The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-09-18 00:00:00

THE SECOND EXPERIMENTAL ASCENT OF THE

NASSAU BALLOON.
(From the Times.)
MR. GREEN'S NARRATIVE

This ascent was made from the Royal Gardens, Vauxhall,
On Monday afternoon, and, from the success which attended
the experiment of the preceding Tuesday, attracted a large
assemblage of spectators.
It seems that it was not until early on Monday morning
that the proprietors were aware of its being the wish of Mr.
Rush to make a second experimental trip on that day. Mr.
Rush, however, it is understood, arrived at Vauxhall from
Brighton soon after five o'clock on Monday morning, when
he desired Mr. F. Gye to be called. In the course of the in-
terview be expressed his desire to renew his experiment upon
the occasion of the approaching ascent. Mr. Gye suggested
the propriety of selecting another day, when the ascent could
be either a private one or made at an earlier hour than the
announcement which had gone forth to the public for that
day would permit. Mr. Rush eventually said, that inasmuch
as he was unwilling to let the fineness of the weather escape,
be would prefer ascending their, even though the departure
of the balloon should be delayed as late as half-past six
o'clock. Accordingly the necessary arrangements were en-
tered into, and the ascent made, when, as will be seen by the
subjoined details, which we have been favoured with by Mr.
Green, a greater altitude was attained, and more minute anti
accurate observations were marked, in the course of the
voyage, than were previously on record.
On the day when Mr. Rush accompanied by Mr. Green
and Mr. Spencer went up fur the first experimental trip the
elevation reached was 3 miles, minus 165 feet: whilst on
this occasion the altitude attained will lie found to have been
5 miles and 74-i feet.

We proceed to give Mr. Green's version of the proceed-
ings:7
. _ _

The success which attended my trip on Tuesday week,
when with the Nassau balloon, inflated with carburretted
hydrogen gas, accompanied by Mr. Rush and Mr. Edward
Spencer, we attained an altitude of 19,335 feet, or 34 miles,
minus 485 feet, created a desire in Mr. Rush and myself to
make another ascent with two persons only in the car.
Accordingly, on Monday last Mr. Rush made arrange-
ments with the proprietors of Vauxhall-gardens for the
ascent to take place on that afternoon, that gentleman, of
course, engaging the car for the occasion. The time allowed
for preparation was necessarily very limited, in consequence
of the proposition to effect the object on that day not reach-
ing me until about 12 o'clock in the afternoon. However,
all that could be done in that respect within the' shortness of
time was accomplished.
" The first object to be gained was, of course, that of di-
rninisbing the weight of the apparatus to as low a point as a
was substitute or that usually used. 'd tbe light grapnel

usually an, a pl
belonging to my own balloon, as well as an elastic rope at-
tached to it, replaced those of the Monster.'
"The work of inflation having terminated, I, at about five
o'clock in the afternoon, proceeded to ascertain the power of
the gas with which the balloon was charged. 'l'his the tran-
quil state of the weather rendered an operation of the great-
est ease, and 1 was consequently enabled to effect my in-
quiry with the nicest accuracy.
" On examination I found that, the whole weight of the
balloon and its appendages at that moment was ,10561h5., thus
constituted .
" Balloon, netting, and car
" Ballast
"Mr. Rush
" Myself
" Grapnel
" Elastic rope ditto
" 27 half-hundred weights slung round the
hoop

7021 b.
1500
145 •
145
32

1512

" Total
gi" As soon as this trial had been completed, Mr. Rush once
more took his seat in the car, and adjusted the barometers.
I then opened the upper valve, and discharged a quantity of
gas equal to the power of the 27: half-hundred weights, which
were then removed from the hoop.
" Every thing in the shape of preliminary having been
effected, I released the balloon from its moorings at half-past
six o'clock, by means of the liberating iron, and rose from
earth with an ascending power of 1121bs.
" At the moment of our quitting the earth, the barometer
stood at 30 50, and the thermometer at 60. Before, however,
seven minutes had elapsed, the instruments had fallen—the
former to 20, and the latter to 36, equal to 11,000 feet, thereby
giving us an altitude from the earth of upwards of two miles.
" Had it not been for the flaccid and miserable appearance
the balloon would have presented. I should before starting
have parted with gas equal to at least an additional 1000
pounds, and not have taken on more than 500 pounds of sand
ballast. We should then have hart an agreeable voyage, but
as it was, not having the valuable assistance of my friend
Mr. Spencer, as on the previous occasion, it required almost
too much exertion on my part in discharging. the ballast and
gas in sufficient quantities to enable us to effect the end we
had in view before the night had set in. Our observations
from this circumstance, therefore, became more limited than
I could have desired.

" This fact has induced me to determine on not making
another experimental trip, except tinder what I conceive to
be the most favourable auspices, and after ample preparation,
one point, of course, being an early hour of starting.
" The direction we took on leaving the gardens was N.E.,
and so continued during the early part of our upward course,
but on reaching the elevation of 11,000 feet, we became to-
tally stationary for a minute or two as regarded any forward
progress. I then threw out two bags of ballast, which gave
us an astonishingly increased rising power. Another current
now took us, and we were driven backwards nearly due south.
We continued to rise with ,reat rapidity, and in a few mi-
nutes a different current drove us from west to east. The
whole of this time I was throwing out hallast as fast as I
could. When we attained an elevation of 16,000 feet, about
three miles, we got into a current which was blowing with
considerable violence at the rate of about 60 miles an hour.
The course of this current was north by west, and it was under
the influence of that wind that we were carried to our ulti-
mate destination.
" It will be seen by the extract from the journal kept by
Mr. Rush and myself, that we attained an altitude exceeding
that of any mountain in the world, and Net I am able to say
that that gentleman did not experience the slightest-difficulty
in his respiration from the diminished density of the air. In
short, the only inconvenience Mr. Rosh sustained arose from
the occasional sudden escape of the gas from the lower valve
during the balloon's rapid ascent, and even this annoyance
he did not feel to any extent until the barometer had sunk to
about 14 inches.
" What renders this fact the more remarkable is, that
during our ascent, particularly above the elevation of 16,000
feet, we had been forcing our way upward with great velocity
through a range of currents which was running horizontally
at the rate of about 60 miles an hour. At this period the
roaring of the winds strongly resembled the noise produced
at the time of a hurricane, as heard on the top of a high hill,
and the temperature was at the same moment piercingly cold.
At this altitude I suffered severely from the effect of cold in
my hands and feet.

" At this point it was that Mr. Rush requested me to con-
tinue the observations he had himself commenced with regard
to the operations of the barometer and thermometer.
" We were now exposed to the influence of the winds, to
which I have referred, which, combined with the extraordi-
nary exertion I was compelled to undergo, frequently ren-
dered it a matter of the utmost difficulty for me to fetch
breath.
" The greatest altitude we reached was 27,146 feet, indi-
cating an elevation from the earth of 5 miles and 746 feet,
the barometer at this period having fallen from 30 50 to 11,
and the thermometer from 61 to 5, or 27 degrees below the

freezing point.
" I now subjoin a copy of the operations on the instruments
we took up with us; those of the barometer being taken from
that made by Mr. Jones, of Charing-cross, for Mr. Rush ex-
pressly for the twoscents. This barometer acted with the
nicest accuracy, add enabled us to carry our observations to
a far greater extent than any which 1 had ever before had
with me. For whilst on the former ascent Mr. Spencer's
barometer ceased to act at 20, and Mr. Rush's marked at
14.70, on this occasion, when the action of my glass stopped
at 17, Mr. Rush's went on until the mercury had sunk to 11,
our highest elevation.
" The following is an extract from Mr. Rush's memoran-
dum, showing the variations in the ascent:—
Barometer. Thermometer.. Barometer.
30.5 61 21 ..
29 60 20 ..
27 .. • • 58 19 ..
26 ..,55 18 ..
25 .. 52 17 ..
24 48 16 ..
23 .. 46 i 15 ..
22 43
"Here it was that Mr. Rush suffered such inconvenience
from the escape of the gas at the lower valve, that he was
obliged to ask me to continue the observation. They thus
proceeded :
Barometer.
13 ..

Thermometer.

Thermometer.
.. 5