West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1878-08-31
An Ambitious AerOuaut.-He Contem.
plates Transatlantic Voyage.
philadelphia Pres

. Il,
Il booked for the voyage from thi,
,puutry 10 Europe. by aerial ship. AT am
early day, wind and weather permitting
the necessary cash being furnished aud
sauguine spirits. Such is. in brief, the
/ Professor himself in his usual good health
and what he himself told Press reporter
when the latter sat down with him for a
chat. The primary object of the visit
was to ask the aeronaut if he had ever
been up in balloon in such a storm AS
that which visited Philadelphia on
thursday evening, and if SO, when.
where, 10 what extent, and how il felt
10 be eareoning among the clouds to the
music OF the rolling thunder and with
the fine pyrotechnical effects that usu-
ally precede such illuminations.
Yes, said the Professor, " / did have
one such trip-Onlv once, and | am not
apt 70 forgetit. Ii was in August 1875.
and at Burlington, Iowa. There was
room for two in the car, nut some of the
gas escaped, and when the time came
for starting, as the balloon was only half
full, went alone. Directly after left
the earth a dense, heavy, dark, cumulus
cloud was seen, and IA | was seen i'm an
oblique line my balloon just grazed the
edge. In another moment, however. |
was involved in fog. What | saw was
this The upper section or stratum of
the cloud appeared TO become detached
and IL rose, expanding as il ascended.
suddenly binding flash of lightning.
Illuminated the floating mass, this, as
believe, creating vacuum, and into this
vacuum the cold air rushed TO supply
the place. Immediately after / could
feel the rain fall. The rarefaction of
the air caused the balloon to be dis
tended to its fullest extent with sud
denness for which had not looked. and
this jerked up the car with such violence
that | was almost thrown out. 1t caused.
too, the gas 10 rush out of the neck of
the balloon downward with such yio-
lenCe az to nearly suflocate me- | tied
the valve rope around my body and then
leaned as far out of the car a. possible,
to prevent suflocation. | could see the
lightning flash and hear the thunder
crash within six or eight feet of me.
and TO add TO the horrors of my situa-
ton the balloon careencd so violently
that ] was pit ched back and forth by the
car rs if it were an enormous swing.
These explosions of the detached strata
of the cloud continued at frequent in
tervals of two or three minutes, and as
the air was refined after each, the bal
loon kept distending, notwithstanding
all the gas was escaping from the twelve
inch valve above and that pressed out
from the neck below and Immediately
over my head. / dropped under the
cloud and through il at last, and finally
reached the earth twelve miles from
where | started. have made two hun
dred and ten ascensions, and it was GER
MI nf
1t was Just such a storm az that de-
scribed in the Press, phenomenal in its
violence by means Of its being so unex-
pected. And that was the way il APP
peared to me up there"
Reporter-NOw, having had your ex-
perience in this respect, what il your
Judgment, in the light OF your entire ex-
perience as an aeTonaut, about hying
machines-about aerial navigation
Professor King stroked his long beard
and said Well, it's bound 10 come. |
think, but we have made very little pro-
gress yet. Ballooning il yet i'm its in
fancy-it is not what you might cal a sort
of scientific amusement for the people.
But we are at what you might term the
inventive era of the century, and the
science of aeronautics with all its fas-
cinating possibilities will receive more at
tention than it has before.
RepOrter-Don't you think Professor
RichtePs flying machine is a step toward
solving the problem of aerial naviga-
tion2
Professor King emphatically-It
doesn't amount TO anything. Richtel
has done nothing new. The same thing
has been tried years ago. Why, thirty
years ago ] saw similar machine on the
same principle at Peale's Museum.
in this city. But candidly, my opinion
Is that aerial navigation will never be
accomplished until we have discovered a
new motive power, and do not believe
that the balloons, as at present made,
will be any factor in the agreement. The
new machine will be one which. once
having been given momentum TO make
II ascend, will be able % supply force
enough 70 keep II at certain altitude
pretty much on the same principle that
the bird flies ! do not assume 10 be
able TO dictate what shape the machine
shall be, but, much as ] may surprise
you, believe that its specific gravity
will be greater instead Of less than at
mospheric air.
Reporter-What about your contem-
plated transatlantic trip, Professor Is
II settled thing that the attempt is TO
be made2
Professor King-It remains thus al
present Some time ego / was an
preached on the subject by number Of
prominent gentlemen, who volunteered
to find the money if / would be the man
You are aware that there has been an
opinion, widely held, that there is
steady current in the upper strata Of the
air blowing eastward Ny experience
does not lead me to accept this as a set
tied fact. In my seven highest ascen-
siOns only experienced an eastward cur
rent in one instance However. think
that with a steady wind blowing i'm the
right direction the attempt might be
made with fair prospects of success.
The great obstacle tOsuch an experiment
heretofore has been the want Of ma
ierial in a balloon which would retain
the gas sufficiently long During the
/ past winter ] have succeeded i'm perfect
ing material which will hold The gas
al right and only lose one per cent. Of
/ The volume in twenty-fOur bours with
such balloon, we may be able 10 STAY
/ up month, If necessary. BY keeping
\ the balloon within few hundred feet
Of the earth's surface 7 shall provide
. aUofnaf tho dance Irg t1.r-.H1-