The Coolidge examiner., 1935-02-01

-
A MOTHER fight by a huge bal.
y loon into the s;ratosphere
wlll De- made IN the summer
% ia11. j1lniiy by The National Geo.
graphlc society and the United
States army air corps capt Al.
bert " Stevens wiil De- 60 command
% the balloon which vii be plotted
by capt OrvI A. Anderson Like
the expedition - las, summer. the
hlEh, % 1895 wlll take OF from
natural basin lu the Black inns.
eleven miles west ot Rapid city.
s =
Preparation for such a flight Is
n siupendous task. From the lncep.
ton 81 the last ilEht In the fall ~
19xl with the guidance of the sci.
enti0c committee appointed by
President Grusvenor of the National
Geographic society. no pains were
spared 10 produce the best possible
instruments and equipment FOR col
leciinz scientific data IN the strato-
sphere. The Instruments were 10
D. 90 full laboratory size 70 60
sure the greatest attalnable accu
racy This meant that some would
D. both bulky and heavy.
To house these many large in
stumcnts. u became necessary a.
design a eondola larger than any
thar bad previously been sent aloft.
Finally. 70 became apparent that
O. lift the gondola and SIS cargo of
apparatus high into the s,rato.
sphere. q very large balloon would
be required Experts were con
sulied skilled 10 such construction.
and contract was given TO de-
sign and build a larger balloon than
ans previously constrncted--a bag
which. when fully Inflated. would
contain 100000 cubic feet az gas
II required Eve months 20 fashion
this gigantic bag. and into II went
tao and n third aeres of rnbber-im-
preEnaied cloth made from long
staple cotton. while Il was being
built. work was begun on the gon.
cola. a globe az dow. metal. lighter
than alumlnum: and To a score of
laboratories and workshops from
New York 10 California specially
designed instruments we're being
constructed
Meanwhile a site for the base
camp ~ the strntosphere flight
had been chosen IN western South
Dakota Three considerations de-
termined this choice. the point was
FAR enough west 20 permit the bal
loon 20 drift even zoo or san miles
% the eastward. and still come TO
earth IN relatively level. unforest-
81 country: tae record ~ the re.
gion was promising for good sum-
mer dying weather: and the site
vas sheltered from surface winds
Making the "Sira;oeanP"
Early In June a camp was es.
tahllshed In the deep. clla-encIr.
cled natural bowl near Rapid
city. II quickly became known as
the .Stratocamp.~ Capt, Oryil 4.
Anderson was on the scene from
the start. Under his capable a.
recflon the camp developed from
an almost deserted basin into
husfiinE little village OF mere than
n hundred Inhabitants
Three telephone lines and two
radio stations kept the Stratocamp
10 communication with the outside
world: and there were two teIe-
graph wires leading 20 teletype ma.
chimes which constantly raped oui
weather Information from points as
Far away as Alaska. Cuba and Ice
land. The special weather station
set up at the camp. through the cr,-
operation OF the United States
weather bureau. the signal corps.
and the air corps. ranked. in fun
res ~ Information furnished. with
the half dozen most important
weather stations IN the United
States.
Two weeks after the camp was
started Captain Stevens went ont
by plane from Washington. taking
some special instruments. A few
days later Maj William Z. Kepner
few into Rapid City. and the flight
personnel was complete.
Freight car loads and truck loads
% the equipment necessary Tor
stratosphere flight had been con.
verging on the Stratocamp for
weeks. Three railroad cars filed
with heavy steel cylinders contain
ing compressed hydrogen arrived In