Page:Wonderful Balloon Ascents, 1870.djvu/222

 206 of the skies in which it has been satisfactorily proved that no life can be long maintained. It was on the 5th of September, 1862, that Mr. Glaisher and Mr. Coxwell made the famous ascent in which they reached the greatest height ever attained by an aeronaut, and were so nearly sacrificed to their unselfish daring. Mr. Glaisher has given an admirable account of this ascent, which took place from Wolverhampton. He says:—"Our ascent had been delayed, owing to the unfavourable state of the weather. It commenced at three minutes past one p.m., the temperature of the air being 59°, and the dew-point 48°. At the height of one mile the temperature was 41° and the dew-point 38°. Shortly afterwards clouds were entered of about 1,100 feet in thickness. Upon emerging from them at seventeen minutes past one, I tried to take a view of their surface with the camera, but the balloon was ascending too rapidly and spiraling too quickly to allow me to do so. The height of two miles was reached at twenty-one minutes past one. The temperature of the air had fallen to 32° and the dew-point to 26°. The third mile was passed at twenty-eight minutes past one, with an air temperature of 18°, and a dew-point of 13°. The fourth mile was passed at thirty-nine minutes past one, with an air temperature of 8°, and a dew-point of minus 6 degrees and the fifth mile about ten minutes later, with an air temperature minus 5°, and a dew-point minus 36°.

"Up to this time I had experienced no particular inconvenience. When at the height of 26,000 feet I could not see the fine column of the mercury in the tube; then the fine divisions on the scale of the instrument became invisible. At that time I asked Mr. Coxwell to help me to read the instruments, as I experienced a difficulty in seeing them. In consequence of the rotary motion of the balloon,