THE SIX-MILE ASCENT.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 24 September 1901, Page 4

THE SIX-MILE ASCENT.

Story of the Highest Balloon Journey.

A balloon trip of Drs Berson and Suering, from Berlin last month, constitutes a record in aeronautics.

The balloon reached a record height of 34,400 feet (over six and a half miles).

At a height 800 feet short of this Dr Berson &ud his companions became unconscious, and remained in this state three-quarters of an hour while the balloon soared many feet higher through dense masses of cloud. The last figure recorded by the instruments showed 34,400 feet, but the daring aeronauts must have gone considerably higher while unconscious.

Drs Bersou and Suering relate that at a height of 3280 fees the cries of geese and cattle -wore still heard, and the sound of a railway engine was audible up to 20,C00 feet. After that perfect quiet reigned. Freezing point was reached at a height of 12,400 feet; at 20,000 furs wore put on ; and at 30,000 the aeronauts had to resort to inhalation. The newly invented “ thormophor ” proved an excellent expedient for keeping the blood warm when the thermometer was somewhere near zero. Thermophor ia the shape of plates had been put in their boots and pockets by the aeronauts. The balloon descended at Kottbus, eight hours after it 3 departure from Berlin.