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The JJnal Regalia—Great Balloon Race.- Prole»«or Nleincr, the American .T'ronaut, Victorious.The great “ balloon race ” is over, and Young America, represented by Prof J. IL Steiner, is the victor 1 He has proved himself the champion JSronaut of America, anil a match for : one of the most skilful and daring French Professors.THE STARTING THE CRASS—EXCITINGINCIDENTS.The balloons started from the city lot at 4 o’clock 21 minutes—Prof. Steiner leading off in his “ Pride of the West, followed closely by Mons. Godard in his “ Leviathan.,f The latter gained rapidly nnon his rival for the first mile or two from town, until the sroaraU were within speaking distance, when less than three miles from the eitv, both moving about twenty-five miles an hour. Mons. Godard sailed up majestically beside the Professor, when the latter greeted his rival with a welcome, and pointed to the beautiful sight which everywhere met the eye. “Magnificent,” responded the representative of France.Mr. Godard then introduced his friend and passenger, Mr. Wm. Iloel, to Prof.’Steiner, and at the same time proposed that they should take a friendly drink. Both wronauts opened a bottle of wine, when Mons. Godard 1 proposed the toast—“ To the Great Republic.”This was drank with a will in sparkling Catawba, when Prof. Steiner gave the following:“ To Mons. Godard, the justly cele-■ brated French :eronaut_”I The compliment was returned by; Mons. Godard—“To Prof. Steiner, the greatest• icronaut in America.Mons. Godard drank “ bottoms np,”■ and his companions followed suit, and• then, after filling their glasses, Mr.[ lloel gave a toast—i “Ilere’s to our sweet-hearts andi wives.”“Three cheers for that,” shouted Prof. Steiner, as the balloons were f coming nearer together, and the three• joined heartily in a “ hip-hip-burrah P*• THE COLLISION BETWEEN TIIE I1AL-I I.OOX8.1 Scarcely five minutes after, the bal- loons came in collision at an elevation of some 5,000 feet from the earth! I Tlie balloon of Prof. Steiner drove rap-idly towards its rival, so that the bas- ket of the latter struck the former, | about mill way of tlie balloon. Mons.Godard and bis companion promptly I forced off with their hands, and Prof.‘ Steiner shouted to Mons. Godard to *! throw out ballast, which he did and - rapidly rose above the Pride of the ’’; West, and out of danger of any further contact.’ | The wronauts were not again within speaking distance during tlio race. 5 Steiner started ahead, at an elevation e of about 9,0t)0 feet, nnd gradually 1 j gained upon his competitor, lie found| a strong current of air, and taking ad-s | vantage of it by keeping about the a | same elevation, made rapid progress. 1 Moiis. Godard soon after commenced ' i to descend to within five or six hundred feet of the earth, creating the s greatest excitement amongst the coun-' try people, who shouted like an hundred steam whistles. e Mr. Steiner still kept the current '■ which was carrying him rapidly north-'* by-north-east, at a height of about9,000 feet. At siv 6'clock he opened r his basket of provisions, and sat down r to an excellent supper, which he partook of while driving through the air at the rate of about fifty miles an hour!At five minutes past six be passed over Dayton at an elevation of about s ten thousand feet. He cast overboard ’ several dispatches, but found that the s wind was so strong that they were carried several miles from the city, s Nothing conld he seen of Mons. God-1 ard, and Mr. Steiner concluded I hat he x had taken the under current, and gone south-west. He passed several towns, B and sent down dispatches, but as he conld hear nothing from the inhabitants, concluded that lie was unobserved 4 and kept on his course.J THE AJUONACT GETS ASLEEP AND BEINGS CP IK A TUBE TOP., About half past nine o’clock, the u wronaut became very sleepy, and found , it almost impossible to keep awake.[The cold was quite benumbing. He 31 sung songs, overhauled his traps in the , basket to divert his attention, and 1 finally attached about 3,000 feet of a [ guide line to his wrist, so that if he de-. scended, the drag rope would awake him. He then threw out ballast and ascended to an elevation of about eleven thousand feet, and unable longer to I keep awake, quietly resigned himself• to a comfortable nap.About ten o’tlock the wronaut was• awakened by a crash, and found that hisalloon had iescended so low that the car In which he was enjoying ai- sound sleep, had struck in the top of a e tree in the midile of a small forest ! The basket wai turned nearly over,’ and the sleeping wronaut was thrown violently into the hoop to which the . ropes were studied which united the basket with the balloon. The remain-’ der of his supper was thrown out—his wine was cast overboard—a part of his . ballast followed in the descent, and his [ bundles of dispatches and papers kept . them company. The shock was so great as to split the seat on which the wronaut was taking a siesta !The basket righfed in a minute, and the balloon being relieved of a considerable weight in tbe way of cold chicken and other “ Walnut Street House”I preparations for a Jong voyage, shotinto the air with great velocity—so rapid that the wronaut opened his valve in order to prevent going “ away up yonder” amongst the stars. Before being stopped, the balloon reached an elevation of twelve thousand feet, and i finding the atmosphere disagreeably cold, the wronaut commenced to descend.Finding a good current at an elevation of eight thousand feet Prof. Steiner managed to keep liis conveyance in it, and proceeded at a speed of sixty miles an hour, when he discovered Lake Erie but a few miles ahead. The cement around bis valve bad become broken in the collision with tbe tree, and as he had already discharged a considerable quantity of gas, he did not deem it advisable to attempt to cross the lake. The direction in which he was sailing would have carried him about north by north-cast from Sandusky to Long Point, on tbe Canada shore, some 150 miles. With a dense forest for a landing place, to escape which be would have been obliged to travel probably 300 miles, be opened his valve and rapidly descended.THE JBBONAUT GOES TO SLEEP IX A COEN—FIKI.D.The balloon struck the ground shout 500 yards from the lake, and dragged to within 300 yards of the water before the anchor took a firm bold. Tbe landing place was about half a mile from Sandusky city, iu a com field, on the farm of Mr. A. G. Townsend. Professor Steiner called londly for assistance, but failing to arouse anybody be evaporated his balloon, and gathering a shock or two of corn stalks, he wrapped himself in his blanket and overcoat,and lay down by his “Pride of the West,” and slept until daylightAfter enjoying a relreshing sleep, Professor Steiner pioceeded to the farm honse, and arousing the inmates, was carried by Mr. Townsend to Sandusky, where he shipped his balloon by express to this city, and himself took the morning train.All this time from six o’clock, Prof. Steiner bad had no kncwledge of his competitor in the race, but on arriving at a station on the railroad, sonic fifteen or twenty miles from Sandusky, Mons. Godard came on board with his monster “ Leviathan.” He bad landed near Hunt's corners, some eighteen miles this side of Sandusky.RECAPITULATION OP TIME.The wronauts started at 4:21, and Mons. Godard landed at about twenty minutes past ten—having been up about six hours. Professor Steiner landed at 10:30 minutes having been in the air ten or fifteen minutes longer than bis competitor, and having traveled in the six hours and ten minutes about two hundred tend thirty miles!Both could have traveled considerably farther, hut neither having a knowledge of the whereabouts of the other, and not feeling disposed -to attempt to cross the lake into a Canadian forest, they descended, os we have described, and returned to town over the Hamilton and Dayton road last evening.TIIE RESULT OF THE RACE.According to the stipulations of the race, signed and witnessed before starting it was understood that the wronaut who made the greatest distance, without regard to time, was tt be declared the winner, audit is with no little personal gratification, as well a* national pride, we announce the facl that our \onng American ACronaul has borne the honors.Both Mons. Godard and Prof. Steiner came into town on the same train, in company, with the best feeling existing between them; ami althoiq$ the former has been vanquished in a contest nnparallelleil in the history of lemnautics, the honor is the greater from the fact that Mons. Godard has a professional reputation hitherto unrivaled in any country. We subjoin a brief statement of his trip, f urnished to a friend on his way down in the train last night.mons. godard’s statement.We lost sight of Steiner’s balloon at 10 minutes before six. It was then North of us and lielow ns. We passed over Hamilton at 10 minutes after six. We passed directly over Dayton; then went in a north-easterly direction, near the lino of the railroad, for about forty miles; then left the Railroad and floated in the same general direction, until 25 minutes after 10 o’clock, when we landed in a prairie, or large open field near to Hunt’s Corners, about two miles west of Monroeville. Our greatest height from the earth was between8,000 and 0,000 feet.— Cincinnatti Gazette.
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The Cass County Republican
Dowagiac, Michigan, US
Thu, Oct 28, 1858
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USA 17 Apr 2025
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