The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-05-20
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BALLOON ADVENTURE.

saN0SasOMTE HENRY DE Ia
PAULN. the daring aero
& naut. who is at present
q. conducting series OF cx-
Rae6xs2 periments in marine bal.
looming on the Mediterranean. in the
vicinity ot Cannes. predicts that. IL
things 30 as be has reason 10 expect.
he will. during next summer, show
that he can sail about on the Medit.
erranean as safely In his balloon as
he could on yacht. remaining for a
week or fortnight on tho water lie
says he has already solved the prob.
lens OF demonstrating the stability
OF the balloon At small elevation over
the surface OF the water for an indef-
mite length of time. and OF deviating
from the course OF the wind al least
thirty degrees. On land the Count has
had some wonderful adventures. His
piiShed in November OF last year. and
since then he has made five more as.
cents. He has beaten every record in
the world. having covered a distance
Of about 1880 miles; passed So hours,
that is 10 say, about thirty six days, in
his balloons, and conveyed 80 pas
seu.ers.
"Onc OF the most sensational excur-
sons ever made" he said, was on
October 30 1898. when NJ Mallet and
myself sailed over the furnaces OF
Liege, with a thousand cubic metres
OF inhammable gas at an elevation
which was rather dangerous, and land.
ed in pOmcrania. near RostOck. after
voyage OF more than GjO miles. II
was "A glorious night. ana at 10 o'clock
we passed over a town, where n sill
very chime rang out the hour with
tones that seemed to gather a marvel.
lOuS sweetness as they echoed through
the siielCe of the night. After passing
over tho town OF Chimay, In Hainault.
Belgium. we emerged from a momcn-
tary fog and saw the Meuse near hi.
nant. like a silver streak in the land
scape, ,he Chateau OF Walsen, the old
abbey of Waulsord, and the rock OF
Blyard. The next scene was one OF
the most memorable | ever witnessed.
mated in the distance, and as we ap-
preached the lurid blaze OF light be-
came stronger. until the whole sky
seemed 10 be on fire. We looked at
our maps and concluded that we were
in the vicinity Of Liege.
AS we came nearer the effect was
grandiose, flames shot up hundreds OF
feet into the sky from innumerable
furnaces. and the sight was realisti.
cally Dantesquc. 1t required by little
Imagination TO make us believe that
we were about TO enter the inferno and
the doleful inscription, Abandon hope,
all yc who enter here, would have been
quite in place in the burning sky be.
fore US. Suddenly we realized that
we had better mount higher If we did
not want to be roasted We quickly
threw out some ballast, and the bal.
loon rose about 400 yards higher. II
was not too much, for the connagra-
ton seemed to increase every instant.
fire bclching out OF hundred tunnels,
The flames roaring with a sinister
noise as they shot up iutO the air,
Tarefying 1t and threatening TO suck us
into the burning whirlpool The sight
was unique and fascinated VS. In spite
of ourselves. All the foundrics and
blasting furnaces were in full work,
browds OF men were shouting, immense
CyclOpean hammers rebOunding on
enormous anyil5. and steam drills
were kissing and scething Looking
down from our frail basket IL seemed
as If the ground were. burning. w"
could distinguish the forms OF the
wOrkmcn. who looked like pigmics SUI.
rounded on every side by Gre, ana we
wondered how they could live in the
midst Of the flames. We gave n sigh
Of relief as we bounded over the last
furnace ana were carried on over the
plains Of Holland and the north OF
Germany. At ! O'Clock We landed In
a pine forest near ROstock. London
Globe.