Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1873-08-06

and bis associate, Mr. Donaldson, to enter
upon their hazardous experiment, the public
interest is becoming intensely excited, aud
the dire results predicted by many occupy
ing high positions in the scientific world
would iutimidato any man with less faith
aud courage than Prof Wise.
We CLEAN from the Springfield Repaji. |
can some particulars Of the novel enter
prise In his lecture to the Now York
liberal club, Friday night, Prof Wise said
that when "levitation was a. well under.
stood as gravitation, there would be no
trouble about these balloon voyegcs lloI
implicitly believes in the CONTIGUOUS and
rapid movement Of the upper air to the
east, and is sanguine enough Of iis avail
ability FOR circumnayiga to trust his life
to il, certainly as strong proof Of conf.
dence as could be asked
Messrs. Wise and Donaldson will ascend
from New York about the 18th Of August.
at six O'Clock in the evening and expect to
see land somewhere on the eastern cont
uent on the second morningout lfihcsur-
face current sets eastward at starting, The,
will not rise more than 200 or 800 feet, but
if it is not so favorable, they will at once
throw out ballast aud rise to the cront
eastward current, 1000 feet above. Am
balloon experience shows that at this sea-
son Of the year there ia a northward as
well as au eastward current, so they will
look for the Newfoundland coast the next
morning, and by noon Of the FIRST day hope
to be speeding over the Atlantic as the
rate Of eighty miles an hour. The party
is not as yet, fully made up but as appli.
cations for passage are numerous, sufi-
cent number will be taken to insure fee.
quent and accurate observations The
time will be divided into watches" and
the person on duty will keep an eye on the
instruments and record his observations
The barometer is the most important instru-
ment, as it will indicate their altitude at
all times but as all possible data Of the
upper atmospheric phenomena will be inter-
esting and valuable a record will also be
Kept Of the hygrometer, wet and dry bulb
thermometer and other instruments pa.
ring the night they will determine their
course by throwing out bombs, which will
explode and burn several minutes on silik-
ing the water MS the air ship drifts away
from the light, the compass will tell the Ill
rcctiou in which they are going 1t is pos
stole, also by somewhat elaborate trigo-
nometrica compilation to determine, APP.
proximately, their speed by the use Of C. csc
bombs. A drag rope 1000 feet long will
hang from the bottom of the car. and its
inclination and motion will tell If it touches
the water And, by the way, mariners
will do well TO stand from under" for
with these bombs Of worse than Greek FIRE
pattoring down and exploding at intervals,
aud the drag rope ever fishing for some
thing, their latitude will be healthy one
to avoid. 1t would be rather unpleasant
to be whisked of shipboard by a coil Of
that rope and dragged into indefinite
space at the rate of eighty miles an hour.
The balloonists expect, too, to come down
occasionally aud be on terms of pleasant
familiarity with passing ships, but il the
higher current is always faster, they will
stick to that. This point they can determ-
ine by detaching the little balloon sort
Of " captains gig" attached to the main
affair--and sending it up to investigate
Any disarrangemcnt Of the valves can also
be remeded by tying this small balloon to
one Of the voyagers when its buoyancy will
enable him to ascend the sides Of the great
dome The whole apparatus will weigh s.
$50 pounds, and the " carrying force" Of
the 100000 cubic feet of gas which both
balloons will contain is 1900 pounds -
This leaves a margin Of over 5000 pounds
for passengers and ballast, The altitude is
easily governablc by means Of ballast, but
in regard to direction they are pretty
much at the mercy of circumstances If
the lower current bears them over, they
will strike Ireland; if the upper theory
takes them to northern Europe Sweden or
Norway. Prof, Wise expresses the CON
victiou that they viii make safe harbor
somewhere between St. Petersburg and
Africa" but declines to be more definite
If they lend" in the sea, they will take
to their boat and await some passing ship