The record-union., 1895-05-25
BERSON'S Big BALLOON.
Ascended to a Hight of Nearly Ten
Thousand Meters.
The Adventurous Aeronaur Had to
Inhale Artificial Oxygen to Sus-
tain Life In That Region.

Inhale Artificial Oxygen to Sus-
tain Life In That Region.
The last and most important scientific
aeronautic voyage made by DR.. A. Ber-
son in the balloon Phoenix, on Decem Der
4th of last year, is described by that gen.
tleman in the Journal of A erOnautics and
a atmospheric Physics.
On the evening of December Sd there
was stormy east wind, which made the
possibility of the journey doubtful, but
it fell during the night, and at O. clock
next morning Lieutenants Gross and
Marker proceeded by the light of an cleo
trio lamp to fill the Phoenix with 1000
cubic meters of hydrogen gas. DR.. Bsr-
son somewhat altered his preparations to
suit the special circumstances and aims
of his aerial trip. He left the heavy an
chor behind and stretched out the long
'Schleppgurt" grappling-strap on the
ground in the direction of the wind be-
fore commencing his tour. The various
instruments and baskets of utensils were
hung up in such manner as to facilitate
the government of the balloon and the
| conscientious recording of scientific OBJ
servations even during the exhaustion
produced in the human body when at a
high altitude. At 1928 the command to
"Let loose" was given. In quarter of
an hour the balloon had already arrived
at hight OF 1000 meters. Stassfurt (the
place where it was tilled) was sailed over
| in northwesterly direction. The whole
of the beautiful Harz Mountains lay on
the horizon below the voyager.
The air in general was foggy, and thick
a
| and then. AT first the temperature rose.
AT hight of 800 meters it was more
than So centigrade above zero. DIR. Ber-
| son made double notes of the readings of
| the instruments, cast glance at the bal
loon and it's ropes, looked down at the
| earth and threw out sacks OF ballast. An
hour after the start he had risen higher
than 5000 meters and the temperature
sank to 190 below zero. and the air be-
came very dry. The SUMS rays were
weak. When 1920 meters hight was
reached, the aeronaut felt the first slight
increase of his hearts action after lifting
the heavy sandbags. At l1:49 A. NJ. he
reached the hight OF 5000 meters, and the
temperature sank to 25. below zero. He
felt little palpitation of the heart and
| slight general discomfort but was other
| wise well. At II CLOCK, one hour and
| half after the start, he began, at hight OF
| $3.50 meters and temperature of 2y' be-
low zero, to breathe artificial oxygen
from the bags he had with him, and with
excellent effect. AT 1925 o'clock the bold
seronaut had Outpassed 5000 meters, at a
temperature of 390 below zero. He was
now higher than he had been in the pre-
ceding 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 oxy
gen except for a few seconds at time,
h~4f h. fo1e
dizzy and dangerously weak. But while
continuing the artificial 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
rarefied air sounded strangely muffied.
When at the hight of ZOO meters he
had already risen higher than Glaisher
when the latter aeronaut took his last
note OF the temperature. AT the hight of
| $500 meters DR.. BersOn thought of the
| two French scientists who had died at
| that height At about s, 500 meters Berson
reached the greatest hight arrived at by
| Glaisher on september 5, 1862, when the
latter tainted away, only to awake after
his companions had stopped the balloon
from rising any higher. But DR.. Berson,
| after mOmentary examination OF his own
| strength and his provision of ballast, VEN
tured to rise higher. The temperature
had already sunk to 420 below zero (cen-
| tigrade). at the hight 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 well-formed small
snowfiakes. AT 12:45 p. NJ, two and half
hours after the start, the barometer indi-
Gated only 23l millimeters, which CORE
| dc wit haif Of aata
and a true hight of $3.50 meters. The
thermometer stood at 1872 below zero.
| Even the quicksilver in the barometer
had cooled to 29o, and the ray thermome-
ter, in full sunshine indicated only 23.S0.
The balloon now stopped. There were
only six large and one small sacks of bal
last left, which were necessary for de-
scending and landing. The balloon stood
above the thin snow clouds in clear sky
which stretched family blue above. DR..
| BersOn felt 80 well that he could certainly
have risen another 1000 meters. But he
could not have done so without risking
the whole of his successful journey. At
this immense hight-9, 100 meters-he
felt much better than short time before.
Dr.. Berson opened the gas valve now and
then, and the Phoenix gradually de-
scended till at the hight of 800 meters it
stopped, and again began to rise.
Another pull at the valve caused it to re-
descend. AT the night or S,0U0 meters
1t sailed over 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. DR.. Berson, clothed as he
was in thick furs, began to shake in
every limb so violently that sometimes
he was obliged 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 me-
ters to moderate the rapidity. Mean
| while a close stratum of heavy clouds had
hidden the earth and prevented any as
certaining of the balloons position. The
slow descent, however, allowed of an
other set of observations being taken, and
now the highest temperature, about g.
above zero, was found at the hight of
l, 400 meters. Thence down to the earth
it sank again 50. A 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 en-
ergetic friction. In the enormous cold
the barograph had stopped for awhile.
In the afternoon, at o'clock, the north
ern sky showed unmistakable signs of
water" and DIR. Berson decided that he
must descend more rapidly. After a few
more gentle ups and downs, he could
distinguish the noise and steam whistles
of some large town. When 250 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 q lake aud presently landed,
| with tho haln of aOmo countrvman who