Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 August 1875 — Eighteen Thousand Feet Above the Earth in a Balloon. [ARTICLE]

Eighteen Thousand Feet Above the Earth in a Balloon.

One of the most marvelous aerial voyages which it has ever been the lot of a journalist to record took place this afternoon. ... At five p. m. we hovered over the Missouri River four miles below 7 Alton, for ten minutes. It was clear that we were not as high as the balloon would carry us, and the aeronaut, after examining his valve-rope very carefully, and pressing the month of the balloon to test the pressure of the gas, suddenly, emptied the con-! tents of the sand-bag upon the people be. low. At least seventy-five pounds were i let out of the bag at once, and we shot upward like an arrow. The earth rolled from under us like a ball, and within ten seconds we were oscillating one mile higher up amid clouds of surging vapors and cool winds that seemed to penetrate our very bones. Prof. King at once began to look serious and pale, intimating that we had ascended higher than it was safe, and; that we had better descend. The barome ter marked thirteen, and was going down. According to all human calculation we were over 18,000 feet above mother earth, considerably over three miles. The highest point ever made by Prof. King was four miles, over Mount Washington, in New Hampshire, nineteen years ago. TJ** valve-rope was pulled to let out the ga&> but the valve was subjected to so great a pressure that it would not w<»K well; ip fact, the valve would not work at all, and for twenty minutes we were suspended, perfectly motionless, in the thinnest, rarest atmosphere the human lungs could possibly stand. Our throats were seized with a painful swelling, and .it was difficult to articulate. The atmospheric p/essure was so overpowering that we could scarcely heai. A tremendous roaring set in, and we had to scream to be heard. We were completely shut out from the earth; all below us was but a mass of clouds and mist, while in the far west the sun struggled in the obscurity like a dark lantern at midnight. Above us there was no heavens—nothing but a dark, impenetrable vapor. Our air-ship appeared to be motionless, but the wind, as dull as it was, whipped the canvas about as if it would tear it to pieces. It was a terrible time, even for the resolute King, who had made 200 voyages before. He shook his head and continued to pull the valve-rope. Finally we began to descend, the icy atmosphere sweeping us as if it would cleave our skins from our bodies. We went down 1,000 feet, where the atmosphere was more temperate, and a gentle current flowing to the northeast wafted us across the river again at Alton on the way to Brighton and Godfrey. It was now our devout and eames wish to go down until we reached the earth, but a new misfortune overtook us. While we thought we were descending,-beauti-fully a sharp wind from the south struck us, almost careening the balloon and whirlingus round and round at least three times. Both of us thought that one of Prof. Tice’s cyclones had caught us. To our supreme joy this rotary motion was not continued, although a furious wind set in and sent us darting upward and northward at the rate of 100 miles an hour. We were carried to a point, perhaps, just above Jersdyville, 111., when the wind subsided, or we fell out of its course, and began to descend again. From this time we began to float northward and southward until we could see the green fields below. The wind, changing again, began to drift us northward. We went over Alton; up the river and passed Godfrey. About four miles north of Alton we began rapidly to descend, and within fifteen minutes of eight our drag-rope, 400 feet in length, bea n to drag among the trees below. Twice it caught slightly upon the branches of trees, rocking us to and fro; but finally freeing itself, we called to the people below to catch our rope, but everybody ran. Women and children fled across’the fields, and dogs went howling after them. It was impossible to get anybody to hold us. We were approaching a large forest, and the danger of crushing in among the trees was imminent. We had no ballast, but. we threw over a roll of cord, a bundle of rope and tile empty sand-bags, and thus relieved got up 200 feet abovfe the trees, our dragrope rustling in the branches all the time. Just on the other side of this wood, two miles from Brighton, we were observed by John Cramer and two of his hired hands, who had the good sense to catch our rope and draw- us down to our native earth.— Brighton, 111. ( July 24) Cor. St. Louie Globe-Democrat. —“ To inconvenience” is a verb which has done good service in making the world unhappy. Disraeli now adds the verb “to convenience,” which may result in greater politeness on the part of ladies to each other and to gentlemen on streetcars and in other public places. One of the greatest curiosities in Japan .to the stranger is the wonderful variety of coins that are used daily. In some instances it takes 1,000 pieces to make sl. Theseare called “ cash,” and are seldom received by foreigners, who, as a general rule, refuse to take them in change.