The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-25

will be unsuitable for the average balloon
ascent.
On the Voyage.
We entered The car CDR. Berson and D..
My brother Arthur, who had labored since
$50 p. m experimenting the gas manufac-
ture informed us that the last acid added
had done its work and practically no more
gas was generating. The gas hosepiDe.
was therefore disconnected from the ball
loom My brother Perciyal attended 20
the final balancing Of the balloon, or
dered the nearly forgotten tube of oxy-
gen to be brought up, and eventually sent
us of with lifting power of 40 pounds.
equivalent TO the weight of one man nd
thirty pounds of ballast
Upward at Express Speed
At 2:O5 p. m. we were off, soaring aloft
at $50 feet a minute. In one minute we
were four times as high as the towers of
the Crystal Palace which had appeared
a dangerous hight to us on the ground for
the past few days. In two pinutes we
were double the average hight of the
Earl's court captive balloon ascents At
three minutes we reached $3.50 feet and
at four minutes we were as high as lofty
Snowdon, the highest mountain in Eng
land or Wales, $3.50 feet In five min
utes Ben Nevis, LAOS feet, was being pass
ed and in SIX minutes there was no point
on the earth within 500 feet as high as We
Our lifting power was glorious Dr.
Berson busted himself with scientific read
ings, and I am glad to be able to present
the result of his investigations in the re-
port he has prepared. | was free to note
the grand panorama which opened itself
to our gaze.
Though ascending at so rapid a rate, we
appeared absolutely stationary; noise there
was none, wind we did not feel and the
view steadily opening to us was the only
means by which we could tell that we were
rising; as far as feeling goes, we might
have been sitting at home in our drawing
room. The view, however, was magnih-
cent; the palace, the grounds, friends and
spectators, had long since diminished in
to insignifcanee; the absolutely clear air
enabled us to take into view the distant
landscape for miles; while London itself,
at first a moderate assemblage Of houses
on the banks of a winding river began to
look smaller, IS we began to discern the
distant coast line.
At 9OOo feet the doctor pointed out to
me that the southeast wind with which
we had left the ground had gradually
changed to south and then TO southwest
thus proving the correctness of an obser-
walton which he had made before start
ing that the upper currents genrally bear
to the right.
At 1900 feet seventeen minutes after
the start we were nearing the maximum
hight which / had never before reached
and were I asked TO state what was the
sensation ! could only answer by saying
that there was an entire absence Of sensa-
ton. Up 70 now there had been no feel
ing Of cold. no feeling Of emotion, only
absolute tranquility perfect rest with the
erandest view possible for mortal eyes
20 behold slowly unfolding Itself 10 view
below.
Breathing From Oxygen Tubes.
Between 1900 feet and 20.000 feet the
balloon which was only half inflated at
starting had become quite fun and was
pouring out rs gas in the form OF clouds
Of mist through the open mouth we were
able 90 distinguish the peculiar rusty smell
and taste Dy which J can alWays ton tie
presence OF thf hydrogen we generate,
which chemists describe as "faEteilFs,
coioriess aud o1OrieH element" M was
now getting dccidediv cold. The pressure
Of fhe atmosphere was only baW what
ID was upon ine ground. $50 beFan breathe
.ne oxygen through fhn india rubber piper.
Attached 10 the ifon fubrf ~ compressed
pas which Sc had brought. aud found
fhe bDnaf8fue Hofhal aIiiHfarfariy yhs
nolzf ~ fHe iuNa Hfs fQen deeply 90
rneDl $500 oqaunT 0f ltfQla iof. Al
700 feH He iogt go91 i9ek about