Red Wing sentinel., 1859-07-30
WHOLE NUMBER l56
SCIENTIFIC BALLooNlNG.

SCIENTIFIC BALLOONlNG.
nd We copy the following letter from
Mr.. Wise to the N. Y. Tribune:
& S'R-1n your daily of July 5, is an
article headed "Voyaging in the Sky"
1t seems to me that a little cxplana-
ton Of what have for twenty years
contenedd is now in place. Without
wishing to criticise an nything you have
there stated, will only give my plain
propositions.
l say there is current of air blow.
ing from west to east continually,
and this current never runs less than
htty miles an hour oftcner siYty, sew.
enty and eighty. Prof Henry thinks
IL Is the return current of the trade
winds. AS We ascend higher in the
current It runs faster, until we find it
changing to little south. of east.---
The lower current, GEAR the earth runs
toward the north of east. Ihave found
these currents at all times of the year.
from the first Of April to the 18th Of
December. In my correspondence
with charles Green, of London, a sci.
entltic balloonist, OF great experience,
l lea'n from him that those currents
ikew Is. exist in Europe. From my
experience in finding them thirtv-nine
times out of forty trials, contend that
regular and precise voyages may be
made from west to east, and to places
fifteen and twenty degrees north Of east
from the point Of starting. Why then
it is asked, did we not sail to the city
OF New York and deliver our Express
6ag? 1t is a very rational inquiry and
deserves rational explanation.
1t could have been done, and should
have been. The reason why it was
not done is this: some of our party did
not provide themselves with extra
clothing. Immediately after leaving
St. Loiue, I took the balloon 10 an al,i
tnde, in which she was making due
east. In this current we sailed until
some OF my companions shivered with
cold so that the balloon quivcred with
the tremor. Mr.: La Mountain had
taken no extra clothing, and the other
two were not fully provided for the
change oftemperaturc. had on two
undershirts, woolen drawers, cloth coat
aud cashmere pants, and when over
these l had too wooden blankets. the
expostulatons of my companions to
come down could not be unhcedcd.
l admonished them, however, of on,
advertisement, 10 sail for New York !:
but i'll response was told that if we got
into the State, the programme would
be fulfilled. / also told them that the
lower current would take us on the
lakes, as it was coming from the south
west; but to this it was answered that
th.t we could cross the lakes if we had
ballast enough when we got to them.
We finally agreed upon that plan,
and to make the voyage one of distance
and experiments. One experiment was
to try ard sa l, near the earth or water.
We did sa,l $50 miles down over Lake
Erie, and at no time over 600 fee;
above the water. This shows that bal
looms have no greater tendency to wa
ter than to earth. Many @ronauts
have stated that balloons will not keen
up over the water.
You refer to my silence as to the
prope)llng machinery. That had not
devised or recommended, and I had
no faith, in its efficiency from the be.
ginning as Mr.. eager and La Noun
tain W. u know: They never made an
attempt to try it. It was thought to
endanger the balloon while hitchine
on the car and boat and was thus un.
geared, and l well knew they would
not attempt to screw on the fans while
alott, unless they would incur dan.
ger as great as that incurred by Thurs.
ton when hs attempted the unneccesa.
ry feat of stradd!ing his valve plate.--,
i Propellsrs upon the ordinarily rugged
balloon will do no good, for this reason:
the car or platform upon which the
Ipropellers are to be worked is not sub
stantialiy fixed to the balloon. Hang.
ing by ropes from the balloon only
serves to wabble it about, and at hes,
to give it a rotatory and gyratory:: m
tion. I tried it fourteen years ago
With an equatorial around the bal
loon, and wooden braces to, the ca,
which would give it stability and unity
something may be done with propci.
lers and rudder. a-slaGm2 no af
II am now convinced that we can &C
from St. Louis to Baltimore, Philadel
phia and New York City with balloon.
with system and precision. hold
and am ready to demonstrate it, a,
soon as I can raise S ( thous: n dol
liars. that we can sail from New Yorl
|to Great Britain with system and pre- pre-
Icision. This We can do with our pres
ent knowledge Of ballooning. All
ask is fair chance little more cx
4 |perience, one, two or three trans!con
Itiue::tal trips. abs1 las
j We were caught in terrific gal.
'|just when We were about landing
west Of Rochester for the purpose {,
sending the U. S. Co,npany's, expires.
to your city, and delivering it in les,
time than they ever delivered one b.
fore which was all l promised the com
|pany when we engaged to take it, a,,d
but for that accidental gale would hav,
fulfilled the promise. sta