The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-06-20
A BALLOON TRIP TO EUROPE.
Prospective Air Line Mail Between
America and England.

From the Daily Graphic, June 4th.l
A novel and altogether unprece-
denied feat is to be attempted in
Boston on the 4th of July. The
originator of the idea, however, is
not a Bostonian, which fact must
go far towards humbling the pride
of the citizens of the Hub.
Prot. John Wise, of Philadel-
phia, is one of the oldest and most
experienced aronauts in the world.
Being also q man of solid ability
and generous scientific culture, he
has achieved, in his visits to the
upper atmosphere, discoveries of
enormous value. He is at present
Secretary of the Meteorological
branch of the Franklin Institute
in Philadelphia, and is earnestly
devoted to the study of the phe-
nomena which are considered in
that section of the Institute.
The Professor is now well adj
yanced in years, but he enjoys &C
tive health, and his brain is as
vigorous and energetic as in his
younger days. He has long held
and preached certain theories in
regard to the strata of air which
encircle the earth far above the
region of cloud-land, and these
theories he proposes now to dem
onstrate by an experiment as bold
as it is interesting. This is what
ha n do.
On the 4th of July, if possible,
but on some day of that month at
all events, Professor Wise propos-
es to start from Boston Common
in q balloon, to cross the Atlantic
Ocean and land in Europe. He
will take with him Mr.. Washington
II. Donaldson, the celebrated aero
naut, scientist, and, we hope, a.
graphic artist. The city of Bos-
ton has appropriated $4,000 to-
wards defraying the expenses of
this singular voyage, and the re
mainder is to be furnished by in
diyidual contributions among the
Bostnn merchants. The Professor
proposes to take with him in his
aeriel ship a transatlantic mail,
and he calculates that he will drop
on the shores of England or
France i'll sixty or seventy hours
after leaving Boston.
An idea so bold and daring as
this could never receive the sup
port of practical men unless sus-
tanned by very strong and very
plausible theories. The theories
of Professor Wise, fortunately for
his experiment., are very strong
and very plausible. He said to
tho writer on Saturday:
Il have for years believed that
the entire upper atmosphere, sur
rounding the earth, constantly
moves eastward with the revolu7
tions of the globe. More than
this: l believe that it actually
moves faster than the earth, just
as water is spurted forth from
rapidly revolving grindstone. 1t
is thrown ahead by the centrifugal
force generated by the movement
of the terrestrial bail, say at the
rate of one hundred miles an hour.
IF rise into this vast airtide with
my balloon. the ship will be swept
eastward with tremendous vGloc-
ity. We cannot control the di-
rection of the balloon in any way
and that will not be necessary.
| All that we need do is to let it
drift, and, sooner or later, if no
accident happens, we shall reach
some part of Europe. Professor
Henry and some other learned
men entertain the same opinion
concerning eastward tendency of
the upper air, and / am assured of
it, not only because it is reasona-
bic and natural, but because all
balloons, after reaching the height,
say of mile and half, go in an
easterly direction. l have made
four hundred and forty-siX bal
loon ascensions. Aad ninety-six
times out of every hundred the
airship swept rapidly towards the
east. L have preached this theory
for thirty years and twice ! have
asked Congress to help me prove
it by means of transatlantic voy-
age. Imade an application to this
effect in 1914, and q second one
some years later, but failed both
: times, although on the latter occa-
sion Stephen A. Douglas, who be
lieved in me, made speech in my
behalf"
The Professor, being asked how
long he expected to consume il
making the voyage, answered:
mot more than seventy hours
and probably not even sixty. i
, will depend on the force of the ali
current. This current moves mor'
: rapidly after sunset, for the heated
air presses forward toward The
? shadow, where the atmosphere i.
: cooler"
s.At what point do you expec
, to touch on the other side?
1--WE shall probably land eithe
in Great Britain or France; in tn
+ latter If we do not reach a grea
e altitude. l have always thought
4 however, that there is aR air-cul
: rent following the course of tn
n Gulf Stream, for that heats the al
n mosphere to the height of eight o
e ten thousand feet, and makes,
: conjecture, a sort of Gulf StreaT
e in the air. IF this is correct, an
g our balloon strikes that curren
d we shall go directly to England
t, OF course I cannot say absolntel
d that we shall succeed. This voJ
,e age is merely experimental. l wis
d TO test the matter, that IS all.
if the trip can be made now twill
made many times again. and, Wit