Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1869-03-26
Scientific Daring.

o"e JUL day IN August, Just alter noon,
balloon rose iu the air al the foo, of
Cloed Hills, on the western edge of the
central plain of England 1t was inflated
with the ightest of gases which chemical
skill could produce, and it rose with sur
pr's'ng velocity. A mile up aud it
entered strata of clouds more than a
thousand feet thick. Emerging from this,
the sun shoue brightly on the air sbip :
the sky overhead was Of the clearest and
deepest blue, and below lay an iumeasura.
BILE expanse Of clouds, whose surface looked
"s solid a. that Of the earth, now wholly
lost to view. Lofty mountains aud then
deep, dark raVlnes. appeared below; the
peaks and sides If thnse cloud mouD,ains
next the sun g|itIer-d like snow, tut cast
ing shadows a< black as If they were solid
rock. Up ro-e the balloon with treuen-
dous veority. Four miles above earth a
pigeon was 1T ,oo.e; 1t dropped down
'nfo"g" tue hit as it 1t had been stone.
ihe air WAS too ttnn 10 er,ab,. it to flv.
1t was as If ship lad. n to ,h. deck we're
To pass from the heavy waters of the LEA
'"'o All inland u"s"line lake the bark
would sink al once IN the thinner water.
Up, up. still h,gterl Wat "A silence p,o.
found! The heights of the sky wers "a
st'l' rs the deepest pIhs Of the ocean,
where, AS was found during the search for
the lost Atlantic cable, the fine mud lies as
INST 'rred from year to year as the dust
which 'mperceplibIy gathers on the turni-
ture OF deserted house. No sound, nor
l'fn-onIy the bright sunshine falling
through sky which it could not waf;n.
Up--five miles above earth higher
tha" the inaccessible summit OF Chimbo-
raz' or Dawugiri. Despite the sunshine.
everything freezes. The air grows TOO
thin to support life, even for few minutes.
Two men only are in that adventurous
b"ll"on-the one steering the air ship, the
other Watching the sc,eu,ifio instruments,
and according them with a rapidisy bred
ut long ,r .ctice. Suddenly, as the latter
I"ok" 81 his i"strumsutss his sigh. grows
d'" he takes lens sof'EeIp his sight, and
cn', marks from The falling barometer that
they are rising rapidly. A flask Of brandy
lies within t"ol Of him he tries 70 reach
it,, but bin arms refuse to obey his will.
He tries 10 call ON his corurade, who has
gone up the ring above; whisper in that
deep silence would sufics-but no sound
comes from his lps-he is yoiceIess. The
steersman comes down into the car he
finds his comrade in a swoop, and feels his
own senses falling him. f :: p" ~,
He saw at once that lif. and death hunr
up"n few moments. He seized or tried
to se'ze the valve, in order to open it, and
let out the gas. His hands are purple
with intense coId-they ar. parat, eel they
will not respond to bis wiIk He seized
the valve with his teeth it opened little
once, twice, thrice. The balloon began
to descend. Then the swooued n,arksman
returned TO consciousness, and saw the
steersman standing before him. H. looked
at b's instrumrnt-they must have been
nearly eight miles up; but now the ba.
rometer was rising raridIy--tbe balloon
was descending. Brady was used. They
had been higher ab,'ve earth Than mortal
man or living thing had been before oue
minute more OF rcacion--of compulsory
'nac''on--o" the part OF the steers,uau.
whose sapses were failing h,n, and tho air
ship, with its intense rarifi.d gss, would
nave bee" floating unattended, with two
c"rpsea in the vide realm of space.-
Once Week. ., o.,s