The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-11-20
WANTSTOFLY TO EUROPE
AEROEAUr KING ANXIOUS TO
START FROM SAVANNAH.

Ending the AerOnaut6 Life - Prof
Kings Plan of Reaching the North
Pole.
Prof. Samuel A. King of Philadelphia,
the aeronaut, is in the city, for the purpose
of making balloon voyage, if he is prop
erly encouraged. Prof. King is no circus
balloonist. He has been engaged in scien.
tihc balIooning for twenty years. He looks
more like a clergyman than a balloonist.
He is tall, middle-aged and has full, flow
ing beard and cleanly shaven upper lip.
He has Just completed several voyages from
Charleston.
The balloon which Prof. King uses has a
capacity Of 100, 900 cubic inches OF gas. IL
arrived yesterday by the Charleston and
Savannah railroad, and will be stored in
the freight warehouse until it is settled
whether or not Prof King viii make bal
loon voyage from Savannah.
The aeronaut recounted some of his ex-
periences as a balloonist to a MORNING
NEWS reporter yesterday. He is strictly a
scientific aeronaut He has given much time
and study to ballooning, and, in fact, has
made it his life-study He is thoroughly posted
as to the movements of the upper air, the
cloud formations, temperature, and, in
fact, every condition of the atmosphere
which operates upon the balloon.
THE CELEBRATED GRAPHIC" BALLOON.
After several unsuccessful attempts by
the Inflated Wise and Donaldson to initiate
and float the 900 cubic inch balloon,
which advertised the New York Daily
Graphic, few years ago, Professor King
was called over from Buffalo, where he had
just been making very successful voyages.
and inflated the balloon, and the voyage was
most successful one. He has travelled as
fast as seventy miles an hour and that, he
says, does not seem any speed at all in
balloon. He uses the drag rope extensively,
which he claims acts with the same effect
as the discharging Of ballast, and at the
same time there is no waste of gas or bal
last.
PROF. KINGS RECORD.
The record of Prof. Kings ascensions is
full of interest. July 4, 1868, he made an as
cension from Buffalo with company of five,
three of which were newspaper men. The
balloon was carried over Lake Erie, and
the car struck the surface of the lake twice,
but by the discharge of ballast the vessel
shot up into the air, and the party reached
the other side in perfect safety, landing at
the foot large mount ain. He made
one ascension i'll Atlanta in December
OF the following year with DR.. Hape, and
his description of the moonshiners in North
Georgia as they watched the vessel descend
ing is highly humorous. He assembled from
Charleston in 1870 in company with Charles
Steele, Esq.
A TUMBLE INTO SANTEE SWAMP.
In February of the same year Prof. King
assembled from Augusta, sailing in di-
rection north of east. Crossing the Savan-
nah river into South Carolina, he continued
his voyage 100 miles, and after passing
over the Santee swamp, in descending his
balloon was caught by the limbs of tall
pine tree and torn to pieces, the rotten
limbs giving way, precipitating the aero-'
naut distance of fifty or sixty feet to the
ground. The distance was not sufficiently
great to allow the torn balloon to form
itself into parachute, and consequently
the fall was severe one, though not SO
hard perhaps as if he had fallen the same
distance without the balloon; he was badly
bruised but had no bones broken.
A RUNAWAY BALLOON.
After that ascension Prof. King leased
the balloon to DR.. Hape of Atlanta, who
was anxious to make an ascension alone.
The time set for the ascent was New Years
day. 1870. Prof. King was present at its
imitation and superintendent its manage
ment. As soon as the car had been attached
to the balloon, the doctor got inside, and,
before the preparations for the start were
completed. suddenly gave the word to ''let
60" Prof King was at the time some
distance from the car getting moro ballast,
and was in consequence unable to prevent
the premature ascent. There should have
been at least $50 pounds more sand In the
car to prevent its rising too rapidly.
COLLAPSED IN MID-AIR.
AS it was, the balloon shot upward with
such great velocity that the spectators be-
came alarmed, and gathering around Prof.
fO wi 10 h.
| result He informed them that unless the
| doctor should have the forethought to open
the valve and allow large quantity of gas
to escape, that the balloon must burst from
the sudden expansion of the gas, and, sure
| enough, when it had scarcely attained
the hight of one mile, it was sud
| denly rent from top to bottom, the
gas was gone in an instant, and the bal
loon descended with great rapidity. The
audience gazed at the sight with blanched
| countenances, and could not be convinced
that the doctor would not be dashed to
piece Yet within fifteen minutes, mounted
= d polceman's horse, he was riding back
through the town at full gallop. When the
| balloon burst, it formed itself into q para
chute, and thus met with a sufficient
amount of resistance in falling through the
| air to save the voyager from any serious
| damage.
THE FUTURE OF BALLOONING.
Prof. King believes that there is a great
| future for the balloon. He believes that if
ever the north pole is reached it will be by
means of the balloon. He said, however,
that no balloon yet constructed in this
country would approach to the air vessel
| that will be required to make this voyage.
| The balloon will have to be large enough to
make the voyage from civilization across
the north pole back to civilization again.
| IL would never do to stop there.
Avoyage across the Atlantic has been the
dream Of Prof. Kings life He believes
that for SIS, 900 he will be able to construct
a balloon which will land him safely on the
other side. Savannah or Charleston are
the most suitable points on the South At
lantic coast from which to start on the
voyage The winds, Prof. King said,
blowing as they do, from west to
east, would greatly aid the vessel
on the journey. The balloon, the
professor thinks, should be so constructed
as to enable it to float for two months or
longer. Although the voyage might be
made in a weeks time, the necessary pre-
caution should be taken against mishaps.
Prof King will remain here some time. II
he should make a voyage it will no doubt
be far ahead of any ever undertaken in the
| south.
November's Showers OF Stars.
The month of November has come to be
"a