Year: 1873




representatives Of few leading pa
pers to have berths in the balloon with
which they intend to test the feasibili.
ty of aerial navigation to Europe,
there has been a steady stream of in
dividuals offering their services as cor
respondents on this expedition, and it
would probably require the Great
Eastern to accommodate all who APP
ply for passage.


The reasons why these folks want to
go away are considerable. One is out
of work, and wants to get anything to
do. Another has a few notes coming
due in September, and it strikes him
that if he were in Europe at that time
his mind would be more at ease than
if ne we're here. Another has some
theories of his own concerning the dis
tance of the clouds from the earth,
and he wants chance to take up a
tape line TO measure it. Another has
bet that the concern will come to grief
in midocean, and he wants to be oD
the spot to see that he wins his bet
But the majority seem to believe there
is no particular peril, though they
may pretend to think there is, and
that if they go they will have good
pay, pleasant trip, and something to
brag of for the rest of their lives; SO
that whenever any one begins to talk
of his shipwreck, his California ex-
periences, or his adventures during the
war, he may crush him by telling how
he went to Europe in balloon. One
young Englishmsn applied, whose idea
seemed to be that the balloon would
descend in his uncle's lawn near Exc
ter, just about breakfast time; that he
would get out of the car, walk into
the house, and say, GOOD morning,
dear uncle, here is day before yester.
days New York paper, just glance
over it while / am eating my break
fast"


Yet in spite of this real belief, they
all want to be paid as if they were
volunteering for the forlornest of for
lorn hopes. The least that is asked by
the unmarried ones is their travelling
expenses to New York, letters of credit
for all the principal cities in Europe
and Africa, and permission to send un-
limited cable dispatches. AS for the
married ones, they all want the Office
to insure their lives, and to settle an
annuity on their wives, and all agree
in the statement that, if these terms
are granted, the aforesaid wives will
make no objections to their departure,


But the probabilities are that if
these venturesome fellows knew eX-
actly the risk they were about to run,
they would not allow even an annuity
for their wives to tempt them. What
Prof. Wise says, or thinks, is not 20 be
taken as Gospel. There is an infatua
ton about ballooning, as about all
these perilous employments which are
not purely mechanical. The same
thing is found among lion tanners and
the companions of other wild beasts.
They like the business for its very dan
ger. Then one day the pitcher goes
too often to the we'll. The list of aero
nauts who have died on the field Of
honor is very large and is steadily in
creasing. The last one fell mile or
SO the other day, and expired without
a groan," as the novels say. But then
his chances are far better than those
of the gentlemen who accompany Prof
Wise, who are exposed to succession
of mishaps rivaled only by those Of
Baron Munchausen when he was blown
up to the moon and the chief trouble
| is that there will be no survivor to tell
the tale and magnify the suferings Of
himself and his companions.


These disagreable possibilities begin
at the beginning. These travellers
with their little carpet-bags in their
hands, aud cigars in their mouths-no,
that will not do, for smoking is strict
ly prohibited-with their carpet bags
and umbrellas then, step into the car
and look around them with naughty
air sometimes observed in q brevet Sec
ond Lieutenant of Infantry, draw out
their handkerchiefs and have them rea'
dy to wave. The crowd looks ON re
spectfully. A few women cry and
some small boys on fence call out to
"let her off," The signal is given
The ropes are cut. And then it either
mysteriously refuses to 60 at all, or il
goes off without the car, and suddenly
becomes a speck in the sky, while the
passengers feel like people who have
gotten into an omnibus with no horse
hitched to it, and an admiring throng
looking on. They omit waving theil
handkerchiefs, they take their um
hrellas and valises and march of
through that shouting assemblage, de
Gliding to postpone their trip to Europe
until future occasion.


Or the balloon may start all right