Mumford, N.Y. (AP) - A replica of the balloons Union soldiers used for observing enemy troop movements during the Civil War is lifting off from a western New York history museum.
The helium-filled balloon known as the Intrepid is taking members of the media aloft Tuesday morning at Genesee Country Village & Museum in Mumford, 15 miles southwest of Rochester. The balloon is a replica of the type used 150 years ago by Union troops to keep an eye on Confederate forces.
Starting Wednesday, the museum will offer tethered rides to the public, taking passengers 300 feet in the air. Flights will be held daily, weather permitting.
The project almost didn't get off the ground because of a helium shortage, but Macy's came through with a donation of 50,000 cubic feet of the gas.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
