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The [[printed image]] Times.
PHILADELPHIA, TUESDAY, JULY 6, 1875.
TO-DAY'S AMUSEMENTS.
The Balloon Ascension.
  Hardly had the aquatic sports been brought to a termination when a shout uprising from thousands assembled upon Girard avenue bridge and the grounds surrounding the point known as Promontory Rock drew the attention of spectators far and near to a small balloon labeled "Commonwealth"--like a doctor's potion--in the car of which was visible during its ascension a young lady, stated on the published programme to be Miss Lizzie Ihling, a niece of John Wise, who seemed to have no ambition on earth or she would not have left it, and no ambition in air except to wave a star-spangled banner over the heads of the gaping multitude below. The balloon shot up rapidly and soon resembled a celestial note of interrogation. The No.2, the "Quaker City," a rather larger aerial, slowly ascended and looked for some few minues [[minutes]] as if it was going to take a cruise among the tree-tops and imperil the life of the occupant of the car, John Wise, grandson of the veteran aeronaut. It rose, however, when a flow of wind caught it and soon sailed over the "Republic," in which was the old Professor, and mounted into the azure empyrean. The murmurs of astonishment and gratification emanating from young people from the country, who had never seen anything sail higher than a paper kite, echoed through the groves and vales; but suddenly they were changed to ejaculations of fear and horror, for it became apparent even to the unsophisticated rustics that an accident had happened to the balloon of the lady, that the "Commonwealth" had partially collapsed and was sinking earthwards with such velocity that the life of the occupant of the basket attached to the canvas bag was imperiled. The collapse of the "Commonwealth" did not seem to affect the citizens upon terra firma very much, though, of course, they were filled with patriotism in consideration of the day, and as they saw the aerial sink downwards, in shape resembling an overgrown mushroom, they contented themselves with speculating as to how the lady would extricate herself from the branches of the tall trees amid which it was probable she was destined to alight. Coming down the river in Captain Fraley's craft from Schuylkill Falls to the water works it was ludicrous to notice how loaded down all the steamers were with excursionists desirous of witnessing the pyrotechnical display, and the fierce clamor of people upon the piers touched at to obtain passage at once, lest they might miss the flash of the first squib, was appalling to nervous females, who felt convinced that the boats would surely sink if another ounce of weight was placed upon their decks.
  A dispatch from John Wise, Jr., dated Holmesburg, Pa., at 8:50 P.M., states that his balloon landed safely on the Blue Grass road, one mile south of Bustleton.
THE LATEST FROM THE BALLOON ACCIDENT.
  It was noticed by those who watched the course of the three balloons in their departure yesterday afternoon from Promontory Rock that the basket in which Miss Lizzie Ihling was an occupant was oscillating from side to side, and many looked with great concern lest an accident should befall the female who had made her first lone ascension. Their fears were more than confirmed by the sudden collapse of the balloon and the rapid descent of the basket. A reporter of THE TIMES immediately proceeded to the scene of the catastrophe and heard from Miss Illing [[Ihling]] her story of the accident. She had risen to a height of about 5,000 feet, and was so impressed with the beautiful sight disclosed to view as she glanced at the Park and turned her eyes toward the city, that she commenced taking notes and writing down her impressions, when the motion of the balloon suddenly changed. Before, everything was perfectly quiet, and the air ship floated along without any
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perceptible jar. Now the balloon sheered around from its course and appeared to be trying to go in two different directions. She says: "I had maintained my presence of mind up to this time, and not knowing how to account for this strange event, I dropped note book and pencil and clasped the sides of the basket. As it swayed from side to side I felt a giddy sensation, but thinking the best course to pursue was to keep quiet I did not pull the exploding rope of the valve rope. Almost immediately after I heard a loud noise, and looking up saw that the bag had bursted and the gas was going. I also noticed that I was descending rapidly. Then I got sick and sunk into the bottom of the basket, and don't remember anything more until I was taken out by a gentleman, in an insensible condition, at Twenty-second and Clearfield streets." The only injury she received was a slight bruise on the face. Professor John Wise, who also made an ascension, landed at Nicetown, and in conversing with a TIMES reporter, who had called to ascertain if there were any specially interesting incidents in the trip, he said that he landed in a pretty rough section, and had to secure the services of a police officer to send his pupil, Mr. Schenck, off again. Mr. Wise saw Miss Ihling's balloon explode, but knowing that he had instructed her to rip the bag if necessary, he thought nothing of it. He had provided a parachute, so that there was no probability of her receiving any injuries. He supposed that the accident was caused by the balloon striking an eddy of wind. His had done the same thing, but he threw out some ballast and rose above it. "Why," said he, "I felt no concern about it; never have any serious results followed the bursting of a balloon in the air, and to prove that it is not dangerous I am going to make a number of ascensions this summer at a point not far from the city, and rip the bag."

THE CITY FATHERS.

NEW YORK HERALD
BROADWAY AND ANN STREET
JAMES GORDON BENNETT,
PROPRIETOR.
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METEROLOGICAL MYSTERIES.
THE UNSOLVED PROBLEMS OF THE ATMOSPHERE--PREDICTED WEATHER BY THE YEAR A POSSIBILITY OF SCIENCE--INTERESTING CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN PROFESSORS WISE AND HENRY.
      PHILADELPHIA, July 21, 1875.
  Professor John Wise, of this city, is best known to the general public as an aeronaut, probably, but he has a better claim for fame than that of a mere balloonist; he is an experienced meteorologist. He is a scientific aeronaut, a sincere and patient student of the laws of the atmosphere. All his ascensions are for purposes of study, not to perform on a trapeze or hang by his heels over the heads of an open-mouthed, wondering crowd. He is a more devout believer than ever in the easterly current, and, old man as he is, it is his dream to some day find means to build a balloon which will take him swiftly and safely across the Atlantic; a great feat, which will convince the sceptical [[skeptical]] world of the truth of his theory as firmly as his less brilliant accomplishments have already convinced him.
  The following letter to Professor Henry, of the Smithsonian Institution, explains Professor Wise's ideas upon the laws of the atmosphere, his hypothesis being the result of a number of experiments recently made:--
    PROFESSOR WISE'S LETTER.
      PHILADELPHIA, June 28, 1875.
Professor JOSEPH HENRY, Secretary Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.:--
  DEAR SIR--From observed facts and conditions in the atmosphere during my aerial soundings I have reason to believe that our atmospheric phenomena are the result of outside pressure by planetary perturbations; that is to say, that the ether of space pushed aside by the movement of adjacent planets causes action on the elastic shell of our globe--I means its atmosphere.
  Is it not questionable whether, in our storms, the incipient cause is uprising or down-pushing air? Certain it is that when any portion of our atmosphere is pressed inward there must follow a correlative outward flow at another place. This will be followed by a wave motion passing over basins and highlands differently heated, causing condensations and rarefactions, and give rise to vortices, pressures and suctions, and these give rise to waterspouts, cloud bursts, thundergusts and storms in general.
  If our earth is spherical and has a constant, regular motion, and constant Equator heat and Polar cold, we should have constant climatic seasons--I mean constant repetitions of yearly weather. Our yearly weather differing much one year from the other, we are compelled to look for the cause outside of our atmosphere. The perturbations made by Mars and Venus on our earth's shell would go a little way to account for the irregularity of our years and seasons. These large bodies moving through a resisting medium must produce waves and ripples in it and cause climatic perturbations in the atmospheres subjected to their action.
  My main object in writing to you is to have you suggest some method by which I could test this theory. The barometer will not alone do it, though it did appear while up in an annulus of cumuli with Dr. Charles C. Cresson a few weeks ago that in a close observation of our horizon line and the fluctuation of our aneroid a heaving process of atmosphere was going on, like a spasmodic breathing. We were all this time nearly over the same spot on the earth. We were at the time 7,000 feet high, and the air was quite warm. We were pushed gradually out of this annulus and downward, so that fifty pounds of ballast did not save us from a plunge to the earth.
  I know how assiduously you study to promote the science of meteorology, and having drawn my earliest inspirations of its investigations from your teachings, you will excuse me in drawing your attention in your multifarious duties for advice or suggestion as to the best method observation to this interesting subject. We ought to learn to "Probability" the year weather, as we now do the day weather. There must be isobarometric and isothermal gauges in the photosphere as there are in our atmosphere. Truly, your friend and fellow citizen.
    JOHN WISE

Professor Henry's reply is as follows:--
PROFESSOR HENRY'S LETTER.
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, WASHINGTON, July 16, 1875.
JOHN WISE, Esq., Philadelphia:--
  SIR--In reply to your letter of the 28th of June, received during my absence, I have to say that there are two great causes of meteorological phenomena. The first is that of the relative position of the sun and earth in space, or in other words, the variable eccentricity of the earth's orbit, and also the change in the earth's perihelion in regard to the different seasons of the year. Chauges, [[changes]] however, due to these causes are of a secular character and are imperceptible from year to year and only give rise to effects which are perceptible in geological periods. The next class of phenomena are those due to the obliquity of the earth's axis producing summer and winter. Nearly all the other phenomena can be explained in a general way by the distribution of land and water on the surface of the earth, the former being heated by the direct rays of the sun with six times the [[?]] the latter, giving rise to upwards [[?]] rents and perturbations, tending to disturb the regular flow of the air which would take place on the surface of a globe entirely covered with water. That the attraction of the sun and moon and even the planets must have some influence on the aerial covering of the earth must be admitted from all analogy; but whether these actions produce any change in the amount of rain or in the direction of the wind has not yet been determined. All speculations as to the effect of our earth's motion through the etherial medium is of too indefinite a character to be made use of in the way of deductions, which may serve as guides to investigation. If the earth produced any disturbance upon the etherial medium in its passage through it, the effect would be observed in astronomical observations; but nothing of this kind has as yet been discovered. I think the theory of an uprising spout in the case of our thunder storms has been fully established. You have yourself stated in some of your earlier observations that your balloon was caught in a vortex, carried upward and thrown off to the side; caught up again and again thrown out, if I mistake not. The fall of your balloon under a cloud was probably due to a difference of specific gravity of the air in that position.
  I would advise that you continue to carefully observe phenomena, irrespective of any hypothesis, and publish the results. Facts will always stand the test of time, and will ever be in demand as food for speculation. Very truly yours,  JOSEPH HENRY, Secretary S. I.

EVENING BULLETIN
PEACOCK, FETHERSTON & CO.

Monday September 6, 1875.

BY AIR TO EUROPE
  A writer upon the subject of aëronauts, in the last number of Appleton's Journal, makes the following remark: "Another experienced American aëronaut, Professor Wise, anticipated Donaldson in his idea of the feasibility of an aërial voyage to Europe, but as neither Congress nor the capitalists appealed to were willing to advance the necessary funds, the professor escaped the watery danger that proved fatal to Donaldson, and died peacefully in his bed." This information will probably astonish Professor Wise, who has a particularly good right to exclaim, in the words of the immortal Webster: "I still live!" Mr. Wise is not only alive and in excellent health, but he is still very anxious to attempt to cross the ocean in a balloon, and he is deterred from making the effort only by the consideration that he has not enough money to enable him to purchase the necessary apparatus. Mr. Wise declares that the total cost of the undertaking need not be more than five thousand dollars, and he is willing to contribute one thousand dollars towards this sum as an assurance of his good faith and as a representative of the exact dimensions of his bank account. We really think that there ought to be very little difficulty in securing the remainder of the money in this city and in fitting out the proposed aëronautic expedition by the time of the opening of the Centennial Exhibition in the Spring. The trip could not be wholly a reckless and aimless adventure. Mr. Wise, for many years, has been an intelligent and earnest student of meteorological phenomena, and he believes that if this attempt shall be made, he will be able to demonstrate not only that fact that it is possible for a balloon to cross the ocean swiftly and safely, but the truths that there is in the upper regions of the atmosphere a constant current of air from west to east, and that there is an aërial Gulf Stream exactly following the course of the actual oceanic Gulf Stream. It seems to us that wealthy men who are interested in scientific investigation might very properly consider these things worthy of being proved if they actually exist, and it can be done only in this manner. Of course Mr. Wise will place his life in jeopardy, but he considers the risk not greater than that assumed by any one who rides upon a railroad train, and he is entirely willing to take it. There can be no doubt at all that he is thoroughly in earnest in the matter, and that he will consent to any arrangement respecting the expenditure of the funds which will guarantee the contributors from loss by improper use of the money, and at the same time enable him to construct the balloon in his own way. It is well worth while to try to secure for America at the close of her first century the honor of having solved the problem of aërial navigation.