Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 July 1875 — A Night Balloon Voyage. [ARTICLE]

A Night Balloon Voyage.

Mr. Charles Pirie, of the Toronto s«n, who with Mr, Charles, of the Jzxtder, and Mr. Devine, of the -Itfrert/w, went up with Prof. Donaldson in tlie balloon P. T. Barnum from Toronto on Thursday last, gives an interesting account of the voyage and their miraculous escape from the waters of Lake Ontario. They reached an altitude of 2.000 feet, and when twilight set in they were over the center of the lake. Tire professor then announced that they would be compelled to remain out all night, as it would lie impossible to make a landing unless the wind changed. Tlie wind shortly increased and drove the balloon along at the rate of forty miles an hour. More ballast being, thrown out the air-ship ascended until it reached a height of nearly two miles. At this point they could see nothing but each other and the stars. The atmosphere was clear and bitterly cold, and they huddled together in the basket to keep themselves warm. Then they descended and came within a few hundred feet of the water. They sighted Oshawa in tlie distance before it became dark and came within a few hundred feet of land. Then a change of wind drove them far out over the lake. Mr. Pirie continues: “As the evening wore into night a heavy mist rose to the west or in rear of the balloon. It seemed to follow close behind but did not overtake it, the air being quite clear in front. At a later period in the night, .when two of the reporters went almost to sleep, having been singing and endeavoring to pass tlie time as pleasantly as possible under the circumstances, Mr. Devine, who was on the lookout, suddenly called attention to a magnificent burst of light which illuminated the whole sky. He fancied for a moment that the balloon was on fire, but this delusion was quickly dissipated and the cause of the light was discovered to be' a most brilliant meteor, which appeared almost directly overhead, lasting,for an instant and then suddenly darting off in an easterly direction, changed its course and gradually faded away.. The spectacle was a singularly impressive one and will never be forgotten by those who saw it. •’After ...passing Port Hope the movements of the balloon became very erratic, tlie wind blowing from all points of the compass. After drifting about for some time in this purposeless manner the balloon descended to within twenty feet of the waves, which were rolling heavily, the great drag-rope trailing in the lake. As this weight of rope was interfering witli the motion of the balloon the professor’s orders were that it-should be taken into the car. Tins was no easy task, as it was an inch thick and nearly 300 feet long. It having been coiled in the car after very heavy labor, it was found that the weight in the car was more than the bottom could bear, and it was again gradually let out to the extent of fifty feet. The balloon suddenly dipped into the water and rose again, and again dipped. This was, to say the least of it, unpleasant, and, the ballast having all been disposed of, tlie professor ordered the anchor and the drag-line to be thrown overboard, and thus lightened the balloon sprang upward, and the moon rising illumined the whole extent of the lake. “Thelight enabled the party to sight a schooner in the distance, coming toward them from the east in the direct line of the balloon. The party immediately hailed the boat, which replied to the cries, and asked where they were. Naturally they replied ‘ Up in a balloon,’ which had such a humorous sound that those on board the schooner uttered some ejaculations of displeasure and immediately tacked away. This was like the last hope disappearing, and a feeling of dread apprehension fell upon the party. All hope was not, however, abandoned, as it was felt that another vessel might come in sight or the wind drive the balloon ashore. At about one o’clock the car again dipped in the water and dragged at a fearfully rapid rate through the lake. This necessitated the parties on board clinging to tlie ropes and standing on the edge of the basket. The cold was intense and the arms of the reporters became so numbed that holding on was almost mechanical.

“ When all hope had been abandoned the professor from his perch aloft descried a blue light, which was hung at the masthead of a schooner approaching the balloon. As soon as she came within hailing distance the distress of the aerial travelers was made known, and a small boat was put out to the rescue. The balloon appeared to be tilled with a spirit of contrariness, and instead of waiting to be rescued flew before the wind. Two young men in the boat, names were subsequently ascertained to be Henry Loney, aged twenty-one, and Thomas Whallam, aged eighteen, rowed vigorously for an hour and a half, sometimes nearing the balloon and again left far behind. Fortunately a dead calm fell, and the boat was enabled to reach the balloon, and the unmanageable monster was towed to shore near Long Point Lighthouse, in Athol Township. Prince Edward County.”— N. Y. Sun, June 28. A farmer on the road between Charl•ton and Worcester, Mass., having been terribly annoyed by drummers, put up a sign: “No sewing-machines wanted here. Got o!ft?.” It was no use ; the next drummer wanted to seethe machine, “and perhaps he’d hitch up a trade.” So the farmer put up: ‘-‘Got the small-pox here.” That worked well for a little while, but then came along a drummer frightfully pitted with the small-pox, who smilingly said: “ Seein’ you’ve got it bad here they’ve put me on this route.” A gentleman residing near Perry, this county, went to church recently, and before starting was requested very earnestly by his better-half to be sure and remember the text. The text was: “An angel came down from heaven and took a live coal from the altar.” Before he got home the text had slipped his memory? When his wife asked what the text was he answered: “There was.an Indian came down from New Haven and took a live colt by the tail and pulled his head out of the halter.” — Ralls County {Mo.) Record. The constitutionality of the Massachu- , setts Ten-Hour law is to be tested. One of the Lowell manufacturing companies was recently fined for employing a woman more than sixty hours in one week ;■ the claim of the defense that, the woman being over twenty-one years of age, the company had a right, under special contract, to employ her more than sixty hours in a ! week, having been overrule*!. The case will go to the Supreme Court;