Mons. Petin made an ascent in his balloon from Bridgeport, Conn., and was carried out to sea. He came down in the water two miles from, shore, and had not a boat arrived soon afterwards, he would probably have been drowned.
This article was originally published with the title "Perils of Ballooning" in Scientific American 8, 5, 35 (October 1852)
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican10161852-35c