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Herald.
AY, JULY 31, 1874. PRICE ONE CENT
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PROF. WISE ON THE WING.
Sweeping the Cobwebs off the Sky.
THE SECOND "EVENING HERALD" BALLOON EXPEDITION-ONE OF THE FINEST SPECTACLES EVER WITNESSED-BEFORE,DURING AND AFTER THE VOYAGE.

At precisely four o'clock yesterday afternoon, Prof. John Wise, accompanied by his heice[[niece]], Mrs. Ihling,and his grondson[[grandson]],little Johnny Wise, ascended in the EVENING HERALD Balloon from the grounds at Forty-second and Powelton avenue, West Philadelphia, on his 447th balloon voyage, and the first of a series which he will probably make under the management of the EVENING HERALD:
At the hour of his departure, the balloon grounds, and all the avenues leadng[[leading]] thereto were thronged with people, and it was with the greatest difficulty that they were dissuaded from accompanying the Professor.
Rising from a natural ampitheatre at the lower boundary of the grounds, whither the balloon with its car of human freight had been conducted immediately after the inflation, the float roth a great bound shot up in to the air and in a second was far above the trees and the roofs of the neighboring houses.
In the car, around which the colors had been draped, erect stood the æornaut[[aeronaut]], with forehead bare taking the benediction of the air and waving his well known white hat to the crowd below, which cheered and yelled and voiced their admiration in the most enthusiastic manner. At the moment of starting, the Professor had flung the stars and stripes to the breeze, and as the float drifted upward, the old flag fluttered and waved in the most patriotic fashion. It was scarcely half a minute ere the faces of the æronauts became undistinguishable in the distance but the waving of the flag, Mrs. Ihling's handkerchief and the Professor's hat were still to be seen signalling an informal good bye.
Then the balloon rose rapidly through the clear atmosphere until the balance rope, which depended from the car, seemed like a thread of grosamer[[gossamer]] floating from a birdcage. The balloon at first drifted Southward, rising steadily until it was apparently between one and two miles high, and the unusual transparency of the atmosphere enabled it to be seen without the aid of a glass for nearly three-quarters of an hour, at which time it must have been at least thirty miles away. The last observation taken of the winged bark, indicated that it had been borne into a current of air blowing from the northwest and was moving southeast by south, a course which would probably take it to the neighborhood of Cape May. 
At this time its diameter was apparently no larger than that of a marble and, speculating much as to its possible destination, the rate of speed which it would attain, and the length of its voyage, the gazing multitude returned their eyes to the objects of ordinary vision and quietly went home to supper. At a late hour last night neither the telegraph nor the railroad had brought any tidings of the aerial voyagers and the morning papers of to-day contained no tidings of their whereabouts.
The balloon to which Prof. Wise entrusted his fair frame yesterday is one of ordinary size, irs transverse diameter being about 34 feet and its perpendicular diameter 38 feet, and its capacity for gas about 19,000 feet. It was built under the special supervision of Prof. Wise, whose niece, Mrs. Ihling, attended personally to the sewing of the balloon. As she last summer had the entire charge of the sewing of the great "Graphic" balloon, this last undertaking was comparatively a light one, and it was her deep interest in aeronautics and her confidence in Prof. Wise that prompted her yesterday to accompany him in his float, her nomination as his compagnon du voyage having been cordially endorsed by the Evening Herald as calculated to increase the attractiveness of the expedition without diminishing the value of its practical results.
Little Johnny Wise, who was the third voyagerer is an aeronaut in embryo and his dearest wish is to succeed his famous grandfather. It was remarked of the Professor, yesterday, by his elder friends, (many of whom were on the grounds), that he was as vigorous as ten years ago, the silveriness of his hair being the sole indication of his age. No pen portrait can do him justice. Tall, straight as an arrow, lithe of limb, yet firm of muscle, his structure is one that invariably commands respect, and his emphatic orders are generally promptly obeyed by the crowd that always gathers about him on the occasion of his ascensions. 
His face, though none of its features are especially prominent, is one of great intelligence, and at times when the professor is greatly interested in the subject of conversation, it kindles up into an expression of intellectual rapture rare in any countenance. A thick beard, nearly white, his high forehead, merging almost into baldness, with his silvery hair, give to his head all the graces of age with all its dignities, while his clear blue eyes, flashing from under eyebrows unusually heavy and jagged, assert the undiminished vigor of a well stored mind. In age, Professor Wise is sixty-four, but his speech his action, and his writing, there is still a strong reminiscence of youth, and the firmness of his nerves proves that his hazardous career has impaired none of his physical powers.
He has that which juvenal places among the highest gifts of Providence, a dauntless soul, able to endure all fatigues, which knows no fear of death. There is no phase of ballooning with which he is not acquainted and his contributions both by pen and actual experiment to the history and science of aeronautics are the most valuable of the century. No aeronaut has ever studied with more faithful zeal, the principles of his science nor more widely tested their value in personal experience than he, and none has so ardently labored to keep his art untainted by the performances of the montebank. A learned man in all the sciences, he is widely known in this and other countries as a meterrologist of experience and profound knowledge, and his position as secretary of the Meteorological section of the Franklin Institute is a high recognition of his scientific services. 
It has been the darling dream of his life to make a balloon voyage to Europe, which he has always claimed as possible of accomplishment in such a balloon as he could build for $10,000. So far that dream remains unfulfilled, but he still cherishes the hope that before old age overtakes him he may be permitted, through the generosity of his fellow-citizens, to make the attempt and record its success or failure.
The expedition which he undertook yesterday was made with an especial view to ascertaining, and noting for the benefit of his fellows of the Franklin Institute, certain hitherto but partially defined Phoenomena of the upper air, and the EVENING HERALD seconding the desires of that body, and providing the means for the project, the balloon was constructed and the ascension was successfully made under its auspices.
It is our intention, although the matter is not definitely settled, to supplement yesterday's voyage with others later in the season, under the direction of Prof. Wise, and it is probable with one expedition, at least, will be made with the mammoth balloon constructed by us last autumn and now, we believe, the largest in float in existence, having a capacity great enough to float two persons for seven to eight days.
We are indebted for the complete success of yesterday in a great meaure to Mr. Miskey, of the Gas Trust, who attended personally to the inflation of the balloon, and to Sig. Pedante, John Thomley, Mr. Grist, and many others, whose services were exceedingly acceptable. 

Transcription Notes:
[[image - globe and horse, banner that says 'INDEPENDENCE' - maybe the newspaper's logo?]] [[image - graphic of trees surrounding a lake, a hill in the background and a balloon with a basket hovering over the lake. The word "HERALD" is on the balloon]] æ = Unicode U+00E6