The Sun.
London, England, 1849-11-22 00:00:00

SIR J. FRANKLIN'S EXPEDITION.
UTILITY OF BALLOONS IN ARCTIC VOYAGES.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sin,— On the fitting out of the Arctic expedition
under Sir John Franklin, some years ago, I submitted
to. the editor of the Times my plans with respect to
the applicability of balloons in Arctic voyages, and I
am fully convinced that had they been carried out
not.only might the friends of Sir J. Franklin and his
party, and the public generally, have been saved
.great anxiety, but also an immense outlay of money.
I regret that when my scheme was submitted to the
editor of the Times it did not meet with the atten-
tion it deserved ; but I suppose the press of business
prevented thel editor of the Times giving it insertion.
The announcement of Lieutenant Gale, the aeronaut,
in: The Sun some time back, and since in other
journals, makes me desirous to lay my plans be.
fore the public. With your kind permission I will ai
once proceed to do so.
I propose that an aeronaut, with a complete set o
aeronautical apparatus, should accompany the expe-
dition, or that some person connected with the expe-
dition should be well instructed in all matters relat-
ing to the science of aerostation, the inflation, manage-
ment of a balloon, &c.
I will now point out what the apparatus should
consist of. In the fir: place, the balloon should be
constructed of very light silk, about 25 or 30 feet in
diameter, with a net, a light car, &c.; apparatus for
the production of hydrogen gas should also be taken,
vitriol, iron filings, zinc, &c. A quantity of tissue
paper should also be taken for making small pilot
balloons to serve as signals, ascertain the state of the
upper current, &c. And now for my mode of work-
ing. Suppose that the ships are beset by ice, or
frozen in, and the partietA wishing to cross an iceberg
or mountain, which would otherwise be attended with
danger and fatigue, let the large balloon be inflated,
and two persons ascend with proper telescopes, the
drifting of a balloon being prevented by a rope secured
to the ship, and by means of which the aeronauts
might remain at any altitude required, the parties in
the car taking a survey around them, supposing their
altitude to be one mile, which would be as high as
they could attain with ropes.
But our knowledge as to the exact power of vision
is so very crude and defective, that I will not here
attempt to set any definite limit to the circle of view
that may be attained at this or any other altitude.
That we gain a vast circle of view by ascending
above the irregularities and obstructions which present
themselves to our sight on the earth's surface is
certain, and I am now making arrangements to carry
out a series of scientific experiments, with a view of
laying down some positive data on this highly in-
teresting and important subject.
To continue an ascent the balloon may be freed
from the ropes, and a height of two miles can be
attained, and here the parties might possibly see to a
greater, but not (as I think I can prove to the satis-
faction of science) to the enormous extent stated by
Lieutenant Gale, who says, at " an altitude of two
miles, a panorama of at least 1,200 miles would be
placed within observation."
Supposing Lieutenant Gale's statement to be true,
signals made by so small an object as a man on the
earth could not be seen from the car of a balloon at
a height of a mile, nor could the car of a balloon be
seen at this height by parties on the earth. This
must be well known to all who have ascended with
a balloon, though we may on a clear day see the
earth, towns, water, &c., but we cannot discern any
given object. The report of a gun may be heard at
an altitude of one mile ; this being the case, rockets
and maroons could be discharged from the car of the
balloon, which might draw the attention of the missing
parties to it.

I also would propose that a small line of some fa-
thoms in length, wound on a real, should be fixed to
the car, the end of the line made secure at the
place of starting ; let this line be paid out
as the balloon ascends, and it would answer two
purposes. It would lighten the balloon as it was
paid out, so that the weight would serve as ballast—it
would also serve as a guide to the place of ascent or
descent. There could be no objection to this line, as
it could not do any damage, no towns or houses
being in its way. This plan would save much time
and labour. In a few hours the parties in the car
could survey and ascertain what would otherwise take
them weeks to accomplish. With respect to the
pilot balloons, these could be made of oiled tissue-
paper, and filled with hydrogen gas, or rarefied air.
By means of these pilots fireworks might be sent up,
giving reports, &c., as signals for the missing par.
ties; great numbers of these might be sent up day
and night, as the wind varied—the expense would
be very trifling. These pilot balloons could be

traced on the r ice, if found by the missing
parties. Dispatches could be enclosed in a

small car, or in bladiers partly blown, so as not to
sink in water. By this means the latitude and longi-
tude of parties in search could be communicated. I
have no doubt but that if Sir John Franklin had sent
off a number of these pilot balloons in the above
manner, stating his position, some of them would have
been picked up either at sea-or on land by the parties
who have been so long in search of him. They
might be so constructed as to remain in the air a
considerable time, by dropping ballast at intervals by
an invention which I shall be happy to explain. A
balloon which was launched at Paris at the coronation
of Buonaparte,. in 1804, remained in the air twenty-
two hours. It fell near Rome, having in that short
time travelled 900 miles.

I trust, Sir, you will excuse my long let-
ter, and give it a place in the columns of your
valuable and widely-circulated journal. I shall feel
highly gratified, as I have only one object in view,
namely, to assist in the discovery and preservation of

,hose brave men who have risked their lives in an

attempt to discover the north-west passage for the

benefit of their fellow-men.

Nothing will give me greater pleasure than render.
ing every assistance in my power in any undertaking
for the discovery of Sir John Franklin and his crew.
I am, Sir, yours respectfully,
JOHN HAMPTON, Aeronaut.
Rotunda, Dublin, Nov. 17, 1849.
P.S.-1 shall be happy to attend any committee, if
called upon, to lay before them my plans and draw-
ings, fully illustrating my views