The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-08-30 00:00:00

BALLOON OBSERVATIONS.

On the subject of Ballooning, the following interesting
letter has been published :

Sir,—Having recently made two ascents which
furnish several points of interest in aerostatics, I beg
to send a few notes, and to state that the first trip was
made with Captain Cheyne, R.N., in order to initiate
that enterprising explorer into the practice of balloon-
ing before he actually applies balloons in his forth-
coming North Pole expedition. This maiden aerial
experience of the gallant captain took place on Bank
Holiday, from the Recreation Ground,West Brompton.
It was not by arrangement, but we happened to meet,
and as it was a fine evening, after a thunderstorm of
exceptional severity on the previous day, I guessed we
should be afforded a clear view of the metropolis. In
this prospect we were not disappointed. The path of
my small balloon Alexandra was directly across
London, somewhat to the right of the Houses of Par-
liament, thence straight eastward, bisecting the Isle of
Dogs, and away past Woolwich Arsenal in a parallel
line which took us five times across the Thames before
we descended in Rainharn Marshes.

The balloon view of London was unique, and such
as I have seldom or indeed never before realised. This
was owing to two calms. The severe tropical storm
of the previous day had purified the atmosphere, and,
it being Bank-Holiday, there was little industrial
activity, very little smoke, and a remarkably subdued
hum, which in its more active form is peculiar to our
capital, and arises from the multiplicity of vehicles
and voices, blending in one solemn and sonorous sound
which is sure to strike and please an asrial voyager for
the first time, and which even captivates old bal-
loonists when a fresh chord vibrates, as it some-
times does, under varied atmospheric conditions and
at different hours during the day and night. Of
course, our car gossip—if I may use the term
—turned upon practical matters, as well as those
beauties of scenes which are only to be commanded in
a free balloon, and very imperfectly realised in any
kind of captive balloon, owing to the connecting rope
—that one link to terra firma which just mars the en-
chantment. When free in mid-air one almost feels for
his wings; or, to be literally correct, a bird-like in-
stinct seems to take possession of the mind, and all
fear is lost in admiration. The captive balloon, on the
other hand, even in still air, and more so when a
breeze is on, leaves certain impressions not, perhaps,
of the most reassuring kind, however much may be
said to the contrary. No wonder, then, that Captain
Cheyne, when all hawsers and mooring ropes had been
cast loose, and we were running before the wind in a
fine sky with light airs and pleasant surround-
ings, descanted freely on Arctic ballooning. Briefly,
summarised, I elicited that in the proposed ex-
pedition ballooning would be attended with a
low temperature of I hardly recollect how many
degrees Fahrenheit below zero, so that the crude plan
I originally drew out for Captain Cheyne would have
to be modified, if not radically changed. At such a
reduced temperature as that expected the very prin-
ciple of the balloons would necessitate an alteration,
and, instead of gas in tanks, hot-air aerostats would
have to take the place of silk balloons.
As I had no idea when I unexpectedly met Captain
Cheyne at Lillie Bridge of personally making the
ascent, my assistant being engaged to do so by Mr.
Chambers, I was unprepared with instruments beyond
a pocket aneroid, which recorded a maximum altitude
of 4,590 ft.
But as I have another interesting ascent with an
artist to describe soon after a thunderdorm, I will re-
serve a description of the views we had for a future
letter, and remain, yours obediently,
Tottenham, Aug. 23.

ifiCNBY COXWELL.

The following is Mr. Coxwell's promised letter (alluded to
above) :

Sir,—At the customary hour of conveying my
balloon to the South Park of the Alexandra Palace tor
inflation, there was thunder, vivid flashes of lightning,
and a pelting downpour of rain; but it was a fete in
connection with the Metropolitan Police Orphanage,
and though the elements had conspired malignantly,
as it would seem by the storm culminating over
Muswell Hill to atop outdoor amusements, still we
proceeded with the inflation, and a bright ray of sun-
shine at once rewarded us for our pains. Very soon
from 8,000 to 10,000 of the numerous spectators
gathered around the enclosure, notwithstanding the
grass was long and wet,and at 5.30 punctually I drew the
liberating iron, having with me Mr. W. B. Murray,
an artist, who was much of my opinion that en-
gravings and sketches of balloons and aerial scenery
are not correct as depicted in books and periodicals,
and we resolved to take a series of sketches, so as
faithfully to represent cloudland, and views of the
earth as they are really seen from the car. In more
than Ohe recent work on aeronautics the illustrations,
which are very good and clever in their way, convey
perspectives which are not truthful. For instance,
the balloon is seen floating perhaps above a sea of
clouds, and is comparatively small, and decidedly
some miles distant from the professed sketcher in
the car. Where, then, was the artist? On a moun-
tain-top sketching the landscape below and the
vapours all around, or was he a winged messenger
soaring in space, and poising himself at an altitude
suitable for a good picture? Now, what Mr. Murray
aimed at in his first ascent with me was to take and
depict real appearances from our own air point, and to
make the viewer feel that he was with us in the car,
seeing what we saw, so far as is possible by pictorial
art to pourtray nature. Although the evening turned
out very calm, the atmosphere was scarcely purged of
electricity. A thick mist hung over London, but on
rising above several stratus clouds we passed out of
sight of the earth, and with blue sky overhead, and
almost every modification of clouds in the firmament,
we had at least a glorious view above ; and the
further we journeyed from the town the greater were
the number of breaks, so that picturesque glimpse of
fields, villages, roads, and rivers were ever and anon
obtained. It is just possible that we should have kept
up until dark but for two circumstances deserving of
explanation. At an elevation of over three thousand
feet I observed, when the artist was pencilling a village
scene with an amount of rapidity which certainly asto-
nished me, that had he not been extraordinarily
expeditious his chance would have been lost, as
this village was soon out of sight beneath the car;
but the outline was scarcely taken before it re-
appeared on the other side. Evidently we were
moving then much faster than in the lower tranquil
stream of atmosphere, and on recording 4,000 by the
barometer our pace, judging by glimpses obtained of the
earth, seemed to be still more accelerated. While at
this elevation the balloon sustained a succession of
shocks which I could not account for. Sometimes
when it is partially inflated in a damp cloud a kind of
dropping sensation is experienced as the silk dilates in
the network, but the balloon was now quite tight, and
the vibration, which was frequent in single but mostly
in double shocks, became unpleasant. Mr. Murray
asked for an explanation. I carefully examined the
balloon by looking up inside and by inspecting the
meshes of the netting. There was nothing in a
mechanical point of view to account for this most
unusual shaking, and I could only infer that
owing to the previously disturbed state of the
weather, it was produced by electrical currents
in the upper air, which might have indicated inte-
resting results had we been prepared with a suitable
electrometer. We now decided to pass down into
a lower current, so as to note if the shocks became lees
frequent. On emerging from clouds which ranged at
about 1,700 feet above the ground they appeared to
cease altogether. On landing at Hatfield Broad Oak,
Essex, at ten minutes past six, we were surprised to
find ourselves 30 miles or more away from the
Alexandra Palace. The breeze at starting and on
landing was very gentle, and the car sustained no shock
whatever, so that the swift and electrified upper
current must for a short time have moved the ballcon
at the rate of 80 miles an hour. After we descended a
ground wind sprang up, and during the night and next
day it blew furiously, and rained all day without
ceasing. We drove eight miles to Sawbridgeworth
Station, and caught the last train up.—l remain,
obediently yours, HEN/SY COXIVELL.
Tottenham, August 25.