The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-03-28 00:00:00

COLONEL BURNABY'S BALLOON 21UP.

PIRSONAL NARRATIVE.

Colonel Burnaby has famished an interesting
detailed account of his raconteur:weed ttl balloon voyage
Iher,llll the Hagfish Chamiel. Thephaat coleus) made
light of his achievement, and made the remark thet •
careful study of the wind currents at different altitudes
had mainly contributed to tte successful outcome of
his &Cris! voyage. Colonel Burnaby observed that the
unfortunate failure of the last secant was owing
primarily to an mesas of ballast being carried, which
the auconauts were unable to throw out of the car, and
elm to the feet th when an adverse current of air was
encountered by the so rid voyagers, instead of search-
ing the clouds for • more favourable wind, they let out
gas and brought themselvee down into • still m.re
unfavourable current. Re expressed the opinion that
there was no insurmountable difficulty in traversing
the channel by balloon if toe aeronaut tocik the pre.
caution of haying eacient ballet to discharge from
the cat lii order to tile him to search for the partic-
tdar current of air which would answer his purpose.
Subjoined is the interesting account which Colonel
Burnaby gives of hie trip and experieness.
When he asmoded from Dover on Thursday morn.
log • very f.vourahls south-west wind prevailed.
Colonel Burnaby was so certain that the voyage would
be succeed ully son .mplishei within a few hours of big
secant that he oaly provided himself with the bare
necessaries of life for that short spew of time. Attached
to the car were barometers, thermometers, and a
variety of other scientific instruments, the different
changes in which it was an important part of his work
I. observe and record from time to time. In doing
this he experienced no difficulty, all he had thoroughly
mastered in every detail the workings of the holm.
menta, and was thus able to keep • complete register of
the earl ois changes that occurred every quarter of sie
hour. The balloon the moment it was released shot up
to • high altitude, and commenced at once to travel at
a sadtdactory rate of speed in the direction of Folk*.
stone, leaving Shakespeare Cliff en the left. The
Colonel as 110411 se be had time to look round sale
that he was moving in the right course for Paris.
and for some time afterwards expected it would
be a close ram between himself and the
by the continental mail packet.
Shortly after eleven o'clock his hopas received a
damper, and as the boar of noon approached he
experieaced a decided check; he was, in fact, drifting
,wn Charmed to the east. At the time when the
wind changed be was within seven miles of Boulogne,
and travelling at • fair rate. lie now tried several
tactics with the view of getting again iot• • favourable
current, but did DOl let out any goat quantity of gas,
as he hoped before long the wWtt might change In his
favour. After dr fling for about two hours mitten
began to look serious. About throe o'clock • dead
calm set in, and the balloon remained moil trues •
maple of thousand feet above the level of the sea.
For an hour the serial traveller remained thes
becalmed and se it were fixed in mil air, reluctant to
shoot his last bolt by discharging the remaining bag
of ballast. Eventually. finding that the erla hia
completely failed at the altitude he had attained.
Colonel Burnaby determined to make one more effort
to gain a favoarable cornet. Carefully gauging the
hietraamte, and taking
_reckonings in quarter
of the *mow lead sotiolimi a a apparent &Min of the

cloud. above him towards the trench coed, the gallant
Colonel *valid hinted( of his beet resource nod emptied
ovary rernsin Beck of ballast and awaited the result
With hhhah The balloon shot far into tbe
midst of the clouds, the altitude being over 11,000
feet. Icor • monies* the Colonel could not neertaln in
which direction he Was progressing, if at all. When
the balloon, however bad steadied lcssfl, the observa-
tion he was aisbled to take showed that be was
travelling with lounesse velocity fortunately towards
the French coast, which h• had kept in eight the whoa
• The only fear be now entertained was lest this
favourable' wind corned should chop toned suddenly
and carry him out of his cleared courses There was
nothing to onoupy his attention for sums time but to
take the reating' and to itheorve the speed attained.
The Colonel felt well itatieliad with the result of his
reckoning, and was glad he had refused to allow anyone
to accompany him for (to nos his own 'sproute)
` If th re bed Nan another passenger we most all have
gee into the see." It was now getting towards
evening, and there were no steamboats plying across
the Ozanne. Very 800 W alter delithLsiele the
favourelds canal, hi for the srst found
be was over the demob coast, and could use the
villages wade distinctly, although be still kept the
balloon at the greatest possible altitude. Many
villagers can out of their houses and assembled in
groups, but Colonel Burnaby was too busy
.pianning •
descent to make earl squah to them. Originally,
=us
did not int I dosoeuding until he hed expended the
carryieg p any of the balloon, but after his experisuces
in tuld-Chenael, he determined not to rely up= the
asteacy f th• winds. He passed dasctly over
:/ieppe, and gradually drifted to the south-west anti
he had let Dieppe some twelve miles behind. Toss,
as evening was closing in, and he eves in a strange
country, he decided to desased at ones. Opening the
valve, therefore, he brought the balloon down, but
whoa close to the grouud he found that he wee about
18 miles south-west of Dieppe. detecting as his lead-
ing plans a recently ploughed field, free from
tress, he threw out the grappling irons and brought up
moot enocenfully. Numbers of the peasantry, who
bed run alter the bateau for some distance, now lent
*Watson* in holding It down while the Colonel sit
free tbo remainder of the gas. He was received with
laid ahem and great hoop& ality by the papa from
leveret villages around, woe bed easentoled In the
lied. lie found isith satisfaction that the balloon Ited
eastaised not the slightest dame sad that every
cord and knot was pei feat. Time Desist ad • messen-
ger to the nearest telegraph adios in order to wire t
dr. Wright the intelligence of his safe arrival. The
station was a long demon* away, hence the delay is
the news r,aihlng London. Culoisllturnabywdhingly
aocepted the courteous invitation of the owner ot
. nesgbbouriag chateau to dinowt sod a.o
availed bi.assll it his &al:doted hospite lay fee Us*
nig ot,thispossan to carrying the beiloon t.. ssi• qu .rtere.
undue tie lung portage through the air, the traveller
took ascent note of the state of the urapersture and
atmosphere for the purposes of pubboattat. Tue
Colonel looks in every way the better La his trip. Gs
nee receiver numerous Prawn from aseodalone,
manta° sod other.,.., asking him to give • descrip-
tive lecture on hie aerial voyage; but he has been °out.
[WWI to decline in every Med owing to an agreement
withilds publaisers. The balloon was animeefully
brought back to Rutland, and is, we believe, now in
Yr. Wright's custody. The most laportheit Gizmo,
stance that woes during the voyage WWI the, bad the
aeronaut remained longer in the cairn the evaporation
of the gas would have made the buoyancy of the
uelloon Insufficsent to rim, into the required current of
wind after the last bag of belied had neon thrown out.
IL may he added that ~.lolooril burners, who is in
command of the Royal Horde Guards, is over 611. Sin.
In height, and of proportionate figure, and weigh. over
15 stone.