The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-10-20
STUDYING THE UPPER AIR.
Mr. Rotoh Takes Part In = scientific balloon
journey.

MI. y iANTPNff hff'hs hiFNN" VI wv
Blue Hill Observatory near Boston. AZ
cended from Strasburg. Germany. In a
balloon sent up on July Z las, for mc,eor-
illogical investigation He founded the
Blue Hin Meteorological Observatory ten
miles south ~ Boston IN 1885 and sup
ported IL from his private means until II
was transferred TO the care Of the Harvard
a astronomical department.
MIR. Rotch's short account 81 his halloo
ascension Is published In the last number Of
the MoHthig Weather Ret1cr These balloon
n-censions have become an important
feature Of meteorological study In Europa
They were suggested 10y the international
Meteorological Conference in 1889 The
advantage offered hy balloon study ara
restricted 10y the fact hat Investigations
made In this way In the uppe air can be
carried on only when the weather - favor
able for balloon travel. II h not possible
To utilize the balloon In these studies except
in good weather The largest results have
been obtained by the Berlin Society 81
Neteorolosv The similar society at Munich
has also secured much data Of value and
the results obtained by = A Andree before
his departure on the Arctic balloon voyage
that cost him his life were regarded a.
among tn" valuable contributions 10 our
limited knowledge of the upper air OF
late years 1t has been quite the fashion TO
send up a number Of balloons simultane-
ously from various partsof Europe To obtain
data from widely separated egion for
comparison On the day 81 Mr.. hotch's
ascent balloons were despatched from Paris.
Berlin. Munich. Vienna and st Petersburg
Prof. Horge.e.l invited Mr.. Rotch to
mike the ascent with him from Strasburg
in the new cotton hal'oon. Girbaden Coal
gas was the lifting power, and sixteen
sacks ~ ballast weighing about seven hun
dred rounds. were carried up. a sack b'ing
| emptied now and then TO attain higher
attitudes They were IN the air only about
thre, hours, when they found there was
danger Of being drawn into a thunder cloud
and thcy therefore descended. landing IN
scrub wood lust ass heavy ralnstorm b"gan
|, IL often the practice Ia send up, a while
before the start II made. on" or two man
lees balloons with self. registering instrl-
ments which re,ord atmospheric phcnom-
ena These balloons attain far greater
elevations than can be reached by aero
nautz. Two ~ these balloons were scn' up
a. Strasburg "a few hours before Mr. Rotten
and his companiOn startei on their journey
They n~,tain,i an elevation Of about 25,UO
feet or about five miles, which H. higher
than most Of the mountains Of the world,
Very much higher elevations have been
attained. however. bv these manleSS hal-
looms One Of them. TIA" Cirrus, for cx-
ample. rose In the neighhS.hood 81 Berlin
60 over A. on fest
Nv the time Mr. Rotch and Prof Hergcsell
had reached a heigh, Of 1850 feet they were
among ia. clouds. Two minutes later
when they were about ?OO feet further from
the earth tn" clouds bccam" thinner and
nj about 3 GO feet they were STUNNING along
the upper side " the clouds with the earth
completelv hidden from view. Al a height
Of about s,Onp feet the sra 81 clouds beneath
them became broken ~ HAT they caught
slinpeas 81 fields and q village. Continuing
10 throw out their ballast, they gradually
assembled Ia n height 81 about s.0o feet,
which was only a little below the freezing
point. Beneath them was an unbroken
sea OF clouds, while alpove was n clear. deep
blue sky. Al the highest point they reached
II. 100 feet. not quite half as high Hs the top
Of Noun, Everest. the temperature was
nearly seven degrees below fr,-'zing.
OF Cour-e far higher attitudes have been
s~itainei on these balloon Journeys ppr-
haps the greatest height reached was hat
Of BerSon on Isc 4. isDt. when he attained
In tho ncighborhood Of Berlin, a height 81
S0,Ol2 feet
Kite. which have nl.o been made very
useful M the upper air. naturally hay" not
attained nearly such high elevations ~ II"
unnamed balloons. From i1.sn 60 1900
fest are thc le~i record~ mad" at the Blue
Hill observatory, wlcrr hoy had he-'n
found very well adapicd for the study II
clouds. atmospheric temperature and hui
nudity NJ great heights