The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-05-29

T am convinced that my studies will make life in the stratosphere possible in future. am glad that l helped to inaugurate this new era of aerial transportation. hope that others will now attempt similar flights to break my record"
 Piccard told newspapermen he had conducted highly successful ex- periments between 15,000 and i6,000 meters (about 50,000 to 52.48O feet) He said in testing the in- crease in conductivity of the gases in cosmic rays, he had found the conductivity comparatively high.
 This is one of Professor Albert Einstein's theories. long disputed, and about which there still remains some doubt.
 T never doubted the success of the enterprise" Piccard said, be cause everything was minutely or ganized in advance. It was very cold and we suffered some hardships above 30,00O feet. The paragraph kept rising and at one time thought we would never stop as- cending. ., "For a moment" he added, T felt we were between life and death. When we were a little above 16.00O meters (about 52,60O feet) the balloon stopped and then began descending slowly. It finally dropped to 1000 meters (about l3,- 100 feet) in little more than an hour. At that altitude we halted in our descent without apparent cause It probably was due to the warmer temperature, expanding the gas.
 After sunset the cooler air en- abled US to continue the descent, but we were faced with the danger of winds forcing us against the m mountainsides, which might have proved disastrous. Of course. we were lucky to land on the glacier and not far from habitation."
 Piccards elation was shared by Kipfer.
 "The greatest altitude was reached between 4:30 a. m. (S3 minutes after the start) and 7:30 a. m. Wednes- day." he said. "In that time the balloon varied in altitude only a few hundred yards and we had a wonderful opportunity to make op- seryations of the ionization of the air and in regard to cosmic rays.
 "Our oxygen apparatus worked perfectly and, despite the low tenn perature of the stratosphere 1t was never below zero within the gondola. l never felt tired"
 Piccard revealed that exhaustion of their oxygen, supply was one or the factors which forced them to land -on the glacier in the Oetz val- ley near the Austro- Italian frontier.
 Hans Father, the village school master who led the first rescue party to reach Piccard and Kipfer, said Piccard had told him they might be compelled to leave the aluminium gondola on the glacier.
 Professor Piccard told me the temperature outside the balloon in the stratosphere was 55 to 50 de- grees centigrade below zero, but that inside it was Al degrees centigrade, due to the heat of the suns rays on the painted side of the undercar- riage," Father said. They drank water gathered on the cabin sides after their supply had been ex- hausted.
 spite the fact they tried to keep the unpainted side toward the sun. :,
 The temperature Al degrees cenu- grade is more than 105 degrees Fahrenheit. =
 Piccard telegraphed his wife in Brussels: Tt was a magnificent flight. We met great difficulties in the stratosphere but able land high mountain at 9 p. m. Attained aiti- tude, did everything according 10 program. Able abandon stratos- nhere only after sunset. Descent most difficult, took 16 hours"
 He intimated he would not stay Tn Gurgl longer than necessary, being eager to get back to Brussels ana gauge his instrument.
 Brussels, May 29.-(UP)-Pro- lessor Auguste Piccard has been made a commander of the order of Leopold by King Albert, in recogni- ton of his balloon flight.
 Charles Kipfer, Piccard's compan- ion, was made a chevalier In the same order.