New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-10-18
MR.. HADDOCKS REPLY TO Mr.. JOHN
WISE
To re Edi.o~ sfTzs n. u risose.

Sir: have read the lengthy letter from Mr.. Wise,
published in your paper of the 18th inst ard feel not
a little astonisbed IL az veteran aerorsut, whose
reputation s wide as the Continent, and who mas
made his hundreds of sscensoLs, should have permit
ted himself to gaIble and pervert for the mere
apparent purpose of shoSipg OF his own superior
wisdom the positions assumed in my late statement. TO
the public. Permit me the privilege of setting the
distinguished aeronaut right, and thsn II u possible
YOUR proyerbisl patieIce viii permit some general
hints and suggestions upon the subject OF oaioonng,
even though en- sBstirg from Sd individual 50 humble
and s. destitute Of scientific knowledge IS myself
The day We assembled was cloudy-we Jaw the earth
but once after entered the bark OF clouds, until we
made our first attempt 20 land There little or no
wind blowing the surface of the earth when we lett
il, nor was there sry wind blowing in any direction,
when perform Ell the feat upon which Mr.. Wise al
tempts 70 throw rdicue, Ct tying the balloon 70 tree
top In the absence OF sl wind what was TO prevent
our descending go gradually az TO be able TO clasp the
top of spruce, and make The balloon fast! Whether
or not this puts al Mr.. Wises experience hors an
combat il 10 me matter Of profound IND tierence; 1t
is sufficient Tor me 10 know ana STAKE mat sAch was
the fact
My account contains careful notation of the tuc.
tuaton OF the thermOueter-more than can be san OF
any account presented ~ the public by Mr. Wise
-sDd although he 8gain INDUCES IN doubts a. to tne
truthfuness of my statement, the public will doubtless
do ne the Justice to believe that my nossons of these
fluctuations since could hsye no object IN mlssa,ing
them are scarcely obliteraed by the mere doubts o.
NY very wise and able friend. IL certainly was great
curiosity Ia witness the mercury steadily sink
from 81 to Is at the rate of about / per minute.
lexpressly mentioned in my statement that our err
ror in not landing when we first came down 20 the
earth. "Why," you may ssk L" did not then
lend r. Because We were ohOIiy dece'red as 70 the
distance We hsd Travelled; and supposed We had
not then gone ~ TO 30 miles, unwilling
10 land the Atlantic IN forest, and ss my statement
further says:
We thought /, hes. to pick better place This
eor ana I came very pear beng fs,a one to as
land unconscou'y up longer than We and .
AZ The rate Of oo miles an hour we soon reached County not
pes.sn, nor Probable to land balloon in"
When Mr.. Wlse permits his lmsg ination 10 assume
that we are rushing sloog a, the rate OF mile q
minute, when we tied up TO the tree, he certainly
irdulges it in eight to which the speed Of Mr.. La
Mountain and myself is snails pace; In word, and
be read it as well as any man, when we Travelled
were in upper currents-when We landed we were
wholly out of those currents, and in locality shere
scarcely breath of air could be felt. Thus much for
Mr.. Wses doubts and unchartsbe sneers at my state
uent.
In speaking of his long experience and the fact that
s bis ascension had demonstrated le existence Of
easerly current, SIR. Wise says:
Tbee ought BE- decisive In favor Of the safety
bsOo In hands They certainly are TO 1t. -ok9s IN
ppe voyage ship bound from New York San Fran
cisco she offered BY captain Who had only years
experience In navigation In oyster boat Even ths coDp,d
tells fayotsby 70 baoonng 80 far Is It's intrinsic pes arc
III.
Does he the remark u fling a. my friend, Mr..
La Mountain, whose proper hands" when the At
lantc was about TO be dashed into the waters of Lake
Ontario, rescued the party from death, and earned
reputation which Mr.. Wise himself said ought to DO
commemoratei by gold medal felt myself safe 10
such bands and should in ethousand voyages; for do
not believe cooler headed, more intrepid, nor more
noble hearted man sailed balloon than John Ls
Mountain; and / also believe that hi' knowledge OF
the general principles of ballooning is, today superior
10 that of your distinguished correspondent Or the
St. Louis trip Mr.. Vie says he has little to say"
should think not, under al the circumstances.
think Mr. Wise once said ia q letter he addressed
10 the public, that bis business wac to " make and
sail balloons" Such MIR. Editor is not my calling.
My busiress s to use rin'ng-presses. Would my
brother printers consider me good workman if mad
press which could ret work saif.ctorlly after 20
years trial And would they not still more think me
dull scholar it, after 20 years experience, could
not point out some way in which profitable and de.
sirssie Improvements could be made upon the ma.
chinery TO which had devoted quarter of century
Of time and thought How is it with Mr.. Wise and
his ballooDIgl Cen he point out improvements
which he has made, or is the whole " science just
where Mr.. Wise found it Are not the vast, IN
trsyersed fields Of spece which surround the earth
fer beyond the reach Of aeronsutc skl when Mont
golfer first flew his paper balloon in France
When travelling in balloon, you are utterly un-
con sciOus Of Notion unless you in sight OF the
earth. Unless you see the earth therefore, you
canLot tell how fast, nor in what direction, you are
travelling. True, you may be able TO see the north
star or you may have compass, but you csnnot, by
these aids tell whether you drifting north south,
east west in any known manner take cognizance
Of your course, unless you have q fixed obect-.he
earth-to aid you in your observations. Then after
% years experience IN building and flying balloons
ctica. aerOnsut, who does not believe IN spruce trees
ror in tbermometrcsl specustlons has invented
any method by which travellers in q balloon may note
ther and ate of speed in cloudy day, or when
from any out Of eight Of the earth Yet this man
il the champion Of America, and perhaps of
the world. What would DO SAID of the men who made
uretensiops TO " scientific knowledge in any other
department Of learning, who manifested 40 profound
inGfererc to the first steps in the accomplishment Of
the II theories They would be pronounced charlatsas,
quacks. Let me then, IL ell kindness, suggest that
orr good friend Mr. Wise, devote himself 10 the con-
petion Of some instrument which shall serve the pur-
pose have FAMED though his lsbors shall de-
pIiye the public of some OF his osgwinded letters 10
the press.
Can the air be navgated, and if 80, can such navi.
CATION be rendered advantageous TO man. Tha. is a
great question and sbal leave lie discussion 10 ADLER
pens and more scientific heads than my own. To
navigate the air without guiding apparatus seems 70
require steady current, upon which toe aeronag. may
implicitly depend. do not believe that such cur
rent ests, except perhaps az near the equator Mr.
La Mountain THINKS he travelled in the eaery current
ard we may have done so-varyipg our eourse a. we
varied our altitude. But how, as ballooning is at
present conducted and as it always has been con.
Quoted s the eeronsgt 10 know with certainty ken he
az that current
tain amount Of skn in bslloonDg. But be Will excuse
the American people, and trust be viii recognize ma
as one OF them II they demand from hin something
more definite, as regards his fsvorts theory
than ne has as yet advanced. With hin.
however, j agree that our late voyage dsproves
nothing. 1t merely demonstrates the fac. that nan
is lost, whep in balloon, the moment he loses sght
OF the earth-an idea which will scarcely admit of
disproof." JoHs A. H,nno~S
BaTtsra, ". y, ocl IS, ls,s '' a. NAOOO'A n