The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-01

make contracts, and then let inexperienced and
reckless men make the ascents, but experienced
of John Wise, the grandson of old john WISE,
James Allen, of Providence, r. l., and don't
know whether he is making ascensions now, as
he had bad accident and broke his shoulder
blade, and Harry Gilbert"
A CELEBRATED VOYAGE.
az take great pleasure in making my own bal
looms" said the Professor. zone of the best L
ever made was of two thicknesses OF cambria,
each thickness coated with rubber and then the
two rubbered sides placed face to face and
pressed together forming one solid fabric of the
most impermeable character, and yet no heavier
than an ordinary single thickness oiled balloon
rms BALLOON was IA beautiful white ball, ana
was very proud of it. 1t was the one used at
Chicago, that carried Mr.. HashageD, of the Sig
nal service, and myself up into the wilderness
on the Flambeau river We descended in bog,
and were-at least 1 was-five days without
food before reaching ha6ital9n. mat
was in October, 1881. Mr.. Hashagen
shot a porcupine and ate the legs of
the animal. My stomach went against
it and ate nothing until the last day, when each
or US got handful of cranberries and afterward
some checkerberries. That evening we found a
house and got good supper. didn't suffer par
found out that only half a mile TO the north OF
us there was a cabin stored with provisions OF all
sorts waiting for the lnmbermen who would
come when the snow fell. We couldn't take
the balloon away, as it was in the bog, but 1t was
got out in the spring and sent to Chicago, where
1t Is now stored. Had to walt you know. until
the place froZe In 1 will have two balloons here
during your State fair. How many balloons have
LIZ Well, these two, the one in Chicago, aud
three Others not in condition, six in all, and
worth, all of them together, about $4,000.
have made only ascension this year; that
was on July A, from Cleveland O.. have had
other business to attend to or l should have
done more"
METEOROLOGICAL AND MILITARY.
SIS there any place where ballooning could be
of practical benefit TO any great number of peo
pleF inquired the reporter.
Certainly there is. Now you have given me
an opportunity to say that think the Signal
Service is Incomplete without an aeronautic de-
partment. General Hazen may not be opposed
to it, may even be in favor of it, but he would be
afraid to spend money for it, There are so many
kickers in this country, and some of them would
KICK, and men in positions like that of General
Hazen are timid and dislike innovations that
subject them to criticism and sometimes ridi-
Guile. The balloon could be made of great serv
Ice in military affairs. That it was sue
cess under Professor Lowe, thorough aerOn-
aut, was probably due to the fact that the en-
gineer corps were jealous of the balloon feature,
and thought it interference with their
methods Red tape and jealousy did away with
what might have been made q valuable adjunct
TO the service. or course a telegraph wire
could be attached to the balloon and Observa-
lions could he telegraphed but the later
invention, the telephone will be found better
Az Mannattan Beach we NAG telephone wire
woven right through our rope Qhe balloons were
capt1ve), so we could talk with our engineer
During the siege of Paris the beleagured French
used balloons to good advantage To cOmnuni-
cate with the outside world. Sixty-two went
out, five of which were never heard of after.
and are supposed to have gone out to These
ascensons were nearly all made at night, on ac-
count of the hesieging Prussians, ana taken al
together the ascensiOns were successful and adj
mirably managed. The French first sent up all
the aerOnauts they had, except few, who re-
manned behind TO make balloons and instruct
sailors, many Of whom went up, how to manage
Jlp alrshins.D