New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-11-16
New9lork daily Gribn,ae
SYSTEMATIC BALLOONING.
CIRCULATION OF THE ATMoSPHERE-WIND
CURRENTS.

CURRENTS
To the Editor Of TIE v. y Tribune
Sir: The circulation of the atmosphere laid down
by HALEY and still further traced by Maury, and the
wind currents sprngng therefrom are all a. obedeni
IN law and as constant in their notion as is the blood
in the animal system. As the lungs WHY and heat
the blood and the heart, a suction and force pump,
receives and distributes it through all its tortuous
courses from the the extremes of the animal
body so does the torrd of the earth heat the at
mosphere and the cenrpedal and centrifugal forces OF
IFS revolutions receive and distribute the air of Heaven
TO keep mp life and heat its surface According 70
Maurys wind and current charts the atmosphere CIR
eulaes from the equator to the poles, and from the
noles back 10 the equator. The horse ATTITUDES, OF
belts of high barometrca pressure and Gains, resem-
BILE so much the right and LEFT yentrcos OIL te huihh
heart and the equatorial planes the lungs that II re-
minds one strongly of the notion OF the renowned
Kepler of the world being huge and breathing AMI
NAL.
facts as indsputabe as is the system of Gulf streams
and Ocean currents may take II as an established
science and one that will give us encouragement oe
yond what have experimenlally looked ior IN ,le
nses and heretofore claimed prospects OF systematic
ballooning That we have currents constantly blow
ing from west to east is no longer supposltioni that
Is abundantly proved How these currents proceed
from the HALEY and Maury system oil trade winos y
not clearly explained. Maury surmses that magnetic
mower has something to do with Il. However thAt
nav be- il is enough for us know, for the purposes
OF aerial navigation that they do exist.
That there should be nodes OF high oarometr'a a.
pressure and belts of calms laid down by Maury IL
IA natural az that there are tidal midrlfs IN Long
Island Sound, from the tde-waye flowing IN at both
ends of the channel. These mldriifs also drive the
water into and far up the little channels that lead INTO
the Sound Gulf producing the same sort OF nowing
motion in the water that the atmospheric mdrli pro-
duces in lis modal forces. Whether that Is suelen
exclamation without the aid OF magnetic force lot the
&c thaga aacfar
present object of investigation. The currents are tnere
and we NAV avail ourselves of their locomotive power
by using them the transports OF balloons, iregnted
| with passengers and merchandise, If we WILL
The belt Gains of Cancer and Capricorn certainly IN
dictate motion in the atmospheric ocean, that gives us
the of encouragement in the prospect that we can
also 90 north and south with balloons, as well as the
directions we positively know We can OF east IN our
latitude and west with the intertropleal trades
When first took up the idea of using the atmos-
pheric currents for aerial ABOUT
the constant going of my balloons from west to east,
and the evidence of these currents existing IN England
and France by the balloons in those countries also go
ing east when they attained considerable attudes-l
only hoped for the establishment OF system oil oai-
looming in the temperate zones, and that system con.
fined 10 long voyages from west 10 east, and around
the globe; but the observations of HALEY, and the
scrunizng philosophy of Maury, have opened much
broader field for the practice OF this noble art ana lts
| uses TO the general purposes OF mankind.
To elueidate in practical manner these unused re-
sources of nature and to bring them into the province
of commercial economies, is the prime object OF my
service in practical balooning My transatlantic en-
terprise would be insignificant, though successful,
without the intention OF rgid exploration in the inter-
oceanic and nterconnenal courses OF the ever-moy-
| ing wind currents Maurys profound deductions OF
the surface currents which have done 30 much Tor the
mercantile marine, the fruits Of Praefcdt iniorma-
ton. The course pursued in aerial navigation
will bring about its useful establishment 1 hope TO
give such good account should be fortunate enough
To complete nv outfit in my transatlantic voyage, AS
TO be sufficient to establish the belief that il is worth
| pursuing to its ultimate general use. An empty ambi-
ton TO cross the Atlantic with balloon for ambitions
sake.would be TO an easy task were that my sole
object but "eui bono, unless something useful Is to
spring out Of it, OF itself, il would be "nne-days
wonder" as was the st. Louis trip, had II no other
merits than empty fame The st. Louis trip confirms
speakng spiral curves of the wind currents. noticed
this pecnliarty of the winds long ago. but took 20 DC
the more amplifed phenomenon OF the little whln-
winds that we often perceive in the street dust as t Is
whirled upward. In tracing our ST. Louis trip upon
the map taxing such points Of transit made in the night
as we could learn, with seyerdl points that nave
learned aimee from adopting the practice OF ordering
haloa" when crossed towns, and noting The time
of these signals find made the curves that iaury
assigns to the general character OF the atmospheric cur
rents These observations are meager, IL true, put
sufficient 10 stimulate more ardent ana PerseNerng
investigation of the subject.
Since reading Maurys views upon the causes and
nature Of cyclones and monsoons, see IN nay lAisy'
cite trip OF last August the evidences OF those Pne
uOmena while nONcTlnk over OIdhu oNs ~
gives me an explanation Of the Perslstant nmous
cloud stratum in that tranquil atmosphere, which APP
reared 30 enigmatca to me at the time. over the
Grand Prairie of Indiana cloud formed OF calm
Summers day would possess all the elements OF per-
estenee that compose the equatorial cloud belt lt may
moreover be- or become the OF great and yio-
lent Thunderstorm and hurricane. think was that
which caused the great storm that involved our az
tempted descent after the ST. Louis balloon trip on the
rst and second OF July last sure that that storm
did not start west Of point Of DEPARTURE and was
lust such a hot calm day as would produce local
cloud and the ineipient nucleus OF great thunder
storm The very hot and calm day Of the Lafayette bal
loon trip also produced storm Of considerable magn-
tade which noticed in my railroad transit from Craw-
fordsyille Ind. Pttsburg, after landed with the
Jupiter These storms led along like Habakuk
was by the hair Of bis head liz you will allow me the
comparson by the which grasps them az their
tops and always blows from west to east in the up
per air.
The atmosphere lie subtle and mobile that i re-
qures long and close study Of III elements and char
acteristies before we can appreciate Its caPaeiteS
powers and Offices fully. That cubic foot OF this IN
visible fluid should weigh II ounce, nearly, II OF seii
q wonder. Displaee bulk Of i equal 70 balloon OF
900 feet diameter, and We gain bucyant force and
uplifting power OF Isl tHDs. Now, 70 make balloon
OF thai would be no difficult tack, or even one OF
400 feet diameter which would have lifting and car
rying power OF 80 tuns. A balloon Of such dlmea-
SONS wOald have saperfce Of 1880 square feet,
and II made OF sheet copper, Weighing one pound per
square foot would have lifting and carrying power
81 millions OF p1Huts capable OF Transporting