The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1868-06-23
VOL. XXXVHI.l
SCIENTIFIC DARING.

foot of elect Hills, on the western edge
Of the great central plain of England.
1t was inflated with the lightest Of gases
which chemical skill could produce; it
rose with amazing velocity. A mile up,
and it entered stratum Of cloud more
than a thousand feet thick. Emerging
from this, the sun shone brightly on the
air ship; the sky overhead was of the
clearest and deepest blue; and below
lay cloudland-an immeasurable expanse
of cloud, whose surface, looked rs solid
as that of the earth, now wholly lost to
view. Lofty mountains and deep, dark
ravines appeared below; the peaks and
sides of those cloud mountains next the
sun glittering like snow, but casting
shadows as black as if they were solid
rock0 GGE4 3G4 IL
Up rose the balloon with tremendous
velocity. Four miles above earth! A
pigeon was let loose; it dropped down
through the air as if it had been stone.
The air was too thin to enable it to fly.
1t was as if bark laden to the deck
were to pass from the heavyewaters of
the open sea into an inland unsaline
lake; the bark would sink at once in the
thinner water. Up, up, still higher
the spectrum, opposed to the sun, show
ed marvelously clear; lines appeared
which are invisible in the denser atmos-
phere on the earth surface; but as the
car swung round in its gyrating upward
fight, the moment the direct rays OF the
spectrum at all. The air was so pure,
SO free from the comparatively solid
aqueous matter, that there was no re-
fected light; the air was too thin to re-
tain or reflect any portion of the rays
which fell upon it. And what silence
profound The heights of the sky were
as still as the deepest depth of ocean,
where, as was found during the search
for the lost Atlantic cable, the fine mud
lies as unstirred from year to year as the
dust which imperceptibly gathers on the
furniture in deserted house. No sound,
no life-only the bright sunshine falling
through a sky which it could not warm.
Up-6ve miles above earth-higher
than the inaccessible summit of Chin.
borazo or Dewangifi. Despite the sun
shine, everything freezes. The air
grows too thin to support life, even for
a few minutes. Two men only are in
that adventurous balloon-the one steer
ling the aif.ship, the esothefswatching the
scientific instruments, and recording
them with rapidity bred of long prac-
tice.
Suddenly, as the latter looks at his
instruments, his sight grows dim; he
takes lens to help his sight, and can
only mark, from the falling barometer,
that they are still rising rapidly. A
flask of brandy lies within foot of him;
he tries to reach it, but his arms refuses
to obey his will. He tries to call his
comrade. who has gone into the ring
above; whisper in that deep silence
would suffice-but no sound comes from
his lips-he is voiceless. His head
droops on his shoulders; with an effort
he raises tit falls on the other shoul
der; once more, with resolute effort,
moment he sees dimly the figure of his
comrade in the ring above; then sensa.
tion fails him--he lies back, Unconscious
Some minutes pass--the balloon still
rising upward. Seven miles above the
earth! The steersman comes down into
the car; he sees his comrade in a swoon,
and feels his own senses failing him
He saw at once that life or death hung
upon few moments. The balloon was
still rising rapidly it must be made to
descend aS once, or ,hey were both dead
men, He seized, or tried to seize the
valve, in order to open it and let out
portion of the initiating gas. His hands
| are purple with the intense cold-they
are paralyzed-they will not respond to
his will. 1t was a fearful moment In
another minute, in their upward flight he
would be senseless as his comrade. But
he was bold self-possessed man, train
ed in hundred balloon ascents, and
ready for every emergency. He seized
the valve with his teeth; it opened lit
tle-once, twice, thrice. The ballon
began to descend.
Then the swooned marksmam heard a
voice calling to him, "Come, take an
observation-try!' He heard as in q
dream, but could neither see nor move.
Again lie heard, in firmer and command
1 ing tones, Take an observation--now
then, do try" He returned to conscious.
ness, and saw the steersman standing
before him. He looked at his instru-
ments; they must have been nearly eight
miles uI; but now the barometer WAS