Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-08-23
ABOARD THE SKY EXPRESS
Avlator's Proposal TO Utilize
Speedy Upper Currents 10
Perfectly Feasible-Why
the Current Exists
T,HB proposition made last week BY

Of the earth's atmosphere in aerial
flights, which would mean breakfast In
San Francisco and dinner In New York
the same day, or a trip from New York
to London between sunrise and sunset,
is not by any means so chimerical as 1t
may sound to many. In fact, 1t is not
even new idea, though heretofore 1t
has been merely a dream Of the theorists
and has had to remain in the domain OF
theory because there was no mechanical
possibility of actually doing it.
THE proposition is based upon the
l. assumption that there is a steady
current Of air blowing from west to east
over the earth at the tremendous rate or
something over 200 miles an hour. An
airplane, travelling with a speed OF lO0
miles an hour--an ordinary achieve
ment In these marvellous days-and tax
ing advantage Of this current would
thereby acquire a speed Of 300 miles an
hour, which would easily accomplish the
transcontinental or transatlantic voy-
ages within ten hours.
This upper current of air has long
been suspected by meteorologists and has
been conclusively proved within the last
two decades. Early in the eighteen for
titSt IL hOt NJ lauit'
Wise, the pioneer of American balloon
ing. tried to finance an expedition to
Europe by free balloon depending en-
tirely upon this current for propulsion.
Later, Prof. Samuel A. King, the pic
turesque aeronaut Of this city, attempted
to do the same thing.
PROFESSOR KING had a more sci
L entifically inclined mind than Wise,
and in all of his 400 or more balloon
ascensions he made 1t practice to make
| meteorological observations especially
with reference to the clouds, their ap-
pearance, their apparent composition
and particularly their phenomena dur
ing storms. Practically all of the early
data about the upper surfaces OF the
cumulus clouds now on file in Wash
ington were contributed by him.
Cumulus clouds are those great, beau
! tiful, rolling masses like huge punches
Of cotton wool which pile up in all sorts
of wonderful shapes and roll into tow
ering, 1eecy mountains that reflect the
sunlight back to the earth sometimes in
great blazes Of luminous glory. They
are the lowest of the clouds. Their bot
tom edges are f.om half to three
quarters of mile above the earth, but
the far flung peaks of their glistening
spires may reach upward mile or more
above that. These clouds drift in all
directions with the prevailing winds.
They are too low to be affected by the
current which the aviators would use.
THE first suspicion Of the existence of
i this higher current was caused by q
prolonged and widespread study of the
clouds known as cirrus and those called
GIRO stratus. These names sound tech =
nical, but the clouds are familiar sights
in our sky and are known to everybody.
! The cirrus clouds are detached clouds,
looking feathery In texture and very
thin and delicate, usually lying like dim,
tenuous streaks, sometimes number OF
them appearing in parallel bands. These
are the highest clouds. The cirro-
stratus are thin. whitish sheets some
times covering the sky completely and
giving 1t milky appearance. Halos
about the sun and moon are often pro
duced by these GIRO stratus clouds.
THESE two classes of clouds are from
i two to three miles in height ant
they have been traced to 86 900 feet. L
was soon discovered that they wer'
drifting steadily and with considerable
speed from the west to the east. Manned
free balloons and sounding balloons car
rying self registering instruments hav
probed the secrets of these uppel
reaches until q great deal Of data ha
been collected, all proving that thi
huge and very rapid current is a reality
at least north Of 30 degrees north lati
tude. In fact, it Is now known tha
there Is a great vortex of air rushing
about the North Pole in this direction
TNHE reason for this is by no mean
l. hard to understand. Reduced to 1t
simplest theories. anybody can easil
grasp 1t, though when all of the discov
. cries of meteorologists are introduced
becomes quite complicated.
Let us consider II in its very simples
and entirely theoretical aspect. Th
earth, as every one knows, Is n grea
ball revolving rapidly from west to east
The distance around the earth Is, G
course, greatest at the equator. Thn
will be very apparent II you compar
the earth to a tomato which you ar
{ going to slice The slice which is Gu
3 from the middle will be the bigges
around. AS the slicing goes on towar
,, the ends the slices become smaller An
smaller in circumference. until you &c
pair Of little ones containing the steI
e and the knob on the bottom.
D The earth is about 5000 mile
| around the equator. AS it revolves ono
q every twenty four hours. this mean
: that any point on the equator Is whirle
around at the tremendous rate of 104
miles an hour.
Still considering the matter theoreti
cally, friction would cause the air 6
e the equator to be whirled with the cart
i and to attain approximately the sam
s speed. That gives us a theoretic'
e starting point, with the air whirlir
t from west to enst with the equator &
r the rate of 1912 miles an hour.
g But the great heat at the equatt
causes this air to expand and rise, sti
, whirling, let us suppose, at this san
u rate. It's place is at once taken by Il
r cooler airs from the north. They
e their turn, going downward, suck tn
o hot air up northward to take the
= place, and. still whirling at about 1O4
Il miles an hour, this air from the equatC
e finds itself over, we will say, Philade
phia and New York.
~ ~ DUT, when you sliced your tomat
, ID you found that the slices cut tn
- far from the middle were considerab
~ smaller around than the middle slic
So It is considerable less distance arour
y the earth, straight east and west, in Il
ir latitude Of Philadelphia than 1t Is
the equator. The distance Is, in fac
n lust about 10OS0 miles. With OF
ID revolution of the earth every twent!
"a four hours, this means that Philadelph
70 Is whirled only 795. miles an hour ffo