The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-05-06
is THE AIR VANISHING ?
Delicate Apparatus Taken on Airship
AerOphiIe Tell the story.

Delicate Apparatus Taken on Arising
AerophiIe Tell the story.
A series of experiments is being con-
Quoted in Paris which demonstrates to
the satisfaction of scientists that the
atmosphere which surrounds the earth
is gradually disappearing. These ex-
oeriments are with balloons, and they
are known as aerostatic ascents. The
French savants, BesancOn and Hermite.
have been conducting them. The bal
loon which makes the ascent is called
The aerophile. 1t is conical in shape.
1t is almost sharp-pointed at one end,
while the other is formed of a steel cap,
which fits over an aperture through
which the gas passes from the retort
nto the receiver when the balloon is in
process of being filled.
Below the reservoir hangs a double
platform, which looks not unlike the old
fashioned hanging bookcase. In the
'front.' of the top section of the platform
is an instrument which registers the
speed which the aerophile is making,
while just back of it is a device called
the meteorograph, which registers the
changes in the atmosphere. A dial reg
Isters the highest point attained, while
another mechanism records the inter-
mediate attitudes.
In the rear of the platform and at
tached to both sections, is an automatic
camera that takes accurate photo
graphs of atmospheric scenes and condi-
tions at different heights from the
earth. There is also an apparatus that
imprisons specimens of air from differ
emit attitudes. Its reservoirs, when the
aerophile leaves the earth, are alright
and exhausted. Therefore, when a res
ervoir is opened at a desired height
there is nothing to mix with the speci-
men of air that rushes into it.
The latest in this series of expert
ments with the aerophile was made Il
few days ago, and resulted most sue
cesSfully. The aerophile rose with ex-
traordinary rapidity to an immense
height, fully 10000 meters. The high
est temperature recorded was 60 de-
grees.
The balloon remained in the air two
hours and travelled n distance of 1912
kilometers. All the recording appara-
tus worked successfully, and, while the
results have not been definitely an
bounced in all particulars, they, in the
minds of many scientists. establish the
fact that the inventors have contended
fOr-that the balloon will throw start
ling light on the question of atmos-
pheric disappearance.
The aerophle, as the balloon has been
named, is sometimes sent aloft merely
arranged so that at a certain period of
time the gas vent viii be partially
opened, the gas escape and the monster
settle TO the earth. At other times it is
like the captive balloon sent aloft at the
nd of a great pile of rope and pulled
down whenever the eXperimenters de-
sire. 1t is, however, only when the in
venton is permitted to soar to a great
height that there is a possibility of Sc
curing the results which the scientists
hope for.
The Importance of the facts learned
from experiments with the balloon, sci
sntists say, can hardly be overestimated.
They Indicate, it is thought the condi-
tons which will prevail at the end of
the world. The atmosphere mingles
continually with the water and the
rocks, and by this action continually
limnishes its density. Thus is the
gauzy envelope which surrounds us
brought closer and reduced and one
day, say the scientists, it will without
doubt disappear completely as it has
already done with our neighbor the
moon,
1t should be stated that the apparatus
which the balloon contains for securing
specimens of the rarefed air at great
heights is the idea of NJ. Cailletet This
has proved the most successful feature,
for it has worked to a charm. and the
results of the analyses of the air it con-
tains will from time to time indicate
precisely the exact changes that have
taken place in the atmosphere.-N. Y.
Herald