The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-02-25
The Late Henry Cox
well, One of the First
to Make An Ascent.
THRILLING TRIP IN MID. AIR.
Attained a Height OF Seven Niles and
Escaped Freezing by Pulling the
Valve Cord With His Teeth.

- ENRY TRACEY CONwELL.
/ whose death occurred January
/ s. at SeRford will be rrmsmecr-
/ j ed as one OF the most active
~ promoters In his time OF that
science OF aerostBtiOn 20 which he de-
voted his iife. and more especially. per-
haps, as one OF the two heroes OF what
/ Is sim TO be regarded as the highest
recorded ascent. says the London Times.
He was the son of a naval officer who
| had seen a good deal of active service.
/ and was born in 1919 at wouidham near
/ Rochester Al that time hallooning was
! stim practically IN ns infancy. tho nr-t
\ aerial voyage IN free balloon having
/ been made In November. l7Ss when PHI
| atre des Rosters and the Marquis OAR
| lauds crossed the Seine and consider
| able part Of Paris In Mnntgoiher. other
wise balloon expanded by heated air.
/ A. a schooIboy Henry Coxwelrs interest
I In the new science was greatly excited BY
the ascents from Surrey gardens. OF Mr..
\ Green q famous halioonst. who made
/ something like 1880 ascents during the
| course Of his life. Young Coxwcll took
/ 20 making Montsolhcrs on his own ac-
count. end at tho age Of Is he considered
1 himself already proficient IN aerostauon
Z His taste for bailooning became an ALI
/ absorbing passion, and between his lf;h
I year aud his Goth he saw almost every
I public ascent IN or near London. hts
I own first ascent was made &C the White
| Conduit gardens. pontonville. on August
| ~ iS4t In company With Hampton, AND
! In 1874 he Joint Lieut.. Gale IN numerous
| ascents from various public gardens in
| London. In that year, too, in company
| with Mr. Gypson MIR Pridmore and Al
bert Smith. he made a night ascent from
! Vauxhsll gardens amid a display OF fre-
I works. but experienced on that occasion
| what he afterward described az tho most
! perious descent on record. When tho
! balloon waa 400 feet high storm broke,
1 nd tynptaffat al after a vivid HHrt taf
lightning n rent sixteen feet long APP
| peared in the balloon. which began 10 fall
| at terrible speed right over the West
End OF London. Fortunately. the ret
4 work caught ia the scnffold poles OF soma
new houses ana the fall was broken. MIR.
! CoSweH being tho only one who was hurt.
| SO far. however. was he from being dts
! couraged hv this aceident-~iue, as hs
showed, not 20 the lightning. but 60 the
! valve line not having been pulied~thss
the Following week he ascended with
double the quantity Of fireworks--i2a
pounds instead OF sixty pounds--and on
this occasion all went wei.
Up TO isiS Coswen WAS only an ANA
teur halloonist. and followed the occupa-
ton OF dentist, but in 1913 he had q tal-
loon Of his own. and commenced series
VI OF professional ascants from number nf
different places on tho continent Ills
FIRST ascent from the Crystal Palace was
In 1859. and two years afterwsrd. when
first really serious accident that occurred
to him during tho 500 ascents he had made
up 10 that time. But though he had been
severely bruised and crippled. his zeal
i for the science burst out with greater
| nrdor than ever IN fse1 when hearing
that q british association at woivsrhsmp-
ton had been making soma unsatisfactory
| experiments with cremofs balloon. 81
order TO take meteorological observations
I Ia the upper regions. he set about tho
sft4a- Han ~ hall
purpose. finally producing on. thar stood
| eighty feet from the ground, Rad Diane.
ter Of nfty-nvo feet and was capable ot
containing when fully inflated aaana cubic
| feet Of gas James Glaisher. ~ X. o.. who
Ind not previously made an ascent. was -
go up with MIR Coxwei and take charge
Of the observations. while GoSwsa him
self was 20 attend 60 tho balloon, The
first Of the long ~nries 81 Becents thus
carried out by them under the auspices
of the British association took place ~
Wolvsrhamnson on July H. 1874 and on
that occasion they Travelled sixty miles IN
two hours and attained n Insight 81 four
miles. hui the descent violent that
a number Of the driicately constructed W.
strumen;s that Mr.. 0lsisher took up with
him were broken. n was on September ..
In the same year, ihst the pair made tina
record journey 81 rising 70 a Insight % no
less than ssvcn miles above the surface
of the earth snd the stsry told ~ fhss
exciting exploit shows tbas the Intrepid
scientists had very narrow escape indeed
/ 81 their lives,
They reached an elevation az eve miles
m forfy-two minutes ard stiil kap, on
ascending After time. fhs valve Nm.
becoming .ntanEina. owing 80 the rotary
motion ~ the balloon, SIR. Coxvsil had 20
leave the car and raosfnt to the rims. bot
there VAS boar frost all round shs nsck ~
the balloon and the fnofnant his hands
touched the ring they w~se frost bitten
and rendered useless, ~ that he hal 10 pot
Ma arms on Tho ring and In ,hi. way drop
back into shs car. Ia fhe meantime Dir.
8iagsheF who h8d observed taat They bad
I atisiisssi e height % 2 so feet fossni hts
TlEhf affected. and soon afssr~sf3 his arTns
fell fsaMeriees Then be- senua ~ have 20
limbs az all, bis heck aus neck lost oil fans-
cuiar power. snd 10 basarns ancanrrfgus
TAls waN the earditi0n ia whish Sr. Cox
/ well on reaching ala car AKain his Own
hands paw~flsss. feuna him rfanpily. Nj
1 coxwelI vas ahis % seize the valve eard
/ with nir teeth sud some vigorous psrs
! e.,esdIty hruakht them let's warmer term
fssasnfs when ST. Giaishsr recovered ara
vas hiY-lf ahle 70 attend 20 Mr. Coswsii
I nv rubbing hts Oflpplsa bands witb brAn1r
m saasng article on th- .uhlre, of fhi.
| faranss exr19sf. TIE Times ~ september
/ II fSs. said.
--rA@ aerial voyage tast perfaxnss b..
Mr. carusa sna Mr. GiAisher deserves
20 rank wita tas greatest fs@s3 ~ ~spsr.
| ueutzAkaFa. diseowersrE ans tsavsiers~
and tagagh rnu-h has since happened. 10
remark 10 certainly a. trae today 80 81
was Thea.
TIE resar ~ TIRE rany ascsn;s az Mr..
| CaKweu and Mf GiaishsF Nxs f1s raAkinx
o. saane important canfflhatlons 20 ~.
science ~ nretserpiozY. anf ibsY proved.
incsrS. more clearly fhAB had ever been
Done before. that hsiioon3us Nss not
] L. esfs ffzfs b. -
! - of great practical Gulisy. From the
same rsint % y!sr Mr. caEwsli was most
pyrtinari0us ~ urRlHg the advantages ~
| employing balloons IN times q war, and ha
! wrote in his volume ~ feco,isefiOus Il
haa hammered . way In The Times FOR little
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