Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-06-16
Seven Miles Up in the Air.

gationalist.
Seven Miles Up in the Air.
James Richardson, in St. Nicholas for June.
On the fifth day of September, 1862,
two English aronauts, Glaisher and
Coxwell by name, made one of the
most remarkable ascents recorded in
the history of ballooning. They
started from Wolyerhampton, Eng
land, and the elevation reached was
the highest ever attained by man
nearly or quite seven miles above the
earth.
Mr.. Glaisher has given modest
yet thrilling account of this almost
fatal adventure. The balloon left the
earth at three minutes past one T. NJ
Nothing important occurred until the
party, at forty minutes past one,
reached the attitude of four miles
from the earth. Discharging sand,
they rose to the height of five miles
during the next ten minutes. More
sand was discharged, and the balloon
shot rapidly upward. Soon Mr..
Glaisher's sight failed, and he could
not read the fine divisions on his IN
struments. All the time the balloon
had been spinning round and round,
and the valve line had become so en-
tangled that Mr.. Coxwell had to climb
into the ring above the car to adjust
it.
At this moment Zone o'clock and
fifty-four minutes) Mr.. Glaisher look
ed at the barometer and found its
reading to be nine and three-quarters
inches, implying a height of over
10000. Wishing to record the OBJ
servation, he found his right arm
powerless. He tried to move the
other arm, and found it powerless too.
"Then I tried to shake myself, and
succeeded, but | seemed to have no
limbs. On looking at the barometer,
my head fell over my left shoulder; l
struggled and shook my body again,
but could not move my arms. Get
ting my head upright for an instant
only, it fell on my right shoulder;
then l fell backward, my back rest
ing upon the side of the car and my
head on its edge. In this position
my eyes were directed to Mr.. Cox
we'll in the ring. When 1 shook my
body seemed to have full power
over the muscles of the back, and
considerably so over those of the
neck, but none over either my arms
or my legs. AS in the case of the
arms, so all muscular power was lost
in an instant from my back and neck.
| dimly saw Mr.. Coxwell, and en-
deavored to speak, but could not. In
an instant intense darkness overcame
me, but was still conscious, with as
active brain as at the present moment
whilst writing this. l thought had
been seized with asphyxia, and be-
lieved l should experience nothing
more, as death would come unless we
descended speedily; other thoughts
were entering my mind, when l sud-
denly became unconscious as Oh 60
ing to sleep"
Meanwhile, Mr.. Coxwell was in
quite as critical a condition. Hoar-
frost was all around the neck of the
balloon, and the ring was piercing
cold. He attempted to leave the ring,
and found that his hands were frozen.
He dropped to the car almost insen-
sible, and discovered that his COM
panion was apparently dead. He
tried to go to HIM, but could not. He
wished to open the valve, but his
hands ere frozen and his arms pow
erless. Feeling insensibility coming
rapidly over him, he made desper-
ate effort, caught the valve line with
his teeth, and held the valve open
until the balloon took 4 decided
downward turn.
In few minutes Mr.. Glaisher be-
gan to revive, and soon became con-
scious that Mr.. Coxwell was trying
to rouse him.
3" I then heard him speak more en-
phatically, but could not see, speak
nor move. l heard him again say:
DO try; now do Then the instru-
ments became dimly visibly; then Mr..
Coxwell, and very shortly l saw clear
ly. Mr.. Coxwell told me that he had
lost the use of his hands, which were
black, and l poured brandy over
them"
What if Mr.. Coxwell had lost the
use of his neck also!
1t has been said that during tho
critical moments when Mr. Glalsher
was unconscious and Mr.. Coxwell
nearly so, the balloon reached the
fearful height of seven miles.
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"a spring of pleasant water, whose
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steady hand, she always knows ex-
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the deficiency with a tact and clever.