Dropped from the Clouds

           "Arewerisingagain?" "No.Onthecontrary." "Arewedescending?" "Worsethanthat,captain!wearefalling!" "ForHeaven’ssakeheaveouttheballast!" "There!thelastsackisempty!" "Doestheballoonrise?" "No!" "Ihearanoiselikethedashingofwaves. Theseaisbelowthecar! Itcannotbemorethan500feetfromus!" "Overboardwitheveryweight!...everything!" 

           Suchweretheloudandstartlingwordswhichresoundedthroughtheair,abovethevastwaterydesertofthePacific, aboutfouro’clockintheeveningofthe23rdofMarch,1865. 

           Fewcanpossiblyhaveforgottentheterriblestormfromthenortheast,inthemiddleoftheequinoxofthatyear. Thetempestragedwithoutintermissionfromthe18thtothe26thofMarch. ItsravageswereterribleinAmerica,Europe,andAsia,coveringadistanceofeighteenhundredmiles, andextendingobliquelytotheequatorfromthethirty-fifthnorthparalleltothefortiethsouthparallel. Townswereoverthrown,forestsuprooted,coastsdevastatedbythemountainsofwater whichwereprecipitatedonthem,vesselscastontheshore,whichthepublishedaccountsnumberedbyhundreds, wholedistrictsleveledbywaterspoutswhichdestroyedeverythingtheypassedover, severalthousandpeoplecrushedonlandordrownedatsea; suchwerethetracesofitsfury,leftbythisdevastatingtempest. ItsurpassedindisastersthosewhichsofrightfullyravagedHavanaandGuadalupe,oneonthe25thofOctober,1810,theotheronthe26thofJuly,1825. 

           Butwhilesomanycatastrophesweretakingplaceonlandandatsea, adramanotlessexcitingwasbeingenactedintheagitatedair.