The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-25
ON THE VOYAGE.

We entered the car CDR. Berson and
y. My brother Arthur, who had Ia
bored since $50 p. m. experimenting
the gas manufacture, informed US that
the last acid added had done its work
and practically no more gas was gene
rating. The gas hosepipe was, there
fore, disconnected from the balloon. My
brother Percival attended to the final
balancing of the balloon ordered the
nearly forgotten tube of oxygen to be
brought up, and eventually set US off
with lifting power of 40 pounds
equivalent to the weight of one man
and 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 min
ute we were four time as high as the
tower of the Crystal palace, which had
appeared a dangerous height to us on
the ground for the past few days. In
two minutes we were double the aver
age height 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 England or Wales,
$3.50 feet In five minutes Ben Nevis,
q, 406 feet, was being passed, and in six
minutes there was no point on the
Our lifting power was glorious. DR..
Berson busted himself with scientific
readings, and I am glad to be able to
present the result of his Investigations
in the report he has prepared. I 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-roorn.
} The view, however, was magnificent:
the palace, the grounds, friends and
/ spectators, had long since diminished
into insignificance; the absolutely clear
air enabled US to take into view the
distant landscape for miles; while Lon
don itself at first a moderate assem-
blage of houses on the banks Of a, wind
ing river, began to look smaller, as we
| began to discern the distant coast line.
! At 5000 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 ito south
west. thus proving the correctness OF
an observation which he had made be-
! fore starting that the upper currents
] generally bear to the right
/ At $4,000 feet, seventeen minutes after
| the start, we were nearing the maxi
mum height which ! had never before
i reached, and were I asked to state
what was the sensation, I could only
answer by saying that there was an
entire absence of sensation. Up to now
there had been no feeling of cold. no
feeling of emotion, only absolute tran
GUILTY. perfect rest with the. erandeSt
view possible for mortal eyes to be-
| hold slowly unfolding itself to view be-
low.
BREATHING FROM TUBES.
Between $1,000 feet and 10000 feet the
| balloon, which was only half inflated
at starting, had become quite full and
was pouring out it's gas in the form of
clouds of mist through the open mouth.
We were able to distinguish the Pc
culiar rusty smell and taste by which
I can ALWAYS tell the presence of tho