Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-10-16

ter disregard Of comfort or safety, this gentle
man has venture9 upoH scientific experiments
at higher attitudes than any timid person would
care 10 be, and although his last expedition
nearly proved fatal 10 him, be has returned
safely, With remarkable chapter of erial expe-
rience tonarrate. The London AtbenGzm Justly
remarks that in bis hands the balloon is restored
to its old rank of philosophical agent. Guy
Lussac has shown the men Of science how to
use the balloon for scientific purposes but Mr.
Glaisher by his successive sseents; is adding
largely to our knowledge Of the higher regions
of the atmosphere.
The September ascension was made in Mr.
Coxwell's great balloon, and the highest point
reached was five and thrse-quarter miles. Mr.
Glsishers interesting narrative Of this voyage
thus describes the effects of the atmosphere at
different attitudes
THE FREEZING POINT AT TWO MlLEs
When we attained the hight of two miles,
at II NJ the temperature had fallen to the freez-
ing point; we were three miles high at / h. &c
| IA, with temperature of Is deg; at one b. SO
N. we had reached four miles, aud the temper
! ature was deg; in ten minutes more we had
/ reached the fifth mile, and the temperaturs OF
the air had passed zero, and there read minus 2
! deg aud at this point no dew was observed on
! RegnaUlt's hygr0meter, when cooled down to
minus 30 deg. Up to this tins I had taken the
| observations with comfort had experienced
no difficulty in breathing, while Mr. CoxweI
/ IN c0nStq quence Of the necessary exeTtion be had
/ to make, had breathed with difficulty for some
\ time"
DINiNESs OF SIGHT AT FIVE AND A QUARTER
| MILES.
cat ! b. 81 m. the barometer read 1I05
inches, but which requires substractive cor
reetion of 025 inch, as found by comparison
with Lord Wrottesley's standard bsrometeF Just
before starting, both BY his lordship and myself,
which would reduce it to 10 5 inches, or at a
hight Of about 81 miles. read the dry bulb
as minus degrees in endesvoring to read the
vet bulb l could net see the column of mercury.
l rubbed my eyes, then took lens, and also
failed. | then tried TO read the other iHstru-
ments, and found could not do 90, nor could
see the hands of the watch. I asked Mr. Cox
well to help me, AID be said he must 60 intOthe
ring, and he would when be came down. / en-
desvored to reach some brandy, which was
lying on the table at about the distance of
foot from my hand, and found myself unable to |
do So"
TOTAL Loss eF POWER AT FIVE AND THREE
QUARTER MILES.
Z" Ny sight became more dim I looked at the |
barOIaeter and saw it between 10 and II inches, |
and tried TO record it, but was unable to write
! then saw it ct 10 inches still decreasing fast
and Just noted It in my book its true reading,
plying hight Of shout 81 miles, as q change
Of an inch in the reading Of the barometer ct |
this elevation takes place on change Of hight |
Of about 2 500 feet I felt I was losing ali /
power, and endeav0Ted to rouse myself By stIug-
Cling and shaking. I attempted to speak, and |
found / had lost the power. I attempted to look /
at the barometer again my head fell on one
side. Istruggled and got it right, and it fell on
the other, and finally fsll backward
Nv arm which Rad hoau resFiDr an tba /
table, fell down by my side. saw Mr. Cox
well dimly in the ring 1t became more misty,
and finally dark, aud l sank unc0nsciouSly as
in sleep; this must have been about I b. a m.
l then heard Mr. Coxwell say What is the
tempeTsture2 Take an observation now try
But l could neither see, move nor speak. 1 then
beard him speak more emphaticslY, Take an
observation now do Try I shortly sfteTward
opened my eyes, saw the instruments and Mr..
Coxwell very dimly, snd soon saw clearly, and
said to Mr.. CoxWslL 1 have been insensible !
and he replied, You have, and l nearly
1 recovered quickly, aud Mr. Coxwell sad |
l have lost the use OF my hands give me some
brandy TO battle Them His hands were nearly
black / saw the tsmperatUre was still below
zero and the barometer reading elsven inches,
but increasing quickly. resumed my observs-
tions at "a. I'm recording the barometer read
ing il 80 inches, and the temperature minus two
degrees l then found thai the water in the /
vessel supplying the wet bulb thermometer |
which I had by frequent disturbances kept from
freezing, was one solid mass Of ice Mr. Cox
well then told me that while In the ring he felt
it piercing cold that hosr frost was 81 round the
neck of the balloon, and on attempting to leave
the ring, he found bis hands fyozen and he got
down how he could; that be found me motion
less, with quiet and placid expression on the
ceuntenauce. He spoke to me without elieiting
a reply, and found was irseusible"
TIE ERoNAUT's ExpEDRNT.
lie then said he felt inseGsi6iity was com
ing over himself; that be became anxious to
open the valve that his hands failed him and
that he seized the Line between his teeth, and
pulled the valve open uutil the balloon took
turn downward, This set is quite Characteristic
of Mr. Coxwell. l have never yet seen him
without q ready means Of meeting every diff
Guilty as Is has arisen, with ceol selEpoSsessiOB
that has always left my mind perfectly easy,
and given to me every confidence IN hls iudg-
meat in the mansg cement Of 50 large & balloon
Mr. Glaisher IS c0nEinced that the balloon
Containing only himself and the ;eF0naut Cox
wen) finally reached an altitude of over six
miles, but of this he is not positive as bis ability
to read the instruments ceased at the hight of
i've and three quarter miles, Oa this point he
says:
'On asking Mr.. Coxveu whether he had
noticed the temperature, he said he could not
as the faces OF the instruments were sl to-
ward me but that he had noticed that tlle cen
ter ct the anerOid barometer, its bus hand and
a rope attached to the car, were in the same
straight ine. II 50, the reading must have
been between seven and eight inches. A hight
of six miles and q half couesponds to eight
inches. a delicate self-TegisteriRg minimum
thermometer leads minus IL deg; but unfor
tunately 1 did not read Il till was out Of the
car, and l cannot say that its index was not die
turbed"
THE DESCENT.
The account OF the descent is equally inter Il
esting. Mr.. Glaisher says:
"On descending when the temperature rose to
IL it was remarked as warm, at at pa it was
noted as very warm. The temperature then
gradually increased to SO on reaching the
earth. 1t was remarked that the sand was quite
warm to the hand, and steam issued from il
when it was discharged Six pigeons were taken
up One was threwn ont at The hight of three
miles it extended its wings aud dropped as a
piece OF paper. A second st four miles, few
vigorously round and round, apparently taking
great dip each time. A third was thrown out
between four and five miles, and it fell down
ward. A fourth was thrown out at four miles
when ewere descending it few in q circle
and shortly after aighted OF the top Of the bal
loon. Toe two remaining pigeons were brought
down to the ground; one was found TO be dead,
ana the other, carrier, hRd attse1ed 70 lis neck
note II would not. however, leave, and whenj
jerked off the finger returned to the hand After
quarter of an honr It began 20 peck piece of
ribband encircling It's neck, and I then jerked it
off my finger, and it Aaw round two or three
times wiEb Eigor, and finally toward WOlveT-
hampton. Net one, however, had returned
there when left on the afternoon Of the 9th
NFERENCEs.
1T would seem from this ascsnt that hve
miles from the earth is very nearly the limit OF
humsn existence Il is possible, es the effect of
each high ascent upon myself has been different,
that on another occasion I might be able 10 60
higher and it is possible that some persons may
be able 10 exist with Tess arr and bear g greater
degree of cold; but stl ] think that prudence
would say to all whenever the barometer read
inrr fsle a. lnA a. aaa INC aa onnr tia zalvn