The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-06-15

the earth again and then discovered
that a gale was springing up near the
surface of the ground.
The four knew that certain destruc-
ton awaited them if they should at
tempt a landing then. The Atlantic
made terrific dips downward She
neared the tops of forest trees until
Wise. who was in charge of the gas
valve, shouted:
For Gods sake, heave over anything
you can lay your hands on, LaMoun-
tain."
LaMountain prepared to cut loose the
heavy boat, yet hesitated, for the bal
loon was swinging north again and out
toward Lake Ontario He dropped over
a final $50 pounds of ballast, the Allan
tic shot up even in the terrific wind.
and her crew hoped to make the Can
ada shore
In that extremity everything went b.
by the board First the carpet ba.<s
and personal belongings of the travel
ers and finally the heavy instruments
We're sacrificed to the waters The At
lantic would rise only to sink down up
on the rough surface of Ontario The
water and finally its boat crashed
against the waves, breaking it into fire.
wood
BE easy. gentlemen" said LaMoun-
tain Il viii have her afioat 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 a fearful
rate the half-distended gasbag serving
as a broad sail which carried her Tor
ward at seventy miles an hour.
The balloon kept above water ana
the four knew that they stood good
chance of being blown upon the East
shore of Lake Ontario. Fifteen miles
off shore was a small steamboat. eNl-
foEVagO to Kingston.
When its captain saw the peril OF the
4 aeronauts he put about and followed IN
4 the Atlantic's wake.
Pllt the steamboat was soon left be
hind and the Atlantic swept upon the
shore and over the tree tops OF the
forest while her dangling anchor nook
tossed against its highest branches
When the hook finally caught IN a
treetop the At1antic's speed was such
that the inch-and-a- quarter iron m
stantlv snapped The balloon, thus
freed. continued inland for mile fur
Their. crashing and brea king down trees
until finally the basket caught IN the
crotched limbs of a tail elm.
The tree held the airship captive TOY
nearly a minute then it, too, save way
under the strain and high into the ar
went balloon, basket, and the gIedtel
part of the tree This last load waa
too much for the Atlantic. and hardy
had she risen before she settled grace
fully down into the branches Of another
tree her attachments ineXtTicabjS
tangled but herself as little injured az
her lucky passengers
The four found themselves upon the
farm of T. 0. Whitney in the south-
western corner of Jefferson county
scarcely twenty miles from Watertown
1t was a little after 5 o'clock, St. Louis
time. and I.aMouutain found that his
giant ship had covered over LOO miles
in the incredibly short time of twenty
hours.
No record is in existence of so lone
an aerial trip either before or after this
voyage of the Atlantic. The balloon
was cut down from the tree and car
Iied to Watertowr. where it was ex
hibited TO great crowds of WONDERING
country folk. I-aMountain repaired !:
and reduced its size about C1e-thlrd.
The fame of the Atlantic and her long
trip had spread 10 every corner of tn
country BaIooning was proclaimed al
a perfectly feasible method of transpor
tation and from every state sprung III
"a score of aeronauts. who, fred by tn
success of IaMOuntain and Wise
sought vainly to initiate them.
L.aLfCuntain started the second long dis
I tance flight of the Atlantic from Water
( town on September p of the same yeaT
his sole companion being John A Had
balloon started at uighffall and took
rapid course due north. IT crossed the 81
1t wrencc river and lost itself in the wild
OF tanaca. about one hundred and mt
miles north OF the city Of Ottawa Thrs
hundred miles were trsfversCd in the won
dCful time Of few minutes over thTe
The two aeronauts found themselves los
in the great forest Of the car north. Til
Atlantic was abandoned ana for four day
they stumbled through the. brush befo~
south toward Ottawa. It was eleven day