The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-10-29
A BALLOON ADVENTURE.
Falling a Mile Through Space In
an Air-Ship.
How Two Aeronauts Dropped Like Shot
From the Clouds to the Earth-A
Startling and Interesting
Experience.
=. rParls News.j

f. Paris News,I
Monday startling experience Of Messrs.
CASTOR Tissandier and Frederick Cover,
husband of Nordica, the American prlma
donna, showed that the practical dangers
of ballooning are still far from being sur
mounted, however we'll actual disasters
may be avoided by GOODNESS and skill.
These two gentlemen assembled from the
Tissandier establishment at Auteuil about
one o'clock, to continue a series Of scientific
experiments upon certain theories ad-
vanced by NJ. Cover. They sailed slowly
across Paris to the southeast at height Of
about 1900 feet, and disappeared in the
direction of Vincennes. In answer TO the
inquiry of Morning Ne,oS representative,
NJ. Cover relates what befell the voyagers
afterward:
We were at height Of 5000 feet above
the village Of Fontenay. A fete was going
on there, and the faint echo Of drums,
mingled with the cries of children and the
barking Of dogs just reached our ears amid
the awful silence Of the heavens. Wewere
among the clouds of the lower stratum,
and had before our eyes the magnificent
spectacle of their formation. The forces of
nature moved them to and fro in kind of
sullen majesty, now piling them into a
mountain just above our heads, and then,
as the mass toppled to its fall, dispensing II
suddenly, as by the blow from the hammer
of some invisible Titan, making riffs
through which we saw the fair, green
lands, and quickly closing them, as the
vaporous monsters rolled into fresh COM
binations. 1t was the inner temple of cre-
ative power, perhaps the grandest sight re-
vealed to human eyes, and we stood en-
tranced in silent admiration.
Suddenly we felt breath Of cold and
biting air, as though the world had re-
volved beneath us and brought us over the
pole. At the same moment the needle upon
a vertical scale (from which had been
reading indications Of leveD began to
travel with startling speed. A Asound like
the roar Of surf filled our ears for an in
stant, and then gave place to the noise of
the fete, which had now swelled into a cry,
us it seemed, from every living thing be-
low. Tssandier threw out sand, and the
sand few up in our faces. Our breath
came short and hard, and we felt the rush
ing air as Oh steamer against the wind.
We were falling, suddenly, as though the
great globe above our heads had given
way Yet nothing visible had happened,
save that the under surface Of the envelope
had all at once grown hollow and wrinkled,
like the face OF an aged man. The clouds
were gone, as by magic, and the earth was
rushing at US, with its thousand voices in
full cry. Tissandier stood cool and firm
dealing out ballast with steady hand and
counting the bags that remained.
"'Stnnd by the anchor he said, quietly,
as II at his study table, and be ready 10
cut away when tell you.'
"Down we went; the drag-rope touched
tho earth-trailed across the fields, with
scarcely perceptible difference in our fall
The ground seemed alive with men hurryinl
from every side, with here and there horse
man among them. A meadow was just be
meath, and a quick glance beyond showet
the edge of forest. The balloon tremblet
rs from blow, and our speed across the
field was suddenly doubled. We had fal
len into a squall.
"'Cut away said the steady voice Of the
aeronaut, and the anchor fell. Over wen
bag OF ballast, too, and, thus suddenly
lightened by thirty pounds, the balloon re-
gained It's poise at fifty feet above th,
ground, and our fall Of mile through tn,
air was safely ended.
"Never was sound precept moro quickly
followed by practical illustration. Lcsi
than an hour before Tissandier had beoI
dwelling on the need Of reserving ballas
as precaution. There are in the air. saiC
he, occasional rarefactions in which a bal
loon can fall without the slightest warning
When we are near the ground IL does no
much matter. But no prudent aeronaut at
height of thousand meters or more vii
allow his ballast TO become even nearly ex
hausted.' And this was precisely what on
own case showed so shortly afterward
We encountered a partial vacuum, verit
able pit In the air, where the lifting powe
Of gas suddenly fell 10 almost nothing. All
was, Of course, on the way from some are
of a greater density 10 restore tho norma
pressure, and of this we had ample evi
dence upon reaching the ground. The an
chor struck the soft earth in the most favor
able position, buried half its aukes In th
soil, and was snatched out with scarcely a
effort by the flying car. Again and agai
the heavy iron bounded fifty feet into th
air, and 1t was only when score Of stou
laborers had laid hold of the drag-rope Ia
cost Of few tumblesl that the gambols q
our playful monster were brought TO n
end. And then Tssandier, while obligin
hands folded and packed the balloon, pro
duced notebook and his map, and calm
ly completed his record Of the excursion.
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