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hurled the "Young America" until my head reeled with the boisterous air-slides she was performing against the resisting atmosphere underneath. While I was plunging for Plum Island, the island seemed to be equally hurrying itself along landward and undersliding me, so that the race appeared hip and thigh, while every few moments the under surface of the balloon presented such a concavity to the resisting air that she would stand still for a moment, giving Plum Island each time the advantage of a jump; butnevertheless I struck the island with a hard jolt. Now came the exciting moment for me; my father had particularly instructed me not to wager life against the value of the balloon, and that I should let her slide in case of an emergency, but I felt like holding on. Although I jumped out according to orders, I could not resist seizing the drag line for a desperate struggle to save "Young America,"—but, fillibuster like, she bolted and plunged under a sharp squall, until I saw my efforts were in vain, and my hands were considerably peeled of their cuticle in the efforts to curb her seaward career, and then she had jerked me up some fifteen feet from the ground, holding by the rope, when I let go. There I stood upon the solitary beach casting a long and lingering look upon the refugee "Young America," making monstrous strides to the eastward. All this time there were plenty of boats on the coast watching for my safety, and I had almost wished to have disobeyed orders, and thus dragged into the rescuing hands of the generous pilots waiting for me outside; and there was also a surverying ship outside apparently looking out for me,—but my orders were peremptory, and I must obey or be corrected of disobedience. After I took the last look at "Young America," I walked with sorrowful tread into the boat of Messrs. Goodwin and Thurlow, who kindly rowed me to shore, where a thousand kind people welcomed me back, and soon landed me into comfortable quarters at the Merrimack House.
This was my seventh and most interesting voyage, and it gave me an opportunity of testing that presence of mind necessary to a skilful management to æronautics, and had I not been under strict orders, I think I could have saved the Balloon, not, however, without taking a drag into the sea.

CHARLES. E. WISE.

Newburyport, Oct. 4th, 1856.


ST. LOUIS CORRESPONDENCE.

Heavy Rains and High Waters—The Inundation in the South—Market Review—More City Defalcations—Black Republican Rule and Ruin—John Wise, Æronaut—His Proposed Voyage Across the Country—Horace Greeley—Sad News from Pike's Peak—Suffering in Iowa—Land Sales, [[?]]—Political—Government Lands in Kansas and Nebraska &c., &c.
ST. LOUIS, May 16, 1859.


Letters received in this city from Mr. John Wise, the Æronaut, of your city, announce his intention of visiting St. Louis next month with his monster Balloon, the "Nineteenth Century," to make an experimental voyage across the country. We have long ago attracted Mr. Wise's attention to St. Louis as a capital point for a series of Balloon ascensions. Since which time we have had several Æronauts, of much less experience had practical knowledge, who have nevertheless made grand ascensions, and at the same time made it pay well; and we still think, with Mr. Wise's reputation as an Æronaut, he will receive a heart welcome by our citizens. The Daily Herald, of this city has the following notice in regard to Mr. Wise's proposed visit:

MR. JOHN WISE, THE ÆRONAUT.—We were shown a letter yesterday from Mr. John Wise, the celebrated and renowned Æronaut, of the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in his arrangements preparatory to a transcontinental voyage from St. Louis to the Atlantic seaboard, as a demonstrative experiment with his mammoth balloon, the "Nineteenth Century," and expects to be in our city about the middle or latter part of June. The balloon is sixty-eight feet in diameter, and will require from 60,000 to 80,000 cubic feet of gas to inflate it. 

Should Mr. Wise succeed to his satisfaction in the contemplated voyage across the country, of which we entertain no doubt he will, it is his intention to carry out his his long cherished and favorite scheme of æronauting across the Atlantic ocean. Mr. Wise is regarded as one of the most, and indeed as the most practical and experienced Æronaut of the age, and, we believe, has made more successful ascensions than any other man now living.

We are pleased to learn that he has selected our city for his starting point, and feel assured will find it the most convenient, as well as lucrative, of all others.


Yours, OLD GUARD.


age as this was every before attempted or achieved, either by design or accident. Hitherto ballooning has been a mere amusement, and all attempts to apply it to a practical purpose have failed. The grand prerequisite for ærial navigation, the means of steering or guiding the course of the balloon, could not be found, and without it the air ship floated in the mighty ethereal ocean as helpless as a wreck at sea. Our American æronauts have, in the present instance, made the boldest and most promising effort at applying the balloon to a definite use, and though they have not succeeded, yet they have not succeeded, yet they have done more than anyone ever did before them, and managed to point out a pathway for the future explorations of science and discovery.

The one fact which was asserted before the voyage, and demonstrated, is that there exists in the upper air a reliable and steady easterly current, by rising to which a balloon may travel in that direction to any required distance. This was believed by Messrs. Wise, Gager and La Mountain, from observations made on previous ærial expeditions. Acting upon it, they prepared to make a balloon voyage from St. Louis to New York. They passed over the States of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and the great lakes Erie and Ontario, and, striking a hurricane by traveling too low, were precipitated into a forest in western New York. This whole trip was successful in showing the existence and character of the current spoken of. Its speed was prodigious, far outstripping that of the fastest locomotives on any of our railways. Had they kept on unvaryingly in this current, instead of descending, as they did on several occasions, there can be little doubt that they would have reached Albany, if not Boston. 

Here now is the first great step taken in real genuine aerial navigation. One current is known in the upper air, which, like the gulf stream of the Atlantic, or the trade winds, though always tending steadily in the same unvarying direction, may be harnessed to the car of commerce and intelligence, and made to do the offices of man. As to the extent of breadth of this current we remain in ignorance. It is not to be supposed that it exists the same everywhere. Mr. Wise supposes it to cross the Atlantic, and is preparing for a trip by Balloon to Europe. That is an experiment which, though hazardous, may be successful. As to the perils of the ocean, it is plain from Mr. Wise's narrative, that he fears those of the land for a balloon far more, and that he would rather try his fate in the water than to be dragged over forests and precipices.

With this easterly current which has now been demonstrated to exist, two things are possible which are of great importance. A balloon may go from the United States to Europe with news in two or three days, at the utmost, or it may come to St. Louis or Leavenworth from California in the same time. In the interest of commerce and finance, there are no doubt plenty of persons in all the American cities willing to risk a little capital in such an effort, in the hope of getting advanced news. As yet, current is known by which a balloon could come hither from Europe, or go to California from St. Louis.

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE
[FOR ADDITIONAL LOCAL NEWS SEE FIRST PAGE.]

THE GREAT ÆRIAL VOYAGE

Prof. Wise's account of the Expedition—Elevated Experience of a "Cold Snap"—Scenes of Unparalleled Beauty—La Mountain a La Douche—the "Atlantic in a Hurricane—Perilous and Exciting Descent—Confirmation of Prof. Wise's Theory—He Proposes to cross the Atlantic Ocean in an Air-Ship, &c., &c 

At an early hour on Monday last, the landing of Prof Wise and party, near Lake Ontario, was announced on our bulletin board, and during the day a despatch was received assuring us that the distinguished æronaut would be home in the afternoon train. He was met at the depot by a number of friends, anxious to take him by the hand and hear from his own lips some account of the most remarkable voyage ever made in the air. Wherever he went during the day or evening he was surrounded by a large crown, and he was, in fact, the feature of our Fourth of July.

At our solicitation he has written out a hurried account of the voyage, for The Express, which we print below. It will be found a deeply interesting narrative, and we thank Prof. Wise, in the name of our readers, for his kindness in writing out this second account, at a time when repose would seem more inviting than the labor of writing:

TRANS-CONTINENTAL AIR VOYAGE FROM ST. LOUIS TO THE ATLANTIC SEA-BOARD

EDITORS OF THE EVENING EXPRESS: As you and many other of my fellow-citizens, are anxious to hear something about the trans-continental trip from St. Louis to the Atlantic sea-board, and, as the account I furnished to an Albany paper, will not probably reach you before Wednesday, I will give you the main features of the affair as well as I can from recollection.

We started from St. Louis at 7.20 p. m., the first day of July. The machinery below the balloon, consisted of a boat 16 feet long by 4 1/2 feet broad. Upon this boat Messrs. Gager and LaMountain proposed to work their fan-wheel propellers. Above it, ten feet, there was suspended a strong basket of oval

St. Louis, as a place of refuge in case of a descent in stormy weather, having long ago learned that a strong basket and a strong concentration hoop, were the great life protectors to balloon passengers, when balloons shall be so unfortunate as to be caught near the surface of the earth in gales and hurricanes.

The boat contained Mr. La Mountain as æronaut, Mr. O. A. Gager as navigator, Mr. Hyde (of the St. Louis Republican) as historian. The first had charge of the ballast, the second of the compass, and the third of note book and pencil. I was seated in the upper car with charts, as chief director of the programme. The boat also contained about 700 pounds of sand ballast, and the basket contained 350 pounds. The ascent was smooth and graceful, and was preceded by Mr. Brooks, of St. Louis, with his balloon Comet, who acted as an escort to our expedition, and as a compliment to his æronautic friends. The day was extremely warm and two of the voyagers were unprovided with extra clothing. Mr. Gager had taken two shawls, and I had provided myself with triple garments and two blankets. A little before sunset we saw Mr. Brooks descend on a prairie farm, and nearly the same time we saw the noble city of St. Louis and and the great father of waters fleeting away in the golden vista of the western horizon. It was a glorious and soul inspiring scene as the last traces of departing friends were gradually vanishing in the evanescent distance of that beautiful sunset. The new and coy looking moon also bowed adieu as we departed. At 9 p. m. I made an observation and found we were making east, with barometer at 23 and thermometer at 42. Mr. La Mountain having been unwell for several days past, devolved upon me extraordinary labor at the inflation during the day, which made me feel the want of repose. I asked him to take charge of the sailing ship while I would take a sleep, to which he responded with alacrity.

For two hours the blank must be found filled in our historian's report. At 11 1/2 p. m . Mr. La Mountain and his friends suffered much from the coldness of the ir, and he called to me to bring down the balloon to a more congenial temperature, but, he says, without answer from me. After repeated calls unanswered, he told Mr. Gager to mount up to my car, by a rope provided for that purpose, as he feared I was smothering from the gas that was now blowing off by expansion, as the balloon had become completely filled. When the balloon expands the car is always drawn up towards it, and this brought the neck of the balloon against my head, and having fallen into a sound sleep, and thus inhaling carburretted hydrogen instead of pure air, I was of course insensible and breathing spasmodically. Mr. Gager pulled my head to one side, and with a shake or two, and a few inhalations of fresh air, I was aroused, but for a few moments unable to tell where I was or what I was doing. Feeling the ropes brought me back to a proper sense of duty. I slept no more that night. The suffering of the thin clad party was so great that I could feel the tremor of their shivering and chattering above—indeed, so sensitively poised in the air is a balloon, that the whole thing trembled. I drew the valve and descended until it was bearable in temperature, and in that altitude we sailed most of the night; and it was owing to this that we made too much north to reach Philadelphia or New York. At 12, midnight, and through the whole of the night it was light enough to see our watch time. There was a mellow phosphorescent atmosphere around us that seemed remarkable. The stars shone with a brilliancy as I never saw them before, and the milky way looked like a fiery well defined cloud. The balloon itself was translucent, and every seam upon it could be traced. We could see the earth all the time. We could distinguish prairie from wood land, and the blue flower of the prairie showed its habitation, as did the yellow, wherever these beauties lived in families. We could see the rivers and ponds, and whenever we came over the water the stars of heaven shone as brightly from below, bby reflection, as did the firmament above. We could see the roads, and the fences, and the houses; and it was truly remarkable how distinctly outlined everything appeared in this midnight mellow light. It was the joy and remark of all our party.

After midnight, I heard some of the crew below snoring in sound sleep, and I hailed La Mountain. He answered, "wide awake, and going on finely." " But too much north in this lower current," said I. " Well, we can go over the lakes," said La Mountain, "if necessary." Hyde and Gager were sound asleep for a while.

At 1 a. m. we were trying to find our whereabouts, but we could get no response from below, except from the dogs, and those vigilant accompaniments of man never failed to make the welkin ring with their bow-wow-wows whenever we hallooed. La Mountain observed that we must be in a country inhabited solely by dogs, or that the people barked. He got out of humor because nobody would tell us what State we were over, but I said we must excuse the people for being asleep at that time of night. We always got distinct echoes of our calls, and the time of return was a differential index of our height. The barking of the dogs also served to indicate the fulness and spareness of the population. Sometimes there seemed a hundred of these canine responders at once, at others, apparently a dozen or two. 

Through the whole night after 12, I noticed two bright lights in the distance, northward and eastward, which were brighter than bonfires and too small for prairie fires. I now infer that they were the lower light-house on Lake Michigan, and the Sandusky light-house on Lake Erie.

Thus we sailed on through the night. To the east and southeast there were two beautiful pyrotechnic displays for over an hour, in two thundergusts, but before daylight they were over, and they were so far distant that no thunder was heard, as they were on the verge of the eastern horizon. On we went through the quiet solemn dome of heaven, and for the last hour of darkness, from 2 to 3, there was even no disposition to mar the grandeur of this solemnity by any one, and this appeared to be unanimous and spontaneous with us.