The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-08-31
ARUNAW BALLOON.
GEN. FfIx-JoHN PoRTEa's SUDDEN
FLIGHT MO SPACE.
The Balloon Was Cast Ieese by q
Plot and Carried Over the Con-
federate Czmp-Iiiastraffon of the
Danger OF Baliconing in War
Times.

II always SEEMS % me that Andres
AFefae balloon voyage haaGt even oae
chance II a thousand q escaping isSas-
ter, said Gea- Fitz-John Porter 70 a New
ferk sun reporter. "rhlxsv-iixe years ago
developed the Use az captive Balloons for
war purposes. and have since heea a close
observer Of experiments ia aeronausics-
The seiense has hot yet reached point 10
warrant the hope that balloons may be
controlled IN navigatlng space around the
Nersh Pole. Evils furk above. below and
al around.
My experience with a runaway balloon
ssfcTktown has ia & q lesson 20 &aronauts
who ascend upon the borders OF dangerous
territory. A. Yorktown we were in close
contact with tae enemy. Ny runaway bal
loon might simply have carried me TO the
rear Or ny own army, whore | would nave
been IN no danger beyond that which con
fronts any amateur who attempts 20 make
descent. Carried Tn a contrary direction,
| Was IN danger OF falling into the eneray's
lines. and perhaps my descent might have
been FASTENED and made fatal BY the shots
Of reckless fellows. who would consider
the aerial voyager fair game.
My balloon had tantalized the Confed-
crates for many days They saw that X
was doing some very valuable spy work.
and tried in every way 10 bring II down.
l was wholly unprepared for a flight into
~ts@~Ns @AA4 II MS - NSs2tlS& AtA-&ts N&s&~>
the circumstances. gained control Of my
self and OF the machine and made the as
cent a valuable one, from military point
or View. The accident 20 my safety ropes
was most extraordinary one. in fact,
that part Of the affair was no accident at
all; il was the result OF a plot The acci-
dent lay in the fact that came near be-
Ing the victim of the Plot instead OF a
member Of the balloon corps.
II made fNe NJ shA time hy
special direction Of Gen. McClellan. who
wished me 10 take some observations OF
anairs inside the Confederate lines, with
View 10 ordering an Immediate attack.
This was wholly unexpected by the ball
loon corps. Il seems that a certain MEM
Der OF the corps was a new arrival in the
camp. and as he ranked a little above
some Of the old hands. they were Jealous
of him. and made up their minds that the
best way 10 ger ria OF him was TO have an
accident happen to the balloon under his
management. They deliberately removed
all the safety ropes but one. and TO that
they applied acid which cut the strands al
most in two The moment the balloon as
cended far enough 10 strain the remaining
strands they parted, and the airship with
its occupant, who happened TO be myself,
leape3 into space.
with every confidence In the balloon
corps, I entered the basket hastily. not
noticing that there was only one safety
rope, and ordered the men 20 cast of. i
had my field glass out and was sweeping
the field with Il. unconscious OF what was
taking place with the balloon, suntil felt
myself flying upward far beyond the usual
limit A glance downward told me that
the balloon was running away At first
Was uncertain what 10 do, because IL was
new situation for me. AS a rule Prof.
Lowe. the chief aeronaut, had accom-
panied me. and had left the management
OF the balloon 10 Others.
'Supposing one of the small ropes dang
ling IN the basket 10 be valve rope. at
tempted TO pull IL and let myself down. II
did not work. Seeing another rope dang
ling In the rigging. ] climbed out of the
basket and grabbed that with better sue
cess. 1 noticed that l was ascending
through stratum OF escaping gas.
II knew that / had control of the bal
loon aud determined to carry out toe OBJ
Ject of the ascension. / had my glass with
me and swept the whole field around
Yorktown, up the peninsula TO Richmond,
down toward Fort Monroe and Norfolk.
/ saw the fleets in the harhor. ] saw the
camps OF the enemy along the James river
and around Richmond, with their flags fly
ing Beneath me was Yorktown, and tho
horses in the streets appeared TO be ants.
masses of iittle specks.
My second startling sensation was when
I found that by letting out some more Of
the gas dropped in a current OF air which
swept me over the eAemy's camps. That
meant capture. the loss of the baiion and
the failure Of the expedition For the mo-
ment / was unconscious OF everything ex-
cept that / wished 10 get the balloon again
under my control and back into the cur
rent OF air which passed through further
down that was blowing In "a contrary d.
rection. One thing / did notice. and that
was that the Confederate soldiers were
running out of their camps and cheering
in the expectation, probably. that / would
descend among them.
THE current was I'm was rapidly bear
ing me west, far into the enemys terri
tory, and L pulled the valve until the bal
loon sunk into q stratum Of air moving d.
rectly east. l pulled with all my strength
and felt the balloon sinking rapidly. As
the gas left the silk bag the latter fell over
and formed sort OF parasute with the
air beneath IL. This caused the whole ma
chine to sway and made me very dizzy
and uncomfortable. As soon as I found
my course changed 20 the esst. ] took my
glass and examined the camp where /
thought / would fall l saw the Stars and
Stripes there and that treasured me. /
then gave ell nay attention 10 personal
safety.
AT first I thought I was about 20 be
caught IN 4 ttfa AfHets gAk 4 f%GAkr0 fnAt
and then fioated over long lines OF stacked
bayonets I did not relish being fnpaled
upon them. ard gave the valve another
pull bringing the balloon down upon a
tent I was In the camp OF the Seventy
second Pennsylvania Bakers Zouavea
The men had been excited spectators OF
the flight Of the balloon, but they all sup
posed that SIS occupant was Prof. Lowe.
| wore no insignia Of rank / did not IN
yTsHw sntd ma t-ar,
the balloon was ssen making In the direc-
ton OF the Confsderate camps body of
our infantry had taken the field and rid
den out With the iutsntfon Of charging into
the enefny's lines 20 recover The runaway.
II had landed more than a mile from
headquarters. ard after giving directions
FOR packing and saiHplng the hailon. hoT-
rsved horse and rode 20 Cen. Mcclei-
Ian's headquarters. TIE general was as
souished 20 see rne safe and sound He
said that when he save TIE palioon speed-
ing through the air toward Dixie ~ had
begun 70 speculate upcn whom he should
appoint n MY place rs director Of ne
siege Of yorktown, for my troops were al
ready n close contact with the enemy. and
engaged IN very dsfacuis operations under
rny personai direction.
The extent OF my flight IN the runaway
I have never been able % determine |
cirrlsd around above our oEn camps. over
Yorktown and the co1federate czsnaps
moving hack and forth some distance. Al
TIE time I estimated I vas 1850 feet zbove
the grouud AZ the highest point ! may
have been further f1aau that. ! know the
entire peninsula from seventy 10 eighsy
niles "a igrEte and thirty 20 forty II
breadth appeared 70 he 90 larger than a
mans hand. Our ovn camp. some miles
IN extenz and holding from p - 70 80 10
boys Ia blue. see1aed 70 largF than tea