The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-12-27
BERxHARDr UP IN 4 BALLOON.
Her Own Account-IHer Birdseye View OF
PARISH Dinner In the Clouds.

I'm the Clouds: the Impressions of a Chair"
Is the title OF a l~org-lost little document by
Sarah Bernhardt, which has now been found
and is running through the French papers. II
is the description OF . balloon ascent which she
made with the painter Ciairin and a few Others
some time ago. As n specimen OF Sarah's re-
porting powers the little sketch Is interesting:
1t was just half past 8 in the evening.
The crowd formed around the balloon. Hats
were raised. hands were pressed, farewells ex-
changed. and the balloon rose rapidly amid
shouts Of applause. And then. nothing,
nothiny. The earth below and the heavens
above. Soon VIC were In the clouds. l left
Paris in n fog. brt suddenly / found a blue
sky and a radiant sun. Our little basket
plunged into n warm and milky vapor. Around
us were Opaque noun tains with rainbow crests.
A thin. lead colored line marked the second
plane. 1t was splendid. dazzling. Not a sound,
aot a breath could be heard. 1t was not silence;
1t was tho shadow of silcn e. soft and dreamy.
Iheard DnGa Sol murmurinG. "liow | would
love to live forever here"
But Suddenly the scene changes. The clouds
scatter. and The balloon begins to descend just
over the Pont de Ia Concorde. about 100 metres
from the starting point. The crowd that was
still assembled in the courtyard OF the Tuil-
| cries rushed toward the quays. 1t seemed as
though it were about to fall into the Seine.
Clairin turned to tho aeFonaut with an-inQuir-
ing look. Il am playing a trick upon them"
said GODDARD. You will sec." And immedi-
ately he emptiei a sack of ballast. and again
We rose up into the clouds to 800 metres.
The spectacle was no less beautiful than
tho fist ono. The gray and iieecy clouds
formed n carpet for us. Magnificent orange
colored drapcries frinGed with violet came
- Tz- 4 go. n~l N-aN-La .1-r- F".
as the eye could see until they became lost In
u soft white lIce. The balloon did not appear
to move. 1t was cool. bat not cold. Soon the
air became warm again, and the noise of tho
city reached our ears, carried along by dull
emanatio-s. Paris appeared once more. We
were Just over the Bastile. The humidity
had weighted our balloon and 20 were again
descending. More ballast had to be thrown
out. bona Sol insisted upon having The pleas
ure OF opening the bag and covering the impu-
dent Genius Of Liberty with sand. An Eng
lish family. as we learned later, ENJOYING tho
fresh air on tho balcony OF the column. was
almost blinded by our ballast. When the bag
was empticd we roso rapidly. and. running
into a more rapid current. the air ship trav-
oiled with considerable rapidity. but it seemed
to us that we were going at a furious rate.
considering the slowne ss with which we had
travelled up TO that, point.
Tho city rolled under us, somewhat dimmed
In the gray light OF the evening. The streets
looked like long snakes, and tho boulevards
like enormous L0as in reposo. In the distance
La VilIetto, with its great gas holders, looked
like a Gale. ned cemetery. The balloon stopped
u moment, soaring over, n strange looking
monument. one would fancy that it was a
gigantic wheel. Clairin. taking his glass. rec
ogniZed La ROductte. 1t was the hour for eX-
eTcise. All the poor devils there looked up at
the balloon, that son of the air, the emblem OF
the most absolute liberty. There they stood
with their eyes fixed on the air ship. and way
ing their arms. DOila Sol looked through tho
glass aud underworld to eN plain To us their i'm
presslOns. ono OF the prisoners, ehe said. walk
ing up and down in q narrow yard. leaned
against the wall and evideltlv began to weep.
death, Willie he saw above him the sun, life,
and liberty. Again the wind carried us along,
and tho party became omewhat sad. ,Wo
wore passing over the cemetery OF Per6-la-
chaisc. Georges Clairin and bona Sol saluted
this tomDs that thcy recognized. The latter
took tho bouquet from her corsaGo and scat
snOwlakes, into Tho field OF rcpose.
1t was nOw h~alf-past O, and tho occupants
Of the basket were all hungry. A little fat
basket was ,unhookei, and In q moment Dona
Sol. was making foie gras sandwiches. Louis
GODDARD arose, holding a bottle of champagne
In his, hand. He released the cork. which flew
into the ethereal regions with a loud pop. Tho
deIonation was echoed from cloud TO cloud, and
one of them coming, near, captured the foam
that exc%ped from tho bottle and started of
to set the heavens on a spree. In another mo-
mont all tho clouds began 10 dance and stag.
ger against each other. enyelopinG us COM
pletely will. their heavenly inebriatlon.
Georges Clairin, with pencil In hand, fixed
upon his album the strange scene OF a dinner
2;a0o metres in the air. Doha Sol laid the
napkin. a foie Gras sandwich, and a glass. The
young lady herself had q little silver goblet,
The sky was superb. The dinner was gay.
Kres sandwiches. and the second was sand
Ntches foio grns. Tho dessert was composed of
oranges. and that was ALL We drank to the