Year: 1859

Auong tue ct0udS and It's descent with the
l@roDautss


We have already noticed the ascension
from the Fair Grounds at Rome, on Thurs.
lay, by Mr. Coe and Mr.. Joseph S. Colt.
man, and we have briefly recorded their rap
i'd descent, owing to an accident to the bal.
loon which took them skyWard. Yesterday
we met the gentlemen who made the trip,
and from their lips learned the particulars
of the exciting voyage. We annex the mar
rativc of Messrs. Coe and Cottman.


They started at precisely A o'clock-the
ascent was rapid after reaching an altitude


+ about two hundred feet. The balloon at
first took north westerly course, but at
hight of about mile took due south
course for distance of FIVE miles, then at
hight of over two miles the balloon struck
the famous easterly current SO often alluded
to by balloonists.


The body Of the balloon was constantly
expand NJ from the effects Of the heat and
air. There were clouds below floating in the
air and the reflection of the sun's light upon
the air vessel was very perceptible. The
glare at times was almost binding. When
he easterly current was reached, the balloon
dritted toward the east.at speed of about
thirty miles per hour, and the voyagers
were in high glee. At this point the scene
below was grand in the extreme the earth
had almost assumed the aspect of mosaic
work; small objects were not visible, vet
streams, villages aud cities were dseernable
as distant objects on the surface.


At twenty minutes before Mr.. Coe dis.
covered that part of the apparatus pertain.
ling to the safety valve Of his balloon was
deranged, and was so located that it could
not be restored. He at once attempted to
discharge the gas from the upper valve, in
orler to descend, conscious that the officially
alluded to could not be overcome. The valve
at the top worked we'll, but the pressure on
the safety-valve, which had been deranged
from the lower part of the balloon, was so
great that an explosion followed, causing a
rent in the balloon from the lower valve to
its greatest circumference. The rent was
some forty feet in length


The sound accompanying the explosion
was about equivalent to the discharge of a
musket In about one minute after the
descent was so rapid as to increase the rent
in the texture Of the balloon about fifty feet,
thus leaving almost the entire upper portion
of the air vessel open. In half minute
after the second rent was discovered there
was not foot of gas in the balloon For
nearly haifa mile the voyagers came down at
the most terrific speed, feeling the same sen.
sation that one experiences in high swing
lin rapid motion. The silk and cordage, as
the balloon oscillated, caused rattling
sound like the rigging of ship in storm.
| Descending half mile the main portion
of the balloon was thrown on one side Of the
netting, and caused the air vessel to sway
violently, and the basket and passengers
were raised to an even hight with the valve
of the vessel itself This motion was expc,
.Irienced several times, and as often was
iEbroken by the self-posSesson of the @ron,
f|auts in changing their position in the car
Finally the lying motion was increased by
the voyagers, until they succeeded in form,
ling a parachute of the remnants of the bal
loon, when the rate Of speed in their descent
was mcasurably impeded. During the last
half mile before reaching the earth, their
rate Of speed was but triAc more than that
of the ordinary descent of we'll ordered
balloon.


When. reaching point within one hun
dred feet of the tops Of the trees near Pond,
j Knolls, in the Rome swamp. each of the
! passengers having sand bags ready To throw
out, discharged this amount of weight and
the balloon concluded its descent to the
ground with less speed. The passengers
were suspended some seventy feet in the air
on one Of the tallest trees in the swamp,
while the balloon spread itself over several
other forest trees By good fortune, Messrs
Coe aud Cottman reached terra frma in
safety, after making graceful descent from
the tree. Arriving in the swamp 10 safety,
they partook of refreshments remaining in
!, the car, and gave three enthusiastic cheers
for the fortunate result Of their perilous
trip.


I In ten or fifteen minutes the farmers in
! the neighborhood arrived, and furnished the


voyagers with necessary assistance. Mr..
james Brown, of Rome, aud L. s. Smith,
: of New London, brought them to the vii


lage Of Rome, where they received the


warm congratulations Of hundreds Of citi-
zens who had been anxious for some time as


TO their fate. ~
/. At the time Of the explosion, Mr.. Cott'
man asked Mr. Coe what was to be doue.


The mronaut assured him that the balloon
would come down all right, except at a fear
ful rate Of speed.


At once the grapple and ropes. were
thrown out and all the extra weight, except


the sand bags. The @rial excursionists were
perfectly cool, aud conversed together dur
ling their descent. But for their presence o.


mind tney would not probably have escaped
alive. They both inform us that after the


balloon formed parachute, they had uot
Ithe slightest fear Of harm. But for the few
seconds after the explosion, when the cal
and tho balloon were swoying alternately
above each other their fesrs could not b.
! we'll ell-suppressed.


II