Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-20
Flight Across Atlantic Hope of
Many Persons.
IDEA CAME, FROM ENGLAND
John Wise, in 1913, Published Plan
for Voyage.
START WAS LONG DELAYED
In Fall of 1873 Balloon Began Trip
and Came Down After Going
500 Miles.

| For the last seventy years there have
| been numerous projects for crossing the
| Atlantic ocean by means of a balloon
but. while several OF those who enga ged
| in the enterprises expended considerable
money in making preparations. only one
| balloon before that of the Wellman eX-
| petition actually made a start
| Strange as 1t may appear, the first idea
of crossing the Atlantic by means of the
old-fashioned spherical balloon came from
England, but from such information as is
! now common property regarding the up
per air currents generally blowing over
the North Atlantic, such an expedition
! would be impossible in all but q reversal
of conditions, which, in the law of aver
ages. is not likely to happen more than
once in ten thousand times. In a spheri-
cal balloon 1t was recognized after John
Wise. a Philadelphia aeronaut, published
his studies in the 40s, that a voyage
across the sea from east to west, while
not impossible under conditions that were
hardly to arise at the psychological mo-
ment, was so unlikely to meet with those
conditions that 1t was improbable.
1t was in the year 1910 that Charles
Green, a daring English aeronaut, out
lined his proposals for crossing the ocean.
Mr.. Green offered his services gratuitOus-
ly II some wealthy persons would finance
the project. These patrons Of ballOoning,
however, failed to come forward in the
requisite number, and the project went
to join the great limbo of great things
undone. Green's idea, briefly, was to
Jockey for the right currents of air. He
intended to, rise up to meet the current
that would carry him in the chosen di-
rection, or would descend to the stratum
that would do so.
Much Ballast Needed.
Such a plan necessitated an enormous
Quantity Of ballast, and it was pointed
out by Tissandier and others that the ex-
perienced aeronaut did not, perhaps
count sufficiently on the loss Of gas that
would follow such a proceeding. They
also showed that by making this attempt
the balloon could not possibly have the
buoyancy necessary for so long a voy-
age.
There seems to be no doubt that
Green's project gave the initiative to
John Wise, for in the year 1913 he pub
lished his plan for making the voyage
across the Atlantic, and, having asserted
the existence of an almost constantly
prevalent wind-blowing toward the east
received more attention than such daring
projects usually gain.
In an announcement directed Ito all
publishers Of newspapers on the globe"
Mr.. Wise told Of his intention to cross
the Atlantic in the summer Of the fol-
lowing year. The announcement asked
the commanders of seagoing vessels to
be on the lookout for him and his bal
loon, and he admitted that the expedition
was daring and dangerous and it's success
only problematical.
1t was thirty years afterward before
81
realization. and at the time when the
big airship was being manufactured and
arrangements made for the actual voy-
age Wise published another book IN
which he explained that the trial had
not been attempted sooner because of the
failure to receive the financial assistance
that such an expedition ertailed.
While Wise did not make the voyage
in the summer OF the year 1871, as he
had announced about that time there ap
peared in the New York Sun most Won
derful account CT voyage of Mono Ma
son, Harrison Ainsworth and one or two
others. This was the now celebrated
balloon hoax, written by Poe, and, with
ears, it required no serious difficulty to
make the majority OF persons believe
that voyage by balloon across the
Atlantic actually had succeeded. In a day
or two the hoax became evident. and
even now the story is read with interest,
because it was constructed on such prob
able lines that only Jules Verne, in
later time, has succeeded in giving so
marvellous a tale.
Prepared for Start.
In the fall of the year 1873 the great
balloon that had been designed by Wise
was being made ready for the start in
Brooklyn. Wise was to be the chief of
the expedition, and his lieutenant was to
t11 do vii nf nd
bat, Washington H. Donaldson. The bal
loon followed closely the pattern Wise
had advocated thirty years before. 1t
was not, however, quite so extensive.
The balloon was said to have a lifting
power of $4,000 pounds. and sufficient
pounds OF ballast and passengers and
freight being taken. In addition to the
main aerostat, there was smaller one,
which was intended to supply gas when
the main gasbag should need repletion.
and when it had been exhausted In this
manner 1t was the intention to cut il up
for ballast.
Hanging below the balloon was a car
Of two stories in height, in which the pas
sengers, food and ballast were slowed
Below this there was a boat weighing 500
pounds. which was to be used in emer
gency. Wise already had used a boat un-
der his balloon In his historic voyage
across Lake Erie. when he was carried
along with a hurricane that was terrify-
ing in its violence.
The lower room In the car was taken
up with ballast and with a windlass to
lower and take up the drag-rope, which
weighed about 60 pounds. The boat was
divided into alright compartments, and
was believed TO be practically unsuitable.
Provisions and water for the party for
thirty days were taken in.
After the great balloon had been taken