The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1870-01-28

been guilty, OF putting of to the hast |
moment matter of so much impor-
tance. But having at length accom-
plished 1t, soon began to reap the ben
eft of my invention. Once again / |
breathed with perfect freedom and ease |
and indeed why should not? 1 was |
also agreeably surprised to find myself, |
in great measure, relieved from the |
violent pains which had hitherto tor
mented me. A slight headache, accom-
painted with sensation of fulness or
distention about the wrists, the ankles,
and the throat, was nearly all of which
/ had now to complain. Thus it seemed
evident thata greater part of the uneas-
iness attending the removal of atmos-
pheric pressure had actually Dorn Of,
as | had expected and that much of the
pain endured for the last two hours
should have been attributed altogether
to the effects of a deficient respiration.
Attwenty minutes before nine o'clock
that is to says a short time prior to
my closing up the mouth of the cham
Der, the murcury attained its limit, or
ran down, in the bal ometer, which as l
mentioned before, was one Of an extend
ed instruction. 1t then indicated an
altitude on my part of 1872 900 feet, or
! five-and-twenty miles, and | conse-
quently surveyed at that time an ex-
| tent of the earth'S area amounting to
no less than the three e-hundred.and.
twentieth part of its entire superficies.
At nine o'clock had again lost sight
of land to the eastward, but not before
became aware that the balloon was
drifting rapidly to the N. N w.
The ocean beneath me still retained its
apparent concavity, although my view
was often interrupted by the masses of
cloud which iloated to and fro.
At half past nine / tried the expert
ment of throwing out handful of
feathers through the valve. They did
not float as had expected; but drop
ped down perpendicularly, like bullet
en- mdsse, and with the greatest velocity,
being out of sight in very few sec.
onds / did not at first know what to
make of this extraordinary phenomen
on; not being able to believe that my
rate of ascent had, of sudden, met
with so prodigious an acceleration. Bu
it soon occurred to me that the atmos
phere was now far too rare to sustain
: even the feathers; that they actually
fell, as they appeared to do, with grea
rapidity; and that had been surprised
by the united velocities of their descen
. and my own elevation.
BY ten o'clock I found that l ha
D. very little to occupy my immediate at
tention. Affairs went on swimmingly
and l believed the balloon to be goin
3 upwards with a speed increasing me
i, mently, altho ugh had no longer an
l. means of scertaining the progressio
of the increase. l suffered no pain {
uneasiness of any kind,an enjoyed be
ter spirits than i had at any perio
since my departure from ROtterdan
busying myself now in examining tn
in regenerating the atmosphere with
the chamber This latter point l d
termined to att end to at regular inte
walls of forty minutes, more on accour
of the preservation of my health, tina
from SO frequent renovation being al
. solutely necessary. In the meanwhil
= l could not help making anticipation
', Fancy revelled in the wild and dream
!, regions of the moon. Imagination
= feeling herself for once unshacklet
. roamed at will among the ever-chanl
=, ing wonders of a shadOwy and unstabl
= land. Now there were hoary and tim
:. honored forests, and craggy precipice
y and waterfalls tumbling with lou
noise into abysses without n bottom
Then 1 came suddenly into still moor
:, day solitudes. where no wind Of heave
ever intrudcd, and where vast meadow
! ofpoppies, and slender, ,lily-loOking flow
ers spread themselves out weary di
- tan &c, all silent and motionless for eve
u Then again journeyed far down ava
% into another country where it was a
one dim and vague lake, with a bout
n | Nlul vi NlOutios Dub CaN
~ AS these were not the sole possessors
- my brain. Horrors of nature mo
~ stern and most appalling would too fir
- quently obtrude themselves upon N
mind, and shake the innermost deptl
j, of my soul with the bare supposition
- their possibility. Yet would not su
:, fer my thoughts for any length of tin
= to dwell upon these latter speculation
-, ~ rightly judging the real and palpab
IS 'ms dangers of the voyage sufficient for N
n. undivided attention.
l. At five O'Clock, r. NJ. being engage
q, in regenerating the atmosphere wit
n in the chamber, took that opportuni
re of observing the cat and kittens throul
a the valve. The cat herself appeared
it suffer again very much, and l had |
~ hesitation in attributing her uneasine
m chiefly to a difficulty in breathing; b
.. my experiment with the kittens h;
We resulted very strangely. l had expe(
ir ed, of course, to see them betray sen
O. of pain, although in a less degree thu
n their mother;and this would have bet
~ su fficient to confirm my opinion co
RI cerning the habitual endurance Of 8
at mospheric pressure. But l was n
ne prepared to find them, upon close e
&C. animation, evidently enjoying hi!
or degree of health, breathing with t
u greatest ease and perfect regularity,al
he evincing not the slightest sign of u
OF easiness. | could only account for ;
IT. this by extending my theory, and su
ed posing that the highly rarefied atmt
1t- phere around, might perhaps not be,
ch had taken for granted, chemically
EN- sufficient for the purpose of life, al
X that person born in such Il medil
lie might, possibly, be unaware of any
'ar convenience attending its inhalatiC
ed while, upon removal to the denser StI