Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-06-20

III cuOuAl littfO III
experiment long ago, and would be onl..
too happy to cooperate with Comman
der Cheyne, if he would give me th
chance, and convince me by scientiti
explanation that the thing Is possible
To go INTO particulars, then, about tn
possibility of the enterprise, the Intens
cold Is the first great barrier. The onl
good scientific point about Cheyne'
theory is that the temperature would b
favorable for cooling down the gas, bu
this is only small advantage when yO'
come to make an offset OF the disadyan
tages. The place where he proposes t.
initiate the balloon is 200 miles from tin,
Pole, and the thermometer is forty de
grees below zero"
"How woull this cold interfere witt
the enterprise?
'In the first place, the balloons
would have to use oil-silk, because TIN
objections to rubber are so numerous
that L need not say anything about 1t
Well, everybody knows that an oile(
surface in a temperature like that be
comes brittle and almost impossible Il
handle. 1t would be easy to make thC
gas, If they could get Il balloon to hole
together until it was filed"
''And what would prevent it from
holding together?'
"Why, 1t would become stiff as 8
board and break all up, so that the ga:
would escape"
Suppose he could overcome tnis OBJ
! jection and furnish material for the bal.
loon that would be impervious to the
frost?"
''Well, suppose he could. The rext
difficulty would be in the gas. As ]
SAID, it could be easily made; but then
the only gas-namely, hydrogen-that
would be sufficient for initiating pur-
poses womd IN that temperature con
dense almost as fast as it could be made,
and consequently lose a portion of Its
elevating power very rapidly. 1t would
become deteuorated in the ratio of the
increase of cold.''
Suppose the balloon was filled in q
higher temperature?"
"Then all these objections wCuld
apply with equal force as soon as it
reached the frigid regions, with the ad-
ditional objection that in making that
distance a portion of the gas would oe
spent under circumstances In which
economy in gas would be of the first i'm
portance-
Suppose Cheyne should overcome
all the objections thus far, initiate the
balloon, and soar heavenward at forty
degrees below zero and within 700 miles
of the Pole. what would be the new diff
ticulties then?'
''lhe difficulties then, co onpared with
the launch in an ordinary voyage are all
seriously aggravated. So much so that
without something unknown to the
scientific world they appear to be insu-
perable. To begin with, 700 miles is an
enormous trip for balloon, under the
most favorable circumstances. There
is nothing on record, L believe. to cx-
ceed that If we except the instance OF
the one that was caught In gale during
the siege of Paris ana was blown a dis
tance of 1,600 miles to Norway, the two
occupants having a marvellous escape.
Then, as understand him, Cheyne pro-
poses to go TO the Pole by easy stages.
He intends to stop, poised in mid-air
occasionally, awaiting favorable breeZes,
just as captain would lay to at sea.
To my mind, however, there is no such
certainty about srial navigation as
this.
But suppose all these difficulties
were overcome and that he did reach the
Pole" said the sronaut, this time put
ting his own lnterrogatory, "what would
he do then If he did not find inhabitants
there? How should he get back and
cross that insuperable barrier OF ice $50
miles from the Pole? Has he any reason
to conclude that 1t would be easier
crossed coming from the Pole than going
toward it, if he should be able to sur
mount tine unknown difficulties that may
mteryene?"
Ii the Arctic expedition is not found
TO be practicable, balloonists need not
despair, for it seems that a few of the
most eminent of them have an enter
prise on hand that they are convinced
viii be a grand success, and of equal
importance to science and humanity.
This Is nothing less than transatlantic
trip IN the eastern current, and probably
voyage round the world, in so short a
time that Phineas Fogg. with all his
imperturabllity, would stand aghast at
the mere conception of it. Several OF
the prominent spronauts on both sides
of the ocean have agreed to make an ex-
pertinent this summer that will settle
the question as to whether the eastern
current blows steadily in the same
direction without yeering.
"This experiment will be made," said
MIR. Grimley, ''by putting up two bal
looms at the same time. One OF these
will rise to the attitude of the current, |
while the other will remain in the at
mosphere below. By tins means we
shall be able to measure the velocity of
the current, and to demonstrate the IN |
variability OF its course eastward"
''You have no doubt about its exis- |
tence eastward"
''None whatever; upon that point l
am fully satisfied; having been expert |
menting upon it at intervals for several
years"
SIS it independent of storms?"
practically so. All the storms aris
ing from electrical phenomena, occur
III the lower atmosphere. Atgreatheight
their influence, though phIlosophically
appreciable. are not materially so as to
interfere with the navigation of bal
LOOM"
''Where will the experiment start?"
''From the Polo Grounds IN this city,
believe. The London and Paris E.ro
naudc Associations have expressed their
Willingness to unite with us on this side
in tine experiment, and will contribute
literally in fitting out the balloons for
the voyage.
Lamps in Yokohama
As the hOur approaches for the lgntIng