Atlantic Ocean – October 14, 1852
On October 14, 1852, Ernest Petin, a well-known French aeronaut, ascended in a balloon from Bridgeport, Connecticut, with at least two passengers aboard. Upon reaching altitude, the balloon was carried at 70 mph in a southerly direction by strong winds. The balloon came down in the ocean about two miles off the coast of Southampton, Long Island, N. Y., where the men clung to the net-work of the balloon until rescued about an hour later by a life-saving boat crew from Southampton.
Source: The Weekly Lancaster Gazette, (Lancaster, Ohio), “Mons. Petin – Narrow Escape”, October 21, 1852.
To learn more about Mr. Petin, click here.
