The San Francisco call., 1903-12-20
INSENSIBLE.

ceedlnS 29,UOO 1eeI.
INSENSIBLE.
Shortly after laid my arm. upon the
table, possessed of its full vigOr, but on
being desirous of using it I found it
powerIess. Trying to move the other
arm 1 found it powerless also. Then I
tried to shake myself, and succeeded,
but seemed 10 have no limbs. In look
ing at the barometer my head fell over
my left shoulder struggled and
shook my body again, but could not
move my arms Getting my head up
right, for an instant only, it fell on my
right shoulder: then 1 fell backward,
my back resting against the side Of
the car and my head on its edge. In
this position my eyes were directed TO
Mr.. CoxweIl insthe ring. When 1 shook
my body 1 seemed to have full power
over the muscles of the back, and con-
siderably so over those Of the neck. but
none over either my arms or my legs.
AS in the case of the arms, SO all mus
cular power was lost in an instant from
my back and neck. I dimly saw Mr..
CoxwelI, and endeavored to speak. but
could not In an instant intense dark
ness overcame me, so that the optic
nerve had suddenly lost power, but 1
was still conscious, with as active
brain as at the present moment while
writing this. 1 thought I had been
seized with asphyxia, and believed 1
should experience nothing more, as
death would come unless We speedily
descended. Other thoughts were en-
tering my mind, when l became un-
| conscious as on going to sleep. L can
not tell anything of the sense of hear
ing. as no sound reaches the ear to
break the perfect stiffness and silence
of the regions between six and seven
miles from the earth. My last Obser-
vation was at 1:54, above $4,000 feet.
RETURNING POWER.
while powerIess 1 heard the words
| temperature and observation and L
knew Mr. Coxwell was in the car
speaking to and endeavoring to raise
me. therefore consciousness and hear
ing had returned. l then heard him
speaking more emphatically, but could
not see, speak or move. | heard him
say again: DO try, now, do Then the
instruments became dimly visible. and
Mr.. Coxwell and very shortly 1 saw
clearly. 1 said to Mr.. COXwell, I have
been insensible;' he said, You have,
and 1. too. very nearly He told me he
had lost the use of his hands, which
were black, and 1 poured brandy over
them. Mr.. Coxwell told me that while
in the ring he felt it piercingly cold,
and on attempting to leave the ring he
found his hands frozen He had there
fore to place his arms on the ring and
drop down. He wished to approach me,
but could not, and when he felt insensi-
bility coming over him, too, he became
anxious to open the valve. But in con-
sequence of having lost the use of his
hands he could not do this; ultimately
he succeeded by seizing the cord with
his teeth and dipping his head two or
three times, until the balloon took de-
cided turn downward. The descent took
place at Cole Weston, seven and half
miles from Ludlow"
Thus one of the aeronauts was in
sensible and the other had only the
use of his teeth left with which to open
the valve and on that their safety de-
pended. The height to which they had
attained is without parallel. Mr..
Glaisher says:
HEIGHT OF ASCENT.
MY last observation was made at a
! height of $4,000 feet at 1854. when we
were ascending 1000 feet per minute,
and when 1 resumed observations we
were descending 1000 feet per minute.
| These two positions must be connected,
taking into account the interval be-
tween them, Is minutes. And on these
considerations the balloon must have
attained an altitude Of $4,000 or $1,000
feet. Mr.. Coxwell, on coming from the
ring, noticed that the center of the
aneroid barometer, its blue hand, and
a rope attached to the car were all on
the same straight line, and this gave a
reading of seven inches. and leads to
the same result. Therefore, these in
dependent means all come to aoOut the
same elevation-fully seven miles
Coxwell has given his own account Of
this adventure. Never" he SAYS.