Year: 1865

From the California Sunday Mercury


IN 1852 famous aronaut advertised


that he would make an ascension from
Oakland, California. 1t was total nov
city to nine-tenths of those he addressed,
and the public rushed to see him in
crowds. In the center of the space from
which the ascent was to be made the
huge sphere floated, held down to vulgar
earth by dozen ropes grasped by as ma
ny persons elected from among the by
ISLANDERS. The navigator of the heavens
had not yet made his appearance, and
the audience were growing impatient. as
manifested by their shouts and curses
He was probably playing freeze-out
poker with some flush miner, in some
adjoining tavern, a la ArtemUs Ward, and
could not be choked Off In a few mill
utes more the machine" would have
been torn into threads, when a gust of
wind arising, the balloon was suddenly
wrenched from the hands that held it,
and rushed like rocket straight toward
the clouds. Did we say wrenched from
all No, not from all A cry of horror
rose from the lately turbulent crowd !;
but there, clinging to slight wooden
crOss-piece, attached to one of the cords,
was small, dark object which every one
pronounced to be a human being A lad
who had been selling papers among the
crowd was one of those who had volun-
teered to hold the guys, and not being
sufficiently alert, had been carried off
with the balloon. The spectators were
appalled,, and every observer momentar-
lily expected TO see him drop. But the
young adventurer had no such idea. and
those who had glasses saw him Chamber
up the cord, and seat himself astride the
cross-piece. The balloon ascendcd up
ward in the glowing rays of the sun. 1t
seemed like speck; then vanished alto
gether.


1t would have been difficult just then
to have insured the life of that boy at
any premium AS for the involuntary
Hronaut, what must have been his feel
ings as he found himself thus severed
from the firm earth to which he had been
accustomed. At first his little heart was
III his throat and he seemed to nave sud-
denly fallen from some vast height into
an abyss of fathOmless air. The world
vanished instantaneously from sight
The boy had unfortunately wound the
cord about his hand in such manner
that it was impossible to let go at once
Yet knowing the fate that awaited him
should he fall, he had, by the eXertion of
an amount of strength wonderful in one
so young, contrived to assume the posi-.
tion of comparative safety already noted
There he saw the wind-iriven clouds Of
different strata rush past him with fright |
full velocity, and, looking down. could
dimly discern the landscape, and the
ocean with its ships, spread out as on a
map. During the afternoon the people |
OF Benicia saw the car dash by, and lit |
tie thought of the throbhing heart that |
from that awful eminence awaited in |
cold and anxiety the coming night. The
blood began to CONCEAL i'll the veins of
the little traveller; the act of breathing
grew difficult; his muscles increased to
such feaful tension, were beginning to
relax; numbneSs was seizing on the
fingers that grasped the cord. A few
minutes more must evidently terminate |
the terrible ride through space.


All at cnqe the rope attached TO the
valve was thrown against the boy. He
clutched it in his despair as an addition
al hold upon lite. Joy The valve opens
the gas rapidly escapes the balloon IS
once more nearing the earth Is rusAes
into the leafy embrace OF a grove OF
trees, and after violent struggle, rests,
When some ranchmau. who had been
watching tho descent, reached the spot,
ho found the young adventurer seated
on the ground at the foot Of an oak,
looking the very picture of astonishment,
but none the worse for his Journey ex
CepU few scratches,


We have heard OF persons whose hair
from terror turned gray in single night.
The hair of the lad, on coming down, was
bright red, but It was red hetore he
went up. We do not know that this was
anything remarkable We meet him
the boy then, the man now-daily, he
looks like another mortal and seems to
have forgotten all the circumstances to
which he was indebted for his elevation.