The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1871-07-27

nlGll W mere Slaves luClE lOIucT uds-
tiers.
LocomOtiOn In the Air.
ALL the ballooling experiments tried
on the r, cent Fourth of July were, 50 far
as We have heard, successful. An aero
naut at milwaukee, crossed Lake Michigan
IN safety and sailed-or heW-a good dis
lance into the State of Michigan. Another
al Troy, n Y, fOated through the empy-
rean for two hours, and lighted in an as
tonished community, a hundred miles
from wht re he started. Another, al Oswe-
go, who evidently dill not understand
his business crossed Lake Ontario and
came down safe, but spoit his balloon IN
landing OLher similar eXcursi ms, in all
paris of the country, resulted alike sue
cessfully. Ind ed, we iced hardly call
these excursions experiments as We
have dose, since the aeronaut who mounts
into the clio ds with a good balloon now
a-Ga.s and knows how to hardle it, is
very nearly as sure of landing safe as he
who embarks on a train OF cars or q lake
steamboAt. And not only this, bu, ne can
shape his course almost as well a. theg, TO
say nothing OF his advantage in point of
speed. The air-ship which is to prouel it
self through the sky Independent OF the
currents is not Yet perfected though San
TauciscO genius is sill at work at if
hopefully; but see what the aeronaut can
already do by availilg himself Of the
counter currents which are all the time
speeding athwalt each others pathway
above terra .frna1. We take the account
Of Mr. ST, liner, who Hcnt Up from Mil
wauker, on the 4th ms, because that nc
count is the one nearest at hand at the mo-
mtnt of writing.
On letting 90 the ropes the hal'OOnist
kept his upward direction until he had
reached an altitude of about 10000 feet, as
asceriained by the barometer. The wind
being from the west, he WIS borne along
by the current until as he Judge d, he was
about fifty miles east of his starting pa e,
or somew hat beyond the miGde of Lake
Michigan. Here he found himself be
calEed then rose (hy throwing out BALLAST
until he reached, some 2 00J feet higher,
sOutherly current. This not suiting his
purpose which was to get across tn lake
as cir, city IS possible, he 1t out gas and
sank some 7 coo feet, when he found him,
self in a current which bore him sou h.
,astwar ~ towSid st. Joseph. app zach
ing the shore be dropptd into due west
current, which bore him inland fifty miles
or more, where. enc0unttring very cold
weather, he d. cided TO bring his voyage to
a close, and accordingly sank gently into
| a clover field where, With the assistance
HhlCh r. adliy came TO his hand, be rolled
up his aerial ship and started with ii in
wagon for the nearest railroad station
Similar 10 this are the experiences of
nearly or quite all the intelligent aero
nants who make balloon voyages of late
OF all who went up on the late Fourth
as means of gratifying the holiday spirit
of the occasion, not OGe is known to have
! come down injured III any way by his de
! scent; thus proving, in connection with
| the thousands OF accidents from firearms
ruHaways, etc, that, on Fourth of .Julvs
at least, the q" blue vault of heaven is tully
as safe a place TO sIjourn in as terra trina
Itself. These voyages, together with the
very useful purposes 10 which baliooning
was put curing the recent campaign in de-
tCi ST Of Paris, prompt thei'vestigatoE to in
qulre whether the navigation of the air is
| not practicable Tor more substantial purpOs
! c5 than the amusement OF d holiday crowd
The question Is by no means new one,
| but II viii never become an obsolete one
| at least Until II Il anSN eIfd in the af
tirmative. Especially in America, which
has so many miles OF space to annihilate
and so many inventive minds II study
new devices, will this question of aerial
navigation be aAitated until solved. The
problem is 10 find one Of two things: q
Law governing winds, so that their direc
ton and force may be Appropriated or
machine which will propcl itself through
the air, comparatively jIdepl ndent of
| currents, J1st as ateam,r navigate 5
against the curreit Of river The near
| approach OF the California axpCIimln'er,
I NH & 4 f, To-
um furnishes much encouragement for
The hope that his experiments, which
are still going GA, may sometime
succeed, IN lis hands, or those If sull,.
- n@I investigator. Eha former dcsiIera
tuna Is tor tn mrteoroiogisis to find, and
toward it the Wa Department is already
making commerd4b.e eff Its, il the 8 lies
1t obser, atl0ns and calculations which are
Bong lnate nj the numerous points
throughout tie country. The general
subj ct oi ball0Onipg receives much atten-
| ton from the British AeroBautical A ssoci-
alton, OF which the Duke of ArgvIlis Pres
idcnt, and by which Great many pracfi
! cal experiments have lie made, and a
| great deal Of information disseminate q
l. Is not very encOurag ny however, 10
md The last report Of this SCOTT almost
! Igt onlg the proposition To utilize the bll.
! loon, AID dcvoiing itself largr " to the va
'ioas pr jets for tising, all, or nearly all
! Vi which are pAlpubly absurd; aud that
they have fallen back upon "m1nual
flight as The method of aerial loc0motion.
III which nature is almost disposed to
help MS" Manual fight is a trick
which will strike the practical mind as
being quite as impracticable now as il WIS
in the days of lcarus; nevertheless, we, as
aspiring moItsls, d. not rest content with
an element about Us which VIC cannot
penetrate as We please. Whether We shall
ever navigate the air or not, We shall
never, probably, be quite satisfied that we
! can't thicGo3 Tribune.