Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1866-01-27


recently made two ascensions at night.
He gives the report of the second in the
subioined letter to the London Times:
The increase of temperature with eleva-
ton met with on the night ascent OF
October I'd, made it very desirable to
ascend again at night under the same
circumstances, viz, with clear sky, to
confirm the results then obtained. On
Saturday, December I'd, the sky was
cloudless, but after sunset 1t became COW
cred with dark blackclouds. During the
afternoon, and as long as the sky was
clear, pilot balloons, after attaining a
certain elevation, were noticed by Mr..
Orion to change their direction from
northwest to northeast, indicating a
southwest current. 1t was therefore
resolved to keep in the lower current for
an hour, so as to have q good space of
country to run over, if the wind, at
higher elevations should prove to be to-
| wards the sea. The balloon left the
Royal Arsenal, Woodwich, at 5. Is, near
ly an hour and half after the sun had
set. The wind was from the southeast.
We kept in this currentstill 6.1S.
At this time we were nearly over Ting,
| at an elevation of $500 feet, when a
strong wind was felt proving that the
| balloon was at this instant in one current
| and the car in another; shortly afterward
we entered south southwest current,
| and moved north northeast till Gas, at
| which time, whilst adjusting an lnstru-
ment the lamp fell over the side of the
car, and the jar caused the light to go
out. On descending the southeast cur
rent was again met with, and, as near as
| could be determined, at the same eleva-
| ton. The temperature on the ground
! as determined by Mr.. Howe, was 80. 3
| deg it declined at Sc. 2 deg, at the height
of ], 500 feet; it then increased to 81. 2
| deg at 1880 feet; then declined very
| gradually, with occasional slight increase,
of temperature, to 81. deg, at 4, 100 feet,
above which there was no change to
| 400 feet. Shortly after this, at 6.48,
having had the misfortune of losing my
| light further experiments were necessari-
ly discontinued. The temperature on
the ground was 40 IA deg.
The air was nearly saturated with
| moisture On the ground, and up to / 500
feet, where it was quite saturated, then
somewhat short of saturatiOn to 1900
feet, where it again became saturated; at
and more so at about 4, GOO feet; where
the temperature of the dew point was s
deg, below that of the air. The terres-
trial radiation thermometers read several
degrees below tue shaded thermometer,
one when 1000 feet high was 1SS, and
the other 19-the bulb of the latter was
on wool, while the other projected into
space. The path Of the balloon, ON leav-
ing Woodwich, was northwest, crossing
the river Thames diagonally into Dessex,
from there nearly over Stratford at 5. %;
across MiddleseX, nearly over Tottenham,
at $50; Clapton eight minutes after
ward; near Totterbridge or Barnet at
3. 50, thus passing the north of London
into Hertfordshire, near St, Albany, at
6. 10, and onward toward Buckingham
shire; the Northwestern Railway, near
Tring, was directly underneath at 6.18,
having travelled at rate exceeding
thirty miles per hour After this we
changed our direction and moved north
ward, or north northeast, leaving Dun
stable on our right about 63O
After the light had been extinguished
our only care was to descend; looking
downward, the earth seemed without
inhabitants-not light was visible and
not a sound was heard-looking in the
direction we were proceeding, there were
many woods which we must pass, and we
resolved thus to journey till we could
have assistance; presently we saw light,
and shortly afterward several, and Mr..
Orion, with the utmost dexterity, |
brought the balloon to the ground with
out a bump, III the nearest field to the
village OF Ridgemount, Bedfordshire.
The results of this ascent are very
different from the preceding night ascent,
but the circumstances were totally differ +!
ent. In the former case the sky was |
cloudless, in. the latter it was covered |
with cloud. Some of these clouds were
within 1000 feet of the ground. One
such cloud was over London, so that
although passing north of London near
to it, and not in clouds ourselves, not a |
single light or any effects of the London |
lights were seen. This cloud did not |
extend to Greenwich, for the lights at |
both Woolrich and Greenwich were very |
brilliant. Great was the contrast in this |
respect between the two ascents as was
experienced in other particulars.
While passing over the country in the
former ascent, the reflections of the |
moonbeams lighting up the river and
many solitary sheets of water over tie
country suddenly lighted up, and as
suddenly leaving them in darkness ard |
frightening up others; these successive
illuminations were quite wanting in the
ascent; the moon herself was invisible,
the earth was covered in many places
with detached clouds far below; some of |
large extent covering miles of. country,
and others smaller.
While above the sky was uniformly
black, and kept this appearance through
out, even when we were q mile high. /
The upper clouds must have been very
high, yet although the moon and its
effects were wanting, there were many
highly interesting views of the distribu.
ton of cloud, and of the different effects
of the diffused light over the woods or
fields, which prevailed over the earth,
so that boundaries of fields could be seen
even at our greatest elevation, and en-
abled us to determine satisfactorily our
path by noting the angle the balloon
crossed the fields in comparison with the
position of the magnet needle.
European GOssIp-Tne Story Of a Croc-
Odiie.
~ Il 4