The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-05-27

Henry Tracey CoXwcA whose death oc-
CURED in London recently. will be remem-
bered IS one of the most active pTOmot-
ers in his time of that science of aerosta~
ton to which he devoted his life, and
more especially, perhaps, as one of the
two heroes of what is still to be regarded
as the highest recorded ascent, says the
London Times.
He was the son of naval officer who
had seen a good deal Of active service,
and was born in 1919 at Wouldham, near
Rochester. AT that time baliooning was
still practically in its infancy, the first
aerial voyage in a free balloon having
been made in November, 1888. when Pia-
ire des Rosters and the Marquis Arlands
crossed the Seine and a considerable part
of Paris In a Montgcliier, otherwise 4
balloon expanded by heated air. AS
schoolboy Henry COxwel1s interest in the
new science was greatly excited by the
ascents, from Surry gardens, Of Mr..
Green, a famous balloOnist who made
something like l 500 ascents during the
course Of his life. Young CCXwel took
to making MOntgoliers on his own ac
count, and at the age of fifteen lie con-
sidered himself already proficient in areo-
station. His taste for baliooning became
an all-absorbing passion, and between his
seventeenth year and his twentieth he
saw almost every public ascent in or near
London His own first ascent was made
at the White Conduit gardens, Penton-
vile, on Aug. 10. 1874, in company with
Hampton, and in 1874 he joined Lieut.
Gale in numerous ascents from various
public gardens in London. In that year,
toe. in company with Mr.. Gypson. M.
Pridmore and Albert Smith. he made a
night ascent from NauXhali gardens
amid a display Of fireworks, but expert
enccd on that occasion what he after
wards described as the most perilous de-
scent on record. When the balloon was
LOCO feet high a storm roke and imme-
diately after vivid flash of lightning a
rent sixteen feet long appeared in the
balloon, which began to fail at a terrible
speed right over the West End Of Lond9n.
Fortunately the network caught in the
scaffold poles of some new houses and the
fab was broken. Mr.. CoXweIi being the
only one who was hurt SO far, however,
was he from being discouraged by this
acc!dent-due, as he showed, not TO the
lightning. but to the valve line not hay
inG; been puiled-that the following week
he ascended with dssubie the quantity of
lireworiIs-120 pounds instead of sixty
roHnds-and on this occasion all weat
we'll.
Up to 1913 Coxwe;l was only an anna
teur balIoenist. and followed the occupa-
ton OF dentist. but in 1913 he had a bal
loon Of his ewn. and commenced a series
nf professional asccnts from a number of
different places en- the continent His
first ascent from the Crystal Palace was;
in $3.50, and Two years afterward. when
ballooAing In Dcrbyshire. he met with
the first serious accident that occurred
IL Liza during tia 800 ascents he had
1,n5c up TO that time. Bat. though he
HAD been severely bruised and crippled
sis Zeai fer the science burst out with
greater erdor than ever in 1862 Wnen
h@3fing that A committee OF the British
Association at Wolverhampton had been
making some unsatisfactory experiments
with a CremGnne balloon. in orller to take
chronological observations in the upper
regions. he sci about the construction of
a s)ceiai balloon for this purpose. finally
producing one that stood 50 feet from the
ground. lad @ diameter of % fet and
Mas capable u containing. when fully
Inflated. es@69h cubic feet of gas Mr.
James Gtatsher. +. K. S.. who had not
previously iuadc an ascent was to go ND
with NJ. coXwcn a;fd take charge of the
observations while AR CoXwclI himself
Of the long series Of ascents thus carried
out ~ them under the auspices of the
British Association took place at NFoiver-
hsn2tGn on July i. l>62. and on that
'-''ras::sn taey Travelled 60 mics in two
louis, ard attaiaed a height OF iou1
nils: but the descent was so violent
liat = number of the del cately contract
ID Instruments that Mr. GlaiSher took up