Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1892-11-05
AMONG THE CLOUDS.
An Ascent in a Balloon to Make Oh.
servations
And Tests Of the Relative Humidity ON the
Earths Surface at Different Elevations
The Most Remarkable Balloon
Ascension Ever Made,

WASHINGTON, Oct 29.-Prof. H. A.
Hazen, of the Weather bureau, with
Mr.. John I. Ellis, of the agricultural
department, went up in balloon
Thursday afternoon, and after ascend
ing nearly $1,000 feet came down again
safely.
The ascension took place from Camp
Arlington, on the Ft Myer reservation,
and the balloon landed over in Mary.
land, nine miles or SO from the starting
point
The aeronauts went up to make tests
Of the relative humidity on the earth's
surface and at various elevations The
experiments were thoroughly satisfac-
tory. 1t was forty degrees colder up
above than at Camp Arlington. Prof.
Hazen gives the following account OF
the tests:
The recent dry spell, the driest in the
history of the weather service in this
city, afford a very favorable opportuni.
ty for testing the conditions of the at
mosphere during such period and this
chance was gladly accepted by Gen.
Dyrenforth and his co-laborers. In
many respects this was the most re-
markable balloon ascension ever made
in this country, and it deserves special
notice. The balloon contained 1900
cubic feet, and Friday was inflated with
the purest hydrogen, otherwise it could
not have lifted its load of about $40
pounds. The aeronauts were Mr.. John
Il. Ellis, who has already made several
ascensions and Is very enthusiastic in
his Investigations and Mr.. Hazen, who
has made five ascensions.
The start was at $3.50, and was made
only after the most careful tests by Mr..
Caster, to whose painstaking efforts
much Of the success of the ascension
must be attributed. The departure was
from the southeast corner of Arlington.
and the course pursued almost due east
across the Potomac There was at first
a gradual descent, owing to possible
cooling of the gas, which was checked
by throwing out ballast. At 4:26 the
highest point was reached9, 400 feet
and there was singular stiffness OF the
air, the balloon remaining poised for
seven minutes.
The observation of temperature and
humidity made by both observers as
rapidly as possible were eminently sue
cessful. There was a gradual diminu-
ton in the vapor from the earth, where
the dew-point was 30.5 degrees, to the
highest point, with is degrees. Atabout
5000 feet the air was saturated, but
this stratum was barely 900 feet thick
All the observations showed remark
able dryness in the air. The tempera-
turc of the air was 1874 degrees at the
highest point, or diminution of one
degree in 245 feet This shows q great
cooling, as the ordinary rule is one de-
gree in 800 feet. At all points in the
ascention the gas of the balloon was
warmer than the outside air, and after
landing the gas was remarkably cold
cooler than the air, although, accord
ing to theory, it should have been
twenty degrees warmer than the air.
The relative humidity was Al per cent.
at starting, 100 per cent. at 500 feet and
60 per cent. at the highest point.
The safety of such explorations with
ordinary care was abundantly attested
and it is very much to be hoped that
with this auspicious opening the science
of meteorology may make fresh and
most important advances 1t is too
true that thus far we have only the
crudest idea of the actual conditions Of
the atmosphere during rainfall, snow,
cold waves, hot waves, drought, etc,
and until we have this knowledge
meterologists must continue to grope in
the dark. 1t is gratifying that the ex-
perimentors on rainfall production are
alive to the necessity of making such
scientific investigations and are so will
ing to accept the science of meteoro.
logy which must be benefited by all
their work,