The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-16
i,t00 MILES BY BALLOON.
4 RECORD 2O-HOJR TRIP WHEN
AIR SAILING WAS NEW.
Fastest Of Air Voyages Made by the Great
Atlantic and One Of the Most Exciting
Yet-ln Peril In q Gale Above the For.
est and Nearly Swanped In the Lakes.

| est ANA Nearly Swan'ped In the Lakes.
In these days when flying machines
have taken 30 large n place In the world
eye there are still those whose memories
go swinging back forty-.hree years to the
triumphs Of the great balloon Atlantic.
There are many men who clearly remem-
Der her two great air voyages. one from
st. Louis to Henderson Harbor. n. Y, the
other from WATERFOWL, n. Y, TO the
Canadian wilderness Of the Hudson Bay
| country.
The Atlantic set sail on the first of these
famous trips from Washington Square.
st. Louis, on the evening of July /, 1850.
In her capacious basket were John
LaMountain Of Troy, NY. who owned and
controlled the craft. Prof John Wise of
Lancaster, Pa. a notable aeronaut. William
Hyde and D. A. Geager Of Remington. Vt.
The four hoped TO cross the country to
this city and with that end in view LaMoun-
tain had expended the care and experience
Of many years ballooning In making the
Atlantic the biggest air-voyager ever con-
strucfed The citizens of st. Louis be-
came vastly Interested in all the prepara-
tions for this undertaking and when the
Atlantic swung up from among them ,at
just 72) O'CLOCK there was a cheer of good
by from all the folk who wondered if the
men in her were not bound for certain
death.
The balloon rose into northeastern cur
rent Of air and in an hour st. Louis, with
the broad and twisting Mississippi beside
it. faded from sight and the short summer
night began.
AT O'Clock in the morning LaMountain
| fancyI that bp psnind hanaath him no
yellow street lights Of a large Indiana town.
Within another two hours the balloon had
swept over Toledo and upon the surface of
Lake Erie. As the Atlantic passed San
du,ky small steamboat put out from shore
and its pilot, greeting the air voyagers,
told of the intense excitement their trip
was creating throughout the country.
The entire Northeast was watching the skies
for a sight of the wonderful Atlantic.
The balloon passed rapidly down the
like. keeping we'll out from shore and salut
ing each of the passing craft. BY noon she
had dipped into Canada near the mouth
Of the Welland Canal. had crossed the Mag
ara River, and had put Buffalo upon the
right and Lockport upon the left of her
course.
1t was then decided that the balloon had
| travelled too far north To reach New York
city. The gas was beginning To fail and
II was thought advisable To make Landing
near Rochester. leaving Hyde and Geager
| there with a sma boat mat had been carried
as part Of the balloons accoutrement,
, while LaMounain and Wise should try to
reach Portland or Boston.
With this plan in mind the voyagers
, lowered the balloon carefully and bs,pan To
|, scan the course Of the Erie Canal for a con-
venient landing place. They dropped with
in thousand feet of the earth again and
then discovered that gale Was springng
! up near the surface of the ground.
The four knew that certain destruction
awaited them If they should attempt a
landing then. The Atlantic made terrific
dips downward. She neared the tops Of
forest trees, until Wise, who was III charge
Of the gas valve, shouted:
For Gods sake heave over anything YOU
can lay your hands on, IaNountainl"
laMountain prepared TO cut loose the
heavy boat, yet heeitated. for the balloon
was swinging north again and out toward
Lake Ontario He dropped over final
i5O pound IL of ballast, the Atlantic shot Up
even in the terrific wind and her crew hoped
to make the Canada shore.
In this extremity everything went by
the board. FIRST the carpet bags and per.
finally the, heavy instruments We're sacri-
feed to tho waters. The Atlantic would
rise only to sink down upon the rough
surface 81 Ontario. The balloon swooped
| upon tIe tuTD4leIlt water ana UndHN It's
boat crashed against the waves, breaking
| II into frcwooi.
BE easy, gentlemen" said IaMountain
Twill have her afoat in another moment
! He succeeded in cutting the boat away
and the Atlantic swung into the air again
The wind continued to sweep the balloon
along at fearful rate, the half-nistendei
gaSbag serving a. broad sail which
carried her forward at seventy miles an
| hour.
| ~. I.,n l.o,. 4 al.
four knew that they stood a good chance
Of being blown upon the east shore Of Lake
Ontario, Fifteen miles off shore was a
small steamboat. ovidently bound from
Oswego to Kingston. When its captain
saw tho peril Of / aeronauts he put about
and followed in the Atlantic's wake.
But the steamboat was soon left behind
| and the Atlantic swept upon the shore
and over the tree tops 81 the forest while her
dangling anchor hook tossed against Its
| highe st branches
When the hook finally caught in a tree
top the Atlantic's speed was such that the
inch quarter iron inst antly snapped
, The balloon, thus freed, continued inland Tor
mile further, crashing and breaking dow n
trees until finally the basket caught In the
crotched limbs Of a tall Elm.
The tree held the airshlp captive for
nearly minute, then 1t too. gave way
under the strain and high into the air went
balloon, basket ana the greater part Of
the Atlantic and hardly had she risen before
she settled gracefully downinto the branches
, Of another tree. her attachments in, K
tricably tangled but herself as little in
, jured az her lucky passengers.
Tho four found themselves upon the
farm of /. q. Whitney In the southw estern
corner of Jefferson county scarcely twenty
miles from Natertown. II was Il little after
clock, st. Louis time, and LaAiounlain
found that his giant ship had covered over
i,lCO miles in the incredibly short time OF
. twenty hours.
No record is in existence Of so long an
aerial trip either before or after this voyage
) of the Atlantic. The balloon was cut dow y
from the tree and carried to WATERFOWL
where IL was exhibited to great crowds Il
wondering country folk LaMOuntain re.
paired it and reduced its size about one
, third
The fame Of the Atlantic and her lona
trip had spread to every corner OF the
| country Ballooning was proclaimed As
perfectly feasible method Of transported lor
and from every State sprung up a score u
aeronauts who, fired by the success OF
, LaMountain and Wise. sought vainly &c
imitat" them.
LaMountan started the second long,
distance flight Of the Atlantic from Water.
town on Sept. %. of the same year, his sole
companion being John A. Haddock, a news
paper man of that town. The balloon
started AZ nightfall and took rapid course
due north. II crossed the ST. I.awrenc,