Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-06-24

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METEOROLOGICAL series of aeronautic and
aerial experiments is to DE made on the 4th
proxmo, by the Signal Office, in the monster
Boston. The ascent will be made from Boston
Common during. the festive commemorations of
the great day. The balloon is of the finest tex
ture and of immense size, having circumier-
ence of one hundred and ninety one feet with
capacity of nearly one hundred thousand cubic
feet, and is said to be the largest ''ship of the
air ever yet launched in America The most
important passenger it will carry will be the
meteorological observer detailed by General
Myer for the special duty of gaining all the
physical information to be had in its voyage in
rents which roll in silent but majestic force.
Sergeant Schaefer, the observer sent on this
scientific mission, is distinguished for his keen
perception and instrumental skill, and is already
on the spot, thoroughly supplied and equipped
with all the meteorological apparatus and in
struments proper to his work.
The public will henceforth look with great
interest to all aeronaucic ascents which include
scientific investigation of the high atmosphere.
Meteorologists have long asserted that great
band of warm equatorial air moves aloft over
our Atlantic seaboard, and forms part of that
grand, fan shaped, equatorial current which
Mr.. GIaisher, the English aeronaut, ascertain
ed to move from the southwest to the northeast
over his own country with steady volume and
great velocity, and which he characterized as
Gulf Stream 10 the air. Since Mr.. Glaishers
aerial voyages the French baloonists alone have
made some sixty or seventy experiments, and
generally with similar results. The most in
teresting of these was that of NJ Roller, who
travelled with cloud speed from Paris to Chris
tiana, in Norway, over twelve degrees of longi-
tude, in northery course, and over eight de-
grees of latitude, eastwardly, or, in strai light
line, over twelve hundred miles, in fourteen
hours, in little less than twelve of which he
crossed over the North Sea.
We presume. of course, that the signal OBJ
server in the forthcoming adventure will not
be taken by surprise if he encounters in the
higher atmosphere such current as may carry
him towards the sea with velocity of nearly
hundred miles an hour.-N. T. Herald.
SPONTANEOUS COMPASSIONATE Scientific
press reports that, in March last Detroit
druggist, assisted by. two gentlemen, resolved
TO make number of experiments with regard
TO spontaneous combustion They first took
piece of cotton cloth, which had once formed
part of a sheet, and which had been used
until quite threadbare, and smeared it with
boiled inseed OIL An old chest was placed In
the loft of storeroom back of a drug store, a
~
and then the chest filled with paper and rags,
and this particular piece of cloth placed In the
centre. Although the room was not light
one, and the weather cold, in eight days there
was such smell of fire about the trunk and
the chances were so good for a cODtagratOn
within it that the contents were emptlcd;; An
examination showed that the fibre of the oil
cloth had been UNFINISHED and shrlvelled up,
and that the rag looked as if it had been laid
too near hot blaze In April, when the rays
of the sun were stronger, pair OF painter S
overalls, literally covered with paint and oil,
were rolled up, handful of pine shavlngs
nlaced inside and these we're placed next to
the roofboards of the loft The experiment
was not week old when, during one warm at
ternoon, smell Of smoke alarmed workman
in the next room, and he found the overalls
burning, During the hot weather of August,
handful of old cotton rags, in which two
matches were placed, but which were not
smcared with oil or other matter, we're shut up
in tin box, and hung up in the loft, a win
dow allowing the afternoon sun to shine direct
" on the box for several hours. On the fourth
day the box was taken down to see how the
experiment was progressing, and the contents
were found to consist of nothing but puff OF
black cndcrs. The old chest was again filled,
this time with the contents of a rag bag, some
norton of them being smeared with benzlne.-
The trunk was placed in an clubhouse. One
dav the family came home to find few ashes
marking the place where the trunk stood
while the bricks above and around were badly
stained with smoke.-The Week.
MADAME TAaLIoNI. Justin Mccarthy, in
his London letter. says: Another celebrity
-ofa far more different date is now IN Lon,
don. A few evenings since | WI was introduced
slender in form, though having broad fore
head and large head-a lady very quietly,
though elegantly dressed, with certain pre-
else neatness about her that suggested NAL
den aunt of the elder school, Her manner was
quiet and rather retiring, but full OF grace ana
dignity. It was the Derby day, and | had
been to the scene, and, naturally. we spoke OF
it, and the lady told me she had not been
there lately, but often (she did not speak Eng
lish) "dans sa jennesse. What Jeunesse
that was, youth of brightness, Of beauty. OF
aattery that might have intoxicated; Of plau;,
dts which were re. echoed in every capital Of
Europe; youth crowned by the gifts of kings
and the admiration of princesses; a youth of
stage success which in its peculiar field has never
known rivalry. In this quiet old lady was
Madame Taglioni, the great danseuse, whose
triumph at one time sent Europe, halt wild
with frantic admiration. confess that | had
thought Taglioni was dead long since. She
never appeared on the stage within my memo, |
y. Yet she is only sixty-eight years DID, ana
does not look nearly so much One can .tnrsy eaS,ay
aud statues OF Taglioni in her triumphs, that
dancing was an art; in her time; that it ranked