The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-10-05


cent made on Thursday at the crystal
Palace by Stanley Spencer. the well
known acronautc expert, and DR..
}crson, the Berlin scientist, has
aroused great interest in scientific cir
clcs. simultaneously All ascent was
made in Berlin, with Il view 70 com
pairing observations taken Of the den
sity Of the atmosphere at different alti
tudcs there with similar observations
over London.
Stanley Spencer narrated his cxpe
ricnccs to the World CORES pondcnt as
follows:
"Whcn we reached 1900 feet we
had magnificent view. We had
driftcd over Essex and could trace the
whole southeast coast Of England and
the coast Of France for hundred
miles with absolute distinctness. The
English Channel was a pale glare dot
ted with ships, looking like black
spots. A little beyond us was the
great gaping mouth Of the Thames,
while the North Sea stretched away
in far cxpansc. Rivers and estuaries
on the English coast we're distinctly
traceablc as in mammoth map.
Sat % 900 feet | threw out more
ballast, and we rose to $4,000, at
which altitude the rarcfication of the
atmosphere began to tell on us. We
had the utmost difficulty in breathing.
Prof. Bcrscn was livid and gasping; l
was the same. We had large cyln-
der Of compressed oxygen gas strapped
to the side of the car, with two tubes,
each terminating in face mask. We
each took q mask and breathed the
pure oxygen, and we're instantly re-
stored. 1t was delightful expert
cncc, this sudden relief from dcathly
oppression.
THE balloon remained stationary
at $4,000 feet; so more ballast was
thrown out until we reached the enor-
nous altitude of q, 900 feet. At that
height enough had been accomplished;
so we descended slowly and steadily
to $4,000 feet. Then the speed in
creased, and the balloon began to
rush through the air with frightful
velocity, dropping 1000 feet in fifteen
seconds. | had thrown out ballast
fast to stop her, and when we had fall
len 10000 feet at this rate our down
ward course was checked by current
of warm air, which caused the balloon
almost to take the form Of para
chute, thus checking its.desccnt.
"Thc sand we had thrown out now
overlook us, rattling on the balloon in
most startling and unexpected man
ner.
"The alterations of temperature we
underwent were extraordinary. We
started in blazing sun with the ther-
mometer ut 80 in the shade; at q 500
feet we registered 81 degrees frost.
In spite Of our thick fannels and the
unclouded sunshine, while people five
miles below us were sweltering in
tropical heat we were shivering vio-
lently. Our metal oxygen tubes we're
thickly coated with ice.
! "We eventually reached the ground
in safety, having been up ninety min
utes.'
"Why did you not try to break the
record by completing the other 1900
feet?" Mr.. Spencer was asked.
'"That would have been too danger
Gus" lie answered. ''We should have
had to sacrifice our ballast and would
have none left to check our descent.
Besides, although Coxwell and Glaisher
say they attained $4,000 feet in 1862,
l an inclined to doubt the authenticity
Of that record. We were nearly dead
at % $40 feet.
] GAS to the scientific results. neither
nor DIR. Berscn can say anything
until comparison has been made with
the results of the Berlin ascent 1t
was the most exciting and altogether
delightful ascent have ever made"