The Portland daily press., 1895-05-07
the conscientious recording Of scientific
observations even dnri no the axhaustinn

observations, even during the exhaustion
produced in the human body when at
high altitude. At 1928 the command TO
"let loose" was given. In quarter of
an hour the balloon had already arrived
at height of 1000 metres. Stassfnrt,
the place where it was filled, was sailed
over in north-westerly direction. The
whole of the beautiful Harz Mountains
lay on the horizon below the voyager.
The air il general was foggy, and thick
focks of small clouds hid the earth now
and then. AT first the temperature rose.
At height of /. 500 meters it was more
than deg. centigrade above zero. DR..
Berson made doubl notes of the read
ings of the instruments, cast n glance at
The balloon and it's ropes, looked down
at the earth and threw out two sacks of
ballast. An hour after the start he had
risen higher than 5000 meters, and the
temperature sank to 19 deg. below zero,
and the air became dry. The SUMS rays
were weak. When 4,20O meters height
was reached the aeronaut felt the first
slight increase of his hearts action, after
lifting the heavy sandbags. At Lac a.
m. he reached the height Of 6, 900 meters,
and the temperature sank to 25.5 below
zero. He felt little palpitation of the
heart and slight general discomfort, but
was otherwise well. At IL o'clock, one
hour and half after the start. he began,
at a height of 6, 750 meter and tempera-
ture of 30 deg. below zero, to breathe
artificial oxygen from the bags he had
with him, and with excellent effect. At
IL. 25 the bold aeronaut had outpassed
5000 meters at a Temperature of SO deg.
below zero. He was now higher than
he had been in the preceding May, when
his highest point had been 1880 meters,
and this time he felt much better than
then.
He now never dared to cease breathing
the bags of oxygen except for few Sec
onds at time. and during those brief
pauses he felt dizzy and dangerously
weak. But, while continuing the artif-
cial breathing 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, scolding at his own negligence;
his voice in the rarified air sounded
strangely muffied.
When at he height of 1880 meters he
had already risen higher than Glaisher
when the latter aeronaut took his last
note of the temperature. At the height
Of s. 900 meters DR.. Berson thought of
the two French scientists who had died
at that height. At about $500 meters
Berson reached the greatest height ar
rived at by Glaisher, in Septem ber 5,
1862. when the latter tainted away, only
to awake after mis- companions had
stopped the balloon from rising any
higher. But DR.. Berson, after momen-
tary examination of his own strength and
his provision of ballast, ventured to rise
higher. The temperature had already
sunk to AZ deg. below zero (Centigrade.
At the height OF, 5000 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 we'll formed small
snowflakes. At 12.45 pm, 6 1-2 hours
after the start, the barometer indicated
only 23l millimetres, wnlch corresponds
with a sea height of 5000 meters and
true height of $3.50 meters. The tber-
mometer stood at 47.9 deg. below zero.
Even the quicksilver In the barometer
had cooled to % deg, and the raw ther
mometer, in full sunshine, Indicated
only %. 8 deg. The balloon now stopped.
There were only six large and one small
sack of ballast left, which were necessary
for descending and landing. The balloon
stood above the thin snow clouds, in n
clear sky, which stretched family blue
above. Dr.. Bersom felt SO well that he
would certainly have risen another ]. 600
meters But he couldn't have done 90
xuitbout risking the whole of his snc-
cessful tourney. At this immense height
%. 15O meters-he felt much better than
a short time before. DR.. Berson opened
the GAS valve now and then, and the
Phoenix grsdusa5Gy re- ali mstsTs desoended until
aaain began to rise. Another pull at
the t6e' valve caused it to redescend At the
height Of $500 N meters 6,,suo ii it sailed over
EIhe at the part, as was afterwards
fonnd. near Domity.
p,,t now ths terri bic cold began to
boya effect. DR.. Berson, clothed as he
was uase in thick furs, began to shake in
every limb so violently that sometimes
'ng Tn slow slow, waving motion the balloon
sank INK and sank, ia and d. d during in the whole
thSown out, at the height of 3, 500 meters
to moderate the o sssy1 ssspidity y;oNs Meqnwhle INV
S,U Az the earth, apd prevented any ascer-
: tsp taInine m OF the balloons position. The
slow Descent ohssysgsans howsvsF allowed q