The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-04-18

dawn Peccia was made out over the Maggia valley. When the sun rose at ten o'clock the balloon expanded again in it's warm rays and rose to an altitude of sixteen thousand feet.
 The Alpine world spread out before the tourists was beautiful beyond de- scription. The wind was pushing the balloon gently northward toward the Alps, and the thought of recrossing was very attractive. But as only three sacks of ballast remained it was neces- sary to land. With quick, sure judg- ment the aeronaut selected spot near Bignasco. and here the balloon was landed at nine o'clock in the morning, six thousand feet above the level of the sea
 The Stella had risen 17.6OO feet and had travelled at a rate of from five and a half to nine miles an hour. The party had encountered a temperature as low as seven degrees below freezing.
 My own first ascent with Spelterini was made from Zurich in a heavy rain storm. There was no wind, but an oc- casional flash of lightning suggested to the novice that the balloon might ex- plode, for the odor of the Illuminating gas with which the balloon was inflated, as it escaped from the vent-hole in the neck of the balloon. was most apparent. Soon, however, the absorbing beauty of the panorama below precluded every other thought; the magnificent clouds sometimes forming floor on which it seemed we might safely step, the lakes and snow-capped mountains, valleys and rivers beneath.
 At the height of fifteen thousand feet something went wrong with the valve rope. spelterini climbed at once to the make the necessary adjustment. thought the time and place inopportune, and watched his movements with con- siderable emotion When it is known that the liberation of handful of sand will cause a considerable rise in a bal loon one may realize to wht glacial heights I should have risen had he fal len. Tissandier relates that at high altitude he dined on a chicken and a bottle of wine. He threw out bone of the former and the balloon at once rose thirty yards. He was reproached by his companion for wasting ballast. But Spelterini climbed down into the basket nonchalantly.
 The view of the Alpine world as we passed over the Netilberg back of Zu- rich was of surpassng beauty. One sees in a glance beautiful Zurich lake and the valley of the Lirnmat; the Alps from the Sentis near Lake Constant to the Jungfrau; the Rigi Seventy -three), Pilatus and the Bernese Alps, toward which we were rapidly drifting. To the north Belchen in the Black Forest and the volcano peaks of Hohgan. It is a land of fairy enchantment. and at the end Of five hours in the air we were loath to descend At last, as we cleared a lofty mountain, Spelterini pulled the valve rope. The earth rose rapidly to meet u0. ard in few moments we were lowering over a forest. Here a landing was impossible. A handful of sand was liberated. The balloon rose gracefully over the trees, and final pull at the valve rope brought us to earth with a thud in a clearing just be- yond, only to rise once more, this time, however, to sink gently to rest.
 At no time had we been in danger to be compared for instance, to that of an average ride in an automobile. Swift zerland had been viewed as only a few have seen 1t. We looked down upon the Alps. I confess was not able at once to look at them, being quite con- tent to sit quietly in the bottom of our basket, looking carefully at nothing in particular. The sight of the rapidly re- ceding earth, when I did look over the sides. inspired me with q lively regret that I had ever left Switzerland. It re- quired also some time to accustom my self to the sensation among those lofty mountains of being carried by the wind into dense banks of clouds in which we were completely swallowed up.
 A variety of sensations, to which one never quite accustoms himself, makes of ballooning the very king of sports.