North Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1867-current, 1869-02-03
Life In the Upper Air-Eight Miles
-r Above the Earth.


Above the Earth.
The following account of balloon
ascension made by Messrs. Cowell and
Glaisher, from Wolverhampton, England,
which came near proving fatal to the
aronauts, is condensed from Once al
Ueek.
One dull day in August, just after noon,
a balloon rose in the air at the foot of
elect Hills on the western edge of the
central plain IF England. 1t was inflated
with the lightest of gases which chemical
skill could produce, and it arose with
amazing velocity. A mile up it entered
stratum of clouds more than 1000 feet
thick. Emerging from this, the sun shone
brightly on the air ship, and the sky
overhead was of the clearest and deepest
blue, and below lay cloudland-an inn
measurable expanse of clouds, whose
surface looked as solid as that of the earth
dark ravines appeared below: peaks and
sides Of cloud mountains next the sun
glittered like snow, but castin. shadows
as black as if they were solid rock. Up
rose the balloon with tremendous velocity.
Four miles above the earth a pigeon was
let loose it dropped down through the ar
as if it had been stone. The air was too
thin to enable it to fly. 1t was as if a
bark, laden to the deck, were to pass into
an inland, unsaline lake the bark would
sink at once in the thinner water. Up,
up, still higher! What silence pro-
found The heights of the sky were as
still as the deepest depths of the ocean,
where as was found during the search for
the lost Atlantic cable, the fine mud lies
fo ho duet
that imperceptibly gathers on the furni-
life-only the bright sunshine falling
through sky which it could not warm.
Up-tive miles above earth, higher than
the inaccessible summit of Chmborzo or
Dawingirf. Despite the sunshine, every
thing freezes The air grows too thin TO
support life, even for few minutes. Two
men only are in that adventurous balloon
the one steering the air>ship, the other
watching the scientific instrument, and
recording them with rapidity bred of
long practice. Suddenly, as the latter
looked at his instruments, his sight grows
dim; he takes lens to help his sight, and
only marks from his falling barometer
that they are rising still rapidly. A flask
of brandy lies within foot of him he
tries to reach it, but his arms refuse to
obey his WILL He tries to call upon his
comrade, who has zone up into the ring
above; a whisper in that deep stiffness
would suffice, but no sound comes from
his lips-he is yoiceless. The steersman
comes down into the car; he sees his
comrade in swoon, and feels his own
senses failing him.
He saw at one that life and death hung
upon few moments. He seized, or tried
to seize, the valve in orderto let out a
portion of the gas. His hands are purple
with the intense cold-they are paralyzed
they will not respond to his will. He
seized the valve with his teeth, it opened a
littie-once, twice, thrice. The balloon
began to descend. Then the swooned
marksman returned to consciousness and
saw the stcersman standing before him.
He looked at his instrument; they must
have been nearly eight miles up; but now
the barometer was rising rapidly-the
balloon was descending. Brandy was
used. They had been higher above the
earth than mortal man or any other living
being had ever been before. One minute
more of inaction-of compulsory inaction
-on the part of the steersman, whose
senses were failing him, and the air-ship
with its intensely rarified gas, would have
been floating unattended, with two corpses
in the wide realms of space.