Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-11-20

I6Ot6u IOWtIu CONWell, IN the ring
When / shook my body seemed I,
have full power over the muscles of tn
back and considerable power over thOs
of the neck; but none over either m,
arms or legs. AS in the case of tn
arms, all muscular power was lost il
an instant from my back and neck.
dimly saw Mr.. Coxwell in the ring anC
endeaVored to speak but could not
when in an instant intense black dark
ness came. The optic nerve finally
lost power suddenly. / was still
conscious, with as active brair
as at the present moment.
thought had been seized with asphyx,
ia, and that 1 should experience nc
more, as death would come unless We
speedily descended; other thoughts
were actively entering my mind when
suddenly / became unconscious as one
going to sleep. can not tell anything
Of the sense of hearing; the perfect still
ness and silence of the regions six miles
from the earth (and at this time we
were between six and seven miles from
the earth) is such that no sound reach
es the ear. n While powerless
/ heard the words temperature and
observation and knew Mr.. Coxwell
was in the car speaking to me and en-
deavoring to rouse me; therefore con-
sciousness and hearing had returned.
then heard him speak more emphati-
cally, but l could not see or speak or
move. l heard him again say, do try
now do Then saw the instruments
dimly, then Mr.. Coxwell, and very
shortly saw clearly. arose in my seat
and looked around as though waking
from sleep, though not refreshed, and
said to Mr.. Coxwell: l have been in
sensible He said: You have; and |,
too, very nearly then drew up my
legs, which had been extended before
me, and took pencil in my hands, to
begin observations. Mr.. Coxwell told
me thathe had lost the use of his hands,
which were black, and poured brandy
over them. According to my observa-
tiOns, three or four minutes were occu-
pied from the time of my hearing the
words temperature and observation,
till began to observe. If so, was
seven minutes totally insensible."
The observation book of Mr.. Glaisher
showed that his last observation before
growing insensible was made at 29, 900
feet, and that at that time the balloon
was ascending at the rate of 1000 feet
per minute; and that when he resumed
his observation it was descending at
the rate of 1000 feet per minute; the
interval being thirteen minutes. This
gives $4,000 or 81, 900 feet for the great
est altitude attained. Two other series
Of considerations led to the latter height
and there can be no doubt that the
great height of $4,000 feet or seven
miles, was reached on the occasion,
causing the trip to be rightly called
one of the most marked excursions in
balloon, Such was the condition of
jhe atmosphere at the height of 81, 900
ieet that the water in the vessel sup
plying the bulb thermometer became
4 solid mass of ice. The escape from
leath of the two adventurers was due
% Mr.. COxwell, who perceiving that
lis comrade was insensible, became
anxious to open the valve, and seized |
he cord with his teeth, dipping his
lead two or three times until |
he balloon began to descend. AS
'arly as 1879, Galien of Avignon wrote
m aerostOtion, but it was not until
767 that DR.. Black discovered that
hin envelope filled with gas of hydro
ZEN was light enough to ascend with a
'urden. 1t was nearly score of years
ater than this when the first ascent
vas successful. Two brothers, Stephen
nd Joseph Montgolfer, paper manu-
acturers, near Lyons, France, in June,
1888, caused captive balloon to mount
1t0 the air to height of over 1000
ards by heating the air contained in
he balloon by means of a fire in its
pen mouth. Nov. 81, 1888, Pilatre
Q Roster and the Marquis d'Arlandes
scended in balloon of this nature,
aiming a height of 5000 feet and land
lg nearly six miles from where they
rose. During the same year, and on
ec. /, two men, M. M. Charles and
obert, assembled in balloon inflated
18th hydrogen gas, alighting in an
our and three-quarters at a spot twen-
live miles from Paris, whence they
nd started, and attained an elevation
about 300 feet.
The death of De Roster and Roman
,curred two years later, and from that
Ite was the beginning of the many
lzardOus undertakings in the air, the
st known of which is the Wise disap-
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