FirstletusregardtheactualpathofaballooninspacewhenbeingmanoeuvredinthewaywereadofinMr。Glaisher’sownaccounts。Thispartisinmostcasesapproximatelyindicatedinthatmostattractivevolumeofhisentitled，\"TravelsintheAir，\"bydiagramsgivingasectionalpresentmentofhismoreimportantvoyages;butalittlecommonplaceconsiderationmaytaketheplaceofdiagrams。
Ithasbeencommontoassertthataballoonpoisedinspaceisthemostdelicatebalanceconceivable。Itsintrinsicweightmustbeexactlyequaltotheweightoftheairitdisplaces，andsincethedensityoftheairdecreasesaccordingtoafixedlaw，amounting，approximately，toadifferenceinbarometricreadingof0。1inchforevery90feet，itfollows，theoretically，thatifaballoonispoisedat1，000feetabovesealevel，thenitwouldnotbeinequilibriumatanyotherheight，solongasitsweightandvolumeremainthesame。Ifitwere50feethigheritmustcommencedescending，and，iflower，thenitmustascendtillitreachesitstruelevel;and，morethanthat，intheeventofeithersuchexcursionmereimpetuswouldcarryitbeyondthislevel，aboutwhichitwouldoscillateforashorttime，afterthemannerofthependulum。
Thisissubstantiallytrue，butitmustbetakeninconnectionwithotherfactswhichhaveafargreaterinfluenceonaballoon’spositionormotion。
Forinstance，inthevolumejustreferredtoitisstatedbyM。
GastonTissandierthatononeoccasionwhenalofthethrewoverboardachickenbone，and，immediatelyconsultingabarometer，hadtoadmiton\"clearestevidencethatthebonehadcausedariseoffromtwentytothirtyyards，sodelicatelyisaballoonequipoisedintheair。\"Here，withoutpausingtocalculatewhetherthedischargeofanounceorsowouldsufficetocausealargeballoontoascendthroughninetyfeet，itmaybepointedoutthattherecordcannotbetrustworthy，fromthemerefactthatafreeballoonisfrommomenttomomentbeingsubjectedtootherpotentinfluences，whichnecessarilyaffectitspositioninspace。Indaytimethesun’sinfluenceisanall—importantfactor，andwhethershiningbrightlyorpartiallyhiddenbyclouds，aslightdifferenceinobscurationwillhaveareadyandmarkedeffectontheballoon’saltitude。Again，aballoonintransitmaypassalmostmomentarilyfromawarmerlayerofairtoacolder，orviceversa，theplaneofdemarcationbetweenthetwobeingverydefiniteandabrupt，andinthiscasealtitudeisatonceaffected;or，yetagain，therearethedescendingandascendingcurrents，metwithconstantlyandunexpectedly，whichhavetobereckonedwith。
Thusitbecomesafactthataballoon’sverticalcourseissubjectedtoconstantchecksandvicissitudesfromavarietyofcauses，andthesewillhavetobedulyborneinmindwhenweareconfrontedwiththeoftensurprisingresultsandreadingswhicharesuppliedbyscientificobservers。Withregardtothecloseproximity，withoutappreciableintermingling，ofwidelydifferingcurrents，itshouldbementionedthatexplorershavefoundinregionswherewindsofdifferentdirectionspasseachotherthatoneairstreamappearsactuallytodragagainstthesurfaceoftheother，asthoughadmittingnointerspacewherethestreamsmightmingle。Indeed，trustworthyobservershavestatedthatevenahurricanecanrageoveratranquilatmospherewithasharplydefinedsurfaceofdemarcationbetweencalmandstorm。Thus，toquotetheactualwordsofCharlesDarwin，thanwhomitisimpossibletoadduceamorecarefulwitness，wefindhimrecordinghowonmountainheightshemetwithwindsturbulentandunconfined，yetholdingcourses\"likeriverswithintheirbeds。\"
Itisintracingthetrendofupperairstreams，towhosewaywardcoursesandevervaryingconditionswearenowtobeintroduced，thatmuchofourmostvaluableinformationhascome，affectingthepossibilityofforecastingBritishwindandweather。Itshouldneednoinsistingonthatthedatarequiredbymeteorologistsarenotsufficientlysuppliedbythereadingsofinstrumentsplacedonorneartheground，orbythesetofthewindasdeterminedbyavaneplantedonthetopofapoleorroofofabuilding。Thechieffactorsinourmeteorologyareratherthosebroaderanddeeperconditionswhichobtaininhigherregionsnecessarilybeyondourken，untilthoseregionsaredulyanddiligentlyexplored。
Mr。Glaisher’sestimateoftheutilityoftheballoonasaninstrumentofresearch，formedattheconclusionofhisaeronauticallabours，hasaspecialvalueandsignificance。
Speakingwithalltheweightattachingtosotrainedandeminentanobserver，hedeclares，\"Theballoon，consideredasaninstrumentforverticalexploration，presentsitselftousunderavarietyofaspects，eachofwhichisfertileinsuggestions。Regardingtheatmosphereasthegreatlaboratoryofchangeswhichcontainthegermoffuturedisdiscoveries，tobelongrespectively，astheyunfold，tothechemistandmeteorologist，thephysicalrelationtoanimallifeofdifferentheights，theformofdeathwhichatcertainelevationswaitstoaccomplishitsdestruction，theeffectofdiminishedpressureuponindividualssimilarlyplaced，thecomparisonofmountainascentswiththeexperiencesofaeronauts，aresomeofthequestionswhichsuggestthemselvesandfaintlyindicateenquirieswhichnaturallyallythemselvestothecourseofballoonexperiments。Sufficientlyvariedandimportant，theywillbeseentoranktheballoonasavaluableaidtotheusesofphilosophy，andrescueitfromtheimpendingdegradationofcontinuingatoyfitonlytobeexhibitedortoadministertothepleasuresofthecuriousandloversofadventure。\"
Thewordsofthesameauthorityastothepossiblepracticaldevelopmentoftheballoonasanaerialmachineshouldlikewisebequoted，andwillappearalmostprophetic。\"InEnglandthesubjectofaero—stationhasmadebutlittleprogress，andnovaluableinventionhasarisentofacilitatetravellingintheair。InallmyascentsIusedtheballoonasIfoundit。Thedesirewhichinfluencedmewastoascendtothehigherregionsandtravelbyitsmeansinfurtheranceofabetterknowledgeofatmosphericphenomena。Neitheritsmanagementnoritsimprovementformedapartofmyplan。Isoonfoundthatballoontravellingwasatthemercyofthewind，andIsawnoprobabilityofanymethodofsteeringballoonsbeingobtained。
Itevenappearedtomethattheballoonitself，admirableforverticalascents，wasnotnecessarilyafirststepinaerialnavigation，andmightpossiblyhavenoshareinthesolutionoftheproblem。ItwasthisconvictionthatledtotheformationoftheAeronauticalSocietyafewyearssinceunderthepresidencyoftheDukeofArgyll。Inthenumberofcommunicationsmadetothissocietyitisevidentthatmanymindsaretaxingtheiringenuitytodiscoveramodeofnavigatingtheair;allkindsofimaginaryprojectshavebeensuggested，someshowinggreatmechanicalingenuity，butallindicatingthewantofmoreknowledgeoftheatmosphereitself。
Thefirstgreataimofthissocietyistheconnectingthevelocityoftheairwithitspressureonplanesurfacesatvariousinclinations。
\"Thereseemsnoprospectofobtainingthisrelationotherwisethanbyacarefulseriesofexperiments。\"
CHAPTERXIV。THEHIGHESTASCENTONRECORD。
Mr。Glaisher’sinstrumentaloutfitwasonanelaborateandcostlyscale，andtheprogrammeofexperimentalworkdrawnupforhimbytheCommitteeoftheBritishAssociationdidnoterronthesideoftoomuchmodesty。Inthefirstplacethetemperatureandmoistureoftheatmosphereweretobeexamined。
Observationsonmountainsideshaddeterminedthatthermometersshowedadecreaseof1degreeF。forevery300feet，andtheaccuracyofthislawwasparticularlytobetested。Also，investigationsweretobemadeastothedistributionofvapourbelowtheclouds，inthem，andabovethem。Thencarefulobservationsrespectingthedewpointweretobeundertakenatallaccessibleheights，and，moreparticularly，uptothoseheightswheremanmayberesidentortroopsmaybelocated。
Thecomparativelynewinstrument，theaneroidbarometer，extremelyvaluable，ifonlytrustworthy，byreasonofitssensibility，portabilityandsafety，wastobetestedandcomparedwiththebehaviourofareliablemercurialbarometer。
Electricalconditionsweretobeexamined;thepresenceofozonetested;thevibrationofamagnetwasagaintoberesortedtotodeterminehowfarthemagnetismoftheearthmightbeaffectedbyheight。Thesolarspectrumwastobeobserved;airwastobecollectedatdifferentheightsforanalysis;clouds，alsouppercurrents，weretobereportedon。
Furtherobservationsweretobemadeonsound，onsolarradiation，ontheactinicactionofthesun，andonatmosphericphenomenaingeneral。
Allthismustberegardedasalargeorderwhereonlyaverylimitednumberofascentswerecontemplated，anditmaybementionedthatsomeofthemethodsofinvestigation，as，forinstance，theuseofozonepapers，wouldnowbegenerallyconsideredobsolete;whilethemechanicalaspirationofthermometersbyastreamofair，which，aswehavepointedout，wasintroducedbyWelsh，andwhichisstronglyinsistedonatthepresentday，wasconsideredunnecessarybyMr。Glaisherinthecaseofwetanddrybulbhygrometers。Theentirelistofinstruments，asminutelydescribedbythetalentedobserver，numberedtwenty—twoarticles，amongwhichweresuchirreproachableitemsasabottleofwaterandapairofscissors。
Thefollowingisacondensedaccount，gatheredfromMr。
Glaisher’sownnarrative，ofhisfirstascent，whichhasbeenalreadybrieflysketchedinthesepagesbythehandofMr。
Coxwell。Verygreatdifficultieswereexperiencedintheinflation，whichoperationappearedasifitwouldneverbecompleted，foraterribleW。S。W。windwasconstantlyblowing，andthemovementsoftheballoonweresogreatandsorapidthatitwasimpossibletofixasingleinstrumentinitspositionbeforequittingtheearth，apositionofaffairswhich，saysMr。Glaisher，\"wasbynomeanscheeringtoanovicewhohadneverbeforeputhisfootinthecarofaballoon，\"andwhen，atlast，at9。42a。m。，Mr。Coxwellcastoff，therewasnoupwardmotion，thecarsimplydraggingonitssidetilltheexpirationofawholeminute，whentheballoonlifted，andinsixminutesreachedthefirstcloudatanaltitudeof4，467
feet。Thiscloudwaspassedat5，802feet，andfurthercloudencounteredat2，000feetfurtheraloft。Fourminuteslater，theascentproceeding，thesunshoneoutbrightly，expandingtheballoonintoaperfectglobeanddisplayingamagnificentview，which，however，theincipientvoyagerdidnotallowhimselftoenjoyuntiltheinstrumentswerearrangedindueorder，bywhichtimeaheightof10，000feetwasrecorded。
Mr。Glaisherapparentlynowhadopportunityforobservingtheclouds，whichhedescribesasverybeautiful，andherecordsthehearingofabandofmusicataheightof12，709feet，whichwasattainedinexactlytwentyminutesfromthestart。A
minutelatertheearthwassightedthroughabreakintheclouds，andat16，914feetthecloudswerefarbelow，theskyabovebeingperfectlycloudless，andofanintensePrussianblue。
BythistimeMr。Glaisherhadreceivedhisfirstsurprise，asimpartedbytherecordofhisinstruments。Atstarting，thetemperatureoftheairhadstoodat59degrees。Thenat4，000
feetthiswasreducedto45degrees;and，further，to26degreesat10，000feet，whenitremainedstationarythroughanascentof3，000feetmore，duringwhichperiodbothtravellersaddedtotheirclothing，anticipatingmuchaccessionofcold。However，at15，500feetthetemperaturehadactuallyrisento31
degrees，increasingtonolessthan42degreesat19，500feet。
Astonishingasthisdiscoverywas，itwasnottheendofthewonder，fortwominuteslater，onsomewhatdescending，thetemperaturecommenceddecreasingsorapidlyastoshowafallof27degreesin26minutes。Astopersonalexperiences，Mr。
Glaishershouldbelefttotellhisownstory。\"Attheheightof18，844feet18vibrationsofahorizontalmagnetoccupied26。8seconds，andatthesameheightmypulsebeatattherateof100pulsationsperminute。At19，415feetpalpitationoftheheartbecameperceptible，thebeatingofthechronometerseemedveryloud，andmybreathingbecameaffected。At19，435
feetmypulsehadaccelerated，anditwaswithincreasingdifficultythatIcouldreadtheinstruments;thepalpitationoftheheartwasveryperceptible;thehandsandlipsassumedadarkbluishcolour，butnottheface。At20，238feet28
vibrationsofahorizontalmagnetoccupied43seconds。At21，792feetIexperiencedafeelinganalogoustosea—sickness，thoughtherewasneitherpitchingnorrollingintheballoon，andthroughthisillnessIwasunabletowatchtheinstrumentlongenoughtolowerthetemperaturetogetadepositofdew。
Theskyatthiselevationwasofaverydeepbluecolour，andthecloudswerefarbelowus。At22，357feetIendeavouredtomakethemagnetvibrate，butcouldnot;itmovedthrougharcsofabout20degrees，andthensettledsuddenly。
\"Ourdescentbeganalittleafter11a。m。，Mr。CoxwellexperiencingconsiderableuneasinessatourtooclosevicinitytotheWash。Wecamedownquicklyfromaheightof16，300feettooneof12，400feetinoneminute;atthiselevationweenteredintoadensecloudwhichprovedtobenolessthan8，000
feetinthicknessandwhilstpassingthroughthistheballoonwasinvisiblefromthecar。Fromtherapidityofthedescenttheballoonassumedtheshapeofaparachute，andthoughMr。
Coxwellhadreservedalargeamountofballast，whichhedischargedasquicklyaspossible，wecollectedsomuchweightbythecondensationoftheimmenseamountofvapourthroughwhichwepassedthat，notwithstandingallhisexertions，wecametotheearthwithaveryconsiderableshock，whichbrokenearlyalltheinstruments……ThedescenttookplaceatLangham，nearOakham。\"
JustamonthlaterMr。Glaisher，bentonayetloftierclimb，madehissecondascent，againunderMr。Coxwell’sguidance，andagainfromWolverhampton。Besidesattendingtohisinstrumentshefoundleisuretomakeotherchancenotesbytheway。Hewasparticularlystruckbythebeautyofmassesofcloud，which，bythetime12，000feetwerereached，werefarbelow，\"presentingattimesmountainscenesofendlessvarietyandgrandeur，whilefinedome—likecloudsdazzledandcharmedtheeyewithalternationsandbrillianteffectsoflightandshade。\"
Whenaheightofabout20，000feethadbeenreachedthunderwasheardtwiceover，comingfrombelow，thoughnocloudscouldbeseen。Aheightof4，000feetmorewasattained，andshortlyafterthisMr。Glaisherspeaksoffeelingunwell。Itwasdifficulttoobtainadepositofdewonthehygrometer，andtheworkingoftheaspiratorbecametroublesome。Whileinthisregionasoundlikethatofloudthundercamefromthesky。
Observationswerepracticallycompletedatthispoint，andaspeedyandsafereturntoearthwaseffected，thelandingbeingatSolihull，sevenmilesfromBirmingham。
Itwasonthe5thofSeptemberfollowingthatthesametwocolleaguescarriedoutanexploitwhichwillalwaysstandaloneinthehistoryofaeronautics，namely，thatofascendingtoanaltitudewhich，basedonthebestestimatetheywereabletomake，theycalculatedtobenolessthansevenmiles。Whatevererrormayhaveunavoidablycomeintotheactualestimate，whichistosomeextentconjectural，isinrealityasmallmatter，nottheleastaffectingthefactthatthefeatinitselfwillprobablyremainwithoutaparallelofitskind。Inthesedays，whenaeronautsattempttoreachanexceptionallyloftyaltitude，theyinvariablyprovidethemselveswithacylinderofoxygengastomeetthespecialemergenciesofthesituation，sothatwhenregionsofsuchattenuatedairarereachedthattheactionofheartandlungsbecomesseriouslyaffected，itisstillwithintheirpowertoinhalethelife—givinggaswhichaffordsthegreatestavailablerestorativetotheirenergies。
Fortyyearsago，however，cylindersofcompressedoxygengaswerenotavailable，andonthisaccountalonewemaystatewithouthesitationthattheenterprisewhichfollowsstandsunparalleledatthepresenthour。
ThefillingstationatWolverhamptonwasquittedat1。3p。m。，thetemperatureoftheairbeing59degreesontheground，andfallingto41degreesatanaltitudeof5，000feet，directlyafterwhichadensecloudwasentered，whichbroughtthetemperaturedownto36degrees。Atthiselevationthereportofagunwasheard。HereMr。Glaisherattempted（probablyforthefirsttimeinhistory）totakeacloud—scapephotograph，theilluminationbeingbrilliant，andtheplateswithwhichhewasfurnishedbeingconsideredextremelysensitive。Theattempt，however，wasunsuccessful。Theheightoftwomileswasreachedin19minutes，andherethetemperaturewasatfreezingpoint。
Insixminuteslaterthreemileswasreached，andthethermometerwasdownto18degrees。Inanothertwelveminutesfourmileswasattained，withthethermometerrecording8
degrees，andbyfurtherdischargeofsandthefifthaerialmilestonewaspassedat1。50p。m。，i。e。in47minutesfromthestart，withthethermometer2degreesbelowzero。
Mr。Glaisherrelatesthatuptothispointhehadtakenobservationswithcomfort，andexperiencednotroubleinrespiration，whilstMr。Coxwell，inconsequenceoftheexertionshehadtomake，wasbreathingwithdifficulty。Moresandwasnowthrownout，andastheballoonrosehigherMr。
Glaisherstatesthathefoundsomedifficultyinseeingclearly。Butfromthispointhisexperiencesshouldbegatheredfromhisownwords:——
\"About1。52p。m。，orlater，Ireadthedrybulbthermometerasminusfive;afterthisIcouldnotseethecolumnofmercuryinthewetbulbthermometer，northehandsofthewatch，northefinedivisionsonanyinstrument。IaskedMr。Coxwelltohelpmetoreadtheinstruments。Inconsequence，however，oftherotatorymotionoftheballoon，whichhadcontinuedwithoutceasingsinceleavingtheearth，thevalvelinehadbecomeentangled，andhehadtoleavethecarandmountintotheringtoreadjustit。Ithenlookedatthebarometer，andfounditsreadingtobe93/4inches，stilldecreasingfast，implyingaheightexceeding29，000feet。Shortlyafter，Ilaidmyarmuponthetable，possessedofitsfullvigour;butonbeingdesirousofusingitIfounditpowerless——itmusthavelostitspowermomentarily。Tryingtomovetheotherarm，Ifounditpowerlessalso。ThenItriedtoshakemyself，andsucceeded，butIseemedtohavenolimbs。Inlookingatthebarometermyheadfellovermyleftshoulder。Istruggledandshookmybodyagain，butcouldnotmovemyarms。Gettingmyheaduprightforaninstantonly，itfellonmyrightshoulder;
thenIfellbackwards，mybackrestingagainstthesideofthecarandmyheadonitsedge。InthispositionmyeyesweredirectedtoMr。Coxwellinthering。WhenIshookmybodyI
seemedtohavefullpoweroverthemusclesoftheback，andconsiderablysooverthoseoftheneck，butnoneovereithermyarmsormylegs。Asinthecaseofthearms，soallmuscularpowerwaslostinaninstantfrommybackandneck。IdimlysawMr。Coxwell，andendeavouredtospeak，butcouldnot。Inaninstantintensedarknessovercameme，sothattheopticnervelostpowersuddenly;butIwasstillconscious，withasactiveabrainasatthepresentmomentwhilstwritingthis。I
thoughtIhadbeenseizedwithasphyxia，andbelievedIshouldexperiencenothingmore，asdeathwouldcomeunlesswespeedilydescended。OtherthoughtswereenteringmymindwhenI
suddenlybecameunconscious，asongoingtosleep。Icannottellanythingofthesenseofhearing，asnosoundreachestheeartobreaktheperfectstillnessandsilenceoftheregionsbetweensixandsevenmilesabovetheearth。Mylastobservationwasmadeat1。54p。m。，above29，000feet。I
supposetwoorthreeminutestohaveelapsedbetweenmyeyesbecominginsensibletoseeingfinedivisionsand1。54p。m。，andthentwoorthreeminutesmoretohavepassedtillIwasinsensible，whichIthink，therefore，tookplaceabout1。56
p。m。or1。57p。m。
\"Whilstpowerless，Iheardthewords’Temperature’and’Observation，’andIknewMr。Coxwellwasinthecarspeakingtoandendeavouringtorouseme——thereforeconsciousnessandhearinghadreturned。Ithenheardhimspeakmoreemphatically，butcouldnotsee，speak，ormove。Iheardhimagainsay，’Dotry，nowdo！’Thentheinstrumentsbecamedimlyvisible，thenMr。Coxwell，andveryshortlyIsawclearly。
Next，Iaroseinmyseatandlookedaround，asthoughwakingfromsleep，thoughnotrefreshed，andsaidtoMr。Coxwell，’I
havebeeninsensible。’Hesaid，’Youhave，andItoo，verynearly。’Ithendrewupmylegs，whichhadbeenextended，andtookapencilinmyhandtobeginobservations。Mr。Coxwelltoldmethathehadlosttheuseofhishands，whichwereblack，andIpouredbrandyoverthem。\"
Mr。Glaisherconsidersthathemusthavebeentotallyinsensibleforaperiodofaboutsevenminutes，attheendofwhichtimethewaterreservedforthewetbulbthermometer，whichhehadcarefullykeptfromfreezing，hadbecomeasolidblockofice。Mr。Coxwell’shandshadbecomefrostbitten，sothat，beingintheringanddesirousofcomingtohisfriend’sassistance，hewasforcedtoresthisarmsontheringanddropdown。Eventhen，thetablebeingintheway，hewasunabletoapproach，and，feelinginsensibilitystealingoverhimself，hebecameanxioustoopenthevalve。\"Butinconsequenceofhavinglosttheuseofhishandshecouldnotdothis。
Ultimatelyhesucceededbyseizingthecordinhisteethanddippinghisheadtwoorthreetimesuntiltheballoontookadecidedturndownwards。\"Mr。Glaisheraddsthatnoinconveniencefollowedhisinsensibility，andpresentlydroppinginacountrywherenoconveyanceofanykindcouldbeobtained，hewasabletowalkbetweensevenandeightmiles。
TheinterestingquestionoftheactualheightattainedisthusdiscussedbyMr。Glaisher:——\"Ihavealreadysaidthatmylastobservationwasmadeataheightof29，000feet。Atthistime，1。54p。m。，wewereascendingattherateof1，000feetperminute，andwhenIresumedobservationsweweredescendingattherateof2，000feetperminute。Thesetwopositionsmustbeconnected，takingintoaccounttheintervaloftimebetween，namely，thirteenminutes;andontheseconsiderationstheballoonmusthaveattainedthealtitudeof36，000or37，000
feet。Again，averydelicateminimumthermometerreadminus11。9，andthiswouldgiveaheightof37，000feet。Mr。
Coxwell，oncomingfromthering，noticedthatthecentreoftheaneroidbarometer，itsbluehand，andaropeattachedtothecar，wereallinthesamestraightline，andthisgaveareadingofseveninches，andleadstothesameresult。
Therefore，theseindependentmeansallleadtoaboutthesameelevation，namely，fullysevenmiles。\"
SofarwehavefollowedMr。Glaisher’saccountonly，butMr。
Coxwellhasaddedtestimonyofhisowntothisremarkableadventure，whichrendersthenarrativemorecomplete。Hespeaksofthecontinuedrotationoftheballoonandthenecessityformountingintotheringtogetpossessionofthevalveline。\"Ihadpreviously，\"headds，\"takenoffathickpairofglovessoastobethebetterabletomanipulatethesand—bags，andthemomentmyunprotectedhandsrestedonthering，whichretainedthetemperatureoftheair，Ifoundthattheywerefrost—bitten;butIdidmanagetobringdownwithmethevalveline，afternoticingthehandoftheaneroidbarometer，anditwasnotlongbeforeIsucceededinopeningtheshuttersinthewaydescribedbyMr。Glaisher……Again，onlettingoffmoregas，Iperceivedthatthelowerpartoftheballoonwasrapidlyshrinking，andIheardasighing，asifitwereinthenetworkandtheruffledsurfaceofthecloth。I
thenlookedround，althoughitseemedadvisabletoletoffmoregas，toseeifIcouldinanywayassistMr。Glaisher，butthetableofinstrumentsblockedtheway，andIcouldnot，withdisabledhands，passbeneath。Mylasthope，then，wasinseekingtherestorativeeffectsofawarmerstratumofatmosphere……AgainItuggedatthevalveline，takingstock，meanwhile，ofthereserveballastinstore，andthis，happily，wasample。
\"NevershallIforgetthosepainfulmomentsofdoubtandsuspenseastoMr。Glaisher’sfate，whennoresponsecametomyquestions。Ibegantofearthathewouldnevertakeanymorereadings。Icouldfeeltherevivingeffectsofawarmertemperature，andwonderedthatnosignsofanimationwerenoticeable。ThehandoftheaneroidthatIhadlookedatwasfastmoving，whiletheunderpartoftheballoonhadrisenhighabovethecar。Ihadlookedtowardstheearth，andfelttherushofairasitpassedupwards，butwasstillindespairwhenMr。Glaishergaspedwithasigh，andthenextmomenthedrewhimselfupandlookedatmeratherinconfusion，andsaidhehadbeeninsensible，butdidnotseemtohaveanyclearideaofhowlonguntilhecaughtuphispencilandnotedthetimeandthereadingoftheinstruments。\"
Thedescent，whichwasatfirstveryrapid，waseffectedwithoutdifficultyatColdWeston。
CHAPTERXV。FURTHERSCIENTIFICVOYAGESOFGLAISHERANDCOXWELL。
Earlyinthefollowingspringwefindthesametwoaeronautsgoingaloftagainonascientificexcursionwhichhadaterminationnearlyassensationalasthelast。TheascentwasfromtheCrystalPalace，andtheintentionbeingtomakeaveryearlystarttheballoonforthispurposehadbeenpartiallyfilledovernight;butbythemorningthewindblewstrongly，and，thoughthegroundcurrentwouldhavecarriedthevoyagersincomparativesafetytothesouthwest，severalpilotswhichweredismissedbecame，atnogreatheight，carriedawayduesouth。Onthisaccountthestartwasdelayedtill1p。m。，bywhichtimetheskyhadnearlyfilledin，withonlyoccasionalgleamsofsunbetweentheclouds。ItseemedasifthetravellerswouldhavetofacethechanceofcrossingtheChannel，andwhile，alreadyinthecar，theywereactuallydiscussingthispoint，theirrestrainingropebroke，andtheywerelaunchedunceremoniouslyintotheskies。Thisoccasionedanunexpectedlurchtothecar，whichthrewMr。Glaisheramonghisinstruments，totheimmediatedestructionofsomeofthem。