Viewing page 31 of 182

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

northwest at starting, had now supplied the atmosphere with moisture enough to make a growing raid cloud. Slowly but interestingly the vapor assumed a milky hue. Presently it assumed the appearance of a vasicular cloud; then it spread out and bulged down in the middle, and soon it had the appearance of a great udder, with the water oozing through it, but more copiously at and round about its protuberant center. It was an interesting phenomenon, and it seemed as tho nature was unbosoming her mammal to give the thirsty earth some sustenance. I have noticed these udders and water spouts before, and thus I watched this one more minutely. Above this rain meteor there was a layer of diffuse striated clouds, with faint sunshine penetrating and warming the balloon, and causing her to rise from expansion of the gas, and this took us up until the barometer fell to 23, and we were sailing east southeast. This was the highest point we attained, and the thermometer fell to 53, having stood at 82 when we started. Here we uncorked a bottle of water and it smoked profusely. 
    Finding now that it was impossible to sail in the direction of Lafayette, unless we sailed in the rain, we tried it for a third time, but we found two serious objections: firstly, it would always saturate the net work with so much weight of water as to require dexterous use of the sand shovel; in the next, the water would follow the surface of the balloon and running down its neck would send a torrent on our heads and shoulders. This made it too disagreeable to remain in and under the rain, could we have sufficiently countervailed the depressing effects of the balloon by the weight of water thus encountered by the large quantity of ballast we had aboard.
    Here I would remark, that in order to sail balloons in rain, another concomitant to its pharaphernalia becomes necessary. It must be provided with a light water shedding covering over its upper hemisphere. Such a covering, coming down a foot or two below its equador [[equator]], would make the whole area within its circumference dry, and thus provide a dry place for the passengers, as well as it would avoid the expenditure of ballast occasioned otherwise by the absorption of rain in the net work.
    As we sailed in the lower current, and within 500 feet of the earth, we held distinct conversation with the people below who seemed to enjoy it very much. Some asked where we were going. Others where we came from, how we felt, who we were, and how we liked to ride so high, and nearly all of them finished by wishing us a safe voyage and "good luck to you," while many cried out, "come down," "come down," and finally, when they found we went on the even tenor of our way, with a wave of our flag, as we glided on they would give us a parting salute by a swing of their hats and 'kerchiefs and a hearty hurrah.
    Having sailed under and to the north of the rain by the lower current, and wishing to intercept the Terre Haute railroad, we landed on Ridge Prairie at 1 o'clock and 20 minutes, about 30 miles northeast of St. Louis, having given up the idea of gaining Lafayette in the rain. I now find that this rain reached Lafayette about dusk on Saturday evening, showing that the current would have taken us to or near that point had we remained in it. 
    We thought of tying up for a few hours when we landed, to see if the rain would not pass over, and then renew our voyage, as we had still 150 pounds of ballast, but in landing we learned another necessity to the perfection of systematic ballooning, to wit, better coming-to machinery. The common balloon hooks or grapnels won't do for the prairie country. Our grapnel caught hold in the prairie sod for a moment, and in tearing up it brought with it a clump of prairie grass, which muffled it so completely that it did not catch firmly after that, and we encountered a drag of half a mile, trying to bring the "Jupiter" to without exhausting her of gas, but we finally had to succumb to the breeze, and exhaust her power through a capacious valve and thus bring the voyage to a close. 
    While we were trailing along ground, we were devising means to avoid a recurrence of the trouble. It can be done by fixing four or six claws to the bottom edge of the basket.- In addition to this, we plainly saw and felt that if we had a good hickory peg, mounted with an iron socket point and a hole through the bottom of the car, we could with one blow of a clever sized hammer have pinned it fast. As we were on an experimental trip we noted all these things, hoping that others who follow this business will also set about doing something towards bringing it into common use, as it is too grand a system of useful means to be undeveloped to the human family at large.
    From the barometrical observations, which are stated mainly below, I am convinced that the trade winds, with their return currents, will serve us to establish a system of aerial travel that the world is hardly prepared to believe in yet. The many mishaps and occasional accidents in balloon experiments must not be received as unavoidable incidents to the business. Balloons, as general made and equipped, are no better adapted and fitted to the great end of ærial navigation, than are the Chinese junks to successful ocean crossing.

STATEMENT OF SCIENTIFIC LOG.
[[4 column table]]
|Clock.|Thermometer.|Barometer.|Direction.|
[[left indent]]Start[[/left indent]] |11 A.M.|82|29.3|N.N.W.|
|11.15 A.M.|75|28|N.N.E.|
|11 30 A.M.|71|27.4|N.N.E.|
|11 45 A.M.|70|27.3|N.E.Rain.|
|12 M.|67|26.3|N.E.Rain.|
|12.15 P.M.|58|24|E.|
|12 30 P.M.|53|23.2|E.S.E.|
|12 45 P.M.|70|27|N.N.E.Rain.|
|1 P.M.|75|28|N. by E.|
[[/4 column table]]
    
    In concluding this report, I would return my thanks in the name of science and progress to the friends of this experiment, and particulary [[particularly]] to the firm of Helfenstein, Gore & Co., which house alone contributed $100 towards the expenses of it.

JOHN WISE.
LAYFAYETTE IND August 1 1859
Ascent of the Balloon Jupiter from Saint Louis.
[From the St.Louis Republican, July 31st.]
    According to announcement, Prof. John Wise and his son Charles,(a young man of about twenty one years,) made their balloon ascent yesterday morning, from Washington Square.
    The balloon, which is called "Jupiter," and bears the motto, astro eastra, lumen numen," is thirty-six feet in diameter, constructed of a peculiar cotton cloth, tightly sewed in segments, and coated over on both sides with a drying varnish. It has a surface of nearly four thousand square feet, and is capable of holding twenty thousand cubic feet of carburetted hydrogen or coal gas; having an ascensive power of nearly one thousand pounds. In the particulars of shape, construction, net-work, &c, the "Jupiter" may compare favorably with any air vessel ever built, presenting an appearance of great symmetry, and being in every way excellently adapted to mounting the invisible course of the skies. 
     At a quarter before eleven o'clock, the car, (a willow basket about four feet square, or somewhat larger than that Prof. Wise occupied in the "Atlantic,") having been adjusted to the netting and the concentric hoop, and the two voyageurs having taken their places therein, all was in readiness for the launch. Every necessary article had been provided, such as ballast, (two hundred pounds) barometer, (a splendid one furnished by Prof. Henry, of the Smithsonian Institute,) compass, refreshments, index, paper, etc, etc. The Jupiter was now allowed to rise until the car or basket came immediately above the heads of the crowd, where it was held by means of a rope, one end of which rested in the hand of Prof. Wise, who took advantage of the prominence thus given him to make a few remarks. He thanked those present for their orderly demeanor and kind assistance, and returned acknowledgments to the gas company for favors.
     Prof. W. then explained that the present ascension was not to demonstrate that long voyages could be made, for that had already been proved, but was intended to be instrumental in ascertaining the barometrical heights of the different air currents, so as to, render ballooning more systematic and certain. He spoke for several minutes, and put the crowd in the best of humor with him. At five minutes to 11 o'clock he released the rope and the balloon rose with a dignity and graceful motion, to pursue its journey through the latitudes of a shoreless sea. As the winged ship parted the "firm set earth" and glided into the depths of space, Prof. Wise displayed a sifllk ag of the strips and stars, which was the signal for a general shout of farewell encouragement from the crowd. 
     The barometer at the earth, on starting, indicated nearly 29 1/2 inches, showing the atmosphere to be very humid and dense. For the reason, combined with the unnsual [[unusual]] stillness of the air, the flight of the balloon was not rapid, and it was found necessary to discharge ballast almost immediately.--Nevertheless the ascension proved to be a very fine one indeed, giving great delight to every one who beheld it.
     The direction taken by the "Jupiter" was north-east, though considerably more northerly than that of the "Atlantic" from this city. We watched it until the car with its inmates was no longer visible--till the great globe diminished to the size of the rising moon--till it looked no bigger than a dime--till a film enveloped it and it seemed the merest fleck on the sky--and when we looked again, a moment after, it had vanished from our sight. The "Jupiter" had been just an hour on its way. By this time the clouds had gathered again and rain was falling.
    As has been stated heretofore, it was a part of the design of Professor Wise to get no further from Lafayette. Ind, than it might be possible to avoid, the Professor having an engagement to make an ascension from that point this week. It was, indeed, announced that he intended to land within a few miles of that city, which, doubtless he would like very well to accomplish. It is not improbable, however, that unless the "Jupiter" reached a hight out of the way of the rain that the condensing state of the atmosphere and the additional weight which the water would give the balloon and netting, may have made a descent necessary long before the State of Illinois had been traversed. The balloon being very nearly full of gas on starting, must have "blown off" on getting into the rarified regions, and, it seems to us, it would have required the discharge of more ballast than the amount taken to make up for this loss. On the other hand, there may not have been rain in the section traveled by the "Jupiter," and if so, there is no reason why, while the reader is perusing this Professor Wise and his son may not be taking breakfast in Lafayette or Indianapolis.

[New Article Cutting]

[From the Scientific American.]
Atmospheric Electricity as a Motor.
MESSRS. EDITORS:--In "No 1, Vol. 1., New Series," of the Scientific American, there appears an article under the head of "Lightning Batteries--Remarkable Invention." Under that head you say that M. Hippolite Charles Vion, of Paris, France, has invented and patented certain contrivances for bringing down from the atmosphere natural electricity, to be used as a power for various purposes, and that in level countries it is to be brought down with a balloon and conducting wire-- As I claim at least priority of design, if not of doing the thing satisfactorily, (although I have brought down electricity profusely with a six-feet diameter balloon, without a metallic conductor,) permit me to say how far my claim stands the proof of record.
     In the summer or fall of 1857, I wrote to Prof. Joseph Henry, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, about it, and my wish of having it tried with a large balloon, to go a mile or two up, with metallic tractors and conducting wire. On September 26, 1857, Prof. Henry answered me (in part) thus:-- "It is a fact, established by abundant experiment and observation, that the difference of electrical intensity between the surface of the earth and the atmosphere increases as we ascend in the latter. If we were to suspend a copper wire to a balloon, the lower end of which is insulated at the surface of the earth, the quantity and intensity of the electricity which would be given off from the lower extremity, would increase with the elevation of the balloon, though the law of the increase with the elevation is not yet known. I doubt whether a sufficient quantity of electricity, for practical purposes, could be obtained in the way you propose. The electricity of the