Year: 1874

BALLOON with D0nalisOn---sse ensatiOms aiss
Incidents Of the Trip.


IDY OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT


While Barnum's Hippodrome was ex
hibiting in Cincinnati last week, several
balloon ascensions were given in cennec
ton Herewith by Professor Donaldson
in one of which n representative of this
paper had the good fortune to partici
pate. AS journeys to the clouds are not
matters of everyday occurrence, we have
no doubt his report will be read with in
terest:


A few minutes previous to the close OF
the Hippodrome performance the lucky
knights of the quill who were to be fa.
vOred with ride i'm the air-chariot re.
tired to take their places in the car, SC
that everything might be in readiness to
cut loose from earth Immediately upon
the cessation of the inside attractions
The party consisted of N. j. Chaplin, OF
the Star, A. w. Robinson, of the Times
b. Gutterbach, of the Volksfreund, j. NJ
Johnson, of the Buffalo Courier, and
"your own" All had come equipped
with overcoats, and fully prepared for an
all night ride, but upon the assurance OF
the Professor that they would not be
needed, all superhuous baggage was left
behind.


"Let her go!" shouted Donaldson,
when all was ready, and away we went,
slowly, but surely and majestically up
ward, with the shouts and hand-clap-
pings of the thousands assembled be-
~ in, inn
over the side of the car, a sea of upturned
faces and waving cambric bade us a
hearty God-speed.


Our eyes were riveted to the earth. A
scene of such enhancing beauty had
never before appeared to us, even in i'm
agination. Nothing could surpass in
grandeur the gradually receding but
constantly widening view. The mellow
light of the setting sun gave to every OBJ
ject an appearance of peculiar lowell
ness, and we could scarcely realize that
we were not in the midst of the most de-
lightful enchantment. Below us was
Lincoln Park, thronged with a mass of
moving humanity, apparently no larger
than the most diminutive of dolls; its
romantic little lake had contracted to
the most insignificant proportions, as
had, in fact, everything visible. The
streets did not appear to be wider than a
mans hand, and it seemed as though an
entire block of buildings might have
been covered with sheet of paper. One
thing that greatly excited the wonder of
the elevated Journalists was the re-
markable clearness and power of vision.
Everything within the horizon-except
part of the city Obscured by smoke
seemed to stand out in bold relief, and
objects at the greatest distance were al
most as clearly discernible as those i'm
mediately under us. Of course, every
thing had ridiculously contracted APP
pearance, and it was not difficult mat
ter to imagine the sensations of Gulliver
among the Lilliputians. The streets
were thronged with people, running to
and fro---although to us they did not seem
to be making much headway---and a
strange humming noise came up from
the multitudes. Below all was motion
and activity, while we seemed to be ut
terly at stand-still. Not the slightest
movement was discernible, except when
Donaldson would get to climbing about
the ropes and shaking the car. The city
appeared to be receding and passing
slowly beneath us. Exclamations of
surprise and delight were rife, and every
moment some member of the party
would discover new attractions to which
he would enthusiastically call the attcn-
ton of the others.


Chow do you like it, boys?" queried a
voice from above, and quickly looking
up from the enhancing scene below, we
saw the smiling face of the intrepid
Donaldson peering down from the "upper
deck" above the concentrating ring.
"Make ready below" he continued |;
Pm coming down to prepare for busi-
ness" And the next moment we saw a
pair of legs feeling around in the air for
rope which they soon found, and then
the aeronaut swung out and came down
in our midst. 1t was very simple feat
to perform if the basket had been resting
on the ground, but to undertake it above
the clouds-"I wouldn't do it for gold
mine !" said johnson, and he expressed
the sentiments of at least one or two
others very concisely. We do not wish
to infer, however, that any Of the party
were troubled with the slightest fear or
misgiving. All manifested perfect COM
posure throughout the trip, and having
unbounded confidence in the Professors
skill and ability to pilot us through the
air in safety, no thought of danger in
truded to mar the enjoyment of an ex-
perience denied the generality of fmOrtals
"We'll now get out the drag-rope," con-
tinued Donaldson, "and then we can
have q chat" So we all pro-
ceeded to assist I'm uncoiling and
passing out the cable slowed away in
the bottom of the car. This was not an
easy task, but it was soon safely over
with, and we again returned to the won
derful panorama beneath us.


Our position had changed consider
ably, and many new objects had come
into the field. Prominent among these
were the attractive suburbs for which
Cincinnati is noted. Over the eastern
part of the city hung dense cloud of
smoke which completely obscured the
view, but in every other direction the
atmosphere was marvelously clear. 1t
was evident that we were drifting in a
northeasterly direction. In the south
west could be seen the Ohio winding
about like n silyery ribbon. Farther to
the north was Mill Creek, coursing
through the valley of the same name.
Turnpikcs and roads were as tiny
threads, and vehicles passing along them
mere dots. Almost beneath us was Mt.
Auburn, and from our elevated perch
Walnut Hills, Avondale, Cumminsville,
Spring Grove, and several other points OF
interest were clearly discernible. About
this time breeze from beneath appeared
to spring up, and the Professor informed
us that we were rapidly descending. He
permitted the descent to continue until
the end of the drag rope struck the
ground, when bag of sand was emptied
and we again scared skyward. The de-
scent and subsequent rise afforded us a
practical demonstration of the leveling ol
the hills by distance for at the highest
point no elevations whatever were per.
ceptible the ground presenting the ap-
pearance of a level plain. We must
not neglect to mention the absence Of all