Rutland, Vermont, Balloon Ascensions

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Middlebury Register (VT.)
July 14, 1858

Middlebury Register
July 14, 1858

Vermont Daily Transcript
(St. Albans, VT.)
September 17, 1868

Portland (Me.) Daily Globe
July 10, 1873

Burlington Weekly Free Press
April 16, 1908, p14

Spirit of the Age
(Woodstock, VT.)
April 18, 1908

Orleans County Monitor
(Barton, VT.)
June 23, 1909, p.6

Orleans County Monitor
(Barton, VT.)
June 23, 1909 p.6

Barre Daily Times
July 28, 1909

Orleans County Monitor
August 18, 1909

Bennington Evening Banner
November 18, 1909

Spirit of the Age
(Woodstock, VT.) December 4, 1909

Spirit of the Age
December 4, 1909

Herald & News
(West Randolph, VT.)
January 27, 1910 pg. 3

Burlington Weekly Free Press
February 22, 1912, p.6

Vermont Phoenix
September 8, 1916

 

Ada I. Mitchell, Aeronaut, Balloonist – 1894

     The following article appeared in the defunct Vermont newspaper, The Herald & News, of West Randolph, Vermont, October 11, 1894.  It relates the experience  of Ada I. Mitchell, (Vandever) (Vandeveer).   

 

Vermont Balloon Ascension – 1858

Vermont Balloon Ascension – 1858

     On July 5, 1858, John La Mountain made a balloon ascension from Rutland, Vermont, and reportedly reached an altitude of five miles – a remarkable feat for the day.   

     The following is an excerpt from The Middlebury Register, of Middlebury, Vermont, dated July 4, 1858. 

     “Mr. La Mountain in his account of his balloon ascension from Rutland on the 5th estimates that he reached an altitude of five miles.  He was able to count 53 villages.  The Earth appeared concave and there was no perceptible difference between mountains and valleys.  The wet sand in his (ballast) bags was frozen solid.  The rarified atmosphere and intense cold caused painful and alarming sensations.”

     Mr. La Mountain was quoted as saying:

     “At this woeful scene I still retained presence of mind enough to be aware of my condition. I immediately pulled the valve-rope to discharge gas to descend.  The Balloon having been continually ascending for about forty minutes, was at a height of at least five miles.  In the course of a few minutes the Balloon began gradually to descend, and my suffering began to be somewhat relieved. ”   

     The trip lasted one hour and twenty-two minutes during which the balloon traveled forty miles before it landed in the town of Windham. 

     Source:

     The Middlebury Register, (Middlebury, VT.), “News Of The Week”. July 14, 1858 

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