The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-01-18
Up IN n BALLOON.
lLongman's Magazine

tLOuEDtu nsBazlLel
All who have made anything like high as
cents have exhausted tropes and figures in
attempting to describe their emotions in the
presence of what they beheld. To my think
ing il lie too much like trying TO describe
music-when all is said the emotion Is not
reproduced, or but very family. Still we
have at least TO deal with visual objects and
scenic effects. The horror and mystery OF
suddenly coming to black cloud 5000 feet
thick-so thick that the balloon ceased to be
visible from the car-this can be realized
1t was GlaisheT's experience IN CoxwslPs
big balloon. A snow storm at high attitudes
is very impressive srd lonesome. About
10 600 feet above Camberwell. in tho
middle Of hot June, Il Lithgoe told me
with his balloon in midsummer still covered
with snow. / have noticed the strangely
solid fixed, and often motionless appear
ance of the white billowy clouds, treacher-
oDs pillows inviting one to step ont and re-
cline upon them without hint of instabil-
ity. Presently, smitten with q crimson
cloud, their edges break into flame. and as
one looks, q silent rift is made, and through
them is seen a distant wilderness of the
ornamental blue. Let Us ascend soon after
sunset in imagination. Nothing can exceed
the weird solemnity OF night in balloon.
To float above London and see the whole
city like che vast hame-map at ones feet,
twelve pi es SCARE of irradiated street, with
ins wir6 river picked out by the electric
light - J cne rises, the whole shrunk to
asLlg lhe size of chess board. This vision
in = a. omsnt reduces the mjghtiest city in
the world to the proportion OF toy.
The earth itself, as we ascend higher
and higher, loses importance in the clear
obscure" above Us, to which we seem hurry
Of contemplation, but the stars are chan ed
they hang more golden and globular, in
the tropics, or in the poet vision:
The clear galaxy
Shorn OF its hosry lustre, wonderful
Distinct and vivid with sharp points of light.
AS cloud rolls away from the opal
widths of the moon, the stars grow faint.
She is light, but hangs in the blue blackness,
and seems 10 give no light. so greatly atten
uated is the light bearing ether in which We
now swim. Perhaps the physical emotions
c. MUSE or intensity the power of the eye.
MS Sir ging in my, ears is oppressive; this
coas's IL oozing OF blood In my mouth is, to
Say the least, trying. / am also very cold
the thermometer msny degrees below zero
but the cold is dry ahd bearable, and there is
little wind; but black veil hangs beneath,
Just edged here and shere with silver and
shot with moon-fakes. My head begins to
swim. Pull the valve. Let Us descend.
Down through the night into the moon
faxed cloud tits 500 feet thisk and seems to
have formed in moment. Ii hangs above
rs now. Still down, down, thousands OF
feet. The lights of earth CLEAN feebiy be-
meath me like tiny sparks. The great city
has vanished. / have had no sense of tIav-
cling, but have fiosted clesr over London.
The rapidity OF our descent has been terri.
fc. In another moment / smell the hay.
tbs midnight; the still summer 0elds are
beneath us. The moonlight is nov diEased
and soft; and the sir is warm and scented;
the car drops silently like feather We alight
on the new-mown hay.