The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-01-20
- e.
MARTYRS OF SCIENCE.
How Two French Savants Died In a Bal
loon.


How Two French Savants Died in Bal
loon.
The tragic end of the last balloon ascen.
sion OF the two eronauts, NM. Sivel and
Croce'Spinelli, was briefly told by tele.
graph at the date of its occurrence; but it
has remained for NJ. Paul Bert-more cee.
brated, perhaps, as an experimental physi-
ologist than as a minister Of public instruc-
tion-to give the inner history OF IN affair
that proved a puzzle at the time, alike to
European andAmerican journalists. 1t ap.
pears from Dr. Bert's statement, which has
just been published as part of essay Oh
Mountain Sickness" that the journey into
the blue ether undertaken by Sivel and
Croce.Spinelli was rather scientific Quest
than mere voyage of curiosity, For sew.
eral years DIR. Bert has been engaged in per
fecting an experimental demonstration OF
his theory OF the cause of the symptoms ex-
perienced by travellers in the higher alti-
tudes of the Aps-tbe loss of sensibility,
impairment OF hearing and vision, and
sufglng unconsciousness which almost every
mountain climber has more or less graph
ically described. His view has been that
privation foxygen-deticienc of that ele.
ment in the highly raretied upper atmos.
phere-is responsible for these phenomena,
aud to demonstrate its accuracy he has con.
structed in his laboratory an immense con.
ical apartment, shaped like diving bell,
in which the air can be gradually rarefed
by exhaustion until all the gradations OF
moderate and high attitudes have been ex-
actly reproduced. The result has been
completely successful. all the varying forms
and intensities of mountain sickness having
been artifcially produced. But the process
is not unattended with danger, for the in.
sensbilily is followed by asphyxia, and the
latter by almost immediate death. To OBJ.
viate this risk, the inmate of the bell is pro.
vided with an oxygen tube, and by placing
Its nozzle in his mouth and taking u deep
inspiration OF the gas. the symptoms van
ish as by a wizard spell. Sivel and C.oce-
Spinelli often participated in these expert
ments, and on one occasion the latter de
layed putting the tube to his lips
for so long time that death was imminent,
Bert, who was observing the symptoms,
was just about to open the valve and let
the air into the bell, when Croce.Spinelli
slowly and languidly lifted the nozzle to his
mouth. He was already black in the face,
blind and nearly insensible, but instantane.
ously the symptoms vanished and his com.
plexion resumed its ordinary tone. On the
strength OF these experiments, the two
aeronauts agreed to undertake a journey to
attitudes that have hitherto proved inacces.
sible even to the most daring, for the pur.
| pose of making meteorological observations
taking a supply of oxygen with them, SO rs
to be able to correct the dangerous symp.
toms arising from extreme rarcfaction
Bert was absent from France when the at
tempt was made, and, contrary to his ad
vice, the quantity OF oxygen that the two
martyrs TO science carried with them wa,
very limited. The tragic fate of the ex
ploiers has been told alrendy. In their eff
forts to prolong their residence in the up
per ether they carried the task of ccono
MIXING the contents of the oxygen bag q
triile too far. Croce.Spinelli was the first
to succumb, in the very act Of putting
forth his hand to grasp the tube. He haC
! delayed a second too long; his palsed hanC
fused to obey his volition; he fell dowr
al faint ana died. Sivel shared his fate
Bert was deeply affected by the death Of hi.
aeronautic friends. and, with the sclf.ac
cusing, selftormenting spirit of a sensitive
nature, he took upon himself something o
the responsibility, albeit he was not con
suited In the details OF the ascension, MOI
present when II was undertaken. In re-
counting the narrative OF his relation Ia
the experiment Of MN. Sivel and Groee
| Spinelli he declares that the supply of oxy-
gen was far less than he had designated, rs
a minimum, and maintains that had Tn,
precaution which he advised been OBJ
served there would have been no catastro
phe.-[New York Times.