
whether slowly or swiftly, or with the
fatal fury of the tempest-one must
submit. For this reason Grassetti and
were anxious. Early in the morning
we began to fill the balloon, for
which we had provided two hun
dred pounds of iron filings, six
thousand pounds of zinc and eighty
five hundred pounds of sulphuric
acid. But hour after hour passed, the
increasing volume of gas was very evi-
dent, and yet the balloon was not vet
filed. Noon came; it was two, it was
three o'clock; we had reached perhaps
seven thousand cubic feet of gas, and
Iambeccari said to us:
Ascending to-day is not to be thought
of; it will be night before the balloon
win be filed.
We saw he was right. What observa-
tons could we make in the darknessp
We were not the only ones on the spot.
ALI Bologna was on its legs-old and
young, rich and poor In the forenoon
the people rushed TO and fro, but in the
afternoon stood firm, and awaited from
hour to hour the longed-for spectacle.
The sun set, and evening came. The
spectators were impatient, and began
to sing and make noise. When at last
about midnight, the Count told us the
work was done, we did not know what
would happen. We did not want to
ascend, yet we knew well that the peo-
pie would not be SO easily deprived of
the desired sight,
Lambeccari mounted barrel, got a
hearing, and announced to the specta-
tors that as nothing could be seen at
night, he would ascend in the morning;
the balloon was now filed; they could
60 quietly home, and next morning the
ascension would take place.
But what cries arosei How the
crowd rayed! s.What?" screamed the
people, eve stand here sixteen hours
and see nothingi We have waited since
morning, and now shall we go homeP
10 upi Go up! Start at once!S And a
howl arose that struck terror into our
hearts.
The Count obtained second hearing:
"You will lose nothing by it." said he:
on the contrary, you will only gain, if
you will be patient till morning. What
can You see now in the dark nightP
Nothing In moment we vanish from
your view. In the morning YOU can
watch the balloons flight for miles.
we can throw you notes and letters
rom the air. The spectacle is entirely
different. =
They would not let him speak. $50
up! go up!a beloved a thousand
throats. They shook their fists. The
crowd pressed against our barriers;
complete destruction threatened our
arrangements; as climax, stones were
thrown at the balloon. Start startr,
was howled. Laths and beams cracked.
Every moment the stones thrown
threatened to destroy the balloon; even
our lives were in danger.
Ny friends, Zambeecari whispered
Y US; " the mob has gone mad. Let
as ascend. All wait for the perform
fanee. We will fly half an hours dis
lance and let ourselves down again, to
pegln the genuine expedition to-mor-
TOW. =, Crack! The beams broke.
Il 9e torrent burst in. "For Heavens
SAKE get in, get in.''
Greatly alarmed, we sprang into the
oeasket; the ropes were cut: the balloon
new on high, snatching us from the
hallus OF the enraged mob; and bravo!
nravo!' sounded after us from below.
Iiufrah! came laundering up to us.
long live Zarnbeccari! Long live
sxslassetl! Long live Andredi! Hurrah
iof TIE Count. Shouts from thousands
0n ~ thousands of voices accompanied us.
we soon recovered from our fright.
~ ne' Wnat we perceived did not please
US u.s. The wind is too strong; we cannot
ssnu without danger of being de-
ss1d ss1slosed, said Zambeccari. We were
ss'a s'as, u bad plight. and had to wait
a0r u,y break. But that was far from
= The sun would appear above the
ota1on at about q quarter of seven
cock, and it was quarter Of one
nnen san we aseended. With lightning
Vs0. We aeW up, Up, alwaYs up, and