Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1868-08-12
Scientific Daring.

One dull day in August, just after noon,
balloon rose in the air at the foot of elect
Hills, on the western edge ofthe central plain
Of England. 1t was inflated with the lightest
of gases which chemical skill could produce,
and il rose with amazing velocity A mile
mn and il entered stratum of clouds more
than thousand feet thick. Emerging from
this, the sun shone brightly on the AIR ship !
the sky overhead was Of the clearest and deep
est blue, and below lay cloudland--an immeas-
urable expanse of cloud, whose surface looked
as solid as that of the earth now wholly lost
to view. Lofty mountains and deep dark ra'
vines appeared below; the peaks and sides
of those cloud mountains next the sun glitter
ed ike snow, but casting shadows as black
rs if they were solid rock Up rose the bal
loon with tremendous velocity. -Four miles
above earth pigeon was let loose 1t drop
ned down through the air as if IT had been q
stone. The air was too thin to enable II L
Ay. 1t was as a bark laden to the deck were
to pass from the heavy waters Of the sea INT,
an inland unsaline lake; the bark would sun
nt once in the thinner water. Up, up, sul
higher The spectrum when opposed to tn
sun showed marvelously clear; lines appeare'
which are invisible in the denscr athospher
on the earths surface but as the car swun
round in It's gyrating upward flight the mo
| mont the direct rays Of the sun passed Oh Tn
prism there was no spectrum at all. IN
air was so pure, so free from the comparauyel
solid aqueous matter, that there was no 2,
Election of light; the air was too thin to retail
or reflect any portions of the rays which ie
upon it. And what silence profound! IN
heights of the sky were as still as the deepe'
depths of thcocean, where, as was found durlh
the search for the lost Atlantic cable, the IN
mud lies as unstirrcd from year to year
the dust which imperceptibly gathers on u
furniture Of a deserted house. No sound, n
life-only the bright sunshine falling throug
a sky which it could not warm.
Up-fvo miles above earth higher th'
= the inaccessible summit Of Chimborazo
Dawangiri. Despite the sunshine, cvcrythii
8 freezes The air grows too thin to suppo
: life. even for few minutes Two men on
] are in that adventurous balloon-thc one ste'
I ing the air ship, the other watching the scie
tifc instruments, and recording them with
+ rapidty bred Of long practice Suddenly
! the latter looks at his instruments, his sig
h grows dim; he takes lens to help his sigl
i and only marks from the falling baromet
= that they are rising still rapidly. A flask
: brandy lies within foot Of him he tries
J reach it, but his arms refuse to obey his W
d He tries to call on his comrade who has 90
d up into the ring above; a whisper in II
1t deep stiffness would sufice--but no sou
u comes from his lips-he is voiceless, !
d head droops on his shoulders, with an eff
'e he raises tit falls on the other should,
)t once more, with rcsolute effort he raises IT
o, it falls backward For moment he 81
r dimly the figure of his comrade in the ri
v above; then sensation fails him--he lies ba
es unconscious Some minutes passed--the b
I'd loon still rising upwards. Seven miles abb
IL earth! The steersman comes down into
IN car; he sees his comrade in a woon and ic
at his own senses failing him
n lie saw at once that life and death ht
1t upon few moments. The balloon was $
We rising rapidly; it must be made to desc
II at once, or they were both dead men.
Ks seized, or tried to seize the valve, in order
NJ open it, and Let out a portion of the q
'te His hands are purple with intense cold---t
nix are paralyzed, they will not respond to
will 1t was a fearful moment. In anoi
minute in their upward fight, he would b
on senseless as his comrade. But he was b
'ur selfpossessed man. trained in hundred
IN loon ascents and ready for every cmergel
BIZ He seized the valve with his teeth it ope
ON a little-once, twice, thrice. The ball
zen began to descend Then the swooned ma
Is man heard a voice calling him Come
nj an obseryation-try." He heard as
dream, but could neither see nor NOV
'ys Again he heard in frmer and more commit
OF ing tones, "take an observation--now
me try" He returned to consciousness, and
the steersman standing before him. lie i
oil ed at his instrument; they must have
to nearly eight miles ups but now the baro
re- ter was rising rapidly-the balloon was
scending. Brandy was used. They had
yo- higher above earth than mortal man or
me living thing, had ever been before But
ION they were safe.
Such are the perils which science DENT
an Of her yotaries, and which they encou
cen brayely and cheerlully. Such was the
ers moriable balloon ascent Of Messrs. Co
uo and Glaisher from Wolverhamp on
on 9th of September, 1862. a madness 1
the sands will say-a perilous absurdity, a tel
ex- ing Of Providence, risking Of life fol
. adequate purpose. One minute more o.
oil action---of compulsory inaction--on the
rgy Of the steersman, whose senses were ia
ole him, and the air ship, with its intensely !
ate fed gas would have been floating unatten
with two corpses, in the wide realms Of 81
the What would become of it2 How far W
by it have assembled with its lieless fret
the how long it would have foated all unsec
ncn the empyrean, who shall hear2-Oac
Week.