Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1873-07-24
up N-A,BALLooN.

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Wreck Of Matter and the Crush ofl
JVo,lds
The Chicago 22Jatme claims to have
been annoyed ever since it has been
known that the Graphic people intend
ed to allow the representatives OF few
leading papers to have berths in the
balloon with which they intend to test
the feasibility of aelial navigation to
Europe, by steady stream Of i'll Ii, idHaisi1
offering their services as correspondents
for the Tribune Oh this expedition.
For the benefit of these eager volun-
teers it concocts a sketch Of the miser
les and calamities that may chance to
befall the adventurous voyagers, which
it hopes is sufficiently terrifying to dim
nish the number Of applications. At
ter presenting the possibility OF sundry
outward accidents i'll starting, it pro-
ceeds to discuss the dire mistortunes
that may occur, even should it get off
all right a startling scientific theory
is propounded in terms that are as clear
as mud, and then series 81 most ter
rife evils arc described as follows: !.
A local scientist OF eminence, :
celebrated for his investigation into the
theory Of hot corn. has started the the
Dry that as the balloon goes up it gets
twist puton it like billiard-ball,
and that it goes spinning off;.t an angle,
subtended by the plane of its own meri-
dian,or nearly so, and proportionate to
the earth's parallax at that particular
moment. Therefore, the balloon will
either reach Spitzbergen, if the twist is
to the left, or point near the Congo
river, in Africa, if it is to the right.
The notions Of the persons dwelling in
this last named country as to the rights
Of property and persons are rot very
distinct to begin with; and the travel
I lers may be stripped OF all they have on.
! The heat OF the climate is such that
! they will not mend this much, but they
also be held as slaves and put to hard
work, which is not pleasant, and will
lower their opinion of the colored race
| They had better read Captain Riley S
narrative of his adventures in Africa,
and see what a time he had of it.
But this is cakes and ginger bread to
what will happen if they go to the
northeast on the way to the Polar sea.
Beneath them they see vast stretches Of
half frozen water broken 10y land firing
ed with icebergs and covered with eter
nal snow No hotels, no markets, no
grocery store, no place where they can
stop and buy even a box of sardines or
a can of oysters. 1t is positively dis
tressing. Provisions are nearly out.
Home is several miles away. 1t is get
ing chilly. The gas is nearly exesmos-
ed. They are coming down nearer and
nearer to earth whether they will or no.
! After having eaten their valiscs and
| their umbrellas, they will probably cast
4 lots as to who shall be but let the cur
tain drop here.
Then it is very possible that the bal
loon may burst while it is high up in
the air, and the contents will run IA
lively race to the ocean. While they are
coming down they can amuse them
selves by estimating tho hcight, aid then
multiplying their own weight by the
square of their velocity, get a fair idea
how hard they will hit. OF course this
will not save their lives, but it will
serve to pass the time. Down they
will 90, unnoticed and uncared for, um-
less some ship should happen to be
sailing by and the captain should make
an entry in his log to the effect that
several things, supposed to be nieteorlc
stones, fell near them that day. Every
scientific reader can imagine for him
self the hazards to which, one of these
balloons is exposed. Tranquil as the
bright worlds beyond the clouds may
appear, they are i'll state of constant
change. Tiny spheres Of matter break
up and dash madly eastward, but are
mostly consumed by reason Of the in
tense heat generated by friction with
the atmosphere, before they reach the
surface. Just fancy the consequences
i if one OF these messengers OF wrath,
more dangerous than the angel with the
frey sword, were to hit the balloon 1t
would blaze in a minute, ard the car
would come tumbling down. Or the
balloon may fail them, and they may
have to take to the life-boat 1t is a
delicate operation, this swapping hor-
ses; and if successfully done results in
leaving a party of people mostly un,
accustomed to sailing, atloat in cock
leshell, possibly to be becalmed far
from vessels, and to be driven to act
as if they had been caught off Spitzber-
gen.
Besides these volunteers, do not seem
to remember that when they get i'll
those higher regions which the balloon
must necessarily traverse in order to
get the benefit of the great air-river,
they reach place where the cold is so
intense and constant that the chilliest
days of last winter are as nothing 20 it.
1t is worse than standing on Randolph
Street bridge when the west wind
blows. Here, too, it is always blowing
steady gale of about five hundred
miles an hour-an irresistible torrent,
which will sweep the balloon before il
no one knows whittier. 1t may be
borne into some airy maelstrom that
lies far away beyond the uppermost
stars. 1t may be hurried beyond the
bounds of space and wrecked on the
shores of unknown worlds, whence the
newspaper representatives could see
the sun that lights us shining as mere
point in the infinite distance. Let
these young men reflect how they will
feel when they are up alott, wild winds
screaming and bowling through the
cordage Of the balloon, they themselves
lashed tightly to the car to keep from