The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-09
BERsON's GREAT BALLOON FEAT
His Sensations at the height of More
Than Five and One-HaIf Miles.

+S.' t-~ JouIAdA Of AerOnauuCS and At
mospheric Physics.
The evening Of Dec. there was
stormy east wind which made the posi-
bility OF the journey doubtful. but 1t fell
during the night and at o'clock next
morning Lieuts. Gross and Marker pro-
ceeded by the light OF an electric lamp to
MI the Phoenix with 1850 cubic meters Of
hydrogen gas DR.. Berson somewhat al
tered his preparation to suit the special
circumstances and aims OF his aerial trip
ne LETT the heavy anchor be-
mind and, stretched out the
long 'Schloppgurt" graphing strap
! on the ground in the direction Of the
wind before commencing the tour. The va
rlous instruments and baskets of utensils
were hung up in such manner as TO IA
| clntate the government of the balloon anG
the conscientious recording of scientific
observations, even during the exhaustion
| produced in the human body when at a
high altitude. At 10:2S the command TO
let loose" was given. In quarter of an
hour the balloon had already arrived at a
| night OF 1000 meters. Stassfurt, the place
where it was Allied, was sailed over in a
northwesterly direction. The whole of the
beautiful Harz mountains lay on the no.
rizon below.
The air in general was foggy, and thick
| hocks Of small clouds hid the earth now
and then. At first the temperature rose.
At hight Of 1,5OO meters it was more
than degrees centigrade below zero. DR..
Berson made double notes Of the readings
of the instruments, cast a glance at the
earth, and threw out two sacks of ballast.
An hour after the start he had risen
higher than 5000 meters, and the tempera-
ture sank to 10 degrees below zero, and
the air became dry. The suns rays were
4 l. 4trn.N ,,.f,
ed the aeronaut felt the first slight in
crease of his hearts action after lifting
the heavy sandbags. AT 11:49 a. m. he
reached the hight of 5000 meters, and the
temperature sank to $50 degrees below
zero He felt a slight palpitation of the
heart and slight general discomfort but
was otherwise well. At II o'clock, one
hour and a half after the start, he began
at hight of $3.50 meters and a temper
allure of % degrees below zero, to breathe
artificial oxygen from the bags he had
with him, and with excellent effect. At
l2:25 the bold aeronaut had outpassed 5000
meters, at temperature of 80 degrees be-
low zero. He was higher than he had
been in the preceding May, when his high
est point had been 1920 meters, and this
time he felt much better than then.
He now never dared to cease breathing
the bags of oxygen, except for a few sec
onds at time. and during those brief
pauses he felt dizzy and dangerously weak.
But while continuing the artificial breath
ing he constantly and with relative ease
fulfilled all necessary work. Only once did
his eyes close IN spite of himself but the
next moment he reused himself, scoldipg
at his own negligence; his voice in the
rarifed air sounded strangely mufIied.
When at the hight of 1880 meters he had
already risen higher than Glaisher when
the latter aeronaut took his last note of
the temperature. At the hight Of $500 me-
tiers DR.. Berson thought of the two French
scientists who had died at that hight. At
about $500 meters Berson reached the
greatest hight arrived at by Glaisher on
Sept 5. 1862, when the latter tainted away,
only to awake after his companions had
stopped the balloon from rising any high
er. But DR.. Berson, after momentary exam
ination of his own strength and his pro-
vision of ballast, Ventured to rise higher.
The temperature had already sunk to ~
degrees below zero i(centigrade) AT the
hight of 9,C00 meters his balloon passed
through and above the thin stratum of
high cirrus clouds which he had noticed
high In the sky at his start. The veil-like
stratum consisted not of ice crystals, but
of well-formed small snowfiakes. At 12:45
p. m, two and a half hours after the start,
the barometer indicated only 231 miimeters
which corresponds with a sea hight of
5000 meters and true hight of $3.50 me-
-
below zero. Even the quicksilver in the
barometer had cooled to 20 degrees, and
the ray thermometer, in full sunshine, in
dicated only 23.S degrees. The balloon now
stopped. There were only six large and
one small sack of ballast left, which was
necessary for descending and landing. The
balloon stood above the thin snow clouds
in a clear sky which stretched family
blue above Dr. Bronson felt so well that
he could certainly have risen another LOCO
meters. But he could not have done so
without risking the whole of his success
full journey. AT this immense nights, $50
meters-he felt much better than a short
time before. DIR. Berson opened the gas
valve now and then, and the Phoenix grad
ually descended till at the hight of 1850
meters it stopped, and again began to rise.
Another pull at the valve caused it to re-
descend. At the hight of $500 meters it
sailed over a river with mighty curves. 1t
was the Elbe at the part, as was after
wards found, near Domity.
But now the terrible cold began to have
effect. DIR. Berson, clothed as he was in
thick furs, began to shake in every limb
so violently that sometimes he was abliged
to hold on to the rim of the basket. In
slow, waving motion the balloon sank and
sank, and during the whole descent only
one sack of ballast was thrown out, at the
hight of $500 meters, to moderate the
heavy cloud had hidden the earth and pre-
vented any ascertaining of the balloons
position. The slow descent, however, al
lowed of another set of observations being
taken, and now the highest temperature,
about six degrees above zero, was found at
the hight of /, 400 meters. Thence down to
the earth it sank about five degrees.
whole hour after Herr Berson had been at
the greatest hight of his trip two of his
fingers were frozen. but he brought them
to life again by energetic friction. In the
enormous cold the Paragraph had stopped
for awhile. In. the afternoon at 8 o'clock
the northern skies showed unmistakable
signs of water" and DR.. Berson decided
that he must descend more rapidly. After
few more gentle ups and downs he could
distinguish the steam whistles of some
large town. When $50 meters high there
appeared at last below him the gray earth,
covered by a cloudy sky. Now with the
drag strap the balloon passed over a lake,
and presently landed with the help of
some countrymen who came up at 3;45
o. M. on a stubbleheld at Schonwohld, in
the west of Kiel, on the evening when the
German emperor the founder of the Phoe-
nix, happened to be staying in that city.
j. J. Haley. of Rhode Island, has just