Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1878-10-03
Two Months in the Air.

Philadelphia Record.
In producing men who are prepared
to undertake the accomplishment o
unheard-of feats of enterprise and da
ring the American nation can fairly
be said to claim the palm. Stanley
penetrated the jungles of Africa anc
excelled Livingstone, Boynton swan
the straits of Dover, an American mar
iner and his wife crossed the ocean in
a tiny shell, while Fowler, another
American, has Just succeeded in literal
Iy walking over the English Channel
And now a daring aronautical feat i,
to be attempted some time during the
present year. Prof. Samuel A. King
the we'll known eronaut, and Phila-
delphian by birth, proposes to cap the
climax by doing his level best to star
from New York on a balloon voyage
which shall terminate on some portion
of the European Continent.
Several years ago a proposition was
made to Pro-. King TO undertake the
task, and the sum of $4,000 was guar
anteed by some wealthy New Workers
to cover the necessary expense. Fol
prudential reasons the eronaut at that
time decided to decline the offer. last
winter, however, while making some
improvements in balloons for the How.
gate expedition he was successful IN
discovering a substance of such impen-
etrability that balloon of capacity
of one hundred thousand feet would
not lose more than one per cent of gas
In "a hours, so that after journey Oc-
cupying twenty days eighty thousand
feet of gas would still remain. The i'm
portance of this discovery is recognized
when il is stated that an average bal
loon will lose twenty per cent OF gas in
"a hours. The new idea was cOmmu-
nicated to the New Workers, who re-
newed their previous offer. Prof. king
at once accepted, and the construction
of the balloon, which will occupy the
whole ofthe ensuing winter and spring,
will be at once commenced.
The balloon in which the intrepid
Rronaut is to attempt to accomplish
the greatest feat of his life will, when
completed, be the largest in the world.
It will average about 80 feet in diane
ter and 275 feet in circumference, with
a capacity of holding between 300, 1000
and 400, 600 feet of gas. The material
employed will he Pongee silk, of a spe-
cial manufacture, coated with sub
stance only known to the Professor.
The silk will be doubled throughout.
Pure hydrogen. gas will be used, and
the cost of initiation alone is approx
mated at $1,000. The car which the
aronaut and his companions (if any
will occupy will be combipatiOn of
boat and basket, wicker framework,
covered with heavy rubber substance,
~ sat1< ilxy ho O a hFQ N
case Of emergency.
II shall positively start early in
June" said the Professor last night.
81 consider that the month in which
thunder storms, which l do not wish
to encounter, are the least frequent
The starting point will be either New
York Or Brooklyn. l propose to keep
in the lower currents and to maintain
a permanent altitude of 500 feet above
the water. / shall entirely discard the
old theory of sailing in currents from
west to east at a height OF three miles.
When you reach that height the gas
begins To lose by expansion. Then,
when you begin to descend, ballust
must be thrown out. You rise again:
more gas is lost; another descent; fur
ther throwing overheard of ballast, ,and
so on until all your ballast is gone, ,and
then you come down for good. Under
my scheme expect to be able to keep
in the air for two months, If necessary,
while there has never been a balloon
which has kept detached from thel
earth for longer period than twenty, {
four hours" ll.o- =.
"What period Of time do you anti
cipate the Transatlantic voyage will
"Chat is hard to say, but expect to