Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1920-06-19

loonists like Henry Glaisher and his assistant,
James Coxwell, both BriTons, WHO in September,
1867 rose to an altitude calculated by them as
about seven miles, which was higher than that
attained by Major Schroeder the American flyer,
in his recent sensational jump at Dayton, O.
Gashers experience was especially valuable
from the standpoint of the person who wants to
know what it is like up there" because the aspi-
rator quit working at an altitude of five miles.
Writing for the British Association for Balloon
Experiments as to what happened after reaching
the ivemile level. he said;
Up to this time had taken observations with
comfort and experienced no difficulty whatever
in breathing.
Then having discharged sand we rose still
higher The aspirator became troublesome to work
ana began TO find difficulty in seeing
could not the column of mercury in the wet
bulb thermometer, nor the hands of the watch.
the fine division of any instrument
Shortly after laid my arm on the table pos
sessed of its full vigor. hut being DESTROYS of
using it little later found il powerless | tried
to move the other arm: found ii poweress also
tried to shake myself and succeeded, bur | seemed
TO have no limbs.
Il dimly saw Mr.. Coxwell aud endeavored 10
speak TO him but could not. Then, in an Instant
intense darkness Overcalhe me so that the optic
nerve lost power suddenly, bur | was still con
sciOus with active brain as at the present
moment, while writing This. thought had been
seized with asphyxa and believed | should ex-
perience nothing more, death would come UNI
less speedily descended; other thoughts were
entering my mind when suddenly became unton-
sCious.
II cannot tell anything of the sense of hearing
as sound reaches the air 10 break the perfect
silence of the regions between six and seven miles
above the earth"
The balloon finally began to descend after Cox
Well. who retained consciousness even longer than
his chief had managed 10 pull the valve rope with
his teeth
Both men reganed consciousness after the bal
loon had descended several thousand feet and
they managed TO make safe landing
Two facts having direct hearing on the oues-
ton as 10 atmospheric conditions above the earth
were established by them. One is that sounds
like that made Icy passing railroad trains can stir
be heard at height Of about four miles but thar
AT six miles there is perfect silence
The other is that up to q certain point fentIf-
cally referred 10 the level where Inversion of
atmosphere occurs The fan of the .nerc11rv nv
erages about one degree Fahrenheit to every 800
feet.
In April, 1875, NJ. CASTOR Tissandier ana two
companions confirmed these findings when they
rose from Paris in a balloon to a height Of nearly
six miles, bu. in this case the expedition was
rnarred by the fact that both companions Of N lis
sander, having less stamina than he or the Brit
ISL aeronauts, died before the gas bag returned
to the ground.
If further confederation is desired as to con
dions Is they exist the first lap" of the aeraI
Journey into the void they can he had from tb.
experiences of the ayiators who since the advent
Of airpianes. have tried 10 reach the did Of the
worlds atmosphere.
TWO IF Tho most prominent Of these at least
among the American aviaJors. have been Major
Schroeder and Roland Rohlfs, who have engaged
tn "a UNIQUE contest for highest records above the
clouds
Major Schroeder in his gbt few weeks ago at
raiued an a.rtuS@ of 5000 feet, 1T which height
I'll. thermometer registered ~ degrees below zero
oeHteGaae or G. aek~ee- oeioy zero Fahrenheit
So. in bis case. rs Weil in that ot Rohlf~ when
H. reached $3.50" feet n July iaSr. and THAT OF
AatutaLt Casale, 81 lhe French army no rose 30