The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1873-08-14
Mr. Wise's Balloon Voyage.
From the Christian Union


From the Christian Union
The proposal of Mr.. Wise TO cross the Allan
tic III balloon is looked upon by many persons
as toolharcy undertaking. No doubt it is dan
gerols Very dangerous. The risk is great
that it would be wrong to venture if there is not
a fair prospect of success, and If no good Is to
come from accomplishing the journey But nei-
thcr Of these suppostions are correct. The
prospect of success is so great as to make it
| worth while to try the experiment.. And if the
! experiment is successful, the advantages to fol-
low it are almost incaculable. Mr.. Wise is
man Of great experience III balloon navigation
| We may be sure, then, that as far as safety can
| be secured, and dangers prevented by ample
| precautions. these will be taken He knows
perfectly what accidents may happen, and what
| has caused disaster hitherto. He knows the
liftmg-poWer Of gas required the amount of
| leakage, the amount of loss by the necessity OF
| ascending and descending etc.
| We may presume that his balloon IS amply
able to sustain him and his companion and their
| freight during the full time calculated as necc>-
sary to cross the Atlantic allowing for all prob
| able DELAYS. The only great danger which re-
mains, therefore, concerns the possibility of
| finding the air-culren setting from west to east.
If this is not found; if the balloon is to be
driven hclplessly to and fro, backward and for
| ward then. of course, the sustaining power
must be- at last exhausted, and the aeronauts be
deposited in the sea. But all the law If netc-
| Oroo9y, and all the observations OF ncteorOlo-
gists indicate general upper current III y"
| northern hemisphere from southwest to north
east 1t is implied in the trade winds. which,
coming from the poles, must rerum to them
| again. 1t is indicated by the frequent north
e;>terly storms. which, as is we'll known, move
constantly from the southwest to the northeast.
These great Storm-coudS are so lofty that the lar
ge>t part Of them is rooted in the III per current
| of air setting to the north and east. Their InH>>
| is ALWAYS carried in this current, no matter what
NAV be the direction of the winds hcloW-luS
as The fleets Of rcbergs from the Arctic circle
| sail steadily to the south, no matter now Inc
| winds may blow the currents tend on the
surface of the ocean. The iceherg- ae sunk 50
deep in the Sea that their chief bulk is rooted
in the lower current setting always toward
the equator. So the great storm-cIouds rise
50 hi%h that their chief bulk is rooted i'll the
upper current Of air, setting always toward
the north and east. A. soon a. MIR. " lsr finds
himself in this current, he will bc carried l'Y 1t
to the coast Of Norway or Denmark, and III Il
few days be landed somewhere IN the 9tahilha-
Wan regions.
But here /; new difficulty arises. If the hero
ic navigator remains near the surface OF the
ocean he will not find this great return current
| Of air. and MAY be driven north, south OF west
and 80 never reach Europe. But. if he aSccnds
high enough to reach the steady westerly
tide of air, how can he tell his course at all
while near the sea. the rapid flight OF the bal
loon will be transferred TO the waves heioW.ihi
hi, COMPASS will tell him the direction ot hl>
movement AS being the reverse of these, But
when ne i, 50 high Il, not t@ y" .l!" I" di>fin-
| "uish thc lines on the water. how cam he know
which way he is moving: You may say-h!
the clouds But will the balloon move faster
tllan the clouds, probably not. If in Il different
one. then their apparent motion win result not
| merely from the direction of the balloon, but
also from thei. own proper motions in the diff
t,rcnt currents of ain This is Il difficulty which
we confess olrselNe, unable to solve Other dan
Ger from travelling in the upper air current may
come from extreme rarei;tction of the air and
.vtrnn,n roId Eyrn fine storln-cluud> of Il
~rn,nr MN vilI sumrtinc, h, 50 lofty us tu
rise into the region of perpetual frost, Every
summer hail-stum is Il proof of thi>-for the
| hrst rrullnntion of hail i> that the upward
suction of air in 4 lofty cloud carries the drops
Of rain up 50 high that they are frozen, and
thrown out at the top OF the cloud, on either
.idr is umns of ice. Let H. hope. therefore
Thai pur adventurous navigator may tnd hl>
westerly Wind 50 loW down a. to br able to
avoid these ditlicultie, and dangers. They