The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-03-28
BALLOON TRAVELLING.

of space. has always been tantaliZingly
seductive to the human imagination.
So en~ro>sing is the theme that al
though the subject has already been
discussed from Il scientific point of view
about its more popular aspects may not
be found embarrassing to our readers.
,ireat. and. as it has proved. baseless
anticipations were evoked by the add
vent of the first balloon. Aerostation
was to disclose the secrets of the at
mospheric world. and by enabling men
to predict rains and droughts secure by
the proper cultivation of the soil
abundant and excellent harvests. The
unmanageable nature of the new in
vention was not taken into account ut
all. nor the fact that although YOU
might ascend into the air from any
point YOU chose. no one could predict
where or how YOU would descend. This
charming uncertainty still attends
aerial VOYAGES: no means have yet been
discovered of guiding the balloon in Il
horizontal direction: and it is always
so much at the mercy of currents of air
that the course it will follow is mat
ter of chance and not an affair of the
acronaut's will or choice.
Attempts have been made to press
this mmanageable machine into the
service of science. and with some sue
cess. although what has vet been done
is little more than suggestion of dis
coveries which may at some future time
be practicable by its aid
In 1862 Mr.. Glaisher. author of Il
g al
a series of aScents from Wolverhamp-
ton in order to verify 4 number of
scientific observations. the results of
which are contained in the annals of
The British Association. \ new balloon
was provided for him. which was not
made of silk. but of American cloth. Il
stronger and more serviceable material.
and in this aerial machine he encoun-
tered sundrv mi>haps and misadven-
lures. on two occasions narrowly cs-
Gaping with his life.
Its very danger lends to balloon
travelling 4 sense OF conscious adven-
ture. OF thrilling excitement, peculiar
" lis own. Added to this the cloud
scenery through which the aeronaut
mlideS is not only novel. but is often,
especially ut sunrise and sunset. most
morgcously beautiful while the earth
beneath. which seems to have motion
transferred to it. presents as it hurries
past. Il charming and varied panorama.
Wood, and rivers, hamlets and towns.
hills and valleys. and widc-spreading
downs. succeed each other in rapid
succession. From the immense eight,
all idea of the comparative altitude of
", IL,
small models of towns, and the biggest
man-of-war looks like a boys toy ship.
Morning up in cloudland is a gloriously
radiant spectacle. The balloon floats
out of darkness into Il world of shad-
owv mountain ranges, cOlOrlesS and
unsuhstantial AT first, but borrowing
from the rising sun the softest, ten
derest hues of roseate pink and warm-
est crimson, glowing and blending and
fading away at last in a mellow flood of
amber and gold.
In France. for some time after their
invention. balloons We're quite the
rage. the first made for scientific pur-
purposes being that of July, 1909, and
which was followed by several others,
having for their object the solution of
many physical problems, not a few of
which remain problems still. In 1850
two ascents were made for the pur-
pose of investigating certain atmos-
pheric phenomena. One especially of
these aerial voyages was in the last de-
cree unfortunate. Scarcely had the
Two philosophers. NM. Barral and
BiXio, taken their seats than they made
the unpleasant discovery that their
balloon was not in good working order;
and while they were hesitating about
what should be done in the circum-
stance, violent gust of wind settled
the question for them, and the balloon,
blown from the earth. shot into the
air with the velocity of an arrow. Be-
coming rapidly inflated, the machine
then bulgcd out at top and bottom,
covering the car like hood, and en-
veloping the unfortunate aeronauts in
total darkness. Their position was
most critical; and when one of them
endcavorcd to secure the valve-rOpe, a
rent was made in the lower part of the
balloon. and the hydrogen gas with
which it was inflated escaping close to
their faces suffocated both of them,
causing a momentary exhaustion, fol-
lowed by nausea and violent vOmit-
ing"
In this helpless condition they dis
covered that they were descending rap
idly; and on cropping about for the
cause they found that the balloon was
split open in the middle, and that there
was rent in it two yards long. This
was cruel predicament in which to
find themselves 10000 feet up in the
air. and very naturally they abandoned
all hope of life, although like wise men,
they did all in their power to preserve
it, To lessen the downward velocity
of the balloon they threw overheard all
their ballast, then article after article
of their raiment, even to their fur coats,
preserving only their instruments, with
which they at last descended in safety
in a vineyard near Lagny.
The motion in balloon is scarcely
perceptiblc. You are not conscious Of
rising; but the earth appears to recede
from you, and to advance to meet you
during descent. In the higher regions
of the air, the intense solitude of the
cloud-scape has something in it awful
and oppressive, as if the world were
left behind forever, and the aeronaut
into the vast infinitude of shadowland
Amid these attitudes, if any sound il
made by the aeronaut, it is echoed bach
in ghostly tones by the vast envelope
of the balloon, which as it floats casts
a shadow sometimes black and some.
times white, but which is usually sur.
rounded by an aureOle or halo more OF
less distinctly marked.
In throwing out ballast or any small
article from balloon, certain degree
of caution is requisite, as bottle OF
any similar object falls with such We
locity that if it were to strike the roo
of cottage it would 20 right through
it. We are told that Gay-Lussac, in al
ascent in 1904, threw out common
deal chair from the height of 23.OO|
feet. 1t fell beside country girl whit
was tending some sheep in field, enc
as the balloon was invisible, she con
cluded-and SO did wiser heads thai