The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-12-02
scicntIdc Dariog.

One dull day in August, jnst after
noon, a balloon rose III the air at the
foot of Cleed Hills, on the western edge
of the cential plain of L gland. IL was
iutlated with the highest of gases
which chemical skill cnHid produce,
aud il rose with surprising velocity.
A mile up aua it entered strata OF
clouds more than thousand feet thick.
Emerging from this, the sun shOne
brightly on the air ship; the sky over
head was of the Glearest and deepest
blue, aud below lay an immeasurahIr
expanse of clouds, whose surface looked
as solid as that of the earth, now WHOLLY
lost to view. Lofty mountains and
then deep, dark, ravineS, appeared be
low; the peak aud sides of those cloud
mountains next the sun glittered ike
snow, but casting shadows as black as
if they were solid rock.
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 euable it to fly.
1t was as if ship laden to the deck
were to pass from the heavy waters OF
the sea into an inland unsa inc lake;
the bark would sink at once in the
thinner water. Up, mp, still higher
What silence profound! The nights
of the sky were as still as the deepest
depths of the ocean, where, as was
found during the search for the lost At
laHtic cable, the fine mud lies as nm.
stirred, from year to year, as the dust
which impercoptibly gathers on the
furniture ola deserted house. No sound,
nor life-only the bright sunshine fall
ing through a sky which it could not
warm.
Up-fve miles above earth higher
than the inaccessible summit of Chm
boraso or DAwnglri. Despite the sun
shine, everything freezes. The air
grows too thin to support life, even for
n few minutes. Two men only are in
that adventurous baloon-the one steer
ing the air ship, the other watching the
scientific instruments, and recording
them With Il rapidity bred OF long prac-
tic. Suddenly, as the latter looks at
his instruments, his sight grows dim, he
takes a lens to help his sight, and only
marks from the falling barometer that
they are rising rapidly. n flask of
brandy lies within q foot of him; he
tries to reach il but his arms refuse TO
obey his will. He tries TO call on his
comrade, who has gone up 10 the ring
abave; q whisper in that deep silence
would suffice-but no sound comes from
his hps-he is yoiceless. The steers.
man comes down into the car; ne finds
his comrade in a swoOn, and feels mis-
nun sanSpx fai ! n,r him
He saw at once that life and death
hung upon few moments. He seized,
or tried to seize, the valve in order TO
open it, and let out some of the gas.
His hands are purple with intense cold
they are paralyzed, they will not re-
spOnd to his will. He seized the valve
with his teeth; it opened a httle-once,
twice. thrice. The balloon began to
descend. Then the swOOnod marksmau
returned to Consciousness, aud saw the
steersman standing before him. He
looked at his inStrument-tdey must
have bsen nearly eight mi rs up; but
now the thermo meter was riS ny rapid
ly-the bal Don WIS descending. Btau-
dy Was Used. They had been higher
above earth than mortal man or any
Twin thing had been before. OLe min
rte more UI iuacIiOu-Ut COmpu lSUry IN
acIi1g--on the part of the strersman,
whose seLSes We're falling hun, and the
air ship, with its intensely fairfield gas,
would nave bsau Il atIns uaItJeade |,
W tn wa cprpSeS, III the wide oIlm' OF
space Once Week.