Public Ledger

A Balloon in a Maine Wilderness.

Mr. Samuel A. King, the aeronaut, gives the following amusing account of an adventure in the northern wilds of Maine:

"I had an unusually long air voyage from Bangor, with several companions, and was passing over an almost unbroken wilderness of forest and lake, looking in vain for a landing place. Night was coming on, and the question where to land became a serious one. No sound of civilization, not a gun or an ax, nothing but primitive sounds of nature. 'Here is an opening,' cried one passenger; 'why not land here?' 'No! boys, have a little patience; we can do much better by running down to the coast in the counter current above us.' Darkness had come on, but 'one-of-a-light! a light!' This was the exclamation of one who a moment before thought he was doomed to starve in the wilderness. Sure enough there was a light, but it was a great way off, and might not be in our course; yet gradually we approach it. At one time it seems to be off to the right, and then away to the left; but nearer it comes till it is seen streaming from a window beneath us. There is a dark, open space below. Is it land or water? I see a fence. Over with the anchor, and in a moment more we find ourselves swinging by the anchor-rope over a newly-cleared field among the stumps. We had landed in the only inhabited spot within twenty miles, near a saw-mill on the Cromocty river.' The people who run the mill lived near by, and it was from their window that we saw the light. Wishing for some assistance to remove the balloon to smoother ground, if possible, before letting the gas out, we remained in the car; and taking up my speaking trumpet I hallooed, but the unearthly sound was adding terror to the already frightened inhabitants. One man, however, a little braver than the rest, ventured out after awhile and inquired, what is it any how? By dint of explanation and persuasion, we succeeded in getting him to come to us. Giving him a line that was attached to the car he was requested to make it fast to a certain log to prevent the balloon from swaying about till we could get more help. Becoming impressed with the idea that our lives were in danger, and that our safety depended on him, he froze to that rope in a wonderful manner. It was a little short, and, though he tried hard to make it fast every time the balloon would settle, still he could not get it fastened. Then the balloon would rise, and up he would go twenty feet more, and down again to try the same thing over, but he soon began to feel exhausted, and, remembering his companions, broke out with: 'Say, you blasted, goldurned, cowardly sneaks, come out and help me!' This started them soon; five others made their appearance and assisted in moving the balloon to a better place. The first they knew of the balloon was from one of the women who was just returning from milking, seeing the monster just above her, and descending, she dropped her pail and fled to the house, screaming in the most frantic manner; when asked the matter, she could only reply, Oh, it's a forerunner! I know it's a forerunner!' In this backwoods place they had never heard of a balloon, and many were the wonders and surmises as to the meaning of our strange appearance among them. The oldest man of them all, however, seemed to have hit upon the right idea, and coming up to me in a jocose way, says he: "Ah! ye'er skedaddlers!" I shook my head, and, pointing to the balloon, he asked, "How many more is there up in tha'er? It didn't take so big a coach to bring so few of ye ?' He was induced to change his mind at last, when "big coach" lay prone upon the ground."