, 1873-08-05
BALLOON PROBABILITIES.


Apf Auu WI NsRel IlluI " E!Vc uh u 1QIGCuBt OF
tho inoidontB Of tho voyage, aa ho expected tlom
to ariBo. lo Rail llo thought Tint If thoy stntted
from Now York ut o'c1ocls In tho ovonfng, they
would 500 land tho Hoconsl morning out.
"What timo do you cxpeot to atart2" asked
"Wo now think TINT we bhal s.art about lilo
10Th Of August, at o'clock In tho ovoning. Wo
chose TINT hour for two reaBonB-drst tho gns
second reason IT, thnt. tic laborlng poopio viii
then hayo lott or work, aud will DO ablo to Wit
ness thu aacouBton."
How high do you oxpoct to riHo first Of all 7"
:" 1t tho surface current IL blowing eastward,
there will not DO the lonst necessity to go above
200 or 800 feet from tho aurfaco Of tho water.
But II tho surface current ia not onstorly, wo
shall riso up to tho groat, ever-aowng eastward
II wo riae to 5000 feet, VIC shall have to dis
charge about twenty-five pounds Of ballnst per
hour up to o'clock aftor that tho condonBa-
tion Of gas will be stopped, mud wo shall hive to
discharge porhapa not moro than six pounds per
hour.
"What sort Of observations do you expect to
mn11o by tho instruments 7"
I" Wo shall probably divide tho time up by
watohos, according to tho number Of Persons
who mako tho ascension. Probably wo will hayo
throo-hour or four-hour watchos. Whoever 10
on duty during tho watches OF tho night will
havo to make md record all the observations. I
intend to koop book mysolf an tho timo, or
copt when Tn aaloop. OF conrso tho most i'm
portant instrument Is tho baromotor. This muBt
bo watched incessnntly. Then VIC must pay
good laal OF attention to the thermometer. but,
think, an observation oyery quarter Of an hour
would bo enough. Tho Hamo may DO said Of tho
othor instrumonta-th hygromoter, tho wet
and dry bulb thormomctors, the spootroacopet
and so on."
II don't 500 that you Gun uac tho apeotroscopo
except for tho wnter-lfnca in tho atmosphere.
You could not, under tho circumstance, OBJ
aorvo the solar or stellar Bpoctra."
"No, suppose not"
att seems to mo that II you tako observations
ovory quarter Of au hour, you hayo 30 many in-
Htrument1, before you haVe finished ono obger-
vation you will have to begin tho next"
"perhnpB 30. We allnll be nb1o to 200 better
about that whom NO haye got into the upper mir"
You expect to bo able to throw out signals
"Ycs. We shall havo Illuminating explosive
bombs, which, when dropped into tho wator,
burn for four or five mnutoa. As we drift
away from tho burning light, we can toll by our
compass what point wo are making for"
tuboB, don't you ~
"Yos, no Shall have them along with US. But
then, it is quite safc for us to take Dayy
lamp
"About eighty miles On hour"
first morning otlt?"
"JuBt over the coaat Of Newfoundland. wo
Rhall be thon 1900 miles from the nearest point
in Europe. As soon as tho sun rises, the gas
will begin to expand again, and no shall rlBo
very rapidly, and DO saved from diBoharging
ballast for Romo hours: BY u o'clock tho
second day, We shall be In mi1-ocoar1, spinning
along, very likoly, at tho rate Of eighty mioB al
hour
"You will not bo abo to spoak with ships il
yot1 nro 30 worry high h'npoya tho ocean,"
sSa as obas a'esy esap aod 5 b'y Ss
booye that wo shall be ahlo to go near tho ocoan,
very low indeed, quito low enough to speak
with ships. You know We havo drag-ropo 1900
most OF tho SECOND day."
YoB We Hhall take observations very care-
| fully. we shall alao experiment with tho small
or balloon. Although wo would prefer to keep
moves faster, wo shall certainly take advantage
Of that. Iii ordor to ascertAin whether it is
swiftor or not, ,Fo shall aond up tho lessor
balloon I've have about 1000 pounds Of cord for
rapidly, up We CO.. Thon thore may bo sorno
diaarrangomont Of the valves or tho upper part
| of tho rigging, IN which case Hhnll fasten my
aoif to the little balloon, and 60 up around tho
Daily Daily! Graphic and sot right whatever may bo
noon ?"
at will DO greater then in tho morning. You
tho upper eir Tho air Immediately begins to
got COLDER so, rs this CAUSES condensation, wo
are compelled to discharge more ballast"
| !. What arc the effects of rain 2"
IA serioB of effects are produced which result
III an exact balance, TINT the total effect is nil
In tho tlrat place tho moisture makes tho balloon
heavier; 1t also oondonses the gas, which thero-
by loses power but, on tho othor hand, it closes
ali tho pores Of tho balloon, and thus puts stop
| to nll escape of gas"
"At o'clock on tho evening of tho SECOND
day, when you will have boon out twenty-four
hours, what will be tho total discharge Of bal
last ?"
ar estimate 800 pounds. But Prof. Wise, who
likes to bo On tho safo side, estimates 1000
pounds day."
allow much balast will you have left ? What
is thetotal weight Of balloon and all appurte-
nances ~
"The balloon weighs 6,000 pounds; netting,
700 pounds; car, $50 pounds boat, TOO pounds ;
instruments and drag-rope, 1000 pounds; total,
$3.50 pounds. -Four hundred Thousand cubic
feet of gas, having o carrying capacity Of 35
1000 pounds Deduct $3.50 from this, and you
have a balance Of more than 5000 pounds for
passengers aud ballast. All our provisions will
be, 80 much ballast: All the wator on board tho
balloon will bo ballast. Directly wo come in
sight OF land, NO can dispose Of the boat as bal
last It will bc Of no further use:"
"Thon the second night out will be much tho
Bame aB the first"
"Yes; but we shall probably hnye gained aomo
experiences which will bo Of service to us in re-
gard to night observations"
III you 60 of on tho 26th Of August, you
won't have any moon."
"No; but we shall hayo plenty Of things to
| observe without her."
II shouldn't wondor II you saw some flno
meteorio displays. You know tho fall il tho
timo when they mostly occur. It would bo
awkward, though, if ono was to hit the balloon
| and burst it,"
"Oh, no foar Of that The chances are too
romoto to causo tho slightest anxiety. I hopo
VIC may SEQ q ane display. It will be something
| to relieve the monotony.
"That's true. So you expect to sight land Oh
tho second morning out"
II do, most decidedly. Oh, what q timo Tint
will bo How awful jolly all Of us in that ball
| loon will foell If tho lower ourront carries ls
| over, we shall first AGO ireland; but, If wo have
! part Of Europe-Swedon or Norway, perhaps.
Then look ont for cable despatched, my boy.
You will havo enough Of tlem.'