The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-04-21
LONG TRIP IN THE AIR.
Rema, kabIe Voyage Recently Made by q
French Balloon.

The amount OF attention devoted to
navigation OF the air is constantly on
the increase both in America and Eu-
rope, says the New York Herald.
The remarkable experiments in which
kites have been an important factor,
which were carried Oh 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 OF
kites, and will, no doubt, prove OF I'M
mense advantage to future aeronauts
in the way OF enabling them 20 direct
their balloons.
Those who are interested ia follow
ingup such matters await with extreme
ncpe;ulness the result Of the proposed
voyage to polar regions by Sweed
ish scientists, which was postponed
last sumner st the critical moment
owing to unfavoraple winds and
weather; but that the subject IS re.
ceiving the closest attention IS shown
by the remarkable voyage recently
made by a balloon named Touring
Club, which accomplished the jour,
ney of COS kilometers (375 miles from
Paris to Agen.
This record has never been surpass
ed in length except by two ascents
during the siege OF Paris by the bal
Icon Vile G'Orleans. which landed IL
Norway, and the General Chanzy,
which landed at Ausbscl, in Bavaria.
Both Of these distances exceed the
record Of TIE Touring Club by few
&ilometers only.
Only one Of the forty.fcur ascents
made under the auspices of the Socie
ty for Aerial Navigation of Berlin,
and only the two mentioned OF the
sixty flour balloons sent up during the
seige Of Paris have equaled the dis.
tance record of the Touring Club.
Incidentally the record for length
OF sojurn above the earth was also ex-
ceeded, and many new instruments
were tested and will have a wide bear
ing on the proposed international
study Of atmospheric conditions By
means of stationary balloons.
The balloon itself was made of China
silk and had cubic content of LOO
meters. Five hundred Kilograms OF
ballast were taken, making the total
weight, including instruments and
baloonist, 735 Kilograms; altogether
something over q ton. The two aero
napts were MesSrs. George Beascon
and Maurice Farman. The anchor
carried was of an original design, a
graphnel with two stocks.
The valve was studied with particl-
lar care, permitting the gas to escape
rapidly when the ballon was to make
q landing, without requiring a con-
tirued strain on the cord to bring into
play special mechanism. The altitude
reached was never very nigh, and it
required an hour to attain 1000 feet,
the theory 0: Mr. Bsascon being Tat
when one under takes an extenued
voyage in point of time it is necessa,
ry to remain in low altitude, SO IS to
husband the supply Of gas. The
greater portion Of the voyage was
made at a height of about roo feet.
The balloon asuend13 st Paris earl J
in toe morning aud followed the di-
rection of the railroad line TO Orleans.
The descent was made a. 3:15 III the
afternoon Of the next day, IL the
neighborhood Of Agen, after having
been in the air more than thirty hours.
The rate of travel OF the balloon vari-
ed from fifteen to fifty miles an hour.
One of the features OF MS voyage was
the distribution of printed blanks,
asking certain questions, which we're tc
be filed up and returned by whoever
found them. Nine thousand of these
were sent out during the voyage and
about $50 have been returned, furnish.
ing important data.