The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-25


in the necessary position, the word
was given to let go. and in the pres
ence of noted gathering of represent
tatiyes of the internal onal aeronauti-
cal commission, meteorological experts
representatives of the army and sci
entific men from various countries
who had been invited to attend the ex-
periments, the great balloon scared
aloft and hung stationary in the cir.
straining at its cable. an immense
height from the ground 1t remained
under perfect control day and night
In weather that would have made it
necessary to haul in the kite record
ers, the balloon proved to be valuable
observatory. Such a balloon, it was
noted with satisfaction by those who
witnessed the first flight skyward,
could be attached to every weather hu-
reau and used to record atmoephe.ical
conditions the year round, remaining
up in the air for weeks at a time he
fore it became necessary to renew the
gas and send the big bag aloft again.
This gas, it may be noted here, con-
sisted half of water gas and half CT
Illuminating gas. The water gas pro-
Queer comprised an elevated mixing
tub, the cooling apparatus and the
drying machine. The gases were
made out of iron filings and sulphur.
For one cubic yard of gas was used
Is pounds of sulphur and seven pounds
of iron filings. The apparatus used for
producing the gas is shown in the
accompanying Illustration.
When the balloon was brought to
earth again, it was found that the
instruments had worked perfectly.
Instead of the wild gyrations that had
always made kite observations diff
ficult and frequently impossible under
taking, the kite-balloOn had maintain
ed it's position with most satisfactory
steadiness, the busy little instruments
attached to it doing their work accur-
ately and we'll.
1t must not be supposed that the
new instruments We're the feature of
the experiments. Interesting and in
genious as the Riedinger dynamograph
is, it has not attracted anything like
the attention from the visitors that
the kite-balloon has Instruments for
gauging weather conditions and re-
cording what goes on in the elevated
regions of the atmosphere have been
in use for centuries, but meteorological
science has always confessed itself baf-
fled when it came to taking records
at high attitudes where it was neces-
sary to have the Instruments elevat-
ed a a certain distance from the earth
and kept there for an extended period.
The earths climate has been a sub
ject of study since the days of Egypt's
greatness, but what the upper regions
could reveal to the scientific investi-
gator was something that Aristotles,
Lucratius, Cicero and Virgil made 10
attempt to discover
The idea of sending the instruments
aloft is a new one. The old way was
to seek to perfect instruments that
would record conditions in the upper
regions of clouds While the instruments
We're on earth. The new way is the
common sense one. Hence the delight
of the men Of science with the perfor-
nance of the kite-balloon.
Theories are now in a fair way to
be tested and either, shown to be
facts or exploded as fairy stories.
What meteorologists want to know
and what they may find out, is the de-
gree of heat, cold and moisture at va
rious attitudes. and the scientific laws
that govern these conditions. The
wind bloweth where it lsteth. but
that fact is not all that may be known
about it. The kite-balloon will record
the winds fwhims and humors in the
atmospheric regions, and show how
it gathers its force and with What
speed the elements of a storm collect
and descend to earth.
Discovery has followed discovery in
meteorology of recent years. The law
that governs vaporous diffusion
through the air. and the relation Of
this vapor to the other constituents
of the atmosphere have been determin-
ed. Professor Tyndall showed that wa
ter vapor eXerts great energy as a
radiant and absorbent of heat. and
that the vapor dissolved in the air act
ed the part of a covering or protection
to the earth. 1t was shown that if the
air We're quite drained of it's moisture.
the extremes of heat and cold would
be so intense and insufferable as to
kill all life, for with no screen to shield
the earth from the suns scorching
rays life on earth must be instantly
destroyed
This great discovery is mentioned TO
show that a wealth of subjects for in
vestfgation is opened up by the con-
struction of the kite balloon, which can
be sent up beyond the region where
the aeronaut would die, and be made
the means of investigating regions that
SO far have been closed to science.
GEO. MOZER.