Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1907-11-22
FIFTEEN MILES HIGH.
THE REMARKABLE ACHIEV EMENT o F
WEATHER DEPARTMENT
BALLOONS.

WEATHER DEPARTMENT S
BALLOONS.
Announcement is made by the Un-
tied States Weather Bureau of a re-
markable achievement, the sending OF
a balloon carrying automatic record
ing instruments to an elevation of Is
miles above the surface of the earth.
This is by far the greatest height ever
attained by any balloon or other con-
triYance devised by man.
The balloon in question was of the
kind known as pilot balloons. 1t was
of rubber and much resemnled the
familiar toy balloons such as are sold
on the streets. save only that it was
bigger, being about six feet in diamet-
er, and had small wicker cage to con-
tain the Instruments.
The Weather Bureau recently has
been making a great mauy balloons OF
this kind, which are intended to serve
as explorers of the higher atmosphere
II is thought that such messengers,
making automatic observations at vari-
Gus levels as they ascend, will yet reach
an elevation OF 20 miles, and it is ex
pected that they will bring back many
a startling and useful fact to be added
to the sum of information already
gained.
Even now they have contributed re-
cords of low temperature and high
wind velocities far aloft which have
been revelation. compelling recon-
struction of ideas concerning the dyn.
amics of the atmosphere.
On one of the SUBMITS of the Blue
Ridge, in Virginia; tue Weather Blu
eau has recently established an OBJ
serving station. One feature of the
pls Mt is an outfit for the manufacture
of hydrogen gas to fill the pilot bal
looms.
Arrangements have been made by
which on certain appointed days pilot
balloons will be sent up from many
widely separated stations in this coun
try, while similar aerial messengers
will be liberated simultaneously by oh
servatories at various points in Europe
By this means valuable data, it is
thought, will be secured. Again when
a storm center is perceived to be NOV
in across the United States. no mat
ter in what direction, 20 or 80 balloons
will be flown from as many different
stations all around it so as to watch
the phenomenon from as many differ
ent points of view as possible,
The balloons here described are free
ball00ns-that is to say, liberated and
mt aloft without any string or wire
or other connection with the earth. As
they ascend and reach levels in which
the air is relatively thin and rare1ed
they expand proportionately, equaliz-
ing the pressure outside and inside of
the rubber gas bag and this continues
until at length the balloon bursts, con-
verting itself thereupon, by the help
of an ingenious yet simple contrivance
into parachute, which drops the lit
tie basket and the instruments it con-
tains slowly aud gently to the ground,
Among the instruments is a COM
bined barometer and thermometer,
which, as the balloon goes up marks
with pen on a sheet of white paper
the temperature of different attitudes.
Other cOntrivance, eq uaiIy ingenious,
record the velocity of the wind at vari
Gus heights and the percentage Of mois-
ture which the air contains.
When the gasbag bursts the barOme
ter makes accurate note of the eleva
tion attained. The instruments weigh
only from one to four pounds apiece,
so that the load carried up is not very
heavy.
At an elevation OF 10 miles above the
surface of the earth it is everlasting
winter. the temperature being nearly
700 below zero Fahr. all the year round.
1t is above the level of the highest
clouds-those mares tails, so-called,
which are supposed to be composed Of
crystals of snow or ice.
At all times frightful wind is blow.
ing with velocity of something like
100 i1oc ho1r Inf "a oir nf
course. is comparatively thin, having
density only one-ninth as great as at
the level of the sea. Though the fluid
ocean called the atmosphere, on the
bottom of which we may be said to
crawl around. is known to be about
100 miles in depth, one-half of its en-
tire mass is below the three-mile level.
On account of the extreme cold of
the higher atmosphere levels into which
the pilot balloons penetrate it is neces-
sary to make special tests of the tenn
perature recording instruments, and
for this purpose liquid-air manufac-
turing plant is maintained at the OBJ
serving station on Mount Weather.
Plainly, electricity has much to do
with the mechanism of storms.
For this and other reasons the stor-
age of it in the atmosphere interests
in high degree the expert meteorological.
1t is believed that lightning flash has
an extremely high voltage with a low
amperage; In other words, that it con
tains only small amount of electrici-
ty at very high pressure. But there is
no certainty about it,
The W leather Bureau man sends up
a scientific box kite with the help of a
windlass from hilltop, using piano
wire in place of string. Storm clouds
come up and electricity begins to de-
scend the wire, throwing off fOrmlda-
bic sparks. 1t is interesting fact,