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"The inflation was commenced very quietly at daybreak, on
Saturday morning, the 6th instant, in the Court-Yard of Weal-Vor
House, Mr. Osborne's seat, about a mile from Penstruthal, in North
Wales ; and at 7 minutes past 11, every thing being ready for
departure, the balloon was set free, rising gently but steadily, in a
direction nearly South ; no use being made, for the first half hour,
of either the screw or the rudder. We proceed now with the journal,
as transcribed by Mr. Forsyth from the joint MSS. Of Mr. Monck
Mason, and Mr. Ainsworth. The body of the journal, as given, is in
the hand-writing of Mr. Mason, and a P. S. is appended, each day,
by Mr. Ainsworth, who has in preparation, and will shortly give the
public a more minute, and no doubt, a thrillingly interesting account
of the voyage.
"THE JOURNAL.
"Saturday, April the 6th. - Every preparation likely to
embarrass us, having been made over night, we commenced the inflation
this morning at daybreak ; but owing to a thick fog, which
encumbered the folds of the silk and rendered it unmanageable, we did
not get through before nearly eleven o'clock. Cut loose, then, in
high spirits, and rose gently but steadily, with a light breeze at
North, which bore us in the direction of the British Channel. Found
the ascending force greater than we had expected ; and as we arose
higher and so got clear of the cliffs, and more in the sun's rays,
our ascent became very rapid. I did not wish, however, to lose gas
at so early a period of the adventure, and so concluded to ascend for
the present. We soon ran out our guide-rope ; but even when we had
raised it clear of the earth, we still went up very rapidly. The
balloon was unusually steady, and looked beautifully. In about ten
minutes after starting, the barometer indicated an altitude of 15,000
feet. The weather was remarkably fine, and the view of the subjacent
country - a most romantic one when seen from any point, - was now
especially sublime. The numerous deep gorges presented the appearance
of lakes, on account of the dense vapours with which they were filled,
and the pinnacles and crags to the South East, piled in inextricable
confusion, resembling nothing so much as the giant cities of eastern
fable. We were rapidly approaching the mountains in the South ; but
our elevation was more than sufficient to enable us to pass them in
safety. In a few minutes we soared over them in fine style ; and
Mr. Ainsworth, with the seamen, was surprised at their apparent want
of altitude when viewed from the car, the tendency of great elevation
in a balloon being to reduce inequalities of the surface below, to
nearly a dead level. At half-past eleven still proceeding nearly
South, we obtained our first view of the Bristol Channel ; and, in
fifteen minutes afterward, the line of breakers on the coast appeared
immediately beneath us, and we were fairly out at sea. We now
resolved to let off enough gas to bring our guide-rope, with the
buoys affixed, into the water. This was immediately done, and we
commenced a gradual descent. In about twenty minutes our first buoy
dipped, and at the touch of the second soon afterwards, we remained
stationary as to elevation. We were all now anxious to test the
efficiency of the rudder and screw, and we put them both into
requisition forthwith, for the purpose of altering our direction more
to the eastward, and in a line for Paris. By means of the rudder we
instantly effected the necessary change of direction, and our course
was brought nearly at right angles to that of the wind ; when we set
in motion the spring of the screw, and were rejoiced to find it
propel us readily as desired. Upon this we gave nine hearty cheers,
and dropped in the sea a bottle, enclosing a slip of parchment with a
brief account of the principle of the invention. Hardly, however,
had we done with our rejoicings, when an unforeseen accident occurred
which discouraged us in no little degree. The steel rod connecting
the spring with the propeller was suddenly jerked out of place, at
the car end, (by a swaying of the car through some movement of one of
the two seamen we had taken up,) and in an instant hung dangling out
of reach, from the pivot of the axis of the screw. While we were endeavouring to regain it, our attention being completely absorbed, we
became involved in a strong current of wind from the East, which bore
us, with rapidly increasing force, towards the Atlantic. We soon
found ourselves driving out to sea at the rate of not less,
certainly, than fifty or sixty miles an hour, so that we came up with
Cape Clear, at some forty miles to our North, before we had secured
the rod, and had time to think what we were about. It was now that
Mr. Ainsworth made an extraordinary, but to my fancy, a by no means
unreasonable or chimerical proposition, in which he was instantly
seconded by Mr. Holland - viz.: that we should take advantage of the
strong gale which bore us on, and in place of beating back to Paris,
make an attempt to reach the coast of North America. After slight
reflection I gave a willing assent to this bold proposition, which
(strange to say) met with objection from the two seamen only. As the
stronger party, however, we overruled their fears, and kept
resolutely upon our course. We steered due West ; but as the
trailing of the buoys materially impeded our progress, and we had the
balloon abundantly at command, either for ascent or descent, we first
threw out fifty pounds of ballast, and then wound up (by means of a
windlass) so much of the rope as brought it quite clear of the sea.
We perceived the effect of this manoeuvre immediately, in a vastly
increased rate of progress ; and, as the gale freshened, we flew
with a velocity nearly inconceivable ; the guide-rope flying out
behind the car, like a streamer from a vessel. It is needless to say
that a very short time sufficed us to lose sight of the coast. We
passed over innumerable vessels of all kinds, a few of which were
endeavouring to beat up, but the most of them lying to. We occasioned
the greatest excitement on board all - an excitement greatly relished
by ourselves, and especially by our two men, who, now under the
influence of a dram of Geneva, seemed resolved to give all scruple,
or fear, to the wind. Many of the vessels fired signal guns ; and
in all we were saluted with loud cheers (which we heard with
surprising distinctness) and the waving of caps and handkerchiefs. We
kept on in this manner throughout the day, with no material incident,
and, as the shades of night closed around us, we made a rough
estimate of the distance traversed. It could not have been less than
five hundred miles, and was probably much more. The propeller was
kept in constant operation, and, no doubt, aided our progress
materially. As the sun went down, the gale freshened into an
absolute hurricane, and the ocean beneath was clearly visible on
account of its phosphorescence. The wind was from the East all
night, and gave us the brightest omen of success. We suffered no
little from cold, and the dampness of the atmosphere was most
unpleasant ; but the ample space in the car enabled us to lie down,
and by means of cloaks and a few blankets, we did sufficiently well.
"P.S. (by Mr. Ainsworth.) The last nine hours have been
unquestionably the most exciting of my life. I can conceive nothing
more sublimating than the strange peril and novelty of an adventure
such as this. May God grant that we succeed ! I ask not success for
mere safety to my insignificant person, but for the sake of human
knowledge and - for the vastness of the triumph. And yet the feat is
only so evidently feasible that the sole wonder is why men have
scrupled to attempt it before. One single gale such as now befriends
us - let such a tempest whirl forward a balloon for four or five days
(these gales often last longer) and the voyager will be easily borne,
in that period, from coast to coast. In view of such a gale the
broad Atlantic becomes a mere lake. I am more struck, just now, with
the supreme silence which reigns in the sea beneath us,
notwithstanding its agitation, than with any other phenomenon
presenting itself. The waters give up no voice to the heavens. The
immense flaming ocean writhes and is tortured uncomplainingly. The
mountainous surges suggest the idea of innumerable dumb gigantic
fiends struggling in impotent agony. In a night such as is this to
me, a man lives - lives a whole century of ordinary life - nor
would I forego this rapturous delight for that of a whole century of
ordinary existence.
"Sunday, the seventh. [Mr. Mason's MS.] This morning the gale,
by 10, had subsided to an eight or nine - knot breeze, (for a vessel
at sea,) and bears us, perhaps, thirty miles per hour, or more. It
has veered, however, very considerably to the north ; and now, at
sundown, we are holding our course due west, principally by the screw
and rudder, which answer their purposes to admiration. I regard the
project as thoroughly successful, and the easy navigation of the air
in any direction (not exactly in the teeth of a gale) as no longer
problematical. We could not have made head against the strong wind
of yesterday ; but, by ascending, we might have got out of its
influence, if requisite. Against a pretty stiff breeze, I feel
convinced, we can make our way with the propeller. At noon, to-day,
ascended to an elevation of nearly 25,000 feet, by discharging
ballast. Did this to search for a more direct current, but found
none so favourable as the one we are now in. We have an abundance of
gas to take us across this small pond, even should the voyage last
three weeks. I have not the slightest fear for the result. The
difficulty has been strangely exaggerated and misapprehended. I can
choose my current, and should I find all currents against me, I can
make very tolerable headway with the propeller. We have had no
incidents worth recording. The night promises fair.
P.S. [By Mr. Ainsworth.] I have little to record, except the
fact (to me quite a surprising one) that, at an elevation equal to
that of Cotopaxi, I experienced neither very intense cold, nor
headache, nor difficulty of breathing ; neither, I find, did Mr.
Mason, nor Mr. Holland, nor Sir Everard. Mr. Osborne complained of
constriction of the chest - but this soon wore off. We have flown at
a great rate during the day, and we must be more than half way across
the Atlantic. We have passed over some twenty or thirty vessels of
various kinds, and all seem to be delightfully astonished. Crossing
the ocean in a balloon is not so difficult a feat after all. Omne
ignotum pro magnifico. Mem : at 25,000 feet elevation the sky
appears nearly black, and the stars are distinctly visible ; while
the sea does not seem convex (as one might suppose) but absolutely
and most unequivocally concave.{*1}
"Monday, the 8th. [Mr. Mason's MS.] This morning we had again
some little trouble with the rod of the propeller, which must be
entirely remodelled, for fear of serious accident - I mean the steel
rod - not the vanes. The latter could not be improved. The wind has
been blowing steadily and strongly from the north-east all day and
so far fortune seems bent upon favouring us. Just before day, we were
all somewhat alarmed at some odd noises and concussions in the
balloon, accompanied with the apparent rapid subsidence of the whole
machine. These phenomena were occasioned by the expansion of the
gas, through increase of heat in the atmosphere, and the consequent
disruption of the minute particles of ice with which the network had
become encrusted during the night. Threw down several bottles to the
vessels below. Saw one of them picked up by a large ship - seemingly
one of the New York line packets. Endeavoured to make out her name,
but could not be sure of it. Mr. Osbornes telescope made it out
something like "Atalanta." It is now 12 ,at night, and we are still
going nearly west, at a rapid pace. The sea is peculiarly
phosphorescent.
"P.S. [By Mr. Ainsworth.] It is now 2, A.M., and nearly calm, as
well as I can judge - but it is very difficult to determine this
point, since we move with the air so completely. I have not slept
since quitting Wheal-Vor, but can stand it no longer, and must take a
nap. We cannot be far from the American coast.
"Tuesday, the 9th. [Mr. Ainsworth's MS.] One, P.M. We are
in full view of the low coast of South Carolina. The great problem
is accomplished. We have crossed the Atlantic - fairly and easily
crossed it in a balloon ! God be praised ! Who shall say that
anything is impossible hereafter? "
The Journal here ceases. Some particulars of the descent were
communicated, however, by Mr. Ainsworth to Mr. Forsyth. It was
nearly dead calm when the voyagers first came in view of the coast,
which was immediately recognized by both the seamen, and by Mr.
Osborne. The latter gentleman having acquaintances at Fort Moultrie,
it was immediately resolved to descend in its vicinity. The balloon
was brought over the beach (the tide being out and the sand hard,
smooth, and admirably adapted for a descent,) and the grapnel let go,
which took firm hold at once. The inhabitants of the island, and of
the fort, thronged out, of course, to see the balloon ; but it was
with the greatest difficulty that any one could be made to credit the
actual voyage - the crossing of the Atlantic. The grapnel caught
at 2, P.M., precisely ; and thus the whole voyage was completed in
seventy-five hours ; or rather less, counting from shore to shore.
No serious accident occurred. No real danger was at any time
apprehended. The balloon was exhausted and secured without trouble ;
and when the MS. from which this narrative is compiled was
despatched from Charleston, the party were still at Fort Moultrie.
Their farther intentions were not ascertained ; but we can safely
promise our readers some additional information either on Monday or
in the course of the next day, at farthest.
This is unquestionably the most stupendous, the most interesting,
and the most important undertaking, ever accomplished or even
attempted by man. What magnificent events may ensue, it would be
useless now to think of determining.
The Balloon Hoax
Story
A Short Story
by
Edgar Allen Poe
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