The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1884-10-10


free balloon. and went M 10 Il heinhi
81 three thousand feet Ian achievement
which excited the widest enthusiasm
and the most fancful anticipations.
All the practical scientists Of Europe
became smittrn with craze for aerial
navigation; books and pamphlets on
the subject were published by the
score. and II was believed that method
Tor steering balloons would be contriycd
without mueh difficulty.
The first ascent in England was made
from Woolwich in November. l7s3; in
ia 1854 a Sig. Lunard started in a bal
loon from Mooriiclds. aud in 1885 Mr..
Blanchard and DR.. Jcilrics performed
their famous journey from Dover 10
Calais in two hours. After this no dis
tinct advance was made in ballooning
until 1921, when MIR. Green used 0rdl-
nary coal-gas instead Of hydrogen for
Initiating purposes. The manufacture
Of hydrogen had been troublesome and
expensive. but the substitution OF coal
gas enabled balloons 10 be blown at =
comparatively small cost. and from tins
time they became popular objects Of
amusement in public gardens. The fla
nous trips Of the great Nassau" bal
loon. which went up from Vauxhall
Gardens in 1886. are still remembered
BY many living persons with wonder.
The Ma au'' was l57 feet in circum-
ference. is full height from car to sum
NIT was so feet: II was made Of 200
yards Of crimson and white silk, and
contained 10000 cubic feet Of gas.
Nine persons could be carried in its
car. On one Of its first voyages il de-
sccndcd in the Duchy OF Nassau, hav-
ing travelled about five hundred miles
in eighteen hours. From Mr.. Green
days until now no genuine advance
has been made in ball0onng. There
have been innumcrable asccnts with
many accidents~ti though not SO many
Of 0esc rs might have been expected;
and some Of these asccnts undertaken
for scientific ends have yielded inter-
estng observations on atmospheric
phenomena. Mr.. Glaishcr and Mr..
Coxwcll nearly lost their lives in mount
ing % height Of nearly 10000 feet.
but, Notwithstanding the Information
obtained from MIR. Glaishcr's ascents.
the British Association for the Adj
vanccmcnt Of Science has suffered
acronautical investigation TO drop out
Of their programme. Before dismiss
ing subject which has always been
fraught with the greatest interest, and
which, indeed. exercises something
ike fascination upon every mind, the
Association had been fairly harricd by
papers on balloon-stecring from in-
ventors Of the kind who have not vet
given up trying % square the circle.
and we believe the patents that have
been taken ont for various contrivances
IN aeronautlcs can hardly Ne numbered
However. the problem Of balloon-stecr-
Ing has never been regarded even by
scientists Of the first order as insoluble
IN theory; il j. only in practice that cx-
periments have failed. because ii has
rot yet been found possible TO construct
motor combining power with Light
ness.
II the experiment made at Meudon
should prove 70 De genuine success.
The credit Of the new discovery. which
opens up an endless vista 81 possioili-
ties 10 the imagination. will rest with M.
whose faith in the future Of /
aerial navigation could never be
luenched. II was he. who. when Pres
dent Of the budget commission in 1878.
persuaded the Chambers permanently
. cndow the Mcudon balloon works.
which had been instituted for occasion- \
II experiments. after the Franco-Ger- /
man war. Balloons were used for mil 4
lary operations in France As early as
he battle Of Fleurus, in 1894. On this \
occasion the French employed them 10 /
watch the movements Of the enemy.
The balloons sent out from Paris dur Y
NJ the siege OF 1901 served only To n
Keep the capital in communication with
he Provinces. M. Gambetia, who was
'arried safely toward Tours In one IL
hem, and who was able thereby 10 or
yanize the National defense. remained
in tie opinion that the sc-
ret u balloon-steering would be dis
covered If only sufficient sum Of
money was bestowed ungrldgingly on
After the war. an Aero
nautical Commission under M. Duphy
IL LONE was appointed This dis
inguisncd engineer had been H.
cctor Of the Acronauical De-
,artment during the siege. and
70 must remember that in 1871 he
described 10 the Academy Of Sciences
teerable balloon. which was said AZ
he time to be ~ marvellous an invcn-
ion as that just made by Captains
senard and Krcbs. But. when put 10
erious tests. this invention was soon
ound to be useless. and similar fail
res attended machines subsequently
"a l..4A - a. .