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At 3 a. m., the dome of heaven was lightning up, and soon the earth appeared from beneath her twilight mantle. We judged we were over Indiana from the topography below, but there was no certainty by which we could tell. Villages appeared right and left of us. At 4 a. m. we saw a city to the south of us, and before 5 we saw Lake Erie in the distance. This I was certain of from my long experience in these matters. My companions long after this said it was only the illuminated clouds in the east. Lake Erie ahead, and chart before me, showed that the town we had passed was Fort Wayne, in Indiana. At 5 a. m., we descried Toledo to the front and left, and Sandusky to the front and right. From this time we never lost our bearings, and we knew all the time where we were going. We were notw too far north to make easting enough to reach New York, and it was resolved that we would make some city in the State of New York, and make a landing of part of the crew and equipments.
We verged on to Lake Erie, a little north of Sandusky, at 7 1/2 a. m., and before going on the water, threw over papers and bills. We came down low on the edge of the Lake, to satisfy La Mountain of its certainty, as he still thought it might be Lake Michigan. Just at this point a little steam propeller was heading up a river below, and as soon as he saw us he turned round to intercept our going out, but before he got across our track we passed him, and LaMountain cried to him, "is this Lake Erie ahead?" He said "that is Lake Erie and you had better look out!" He seemed a little nettled at our discarding his kindness. I did not like the remark of one of the party, in telling the little skipper that we could not help him along. he turned his bow up stream again, gave a loud whistle with his steam pipe, and we went down the Lake. Here was a grand sight, and our historian showed evident symptoms of inspiration. I will leave it to his eloquent pen for description.
Having thrown over much ballast to rise over the marshes we had just crossed, the balloon soared up a great height until the Bar. stood at below 23, which was also our greatest altitude during the voyage, except for a few moments over Lake Ontario, at the close of the trip. The thermometer fell to 40, but not having time to subside from the old complaint of shaking with cold, it would no doubt have gone down 5 or 6 deg. lower had we remained in that stratum a while longer. We now resolved to sail near the surface of the Lake and reach Buffalo, which our charts indicated would be the case if we took the lower current. The upper current would have carried us over Cleveland.
At 8 1/2 a. m. we were within a thousand feet of the surface of the water, and going down the middle of the Lake at the rate of about a mile per minute. I here mentioned to Messrs. Gager and LaMountain about the fan-wheel propellers, but they thought they would not bother with them now. There was some reason for this, as it would have required considerable dexterity, with some danger, to have reached out to the ends of the shafts to screw on the blades—a feet I never believed they would attempt before we started. They were left off before we ascended on account of the danger of tearing the balloon in her swaying and swooping motion while hitching on the boat—a precaution very essential to our sure departure, and the test of a more important feature of our experiment—i. e. long voyages and specific points to be made east and north of east in the line of direction. Permit me to say here, that, although we did not sail directly to the city of New York, I do know that it was just as possible to have done so, as it is to drive it with a horse and buggy, had we kept more in the upper current, a contingency frustrated by some of the crew going up without sufficient clothing for so cold an atmosphere.
We passed some sailing vessels, and several steamboats going down the Lake. One of the propeller men said as we overtook and passed him—"You are going it like thunder!"
At 10.20 min. a. m., we were near the Canada shore, and about 20 miles from Buffalo. We passed over the mouth of the Welland canal, and commenced ascending to make more east, and as we ascended, Lake Ontario unfolded its huge proportions to our view. Here was another grand sight. A Lake to the right and one on the left, and a little in front old Niagara was roaring like a herd of tortured lions foaming madly out of their nostrils. Cloud after cloud sprung up from this seething cauldron, and it looked sublime to see these Niagara-made clouds take up their line of march with their fellows before them for the eastward. We soon got above them, and Niagara grew more tame. At a great height we crossed Grand Island, leaving Niagara and Lockport to our, and Buffalo to our right.
We now determined to land near the city of Rochester, and there detach the boat, leave out Mr, Gager to forward to New York city the Express Bag placed in our charge by the U. S. Express Company, containing newspapers brought from California by the overland mail, and some St. Louis letters, and Mr. Hyde—La Mountain and myself to pursue our voyage to Boston or Portland, as we could do afresh with 500 or 600 pounds of ballast, and reach Portland before night.
Mr. Gager here mounted into my car from below. and who;e we were planning the descent, with chart before us, I heard a moaning howling, dismal noise below. Being seated in the car, while Mr. Gager was standing up, I asked him whether it was the falls we heard. He looked out and said, "It is the trees below that are making such a noise." I instantly rose, and perceiving the balloon swooping down with fearful velocity, and also seeing La Mountain extremely energetic in heaving over ballast, I did somewhat excitedly exclaim, "For God's sake, La Mountain, throw over anything that comes in your hands! Over with your cog-wheels and fans!"—but in another moment, and just as we were sweeping by a piece of woodland and near to the surface of the earth, at about two miles a minute, Mr. La Mountain cried out, "All right—now she is rising."
Mr. Hyde looked up to me, and said in a very solemn and composed manner remarked, "Exciting time, this, Prof. What's to be done?" "Trust to Providence and our energies," said I. Here we intended to make a beautiful and systematic halt, but there was no halting there. We were now over as violent a gale as ever blew on a lake shore—to land would be destruction, and up we soared for safety—hoping at the worst to get out of the main drift of this terrific gale. Mr. Hyde now also mounted the upper car, and Mr. La Mountain remained in the boat to get all things ready he could, to heave over after all our sand ballast run out, and I handed him the last remaining sack in mine, as we were out forty or fifty miles from land. He was cool and worked like a hero, and kept saying, "We can reach the other shore." "But then our perils will be greater than on the water," said I, "and is it not better to try and swamp the balloon in the lake, and be providentially picked up, if we cannot be dragged to shore, rather than to be mangled in the woods in this gale?" 
Mr. Hyde now said, "I am prepared to die, but I would rather die on the land than in the water," and he was serious in what he said. Turning to Mr. Gager, I remarked, "what do you say to it?" "I would rather take it on dry land, too," was his response. Mr. La Mountain, overhearing the consultation, said, "No, gentlemen, don't let us swamp here; I can't go the water; my health won't permit it. I shall soon perish; I can cut away part of the boat for ballast; hand down your carpet bags for ballast; I can keep her up." The next moment, bang, went the broadside of the boat against a whitecapped wave—crash goes a second concussion—and La Mountain's head in the wave. It was a fearful moment, as I saw his hat coming up under the boat, and I thought he was gone; but in another moment I heard him say, "Now we rise again," as we saw our carpet bags following his hat, and the "Atlantic" rose once more, but very little above the surface of the water. The air was thick and cold, which operated seriously on the ascending quality of the gas.
At last we spied the shore, but Mr. Hyde said, "yes, there it is, but it is a million miles off!"
We were not getting into the edge of the gale, but still the wind was strong. The Propeller "Young America" was heading us off and we were within 20 miles of land, and I again proposed to swamp the Balloon, but three against one opinion as to its feasability overruled my determination, and yet at this moment I believe our disaster would have been less by its execution.
Having now neared the shore, Mr. La Mountain also came into the basket car, and in a few moments more we struck the shore a hundred yards from the water. The anchor caught something, but the first jerk broke its 1 1/4 inch thick prong off, and we were furiously dashing through the tree tops, mowing down the branches like grain before a reaping machine. Again and again we endured these terrific concussions—the strong hoop and basket acting as barriers to the breaking of our bones and heads. After hurrying along this way for a mile, we were dashed into the fork of a tall tree—the basket wedged through it, and the boat ropes tangled in the limbs below. This brought the Atlantic to for a moment, but recovering her sail like form, with another swoop she hurled away this branch of the solid tree with an upward and onward swoop, and in another moment she was up in the air, only to bound down again with the weight of the tree top hanging to her. This brought her plump down on a loft elm and collapsed her, and in another moment we were dangling in mid-air, by having the net having caught on the branches of the tree.
We landed at 20 minutes past 2 p. m., St. Louis time, on the ground of T. O. Whitney, township of Henderson, county of Jefferson, state of New York. 
Thus ended this interesting trip, after having travelled nearly 1200 miles in 19 hours, with no more intrinsic peril in its nature than steamboating or railroading, when properly managed and properly understood. Getting in the gale was an accident that ships of any kind are liable to.
I am now willing and anxious to take a voyage across the ocean, and with an outfit that will not cost over $6000, as soon as I can raise the means.
LANCASTER, July 5, 1859. JOHN WISE.

[For the Public Ledger]
The late Balloon Trip to the Atlantic Seaboard
PHILADELPHIA, July 20th, 1859
MESSRS. EDITORS:—In your leader of this morning there are some remarks which reflect greatly upon Mr. Wise's capacity as an æronaut and which remarks are likely to prejudice the public in favor of Mr. La Mountain and to the disparagement of Mr. Wise.
About twelve years ago, Mr. Wise made known to the world that there is a continual current of air—three miles from the surface of the earth—blowing from west to east; and he bad no doubt an aerial voyage could be made from this country to Europe. Since then, he has corresponded with all the leading æronauts in this country and in Europe in relation to this eastern current of air. The results of the correspondence being that the European æronauts have all observed this eastern current, and have made voyages by its aid. With such authority to back Mr. Wise, and his own experience, Mr. Wise was not long in making up his mind to make an attempt at least to cross the Atlantic ocean.
He petitioned Congress for aid. He met the fate of all great adventurers. He was refused. He met with no one willing to assist him, until Mr. La Mountain and Mr. Gager came forward, after Mr. Wise had explained his views upon the subject. A year or two ago Mr. Gager invented his steering machine for aerial ships, and was very anxious to have it tried. He made an offer to Mr. La Mountain and Mr. Wise. He offered to furnish the funds to build a large balloon for Mr. Wise to experiment upon the Eastern current provided Mr. Wise would test the steering machine. The offer was accepted. They were to make the ascension from St. Louis. Mr. Wise was to have command of the voyage. When the party met at St. Louis a difficulty took place between Mr. La Mountain and Mr. Wise. Mr. La Mountain refused to go up unless he could have command. The voyage did not commence until six days after the appointed time, on account of the difficulty.
Mr. Wise, being an old voyager, provided himself with three suits of winter clothes. The rest of the party being novices in ballooning, were dressed in summer clothes, notwithstanding Mr. Wise's example, and Mr. Wise's frequent requests to provide themselves with extra clothing.
You know the consequences. The balloon was in the direct course for New York city. Mr. Wise, through his experience in such matters, felt secure. He went to sleep. There was no phenomena that required his attention. The whole party agree in saying this, that there was a phosphorescent light the whole night and nothing else occurred, worthy of note, during the whole rest of the night.
The rest of the party, because of their improvidence, became cold, and shook the balloon with their shivering, and compelled Mr. Wise to lower the balloon, so that they might sail in a more congenial part of the atmosphere. The balloon was lowered under the protest of Mr. Wise, who cautioned them that the balloon would get out of the course, and descend too far north, and thus spoil the programme. But they heeded not his warning and insisted to be lowered still nearer to the earth. The result was, they were caught in the hurricane. Mr. Gage's steering maching had to be cast away, and everything else that would lighten the balloon, but to no purpose; they took Mr. Wise's advice too late. And when Mr. Wise suggested the balloon be suffered to fall in the lake, they overruled his suggestions.
Every æronaut in creation knows that the waves of the sea are more merciful than the rocks and tree tops of the land; besides, they had a boat to depend upon. When Mr. Wise made the suggestion, and immediately after, they passed over the bow of a steamboat but, such was their determination to drop on land that they would not accept the services of the steamboat, though offered to them. Mr. Wise, at this juncture, was calm and collected, and told them to rely upon their own exertions. They cared no more for his advice than they would for the chirrup of the sea-gull. All was confusion, which is always the case when a crew mutiny; meanwhile, the balloon was rushing along at a terrific pace. The land party, we know, soon had an opportunity of experiencing the effects of a descent on land during a hurricane.
Mr. Editor, do you not see that all this disaster arose from two great causes? Firstly, they had no captain; they all wanted to be captains, although Mr. Wise was promised to be made captain.
Secondly, their inexperience in ballooning (Mr. Wise excepted) caused them to neglect taking sufficient garments, though repeatedly advised to do so.
A pity it is that this voyage terminated so poorly. It shows conclusively that no similar undertaking can be successful, without one man being commander and all the rest subordinates.
In reference to affinity between hydrogen gas and water, I have something to say. Mr. Dalton and Mr. Graham, two English chemists, were the first to experiment upon the affinity. They found that the affinity is very feeble; in fact, hardly worth mentioning. The two radicals, in fact, had to almost touch to cause the slightest affinity. Gay Lusac, a French Philosopher, and Reynault, also investigated the phenomena, by sailing over larger lakes and letting the balloon don, till within a few feet of the water. They found no disturbance in the ascending power of the balloon. Green, the English æronaut, has sailed along the Thames and over the Straits of Dover, and never experienced the least affinity between the balloon and water. In fact, this affinity can be shown only in the laboratory of the chemist, and by very delicate tests. Yours, respectfully, MONGOL.

SYSTEMATIC BALLOONING
To the Editor of The N. Y. Tribune.
SIR: Although many persons seem disposed to regard the late balloon voyage from St. Louis eastward as a mere Quixotic adventure, it is certainly a very important event, notwithstanding its perilous conclusion, since it confirms in a striking manner the existence of a grand, aerial current in the upper regions of our atmosphere. flowing steadily and uniformly from west to east, at the rate of 40 or 50 miles an hour, above the range of clouds, storms and variable winds. Since the year 1835, Mr. Wise hasmade 230 ascensions, and in 40 out of 41 times in which he reached the hight of two miles, he has found this current, moving always in the same direction. In November, 1836, the celebrated aeronaut, Green, sailed in his gigantic Vauxhall balloon across the sea from London to Weilburg, Germany, with the "express design of settling the "long-agitated question as to whether there were, at "a great altitude, currents of air in one direction for" several months together." He traveled the distance, 500 miles from west to east, in 18 hours, and says, "we "had power enough, had we been so intentioned, to" have continued our course through the whole cir-"cumference of the globe." In September, 1849, M. Auban, a French aeronaut, sailed by night over the Alps, from Marseilles to Turin, west to east, distances 400 miles, in eight hours. These facts, and especially the late voyage from St. Louis, render it highly probably that the same current exists in all parts of the north Temperate Zone. It is not only a subject well worthy, in itself, of the attention and labors of scientific men, but to this current we must also look for the first practical results of aerial navigation. Everyone feels that a more speedy communication between our Pacific and Atlantic States is, for many reasons, exceedingly desirable. Let the experiment of a balloon voyage be tried, and if Government cannot be induced to lend its powerful aid, let a joint-stock company, or some enterprising individual, furnish some competent balloonist with the means necessary to construct a balloon of the proper dimensions, and material for a trip from San Francisco to St. Louis. By ascending into the upper current, where there are no storms or commotions to occasion disaster, and maintaining his position there by the help of the barometer, and an ample supply of ballast, there is no good reason why he should not float 1,700 miles (the distance from San Francisco to St. Louis, as the crow flies) in 30 or 40 hours, with as much case as the leaky and ill-conditioned Atlantic sailed 1,000 miles, from St. Louis to Adams, in 20. Should the trial be made and prove successful, balloons can be built of capacity sufficient to carry several tuns weight, and the conveyance of letters, passengers and hold will soon become a profitable business. A few voyages will bring larger experience and lessen the dangers, which, if we may judge from the number of times experienced aeronauts have returned in safety from the regions above, are greatly exaggerated. But, dangers or no dangers, demonstrate the possibility of the thing, and the love of gain will do the rest. When aerial journeys from San Francisco and new-York have become an old story, and not till then, will it be time to think of a voyage across the Atlantic ocean. T. C. P.