Year: 1869

49, N@tA aaN ~ AaA eosf e~~ ~@~~@- =
balloon rose in the air at tie foot Of Cloet
Hills, on the western edge Of the central
plain Of England. 1t was inflated with the
lightest Of gases which chemical skill could
produce, and il rose with amazing velocity.
A mile up and it entered a stratum Of cloud
more than q thousand feet thick. Emerging
from this, the sun shOne brightly on the ait
ship; the sky overhead was of the cearest
and deepest blue aHd below lay clOud>land
-an immeasnrable cloud whose surface
looked as solid as that Of the earth,not Who'll.
ly lost TO view. Lofty mountains and deep
dark ravines, appeared below the peaks and
sides of these eioud-mountaias next the sun,
glittered like snow, but casting shadows as
if they we're solid rock. Up rose the bal
loon with tremendous velocity. Four miles
above the earth a pigeon was let loose it
dropped down through the air as though it
had been a stone. The air was too thin 10
enable it to fly. 1t was as if bark laden
to the deck were to pass from the heavy
waters Of the sea into an inland uusaline
lake the bark would sink at once into the
thinner water Up, up, still higher What
silence profound The heights of the sky
were as still as the deepest depths Of the
ocean, where, as was found during the search
for the lost Atlantic cable, the fine mud that
lays onstirred from year to year as the dust
which imperceptibly gathers on the furniture
of deserted house. No sound, no life
only the bright sunshine falling through a
sky which it could not warm.


Up-6ve miles above the earth higher
than the inaccessible summit of Chimborazo
or Dawangiri. Despite the sunshine every
thing freezes The air grows too thin to
support life, even for few minutes. Two
men only are in that adventurous balloon
the one steering the airship, the other
watching the scientific instruments, aud re-
cording them with a rapidity bred OF long
practice. Suddenly as the latter looks at
his instruments, his sight grows dim he
takes lens to help his sight, and only
marks from bis falling barometer that they
are rising rapidly. A flask of brandy lies
within foot of him; be tried to reach it
but his arm refused to obey his will. He
tries to call on his comrade, who has gone
up into the ring above; whisper in that
deep silence would su6ice-but no sound
comes from his lips-he is vOiceless. The
steersmau comes down into the car be sees
his comrade in swoon, and feels his own
senses failing him.


He saw at once that life aud death hung
upon few moments. He seized or tried to
seize the valve, in order to open it and let
out the gas. His hands are purple with in.
tease cold-they are paralyzed-they will
not respond to his will He seized the
valve with teeth, it opened little-once,
twice, thrice. The balloon began to descend
Then the swooned marksman returned to his
consciousness, and saw the steersman stand
iag before him He looked at his instru.
ment; but now the barometer was raising
rapidly the balloon was descending. Bra..-
dy was used They had been higher above
the earth than mertal man or any living
thing had ever been before One minute
more of aetion-of compulsory inaction-on
the part Of the steersman, whose senses were
failing him, and the air-ship, with its intense.
ly rare6ed gas, would have been floating
unattended, with two cOrpses, in the wide
realms of space.