Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-05

called the ripping cord. =
BY pulling this cord, ~
the aeronaut can tear a 80 -f4r-F-<& R-4S$
clear rip down the entire @sszzz=ss.s5- :.
length of the balloon, &s
thus opening it and al "
lowing the gas to escape as rapidly pos ~
sible. This means, OF course, rapid de-
scent; but, as | have explained, this de-
scent is usually not sufficiently precipi- If S
tate to involve any danger to the bal 4
loOnist ~
An interesting experiment along this 4
line that planned by John Wise, one
of the pioneer aeronauts of this country. ~
Wise had become convinced that with
properly constructed balloon there was
little danger to be apprehended from either
the bursting the ripping of the balloon, if it
at great height. In order to make clear the
truth of his theory, Wise had constructed for him
a balloon, specially provided with ripping cords,
which, instead OF opening up tear down the side,
would make great rents in the top so that the gas
would escape with greatest possible raPidity.
On the occasion of this ascension, Wise took with
him in the cat and dog. The cat attached
to a small parachute, and was dropped out at
height of about two thousand feet The parachute
oscillated from side to side but the cat reached
the ground in safety. The dog placed in the
of a small balloon, which a miniature facsimile
of the one in which Wise making the experiment.
Before being dropped, this balloon was punctured
at the top, just as Wise intended to rip his own
balloon, and was then dropped from the The
small balloon with its canine aerOnaut sailed easily
down to the ground which the dog reached in
perfect safety
The balloon which Wise was using on this occasion,
being constructed specially for the purpose view
did not have at the bottom the opening usually
provided for the escape of gas which always occurs
the balloon into the higher and rarefed
air. On being released the balloon had risen rapidly
to a height of about thirteen thousand feet At this
point the air in which the balloon was floating had
become thin and the atmospheric pressure SO
light that the balloon distended to a point
which Wise felt to be dangerous. To complicate
the situation, there occurred at this moment a
severe thunderstorm in the strata of clouds just
below the balloon.
An Accidental Parachute
THE balloon rose higher and higher. In this ex-
tremity, it appears that Wise lost his head and
did not know what to do. The experiment, however,
performed itself; for at the height of fourteen thou
sand feet the silk bag, diStended beyond its endur
ance by the expanding gas within it, burst with
terrific explosion
Within ten seconds, according to the aeronaut's
calculation, all the gas in the balloon had escaped.
The entire apparatus began fall toward the earth
with alarming rapidity. Presently, however, the
lower part of the bag doubling upward and inward,
exactly as the aeronaut had planned, formed a
perfect parachute, in which the daring sky traveller
descended safely to the earth.
Another interesting balloon explosion is that
which occurred during an ascension made by two
well-known aeronauts of England Albert Smith and
John Gypson. The ascension made at night
from Vauxhal1 Gardens. The account of London,
at night from elevation of four thousand
feet, as given by Smith is most interesting.
81 In the obscurity of the night, all traces of
houses and their Enclosures were lost sight of.
compare the view to nothing else than floating
a dark-blue and boundless waste spangled with
hundreds of thousands of stars. These stars were
the lamps of the city We could them stretching
the river at the bridges edging its banks, form
ing the squares and long parallel lines of light at
the streets and solitary parks, farther and farther
apart until they altogether lost the suburbs
The effect was bewildering"
On arriving at altitude of about eight thou
sand feet, it was discovered that the
balloon becoming too tense,
and the aeronaut in charge pulled gT----