The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-12-29
The GAfuGiu.
FATE OF THE BALLOON IL WHICH MR.. WALTER
POWELL, NJ. F., WAS CARRIED OUT TO SEA
AND PROBABLY DROWNED.
On the 14th instant the London Times

AND PROBABLY DROWNED.
On the 14th instant the London Times
published the following advertisement:
TWO HUNDRED POUNDS REWARD for the re-
covcry of Walter Powell, Esq, VI. T., vino was car
ricd away alone in the Government balloon Sala-
din from BridpOrt, at T. VI. saturday, ION
December: flOO to The first finder OF the balloon
or any portion of 1t; $50 for any reliable llll0r
nation. Balloon supposed 10 have gone IN 4 s9ulil-
eastern direction. Application 10 he made 10
Messrs. ROBINSON. PRESTON STOW, at IS LIN
coins Inn Fields. London.
Captain Temple of the Royal Engineers,
wrote as follows to the Meteorological
Office
| regret to report that on SATURDAY,
December 10th, | assembled at Bath, accom-
panied by Mr.. Walter Powell and Mr.. Agg
Gardner, at fffty-five minutes past 7. NJ,
for the purpose of taking the temperature
Of the air and the amount OF snow IN the
air for the Meteorological Office cleared
the snow clouds ut 1000 feet altitude. The
temperature of these clouds was 2So, and
the wet bulb thermometer read 2Go. ut
4, 200 feet we passed over Wells. the Time
being . hours 80 minutes. At this height
| worked over Glastonbury. The telnpera-
ture now rose to Az, and the sky was per-
tectly clear. Ipassed then between Somcrton
and Langport, and | here found that was
in a north One-half west current. | asked
Mr.. Powell to send the balloon up to 5000
feet to ascertain the temperature OF a small
bank of cirrus. | found this temperature
to be 80, and then asked him TO place me
at 1000 feet attitude 10 regain the north
One-half west current, and we then came
in view OF Crewkerne. l now kept at Il
low altitude until | reached Beaminster.
Mr.. Powell here observed that we were
going 1T thirty miles IN hour, and here we
first heard the roar OF the sea. The bal
loon suddenly rose to 1000 feet. At this
time | said to Mr.. Powell, "Go down to
within 100 feet OF the earth and ascertain
our exact position" We coasted along
close to the ground until we reached Sy-
monsbuTy. i here called to man and
asked him how far the distance was
to Bridport, and he said about a mile.
| asked Mr.. Powell to prepare to take
in our pace now increasing to thirty
five miles an hour. TO avoid the little
village Of type, Mr.. Powell threw out
some ballast. This took us TO 800 feet cleva-
ton, and we had still two miles to get in.
! opened The valve, and descended about
/ $50 yards short OF the cliff. The balloon,
on touching the ground, dragged few
/ feet, and | rolled out OF the car with the
valve-line in my hand. This caused the
/ balloon to ascend about eight feet, when
Mr.. Gardner dropped off, and, unfortu-
nately, broke his leg. ] found that the
rope was being pulled through my hands,
and called to Mr.. Powell, who was stand
| ing in the ear, to come down the line. He
/ took hold OF the line, and in few more
seconds the line was torn through my
/ hands. The balloon rose rapidly. Mr..
| Powell waved his hand TO me, and | took
/ his cOmpaSS-bearings and found that he was
going in a south hall east direction.
Some men coming up, | placed Mr..
Gardner in their charge and sent word
to the Coastguard and BridpOrt har-
bormaster to keep a good lookout and to
go out with boats. l then proceeded to
Bridport and telegraphed to the Com
handing Officer OF Royal Engineers, Wey-
mouth, to have steamer in readiness for
me to 20 in search. | proceeded to Wey-
mouth and found the steamship Commodore
with steam up. here received a telegram
from Bridport harbormaster, saying that
the balloon had been seen TO drop in the
sea south OF Bridport. | at once proceed
ed TO sea, searched the alleged place Of his
descent, making due allowance for the
wind and current. This proving unsuc-
cessful, | crossed the channel till we sight
ed the CaSquet> Light, and then returned
in northwest direction. ultimately reach
ing Weymouth about A. NJ. on sunday,
and have organized further search. | ain
OF opinion that what was seen TO fall into
the sea was not the balloon, but part OF the
| gear, thrown out TO Tighten it, as the bal
loon could not have fallen so close 10 the
shore as TO be visible about D L. NJ.
THE BALLOON.
The Daily Telegraph adds the following
details: The car OF the balloon being OF
wicker-work would, il empty. float, but
would be barely visible on the surface of
the water. 1t was probably, however,
weighted TO some extent perhaps by the
grapnel anchor, which weighs siXty.siX
pounds, and almost certainly by the small
stores usually carried with balloon, such
rs clock, field-glasses, wind-gaugc, and
thermometer, which would weigh i'm the
aggregate about forty pounds. The color
Of the envelope would assist in conccaling
IL from discovery, being green and orange.
and 1t Is coniectured that when freed OF
gas il would soon sink. The balloon itself
weighs $40 pounds, the cordage about il
30 pounds, the valve at the top 10 pounds,
and the hoop 10 pounds more. The
weight OF the car was 80 pounds.
and IL usually carried with thres
passengers about 500 pounds Of bal
last. It's total lifting power was about I 900
pounds. The career of the Saladn, though
short, has been an adventurous one. Soon
after its completion, and when filed for the
first time with higbly'bnoyant hydrogen