Iowa Baptist standard., 1897-05-21

wi WHICH were carried on in
the vicinity of this city during
last summer and fall are still fresh in
the minds of most persons. They
demonstrated the feasibility Of lifting
heavy weights by the force of the wind
exercised on kites, and WILL no doubt,
| prove of Immense advantange to flu
lure aeronauts in the way of enabling
them to direct their balloons. Those
VINO are interested in following up
such matter, await with extreme hope
tnlness the tesllt of the proposed voy-
age to the pc4SlA> regions by Swedish
scientists, which was postponed last
summer at tie critical moment owing
10 un1aVorab!e winds and weather. but
'1ac} ne subject is receiving the closest
attention Is shown by the remarkable
voyage recently made by balloon
named Touring Club. which accom-
pllshed the journey of COS kilometers
'5'5 mlleS) from Paris to Agen. This
record has never been surpassed In
lehS'h. except by two aScents during
the siege of Paris by the balloon Wills
orleans. which landed in Norway,
ana the Gen. Chanzy, which landed at
Ausoach, in Bavaria. Both of these
distances exceed the record of the
touring Club by few kilometers only.
only one of the forty-four ascents made
under the auspices of the Society for
Aerial Navigation of Berlin, and only
TWO mentioned of the sixty-four bal
looms sent up during the siege of Paris
nave equaled the distance record of
the Touring Club. lncidently the rec
ORD Tor length of soiOurn above the
eartn was also exceeded and many
new instruments were tested and will
nave wide bearing on the proposed
international study of atmospheric
conditions by means OF stationary bal
looms. The balloon itself was made of
China silk and had cubic content of |
] 100 meters. Five hundred Kilograms |
OF ballast were taken, making the total |
weight, including instruments and bal !
loonlst, I35 Kilograms: altogether some
thing over a ton. The two aeronauts
were Messrs. George BesacOn and Maui
rice Farman. The anchor carried was
OF an original design, a grapnel with
two stocks.
The valve was studied with particu-
lar care, permitting the gas to escape
rapidly when the balloon was to make
landing, without requiring a contin-
led strain on the cord to bring into
>lay special mechanism. The latitude
reached was never very high, and it
'equired an hour to attain 1000 feet.
he theory of Mr.. Besacon being that
when one undertakes an extended voy-
'gc IN point of time it is necessary to
emain in a low altitude, so AS to hus-
'and the supply of gas. The greater
portion of the voyage was made at a
height of about 700 feet The balloon
scended at Paris early in the morning
nd followed the direction of the rail-
DAD line to Orleans. The descent was
made at 3:15 on the afternoon of the
ext day, in the neghborhood of Agen.
fter having been in the air more than
hirty hours. The rate of travel of the
alloon varied from fifteen to fifty .
lilies an hour. One of the features of
his voyage was the distribution of ,
rinted blanks, asking certain uues- ,
ions, which were to be filled up and re- ,
lrned by whoever found them. Nine -.
lousand Of these were sent ont during
ne voyage and about $50 of them have .
cen returned, furnishing important
alta. !