Evening star., 1932-04-03

the investment by carrying mail and passen-
gers.
Others brought out similar proposals, one
suggesting line from San Francisco to St.
Louis to be travelled in 80 to 40 hours. This
balloon service was thought particularly appro-
pirate, as the mail took over a week on the
way and was constantly threatened by robbers
and marauding Indians. There was also be-
sides passengers and letters, the most valuable
cargo of gold to carry.
Wise started on a series of experimental
flights from the West and for the 10th Of
August he had a contract to ascend from
Lafayette, Ind
This trip was widely advertised and it was
to be a mail flight. The advertisements said
the balloon, called Jupiter, was to carry "circu-
lars, letter bag, express mail, the charter greet
ings from Lafayette to her sister cities in the
East" etc.
On the day of the ascension the following
notice was published in the local papers:
EXPRESS MAIL BY THE BALLOON
JUPITER.
All persons who wish to send letters to
their friends in the East by the balloon to-
day must deliver them at the Post ONCE
previous to IL m, as the Jupiters mail
closes at that hour The letters must be
addressed with the words "via balloon Jupi-
ter" added to the ordinary direction and
prepaid This mail win be- conveyed by Mr..
Wise to the place of landing with the bal
loon when 1t will be Placed In the nearest
post Office for distribution.
The ascension on the 10th was failure. The
next day he assembled again. but the air was
SO still that the balloon hung over Lafayette for
over an hour and when it drifted 1t was to the
southwest. Finally. toward evening, about three
miles up it was travelling due east and Wise
thought he had reached the eaSterly current
But it getting late and most Of the ballast
was expended SO he decided to land. Here Is
the report of the landing of the mail and the
balloon In Wises own words:
In looking down through the clouds no
ticed town little to the east Of me. By
reference to my chart it proved to be Craw-
fordsville. Knowing that If there were no
currents below I could safely and easily land
in the town, and in order to make the
arrival more interesting, concluded to send
my letter mail ahead, and to effect this in
systematic form the following expedient
was adopted: Having with me a muslin
sheet feet square, attached to each of
its corners strings CT about yards in length.
These were tied together at their lower
extremities and to this knot was attached
the mail bag, and then I dropped it over
board. 1t made an admirable parachute.
A few minutes travel informed me that It
would drift considerable distance to the
south of Charlottesville, as there was a
I pulled the valve of Jupiter and followed
and soon overlook the mail. We kept near
together all the way down, as 7 could regu-
late the descent of the balloon to the descent
of the parachute, and both the aerial ma
chimes landed within so feet of each other
on the public road six miles south of Craw-
fordsvllle, their descents being very slow.
From Charlottesville the mail bag was sent
on to New York and the last we hear of it is
the following press notice:
THE BALLOON MAIL.
LANCASTER, Pa, Friday August 10,
1859.-The special letter bag expressed by
the postmaster of Lafayette. with proof of
WEe's departure, was dropped from the
clouds over Charlottesville and passed
through here today en- route to New York in
good order.
II Very Important One
Tommy, can you tell me one Of the uses