BALLOONING TO THE POLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2250, 15 April 1897, Page 49

BALLOONING TO THE POLE.

Remarkable Voyages in the Aib. The announcement is made of another

attempt to reach the North Pole by meafas of a balloon, the hereoa this time being, two* French aeronauts, who have drawn up a plan for a similar expedition to that of M. Andrei. These aerial explorers calculate that tbey will be able to sustain a voyage of nine weeks in mid-air, travelling at the rate of nine miles an hour all the time. The cost of the expedition is reckoned at about £15,00(7. Though the proposal is a bold one, and will excite a great deal of interest not only in France but in England, the voyage of the " France "—the name given to the balloonis by no means unique in fta datipg character. The abortive expedition of M» Andi6a will bo well remembered by newspaper readers. Since the invention of the balloon there have been many wonderful ascents with less useful objects than the discovery of the North Pole. Perhaps no invention caused bo muoh ezcitement as that of the balloon, and the first ascents were witnessed by hundreds of thousands of people. So intense was the raga that persons frequently attempted to throw themselves into tha car as it began to asosnd, and the competition for places was always remarkably keen. Animals were at first placed in the oar, and on one occasion a kirjg of France refused to allow tht ascent of a balloon except two condemned criminals were placed in it. The aoronaat, however, refused to allow suoh men to have the glory of ascending into the air, and the king gave way. Two of the earliest aeronauts to ascend in England had a remarkable experience. The balloon went up at Dover in 1785, a doctor named Jeffries having obtained permission to accompany the owner. Suddenly .the balloon began to descend, and the freight.was got rid of, even the wings of the • cai being thrown out. They were above the sea, and seemed doomed to drowo. Jtf£rie& offered to throw himself into the aea, but the aeion&ufc would not listen to- the suggestion, and they were about to detach the car and hang to the ropes, when the. balloon began rise. A thrilling experience in a balloon was that of Comte Zambccarri, who, when ascending at Boulcgue, upset a spirit lamp, which set fire to his clothiug. The flames sent' tha I balloon up rapidly, and the spectators, mii eluding the Count's wife and ohildren, were horrified to see the aeronaut ascend to the clouds in the midst of a fierce flame of fire. The Connt managed, however, lo put out the fire, and lived to undergo another remarkable experience in mid-air. The Count's second experience was a trip across the Adriatic Sea, in which the aeronaut was accompanied by two others. Zarnbecarri and one^oi' his friends fell asleep, and l&y iv the balloon prostrate from cold and hunger- Suddenly, after the. Count wakened, the sound of waves was heard, and thu party realised the terrible fact that they wore rapidly descending' into the sea. Xr, was quite dark, and in their terror the two men threw out of the car everything that could be spared ; even their money waa thrown into the water. The balloon then rose, and the aeronauts' were reaoued in a fainting condition by some sailors. The Count's fingers had to be amputated. Perhaps the mOGt remarkable ascent on record is thafc of Madame Blanchard, tha . French aerottaus, whose performance, bo ex- | traordinary in its conception, and so tragic in its culmination, oreateil a profound stir at the Tivoli feteß in the summer ef 1819. Madame Blanchard conceived the idea oS Buiprising the spectators by » raid-air display of fireworks. For this purpOßß she had taken up into the balloon a qu&atiry of tixplofiive.', which, on reaching a fair height, she prspaced to fire. The scene would have been a beautiful one from below, but the daring win/ian fn lighting a firework prematurely *et firs to a train of powder, which flared up and set the balloon instantly ablaze. Madame Blanchard tried tojcloee the mouth of the balloon, but could not, and she was seen to flit down ariri calmly await her fate. The balloon dashed againßt a chiinuey, and the brave aeronaut fell dead on the pavement. * To be chased with a revolver in rasd-air is an experience probably unique. During tha Franco-Prussian war in 1870, balloons floated above Pavia almost daily, and 11. Nader, had a most thriling experience. Seated in tho car, Le observed another balloon approaching, and he waved the French flag. The same colours were displayed from the approftchirg car, but on coming nearer tho strange aeronaut changed the colours iot the Prasaiaa, at f.ho same time making fire on M. Nadav's balloon. Thu latter made a desperate fcffoto ty gtt oa'j o! tho eaemy's raaoh, jvud ultimate!/, tacceefied in rising high enough to be ftea from the danger of the Boots. The balloon, like every other iuvention, has had its martyr*. More thp.n one aeronaut, in the early days of aerial travelling, met his death by burning — a fato which seems to have 'been almost invited by tha practice of ascending in paper balloons containing fire. Nowadays, however, aerial navigation is an established fact, and the growing use oi! ibe balloon in warfare and the aerial expeditions to the whita north show i»hac the deaths of the martyrs -neta aot in vain, but that posterity may yet owe a great debt to the men who gave up their live 3in achieving the conquest of the skies.