Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1862-10-31
From the sciontific American.
From the Scientific American.
Wonderful Balloon Ascent for
Scientific Purposes Great
est Hight ever Attained by
Man.

1ACe14s
A few weeks since-page 17o-we
gave an account of the second balloon
ascent made at Wotverhampton, Eng
land, by MIR. Glaisher of the Greenwich h
Observatory and Mr.. Coxwell, dis
tiuguished aeronaut, for the purpose of
making observations for scientific pur-
poses, as a com mittee of the Association
for the Advancement OF Science. Since
that period they have made another
aerial voyage, making six altogether,
three from the Crystal Palace and the
same number from Northampton
This last voyage was the Eiost interest
ing Of all, and in some respects the
most wonderful ever made, as the dar
ing aeronauts attained to higher ele
vation than ever had been reached be-
fore by human beings. This last as.
cent took place 0" the 9Th Of Septem
ter.
Mr.. Coxwell was the manager of the
aerial machine, and the attention of Mr..
Glaisher was devoted to the reading
and the registering of his instruments.
These consisted OF hygrometers, barom-
eters and thermometers: 3-ieet bar
ometer which had been specially con-
structed for the voyage, stereoscopic
camera and set Of extremely sensitive
dry plates for the purpose Of taking a
photograph of the appearance Of the
clouds; and with.a view to watch the
effect of the upper air on winged life,
Mr.. Glaisher likewise provided himself
with half-a-dozen pigeons, the expert
ments upon which proved of most in
tel esting character.
The balloon was capable of contain
ing 10000 cubic feet of coal gas, but
only $4,000 feet were used 1t was OBJ
tanned at the " olyerhampton Gas
Works, and the. Superintendent made it
expressly for the purpose Of less specific
gravity than was ever before used. This
was 0 $40, the ordinary burning gas be-
ing 0.470 The balloon was set at lib
erty at p. NJ, and it rose slowly and
majestically, taking course almost
southwest. During the ten minutes or
quarter of an hour that it remained in
sight the balloon was seen by hundreds
of people; but suddenly, at an altitude
of about mile, it became lost in belt
of dark frey clouds that enshrouded
the earth from the Hercer rays of the
sun. These clouds Mr.. Glaisher states
were 1000 feet thick, and seemed to be
saturated with water. AS the balloon
rose this dampness gradually dimin-
ished, and a greater difference became
apparent between the dry and the wet
bulb, and, on reaching their highest al
titude, the aeropauts observed no dew
whatever. Immediately on passing
through the clouds, the scene which
presented itself was grand beyond de-
scription. The beginning of their
journey had been performed in an at
mosphere that was darkened and hu-
mid; bus now they suddenly shot up
into an expanse of cloudless, ethereal
blue. Below them was the earth re-
sembling a planet. 1t was like look
ing on country whose frozen surface
extended as far as the eye could reach;
boldly with the lighter and more feecy
clouds that lowered aloft and caught the
streaming sunshine Some were white
as snow; others black, dark grey and of
shapes fantastic. One would rear its
lofty head on baseless stem and throw
its neigh bors into shade as black as
night; another, like bald bluff crag,
would sail with majesty becoming its
immensity, through minor clouds sur
rounding it; and a third, more light and
| delicate, would change It's place aud hue
as often as the voyagers could observe
it. Added to this was strong sun
light, which for few moments became
SO intense that Mr.. Glaisher had to
shade his instruments. When d favor
able opportunity presented itself the
camera was brought into re1uisition
but the balloon was ascending with such
velocity-owing to the expansion Of the
gas, and the lighter character of the at
mosphcre-that Mr.. Glaisher failed to
obtain single picture. At three miles
high the machine was rising at a fear
ful pace; the 10000 feet of gas had ex
panded to 10000, and was oozing out
of the safety valve at the bottom of tn e
balloon. Mr.. Coxwell, however, fearing
that they might be approaching the sea
and having nothing but supposition to
judge by, determined to make the best
Of his time, and though the velocity
was such as to give rotary motion to
the balloon, he threw out more ballast
and higher and higher rose the voya-
gers, attaining an altitude where the
cold became intense, and where Mr.
Coxwell, who, from having undergone
great exertion, found the power of
breathing extremely difficult and op-
pressive. By Mr.. Glaisher, however,
no such unpleasant sensation was ex-
perienced-not even the intense cold;
he remained in state of perfect quiet
AT one time the balloon was ascending
with such rapidity that it created rush
of wind, which the voyagers at first be-
lieved to arise from current of air into
which they were just entering. But
this was not the case, for the same cur.
rent prevailed throughout the whole Of
the journey, and apparently at uni
form speed.
When the aeronauts were at hight
of three miles they threw out the first
pigeon and it fell earthward like lump
Of lead. A few minutes afterward q
second pigeon was thrown out, but, af
terward gallantly attempting to keep
itself on the wing, it too, fell far away
below the car and out of sight uf the
aerenauts; the same results were observ-
able in the case of third pigeon; but &
fourth which was set at liberty at 6