ON NINE BALLOON ASCENTS IN 1863 AND 1864. 197 



reached the earth by 6'' 40"" at Pirton Grange on the boundaries of Hertford 

 and Bedford. 



Ascent from WoolwicJi Arsenal, Januarij 12, 1864. — The Secretary of 

 State for War, the Right Hon. Earl de Grey and Eipon, having kindly granted 

 permission to the Committee of the British Association to avail themselves of 

 the facilities afforded in the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, for future balloon 

 ascents for scientific purposes, the ascent took place from there. The ascent 

 was intended to have been made on December 21, the day of the winter 

 solstice, and from this time to the end of the year the balloon was frequently 

 partially inflated : on December 30 it was fiUed, but its completion was at too 

 late an hour to ascend ; it was left filled in the care of watchmen, but a strong 

 wind arose at night, and it was driven against a gasometer, and so injured as 

 to require repairing, and it was not tiU January 12 that we succeeded. 



The balloon on this day left the earth at 2'' 7"" p.m. ; in 3 minutes the 

 height of 1.500 feet was attained ; at 2" 14™ we crossed the Tilbury Railway 

 line, and in 7 minutes afterwards we were over Hainault Forest ; at 2^ 26™ 

 3000 feet was reached ; the first mile was passed at 2'> 32™, the second at 

 3" 24™, and the height of 12,000 feet was attained by S^ 31™. The balloon 

 then began to descend and touched the ground at 4'' 10™, at Lakenheath 

 Warren, near Brandon, the descent not having taken one-half the time of 

 ascent. 



On the earth the wind was S.E. ; at the height of 1300 feet we entered a 

 strong S.W. cm-rent ; we continued in this current tiU we reached a height 

 of 4000 feet, when the wind changed to the south ; and after some little time 

 we determined upon ascending. At the height of 8000 feet the wind changed 

 to S.S.W. ; at the height of 4000 feet the wind changed to S.S.E. ; at 

 11,000 feet we met with fine granular snow; passed through snow on de- 

 scending till we were within 8000 feet of the earth ; entered clouds at 7000 

 feet, and passed out of them at about 6000 feet into mist. 



Ascent from Woohuicji Arsenal, April 6, 1864.— This ascent was intended 

 to be made as near March 21 as possible; but although frequent attempts 

 were made, it was not till April 6 that we succeeded. 



The balloon left Woolwich on this day at 4^ 7™ p.m., with a south-east 

 wind ; in 9 minutes, when at the height of 3000 feet, we crossed over the River 

 Thames, ascending very evenly at the j-ate of 1000 feet in little more than 3 

 minutes, till 11,000 feet was attained at 4^ 37™, and descended at about the 

 same rate tiU within 1500 feet of the earth, when the rapidity of the descent 

 was checked, reaching the ground at 5^ 25™, on the outskirts of a pine plan- 

 tation in Wilderness Park, near Sevenoaks, in Kent. 



Our course in this ascent was most remarkable ; having first passed over the 

 River Thames into Essex, we must have repassed and moved in a directly 

 opposite direction, and continued thus till we approached the earth, when we 

 again moved in the same direction as at first. 



After the great injuiy to the balloon on September 29, in addition to the 

 numbers of repairs that it had previously needed, it was not, when again 

 repaired, in such a condition as (in Mr. CoxweU's opinion) to be quite safe 

 to ourselves for extreme high ascents; and after those of January 12 and 

 April 6, having been made at a time of year that any balloon would be most 

 severely tested, Mr. Coxwell determined, before venturing again with myself 

 to any great elevation, to build a new balloon. 



This he did, and one of a capacity capable of containing 10,000 cubic feet 

 more than the old one, so that, if need be, two observers could ascend to- 

 gether to the height of 5 miles. 



