The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1873-08-23
AERIAL NAVIGATION.
Professor Wise ut The Liberal Clab.
from the New York worldl

fFrom the New York World
Prof. Wise spoke to a good audience
at the Liberal Club last night upon
Aerial Navigation" His flrst remark
was, T." do not propose to deliver n
lecture. do propose to say something
about balloons" His first idea of HIS
present project arose nom his sceiug
that all objects floating high In the mir
nave n tendency usually to go east. In
1896 no assembled COCO fect from Phila-
deaphta, and had confirmation of the
eastward current. All arc doubtless as.
tronomers enough to know that the
solar system moves from west to east.
We had few atmospheric philosophers
until Epsy's time. II 1t wcrc not for
the eastward motion of tho air there
would bc no calculating weather
probabilities. knowledge of few
rules would enable any one to predict
tho weather almost as accurately as
tho Signal Service.
Ballooning will not be understood
until 1t is known that it is just tile
opposite Of gravitation, that Is levfta-
ton. An instrument specifically
lighter than tho air plays the..part the
bladder does In the fish. When u fish
wishes to sink he contracts his air
bladder, and vice versa. Somc fishes
even take ON gravel ballast tempornrl-
ly. Ono hundred aud thirty-one tons
! can he lifted by u balloon 800 feet In
! diameter. A balloon of .sheet-copper
can be matlo that would still have an
tmmonsc lifting power and perma-
! nentty retain tho gass. Metal balloons
can be lnado like tolescopic gns-hold-
ers. Crossing the Atlantic Is not the
| most important part of tho proposed
1 n o.
| easterly current and other aerial facts
arc worthy objects. 1t is very import
| ant to study tho atmosphere We live
| moro upon it than OH food and drink.
SOMc learned criticisms have been
put forth about tho trip. The speak,
| or was rs surc of being able to cross to
Europe with good balloon AS lao il
that he can cross in q steamer.
| During August nnd September tho
same climatic conditions obtain In
the latitude Of New York that obtain
in the tropics, and the balloon must
| therefore go very high and exhaust
much power. Ii they snil low they
will go nearly north. He and Dom
,altison have said elf we can't go to
Europe, we will go To the polo and
hunt the Polnris. - Tho first Napoleon
established Il school of aerOnautics, and
made them scrvicabie in war but their
great use must be in peace. Little il
known yet about electricity, ozone,
spread OF epidemics. Ballooning will
help to unravel these mysteries. Ii
they do not got ono thousand miles to
sea or never como back, science will be
aided by the trip. 1t is often asked
what arc tho plans OF the voyage? In
general, they expect to go up and land
somewhere between ST. Peterburg and
Afric,.. II tho Signal Service will help,
they can go across in sixty days ahead
OF II cyclone.
| 1t Was in that way that he was car
ricd from st. Louis to Now York He
crossed the lakes in LOrnaGiotIlat tles-
trOycd sixteen vessels on those waters.
In that voyage, tho day being hot, IL
phosphorcscent light hung around the
balloon ut night, which enabled them
! to rc,,u thcir Instruments. Large bal
looms arc much more agreeable than
| small ones. Crossing Lake Ontario
! thoy kept an average distance of 300
| feet from the water. Men will yet
exceed tho birds in ncriul navigation.
1t is singular that none Of the passen-
gers he over carried over complained
OF dizziness. This sort of travelling
seems to come natural. 1t IL difficult
when above tho clouds to know, from
nero surrounding appearances, wlaetl,-
or yot are moving. Though going II
milo Il minute, you hang seemingly
lnotionlcss amid air and clouds.
The Professor told an amusing stosy
III proof of this. 1io sailed up from
Allentown, Pn., where b,,nd WAS
playing national air. Hearing tho
sante tune ts he came down no suppo-
sed he was still over Allentown. lie
l,nd landed in Bcrl1s county, forty
miles away, among IL picnic party
whose band was playing tho saunc
tune. When the Professor begun bal
looming thcrc were no gas works in
this country that would I'LL II balloon
that would carry up ono man, unless
scrvcral days notice was given. In
his last ascension from Gettysburg he
rose three miles, and got into II warm
castcriy current. The air was so warm
that he took Off his coat. This had not
happened to him before. lie attributed
| the warmth to Il fog.
The large audience were much in
! tercstcd, and after tho lecture asked
many questions Of tho Professor, who