the dominion of the air-第42部分

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le　village　of　Balme。

This　story；　by　virtue　of　its　romance；　finds　a　place　in　these　pages；　but；　save　for　its　tragic　ending；　it　hardly　stands　alone。　　Ballooning　enterprise　and　adventure　were　growing　every　year　more　and　more　common　on　the　Continent。　　In　Scandinavia　we　find　the　names　of　Andree；　Fraenkal；　and　Strindberg；　in　Denmark　that　of　Captain　Rambusch。　　Berlin　and　Paris　had　virtually　become　the　chief　centres　of　the　development　of　ballooning　as　a　science。　　In　the　former　city　a　chief　among　aeronauts　had　arisen　in　Dr。　A。　Berson；　who；　in　December；　1894；　not　only　reached　30；000　feet；　ascending　alone；　but　at　that　height　sustained　himself　sufficiently；　by　inhaling　oxygen；　to　take　systematic　observations　throughout　the　entire　voyage　of　five　hours。　　The　year　before；　in　company　with　Lieutenant　Gross；　he　barely　escaped　with　his　life；　owing　to　tangled　ropes　getting　foul　of　the　valve。　　Toulet　and　those　who　accompanied　him　lost　their　lives　near　Brussels。　　Later　Wolfert　and　his　engineer　were　killed　near　Berlin；　while　Johannsen　and　Loyal　fell　into　the　Sound。　　Thus　ever　fresh　and　more　extended　enterprise　was　embarked　upon　with　good　fortune　and　ill。　　In　fact；　it　had　become　evident　to　all　that　the　Continent　afforded　facilities　for　the　advancement　of　aerial　exploration　which　could　be　met　with　in　no　other　parts　of　the　world；　America　only　excepted。　　And　it　was　at　this　period　that　the　expedient　of　the　ballon　sonde；　or　unmanned　balloon；　was　happily　thought　of。　　One　of　these　balloons；　the　〃Cirrus；〃　among　several　trials；　rose　to　a　height；　self…registered；　of　61；000　feet；　while　a　possible　greater　height　has　been　accorded　to　it。　　On　one　occasion；　ascending　from　Berlin；　it　fell　in　Western　Russia；　on　another　in　Bosnia。　　Then；　in　1896；　at　the　Meteorological　Conference　at　Paris；　with　Mascart　as　President；　Gustave　Hermite；　with　characteristic　ardour；　introduced　a　scheme　of　national　ascents　with　balloons　manned　and　unmanned；　and　this　scheme　was　soon　put　in　effect　under　a　commission　of　famous　namesAndree；　Assmann；　Berson；　Besancon；　Cailletet；　Erk；　de　Fonvielle；　Hergesell；　Hermite；　Jaubert；　Pomotzew　（of　St。　Petersburg）；　and　Rotch　（of　Boston；　Mass。）。

In　November；　1896；　five　manned　balloons　and　three　unmanned　ascended　simultaneously　from　France；　Germany；　and　Russia。　　The　next　year　saw；　with　the　enterprise　of　these　nations；　the　co…operation　of　Austria　and　Belgium。　　Messrs。　Hermite　and　Besancon；　both　French　aeronauts；　were　the　first　to　make　practical　trial　of　the　method　of　sounding　the　upper　air　by　unmanned　balloons；　and；　as　a　preliminary　attempt；　dismissed　from　Paris　a　number　of　small　balloons；　a　large　proportion　of　which　were　recovered；　having　returned　to　earth　after　less　than　100　miles'　flight。　　Larger　paper　balloons　were　now　constructed；　capable　of　carrying　simple　self…recording　instruments；　also　postcards；　which　became　detached　at　regular　intervals　by　the　burning　away　of　slow　match；　and　thus　indicated　the　path　of　the　balloon。　　The　next　attempt　was　more　ambitious；　made　with　a　goldbeaters'　skin　balloon　containing　4；000　cubic　feet　of　gas；　and　carrying　automatic　instruments　of　precision。　　This　balloon　fell　in　the　Department　of　the　Yonne；　and　was　returned　to　Paris　with　the　instruments；　which　remained　uninjured；　and　which　indicated　that　an　altitude　of　49；000　feet　had　been　reached；　and　a　minimum　temperature　of　…60　degrees　encountered。　　Yet　larger　balloons　of　the　same　nature　were　then　experimented　with　in　Germany；　as　well　as　France。

A　lack　of　public　support　has　crippled　the　attempts　of　experimentalists　in　this　country；　but　abroad　this　method　of　aerial　exploration　continues　to　gain　favour。

Distinct　from；　and　supplementing；　the　records　obtained　by　free　balloons；　manned　or　unmanned；　are　those　to　be　gathered　from　an　aerostat　moored　to　earth。　　It　is　here　that　the　captive　balloon　has　done　good　service　to　meteorology；　as　we　have　shown；　but　still　more　so　has　the　high…flying　kite。　　It　must　long　have　been　recognised　that　instruments　placed　on　or　near　the　ground　are　insufficient　for　meteorological　purposes；　and；　as　far　back　as　1749；　we　find　Dr。　Wilson；　of　Glasgow；　employing　kites　to　determine　the　upper　currents；　and　to　carry　thermometers　into　higher　strata　of　the　air。　　Franklin's　kite　and　its　application　is　matter　of　history。　　Many　since　that　period　made　experiments　more　or　less　in　earnest　to　obtain　atmospheric　observations　by　means　of　kites；　but　probably　the　first　in　England；　at　least　to　obtain　satisfactory　results；　was　Mr。　Douglas　Archibald；　who；　during　the　eighties；　was　successful　in　obtaining　valuable　wind　measurements；　as　also　other　results；　including　aerial　photographs；　at　varying　altitudes　up　to　1；000　or　1；200　feet。　From　that　period　the　records　of　serious　and　systematic　kite　flying　must　be　sought　in　America。　　Mr。　W。　A。　Eddy　was　one　of　the　pioneers；　and　a　very　serviceable　tailless　kite；　in　which　the　cross…bar　is　bowed　away　from　the　wind；　is　his　invention；　and　has　been　much　in　use。　　Mr。　Eddy　established　his　kite　at　Blue　Hillthe　now　famous　kite　observatoryand　succeeded　in　lifting　self…recording　meteorological　instruments　to　considerable　heights。　　The　superiority　of　readings　thus　obtained　is　obvious　from　the　fact　that　fresh　air…streams　are　constantly　playing　on　the　instruments。

A　year　or　two　later　a　totally　dissimilar　kite　was　introduced　by　Mr。　Lawrence　Hargrave；　of　Sydney；　Australia。　　This　invention；　which　has　proved　of　the　greatest　utility　and　efficiency；　would；　from　its　appearance；　upset　all　conventional　ideas　of　what　a　kite　should　be；　resembling　in　its　simplest　form　a　mere　box；　minus　the　back　and　front。　　Nevertheless；　these　kites；　in　their　present　form；　have　carried　instruments　to　heights　of　upwards　of　two　miles；　the　restraining　line　being　fine　steel　piano　wire。

But　another　and　most　efficient　kite；　admirably　adapted　for　many　most　important　purposes；　is　that　invented　by　Major　Baden…Powell。　　The　main　objects　originally　aimed　at　in　the　construction　of　this　kite　related　to　military　operations；　such　as　signalling；　photography；　and　the　raising　of　a　man　to　an　elevation　for　observational　purposes。　　In　the　opinion　of　the　inventor；　who　is　a　practiced　aeronaut；　a　wind　of　over　thirty　miles　an　hour　renders　a　captive　balloon　useless；　while　a　kite　under　such　conditions　should　be　capable　of　taking　its　place　in　the　field。　　Describing　his　early　experiments；　Major；　then　Captain；　Baden…Powell；　stated　that　in　1894；　after　a　number　of　failures；　he　succeeded　with　a　hexagonal　structure　of　cambric；　stretched　on　a　bamboo　framework　36　feet　high；　in　lifting　a　mannot　far；　but　far　enough　to　prove　that　his　theories　were　right。　　Later　on；　substituting　a　number　of　small　kites　for　one　big　one；　he　was；　on　several　occasions；　raised　to　a　height　of　100　feet；　and　had　sent　up　sand　bags；　weighing　9　stone；　to　300　feet；　at　which　height　they　remained　suspended　nearly　a　whole　day。

This　form　of　kite；　which　has　been　further　developed；　has　been　used　in　the　South　African　campaign　in　connection　with　wireless　telegraphy　for　the　taking　of　photographs　at　great　heights；　notably　at　Modder　River；　and　for　other　purposes。

It　has　been　claimed　that　the　first　well…authenticated　occasion　of　a　man　being　raised　by　a　kite　was　when　at　Pirbright　Camp　a　Baden…Powell　kite；　30　feet　high；　flown　by　two　lines；　from　which　a　basket　was　suspended；　took　a　man　up　to　a　height　of　10　feet。　　It　is　only　fair；　however；　to　state　that　it　is　related　that　more　than　fifty　years　ago　a　lady　was　lifted　some　hundred　feet　by　a　great　kite　constructed　by　one　George　Pocock；　whose　machine　was　designed　for　an　observatory　in　war；　and　also　for　drawing　carriages　along　highways。



CHAPTER　XXIV。　　ANDREE　AND　HIS　VOYAGES


Among　many　suggestions；　alike　important　and　original；　due　to　Major　Baden…Powell；　and　coming　within　the　field　of　aeronautics；　is　one　having　reference　to　the　use　of　balloons　for　geographical　research　generally　and　more　particularly　for　the　exploration　of　Egypt；　which；　in　his　opinion；　is　a　country　possessing　many　most　desirable　qualifications　on　the　score　of　prevailing　winds；　of　suitable　base；　and　of　ground　adapted　for　such　steering　as　may　be　effected　with　a　trail　rope。　　At　the　Bristol　meeting　of　the　British　Association　the　Major　thus　propounded　his　method：　〃I　should　suggest　several　balloons；　one　of　about　60；000　cubic　feet；　and；　say；　six　smaller　ones　of　about　7；000　cubic　feet；　then；　if　one　gets　torn　or　damaged；　the　others　might　remain　intact。　　After　a　time；　when　gas　is　lost；　one　of　the　smaller　ones　could　be　emptied　into　the　others；　and　the　exhausted　envelope　discharged　as　ballast；　the　smaller　balloons　would　be　easier　to　transport　by　porters　than　one　big　one；　and　they　could　be　more　easily　secured　on　the　earth　during　contrary　winds。　　Over　the　main　balloon　a　light　awning　might　be　rigged　to　neutralise；　as　far　as　possible；　the　changes　of　temperature。　　A　lightning　conductor　to　the　top　of　the　balloon　might　be　desirable。　　A　large　sail　would　be　arranged；　and　a　bifurcated　guide　rope　attached　to　the　end　of　a　horizontal　pole　would　form　an　efficient　means　of　steering。　　The　car　would　be　boat…shaped　and　waterproof；　so　that　it　could　be　used　for　a　return　journey　down　a　river。　　Water　tanks　would　be　fitted。〃

The　reasonableness　of　such　a　scheme　is　beyond　question；　even　without　the　working　calculations　with　which　it　is　accompanied；　but；　ere　these　words　were　spoken；　one　of　the　most　daring　explorers　that　the　world　has　known　had　begun　to　put　in　practice　a　yet　bolder　and　rasher　scheme　of　his　own。　　The　idea　of　reaching　the　North　Pole　by　means　of　balloons　appears　to　have　been　entertained　many　years　ago。　　In　a　curious　work；　published　in　Paris　in　1863　by　Delaville　Dedreux；　there　is　a　suggestion　for　reaching　the　North　Pole　by　an　aerostat　which　should　be　launched　from　the　nearest　accessible　point；　the　calculation　being　that　the　distance　from　such　a　starting　place　to　the　Pole　and　back　again　would　be　only　some　1；200　miles；　which　could　be　covered　in　two　days；　supposing　only　that　there　could　be　found　a　moderate　and　favourable　wind　in　each　direction。　　Mr。　C。　G。　Spencer　also　wrote　on　the　subject；　and　subsequently　Commander　Cheyne　proposed　a　method　of　reaching　the　Pole　by　means　of　triple　balloons。　　A　similar　scheme　was　advocated　in　yet　more　serious　earnest　by　M。　Hermite　in　the　early　eighties。

Some　ten　years　later　than　this　M。　S。　A。　Andree；　having　obtained　sufficient　assistance；