The record-union., 1893-08-03
THE UPPER AIR
Record of Balloon Voyages for AItitud,
Beaten.

Beaten.
The record Of balloon voyages for alti -
tude was beaten very considerably a few
weeks ago in France, and NJ. dc F0n-
Nlelle, President Of the AerOphvtic Union
OF that country. supplies some facts re-
garding the incident to the latest number
OF Nature at hand. When inflated. the
gasbag used in this experiment was only
twenty feet in diameter, and it weighed.
With Its netting and appurtenances, about
/ tWenty-elgnt pounds. The self-recOrd-
ing barometer with which it was
equipped indicated at one time a pressure
OF only three and three-Quarter inches
from which it is estimated that an eleva-
ton OF nearly 1900 meters, or about ten
and half miles, was attained. This cal
culatlon Is probably nearly or quite cor
rect, although it was not feasible to verify
1t by surveying instruments and meth
DDS. \ similar ascension is soon to he
made, with globe Of the same size and
I material gold beater'S skim, but inflated
with hydrogen instead Of coal cas-. IL is
possible, II not probable, therefore, that
an even greater hight will be attained ere
many weeks. But the achievement OF
NJ. Hermite's Naugirard is so far bev0nd
any other properly attested aeronautic
effort, IN this one respect, that it is note
worthy, even though it should be sur
passed this very summer. All that Mr.
Glalsher, the famous English scientist.
could claim with certainty during any of
his voyages-and he holds the palm in
such NpeditiOns-Was an altitude of
$4,000 feet, less than six miles: but even
were the bdrOmetric observation of his
iainting companion. Mr.. CoNwell- made
after Mr.. Glaisher had become quite un-
conscious, accepted, the record would be
extended only to 5000 feet, or scaut
/ seven miles. To be sure, no human be-
ing went up with the little Naugirard
hnt she brought US tidings from a lar
Iotiler plane Ia the skies thOn any prede-
cesSor.
one of the facts revealed bv this ex-
ploration is that seven-eighths of the
earth's atmosphere, in weight, lie below
the region reached by NJ. Hermite's bal
loon. The remainder is therefore diff
fused through AT least ten times as much
space, for the upper limit OF the atmos-
phere is known TO be more than hun
dred miles above our heads. Another
point OF interest is that the self-register-
ing thermometer, atthe greatest elevation
attained during this voyage, found a tenn
perature of 90 below zero Fahrenheit
while the mercury on the earth's surface
stood o. above. Enough is already
known regarding the diminulion Of tenn
perature with ascent to show that, gen.
orally speaking, 1t occurs more slowly
the higher up we 60. Hence it is hardly
supposable that balloon which could
attain an elevation of 10 miles would
find degree Of cold i,l00 or 200 below
zero; but NJ. de Fonvielle considers the
thermometric record OF the Vaugirard
lin conformity with the Joule and Claus
ius theory, which asserts that the celes-
tial space IS at the temperature OF 273 be-
low zero Centigrade ,459 Fahr.l, or even
with the opinion that that there is no
limit to the refrigeration"
The information regarding the air OBJ
tanned by this means, which will be of
the greatest practical value to meteor
ology, Will come from lower levels than
those here discussed, and the VOYAGES
should be numerous and systematic
rather than occasional. But exploration
OF the higher layers, where life is impos-
sible, is also interesting and useful. and
the work OF the Acrophvtic Union is to
be applauded.-New y ork Tribune.