Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-30

ich 1 contemplated reaching. cubic
hydrogen can only support a little more
can bear about / kilogram.
loon meeting these requirements offers
that If the balloon is completely filled
0 times more carrying capacity than
ditions looked favorable for Wednesday.
May 81, 1881.
The balloon was therefore spread
out on Tuesday afternoon, and about
midnight the filling began. I intended
starting about S, but, unfortunately,
the weather grew worse suddenly, SO
that the start looked like the most diff
ficult part Of our venture, Just before
our balloon was allowed to rise, which
1t did with great impetus. owing to the
existing wind. Because of the way in
which the balloon was tossed about
before the start, some of the articles in
the cabin suffered somewhat, and while
one of the instruments was b. ing moved
into the cabin it struck the wall Of the
cabin rendering it, as we found later,
not alright. We we're obliged to mend
1t as swiftly as possible with the mate
rial we had on the spot.
Fortunately We were able to do so
satisfactorily and quickly.
The appreciate loss Of breathable air
thus sustained corrected by releasing
the liquid oxygen, which l carried in
reserve in a pyrex vacuum bottle.
poured certain amount on the floor
Of the cabin, where it rapidly evap-
Grated.
Unfortunately our very rapid ascent
and the incident just related prevented
us from carrying out certain scientific
experiments at various attitudes.
When We began our observations. IS
minutes after the start, We were al
ready at a height of Is kilometers,
without having thrown out any ballast.
Here the ascent was Of fairylike
beauty. We saw the sun rising above
the horizon long before the earth be-
meath us had been touched by the suns
rays. The rare glances from the cabin
windows which our work permitted us
to take throughout the journey belong
to the most beautiful which have seen
in my life.
Particularly striking was the view Of
the many interviewer chains of the
Bavarian- Austrian Alps.
Valve Found Out Of Order.
Soon after we had steadied ourselves
at Is kilometerS above sea level we
made the disagreeab Bile discovery that a
valve. BY a combination of unfortunate
circumstances, was out Of order and
We perceived that 1t would be impossi-
BILE to make the valve function by ordi-
nary means.
1t seemed TO us from the beginning
that probably the balloon would descend
of its own accord during the afternoon,
owing to the cooling temperature after
surset. and we felt that we would have
to be careful with our available oxygen.
But the situation became almost crtti-
cal when the balloon refused to descend
of O'clock pt and oven at T.
The damage to the valve also had
another consequence, as We realized
that landing without using the escape
valve would be diffcult
We decided to retain as much as pos
sible of our ballast. OF 500 Kilograms
lead waste taken by us We only had
dumped 112 kilograms when we reached
an altitude Of Is kilometers.
This brought our barometer reading
to exactly rs millimeters Of mercury
If We had dumped $50 kilogremmes as
We originally intended doing, we would
have gone beyond our anticipated alti-
tude Of Is kilometers by as much as
800 meters.
During our long imprisonment in the
sphere we realized that our friends
would be anxious about us especially
as the balloon at the end of the after
noon floated over the Alps.
Speed Greatly Reduced.
We eagerly awaited the setting Of the
sun, which occurred little after 8
o'clock. Now the balloon began to sink
appreciably After the sun had set,
our speed had greatly diminished.
We were lucky in economiZirg our
oxygen. saving it to such en- extent
that at the end of the journey we had
not suffered any lack CT air.
1T quarter CT 9 we were going
down well, and we we're delighted to
eXpel a good deal Of the used air from
the cabin and sweeoel what remained
with generous oUtpouring Of the
liquid oxygen.
We watched eagerly for the moment
when the air pressure inside and out
side of the sphere became equal and
then we opened the scuttles Of the
cabin and prepared to make a landing
which was effected about o'clock at
an altitude Of 2,700 meters on a glacier
We spent the night putting our gear
straight and then went to sleep In the
morning, we cooked ourselves a wonder
full meal of melted glacier, chocolate
and -four.
Seeing no human being. we decided
at 8 O'Clock, to descend into the valley
but before doing so We spread some
pieces or cioth and the Swiss 1dentifica-
ton mark of the balloon, "CH 49," on
the ice in geometrical pattern, weigh
ing them down with Jumps Of lead
ballast
We hoped some flyer might find the
balloon and we wished him to under
stand that we had left the cabin alive
and conscious.
The descent into the valley was not
very simple. We did not use the path
over the glacier because with a COM
pletely unknown glacier we feared un-
expected crevasses.
Roped together. we therefore crossed
over the glacier, climbed down the rocks,
and by noon had the pleasure Of seeing
the first people, whom we sent down
into the valley with a message to our
friends that we were safe.
After a weariSome march we reached
the first village at o'clock. We were
happy that in spite of the various mis-
haps we had at least succeeded in
carrying out part of our scient fic
program. We hope that the FonGs Ma
tional Dsrecherche Scientifique Of Bel
GUM, which financed our first expedi-
ticn. will not have spent its money in
vain.
Copyright. 1881. in all countries by North
American Newspaper Alliance, Inc. All rights
reserved.
a.