1.Desperate Battle Against The Sky And Sea
During a violent equinoctial hurricane in March 1865, a runaway balloon carrying five desperate passengers and a dog is tossed mercilessly through the storm clouds above the vast Pacific Ocean. As the gas escapes from a tear in the fabric, the balloon begins an unstoppable descent toward the churning, mountainous waves far below. With no land in sight, the travelers throw out all their heavy equipment, ammunition, and provisions in a frantic bid to keep the aircraft aloft and delay the inevitable catastrophe.
As the hours pass, the balloon continues to lose altitude, skimming perilously close to the raging water. Refusing to yield to despair, the men make the drastic choice to cut away their wicker basket entirely and cling directly to the rope netting, using the sudden loss of weight to buy a little more time. Just as their strength is nearly exhausted and the waves repeatedly smash against them, a loyal dog named Top barks and a shout rings out announcing a distant coastline ahead.
Driven forward by the wind, the battered balloon drags through the surf, but another massive wave strikes the netting, plunging the passengers into the water and washing one of them away. This final loss of weight causes the partially re-inflated balloon to give one last bound and crash safely onto the sandy shore. The four surviving castaways immediately scramble onto solid ground and, thinking only of their missing companion, cry out in anguish to save him.