Churchill standard. (Fallon, Nev) 1903-1908, 1905-12-09


mayka6ie Aerial Exploration OF rec
ord. Secured from and published Otth
illustrations made of tie TRIP, BY cORr-
kssy of Tile Technical W0rd, Chicago.
last fall I participated in an experience
that for its wonderful phases has never
been duplicated"
John Bennett reached for his pipe, filled
and lighted 1t, and then glanced toward me
as If to ask IL 1 wished to hear what he
had to divulge. He Ia a very remarkable
man, of that rare type fast disappearing.
For more than half a century he has made
his home in the heart Of CALIFORNIA; mates
tic mountains. and like the Poet of the
Sierras," he wears a flowing p~atriarchal
beard, and hair to match, ana Is hiinsesf
a student and a poet by HAture.
1 settled myself In my chair with an ap-
%preciatiye nod, and u = Bennett began
what is truly a most '-able story.
ST am the olde@ 'uate of Yale In
Gal Gaiif9 95at hre ne raa 5G1ns = II na wts
of scientists tn old university. 1 am
not at ID y name them, for they are
comino ~ 10 try another experiment,
and - that has been made, the whole
tb' - secret OF theirs. 1t will not do any
'.sS to tell as much as l Intend to, how
''They brought with them a dirigible bal
loon, and confded that they were going to
mans 80. oH%%N~ aA1 1NN'
of the Sierras so as TO be able to make an
accurate map of the entire range. 1t didn't
turn out that way however, as you will see.
" In a sort Of superficial way l have al
ways been interested in aerostatics and
kindred sciences; and when they asked me
to them as guide and eompan-
ion l accepted the invitation with ~aiacrity;
We went farther up into the range, and
made camp. They took their machine out,
and began the work OF assembling the
parts . aud l want to say here that it was as
complete a thing as ever man made. There
was everything calculated TO make the trip
a success and every appliance to prevent ac-
nident- It's pretty cold up on top of the
ange above timber line. and arrangements
mad been made to prevent this condition
from retarding the experiments. The ear
OF the balloon was made of i~singlass over a
frame of aluminium. 1t was entirely en-
closed, and was heated from an electric
motor, which also propelled the machine.
Hydrogen gas was used as the lifting
power, supplemented by another motor. and
oxygen was manufactured and supplied TO
the occupants of the car when the atmos-
phere became too rarihed for comfortable
breathing. Provisions were stored for the
party-enough TO last six men a week
and when the ascension was made II seemed
that not a thing had been overlooked. All
sorts of thermometers, and ther-
mometers were taken along, and everything
necessary for the proper study OF the con-
dltions that might confront the party after
1T was a sparkling morning when the
signal was given. and we arose with a
bound and were soon soaring over the tops
Of the snowy peaks. Never shall | forget
that sight as I gazed through the sides and
bottom of the transparent car. So bright
was the sunshine that we were forced to
draw the green silk curtains at some of the
windows. Within five minutes we were
looking Town on toy mountains that were
dropping away from us as a stone drops
from the top of a tall building; and the
atmosphere had become so rarefied that the
0xrRan tank Wvac Onpna9 info the ear md
the heating motor was started. Far on
TO the west, we could see the tiny valleys,
and, still farther. an endless blue expanse
have exulted in the view from a balloon.
but few have ever had the experience of
making an ascension 10 u height above