, 1873-09-20
PROF. WlSE'S CAREER.

9TGph1c balloon Woro necessarily limited, but
for copy Of "Through tho Air. Prof. Wiae's
now book, which his publishers hastencd III
tue hope that ho might carry with him to
Europe, or toward it., his own record Of
thick 1oe IN Of of" esn ar 3 naxgn1n sSs.ai
pages, It contains, ono would think, almost
Of sir sailing, besides telling the story. of nearly
forty yoats exPorenc9s p IN tls hazardous Pnr,
have numbored 449, naturally camo Lis boyiBll
experiments, Which began with attaching kittona
to tho tail Of his kite, advanced to tissuo-paper
paEachutea, and, after setting aro to a dwelling
IN hfB nRtiYo town Of Lancaster, Penu., with
tiasuo-papar a-balloon, illuminated In tho auc-
cossful ascent Of paper hlontgolllor, vlol, de-
torminpd him In tho choice Of his occupation.
Although this purpose waa interrupted by seyors
nno-forto traaoB ho adopted, IN 1886, tho avoca-
tion which ho has steadily pursued over since.
u would be hard to conceive moro daring
venture S,a. th.p That of exploding balloon at
parachute for safo deBcent. Tho following was
Prof. Wise's experiment:
Having always mot with 10 much oppoation
to every 5oT proposition II aoronautes that
myself until it should havo passed tito ordeal Of
nctual experiment. This idea was tho explosion
Of balloons at great heights, depending upon
their friction through and Resistance Of, tue st.
an e1porimons-bursting ono'a balloon milo
Or two above tho Garth, and permitting,
Inevitably, tho gas to ruah out Of it i'll.
stnntly-msy starslo. tho roaaor., oven the
student OF tho 8cienco nevertheless 1t was
made, repeatcd and can bo mado again, with IN
certainty as groat ind principles MS comprohen-
aivo aH that pocket handkerchief will not fall
as rapidly to tho ground, when thrown out OF
thtTd:atory windon, ~ will brick, ;...
observed the sparkling coruscationB of
lightning spriaging from clond to cloud milo
beneath mo hs the thunderstorm was passing
It'll last romnantB below. The storm WIS moving
from southwest to northeast, and the balloon
was sailing from northwest to southeast past
ing New-Vilago mud Asbury, aud now could
Hoo tho Garth in TINT direction. took out nv
watch, noted on my log-book tho ii tino-2:20--anu
hs was about returning it to MY pocket,
thinking at the timo whether 1t were not best to
rolieyo Tho o1poslyo rope, discharge tho ballast
and abandon for the present the idea Of this
experiment, the balloon exploded! Although my
contidonco in the Bnccoss Of tho contriv4nco
novor for moment forsocl1 mo, must admit
that it wns a moment Of awful suspense. Tho
gas rushed from tho rupture in tho top Of tho
balloon with a tenptoatuons uoisc, and III less
than ten seconds not a particle Of hydrogen re-
maincd iu it. The descent ut first was rapid
aud accompanied With u fcarfully moaning noiHe,
caused by tho mir rushing through the network
and tue gas escaping above. In another mo-
nlent folt slight shock. Looking mp
to seo what caused it, discovered that tho bal.
lover hasf into tho upper it had fasion, con-
donsing tho column Of airupon wlic!, it wuH fall
Ing, until It Ind arrived at d point whore it was
~ dense TINT tho .forco Of the whole weight
prcHstng down OIL It WAS arrested, which caused
The parachute to tilt over. Tic weight Of tho
car, however conntersniled the tilting tendency,
giving It Ill osoillating motion, which 1t retained
until 1t reached tho earth. The ve!oclties Of
sponding notes OF tho wind as it wllistled
through tho rigging OF the balloon. On reacl,-
Ing the point where the lowcr curront OF mir
tiavorsed tho upper, another antt more yiolout
shock than tho first took placo. From this
point tho oscillations became more aeyere. each
ono causing III mo Honsation similar to that
porHons- experience when dreaming that they
1a4."
irof. Wlse's scheme is we'll known to have
been 40 new erotchot, but it will SOON curious,
noyerthelogs, to read tho following proca1nn-
tion, isBuea just thirty years ago il, J. " For
ney's Lancaster Intolfigencer, and noto the ten.
nclty with which tho purpose thou announced
has boon adhered to:
!. To all Put,iahers Of Hetcspnners on thc Gyoa..
"As it ia my intention to take trim across tho
Atlantic Oceail with ba!oou in tho summer OF
1874 and aH the doscont or landing Of balloons,
in my experience, haa almost universally created
unnecessary alarm and CONSERVATION to
tho people near by. I therefore give ths
general notice to tho seafaring community Of Ill
clmos thnt should thoy, during my tinlo hence-
forth, chance to be III the vicinity Of 4 balloon
ethor OH the ocoau or III the atmosphere, thoy
need not be under any approhonuiong. hut should
ondeayor to rive aid to ttH nnsuenecra.
at must not bo inforroti from. tiis TINT its
succosB is cousidoreil imDrobal,la hit morolv to
bo proparod for ali omorgoncieg.
"Haying from long experience in aeronput
ics, been Convinced that a cougtant n1t rcr,,inr
current Of air is blowing at I'll times from wost
to east with velocity Of from 20 to TO- and eyol
oerti, .n a, II a scouaro ~ a,o t'p
rnnfinra s;lk nr mnalin nnorviou. Io irltrone,,
raa N that n hn1nnn mav In lo,,t oinat ofnr
anv ,rooI,a fae cont;ont ~ ,r;t t,,"ao Ivan.
taaaa thas tr;n nosous tn t1,nt;o ,ritl ,,nt ho
otfar1cd ,sit, :. .n11n1, w rooi ta,ncr na lv tho
"ommon nn,a ~ ~ tranat;on aS o"' o""s'A A' ~ 'D'
sttrhn. hn ,1non - to ho Inn foot IN d;auotor
~ ns.luuu , a. ~ " 1; !uu ta ]s - = - nt nm,