The Sun.
London, England, 1862-10-20 00:00:00

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OTTOMAN GAS COMPANY.

The company's engineer has returned from Smyrna, hav-
ing purchased a desirable site for the works contiguous to
the sea and the railway pier. Near to the land purchased
there is an abundance of good stone, lime, clay, and other
building material.

THE BALLOON ASCENT FROM MN-

CHESTERBYRRACKS.

TO THE EDITOR OP THE SUN.
SIR,—Mr. Colwell having stated to me that our flight in
his balloon from Winchester to Harrow, on. Tuesday last,
was one of the most successful and interesting which have
been made, I am disposed to offer a few additional observa-
tions to those of your previous correspondent.
He made a slight mistake as regards the time in which
the journey was performed, the distance being got over in
one hour and six minutes—four minutes less than he com-
puted.

It being necessary to move upwards with great velocity,
an additional interest attached to the ascent. The moment
the rope was loosed by our guide, we felt first a gentle move-
ment, then a bound into space, almost a realisation of the
4t translation" of good men of old. It is hardly possible to
deecribe how this movement outstripped thought. A fleet-
ing vision passed the mind of friends near becoming in-
stantly distant, amid the waving of hanikerchiefs, the
strains of music, and the cheers of the crowd ; we were
high in air, however, before we could urn these saluta-
tions.
At this period our velocity cod not .)?!Mitle,t3Ohan
at the rate of three miles a minute, our course describing a
parabolic curve; the balloon being moved by two forces—
upwards by the dense masses of the lower air, and north-
wards by the wind. This pace gradually lessened till we
reached our extreme altitude, upwards of two miles, when
we took the more moderate rate of about 70 miles an hour,
and travelled at the same elevation until almost over Chert-
sey, when we descended, in a parabola of less inflection,
upon Staines. This descent was of great velocity, although
tha only effect felt by the aeronauts was the rotation of the
balloon slowly. This was rapidly checked by the delivery
of a sandbag, when for some time we preserved an altitude
of about 900 feet ; subsequently it became necessary to
ascend to 1,000 feet to clear Harrow-hill with the grapnel,
which hung 100 feet below us, and was a scale by which
we could estimate height, and our altitude was now gradu-
ally lessened until the descent was accomplished.
It was interesting to note the difference of the aerial cur-
rents. Until we passed over Staines, rippled waters were
observable, and we anticipated a rough descent; near there,
however, some smoke was seen to blow towards the west,
although our direction was northerly, indicating a lower
and different current of wind. After our descent upon
Staines we noticed our pace was diminished, and that we
were probably moving at the rate of about 35 miles an hour,
which pace appeared uniform until half a minute before
touching ground, under the shelter of Harrow-hill.
London was to be seen, a great bank of fog, with build-
ings in its outskirts, which we left on our right.
I ought not to forget to mention a very brilliant effect
produced by the sun striking on a cloud over the Isle of
Wight. The cloud shone with an intensity equal to elec-
tric light. Nor should I forget our passage over the fami-

liar scene of much military pomp in which we had figured—
the great dust plain and hideous huts of Aldershott. There
a solitary bugle call was detected by the sharp ears of our
helmsman, who pointed out the value of balloons in mili-
tary reconnaissance. Although at the height of two miles,
any manoeuvres upon the dust plain could have been easily
seen. Even troops secreted behind the reservoir, or in the
hollows of Caesar's Camp, would have been unable to hide
from the searching eye of the aerostatic observer.

A. M.

PRESERVATION OF FOOD BY MEANS
OF ICE.

That a sufficient reduction of temperature in con-
nexion with proper receptacles would enable all
sorts of food manufacturers, such as graziers and
butchers, poulterers, dairy men, horticulturists, and
many others, to store and keep fresh immense
quantities of food—killing animal food and pluck-
ing or otherwise reaping vegetable food at conve-
nience, or when ready for use, one cannot doubt.
And as to the question how long such articles,
especially 11.-ata or animal food of all sorts, could
thus be k, pt, we may reply that really there
appears to be scarcely any limit as to time ;
but, on a moderate calculation, say perhaps --
10,000 years! Indeed, we need not say perhaps;
for this has actually been proved to be a fact;
it is no mere supposition. Every one has
heard of the extraordinary discovery, some years
ago, of the carcass of an elephant encased in an ice-
berg off the northern coast of Siberia. This ele-
phant was one of a peculiar and extinct breed, and
covered with a thick coat of hair, as if fitted for
precisely such a state of things as that of which
we lately spoke, with reference to the era of ice and
drift. By geologists and others this elephant is
believed to have lived in that very era; and we
would suggest that it was provided with a coat of
h)tir in order to adapt this tropical animal to a state
of matters in which, as we have shown, winters of
arctic intensity must have alternated with summers
of tropical heat. Be that as it may, however, and
seriously speaking, the flesh of this huge animal
must have been preserved for thousands of years;
and that it was preserved in at least an eatable
state was evidenced by the fact that Russian dogs
did not object to partake cf it. Again, in coming
down a few years in our estimation of time, a para-
graph has quite recently been going the round of
the papers in respect to certain food stores which
were deposited in the arctic regions many years ago,
and which were lately found in quite a fresh and
good edible condition. If, however, animal and
vegetable food could only be preserved for a few
months, it must be a most important manufacturing
and commercial object in many cases to realise such
a possibility. When those immense shoals of her-
rings, mackerel, pilchards, and other fish come to
hand, which are strewn upon our coast occasion-
ally in such profuse abundance that they cannot be
sold for human food ere they rot, and are therefore
carted off to the land for manure ; municipal autho-
rities and others being sometimes obliged to pay for
the riddance; how easily could such windfalls be
preserved for deliberate sale to the poor at a cheap
rate in large receptacles properly adjusted as to
temperature. In a similar way graziers and poul-
terers might kill their flocks by wholesale when-
ever they become fit for the table; so saving their
feed while otherwise waiting alive tor market.-
1 Builder.

DISASTROUS NEWS FROM DAVIS' STRAITS.-
On Wednesday the barque Emma, Capt. William Wells,
belonging to Messrs. T. Ward and Co., arrived at Hull
from Cumberland Inlet. We are sorry to state that the
crew of the Emma have not seen a single whale during the
whole of their shy on the fishing grounds. Captain Wells
brings very unfavourable news. He states that from the
time he left Hull, on the 15th of March last, up to his arri•
val at the Orkneys on his return voyage, there has been a
succession of violent storms. Nearly all the sailing vessels
have returned clean, and many have been lost, the ice
having closed in upon them almost without warning. Their
crews have been compelled in many instances to travel
over many hundred miles of ice to get to other vessels, or to
some settlement. Capt. Wells states that during the whole
of his experience he has never met with such dreadful
weather. At one time the crews of 12 vessels, numbering
in all 600 men, were standing on the ice during a severe
storm, every moment excepting to see their vessels crushed
to pieces. The Abram, of Kirkcaldy, was crushed with
such suddenness that, although provisions, boats, clothes,
&c., were on deck in readiness for an emergency, every-
thing went down with the vessel, and the crew was with
difficulty saved, On Thursday morning Messrs. Brown,
Atkinson, and Co., managers of the Hull Whale and Seal
Fishing Company, were advised of the arrival of the True-
love, Capt. IL Wells, at Lerwicn, with about 30 tuns of
oil. The Truelove is the only sailing ship belonging to
this port that has had any success whatever this year.
Captain Wells reports the Lady Seale, steamer, with 11 fish
(70 tuns), and the Diana, steamer. Neither of these
steamers has arrived. All the above vessels belong to the
Hull Whale and Seal Fishing Company. Messrs. J. Belton
and Cu., High-street, have heard from Captain Couldrey,
announcing his arrival at Copenhagen with the remainder
of the Lord Gambier's crew, also with 28 of the Chieftain's
and some belonging to the Abram, Resohit.ox,
and Alex-
ander. Thus in one season, the Chieftain having been lost,
al though her crew were saved, the Kirkcaldy fleet of three
Yeasols Lute been totally destroyed,