Thejournalist，whofirstspeaksoftheenormousconcoursethatgatheredtoseetheascent，notonlywithinVauxhallGardens，butoneveryvantagegroundwithout，proceedstotellofhisinterviewwithMr。Cockinghimself，who，whenquestionedastothedangerinvolved，remarkedthatnoneexistedforhim，andthatthegreatestperil，ifany，wouldattendtheballoonwhensuddenlyrelievedofhisweight。TheproprietorsoftheGardens，asthehourapproached，didtheirbesttodissuadetheover—confidentinventor，offering，themselves，totaketheconsequencesofanypublicdisappointment。Thiswasagainwithoutavail，andso，towards6p。m。，Mr。Green，accompaniedbyMr。Spencer，asolicitorofwhomthishistorywillhavemoretotell，enteredtheballoon，whichwasthenletupabout40
feetthattheparachutemightbeaffixedbelow。Alittlelater，Mr。Cocking，castingasidehisheavycoatandtossingoffaglassofwine，enteredhiscarand，amiddeafeningacclamations，withthebandplayingtheNationalAnthem，theballoonandaeronautsabove，andhehimselfinhisparachuteswingingbelow，mountedintotheheavens，passingpresently，inthegatheringdusk，outofviewoftheGardens。
ThesequelshouldbegatheredfromMr。Green’sownnarrative。
Previoustostarting，650lbs。ofballasthadtobediscardedtogainbuoyancysufficienttoraisethemassivemachine。
This，togetherwithanother100lbs。，whichwasalsorequiredtobeejectedowingtothecoolingoftheair，waspassedoutthroughacanvastubeleadingdownwardsthroughaholeintheparachute，aningeniouscontrivancewhichwouldpreventthesandthrownoutfromtheballoonfallingontheslenderstructureitself。Onquittingtheearth，however，thislattersetupsuchviolentoscillationsthatthecanvastubewastornaway，andthenitbecamethetroublesometaskoftheaeronautstomakeuptheirballastintolittleparcels，and，asoccasionrequired，tothrowtheseintospaceclearoftheswingingparachutebelow。
Despiteallefforts，however，itwassoonevidentthatthecumbersomenatureofthehugeparachutewouldpreventitsbeingcarriedupquitesohighastheinventordesired。Mr。Cockinghadstipulatedforanelevationof7，000feet，and，asthingswere，only5，000feetcouldbereached，atanyrate，beforedarknesssetin。ThisfactwascommunicatedtoMr。Cocking，whopromptlyintimatedhisintentionofleaving，onlyrequestingtoknowwhereaboutshewas，towhichqueryMr。
SpencerrepliedthattheywereonalevelwithGreenwich。ThebriefcolloquythatensuedisthusgivenbyMr。Green:——
"Iaskedhimifhefeltquitecomfortable，andifthepracticaltrialboreouthiscalculation。Mr。Cockingreplied，’Yes，I
neverfeltmorecomfortableormoredelightedinmylife，’
presentlyadding，’Well，nowIthinkIshallleaveyou。’I
answered，’Iwishyouavery"GoodNight！"andasafedescentifyouaredeterminedtomakeitandnotusethetackle’（acontrivanceforenablinghimtoretreatupintotheballoonifhedesired）。Mr。Cocking’sonlyreplywas，’Good—night，Spencer;Good—night，Green！’Mr。Cockingthenpulledtheropethatwastoliberatehimself，buttoofeebly，andamomentafterwardsmoreviolently，andinaninstanttheballoonshotupwardswiththevelocityofaskyrocket。Theeffectuponusatthismomentwasalmostbeyonddescription。Theimmensemachinewhichsuspendedusbetweenheavenandearth，whilstitappearedtobeforcedupwardswithterrificviolenceandrapiditythroughunknownanduntravelledregionsamidstthehowlingsofafearfulhurricane，rolledaboutasthoughrevellinginafreedomforwhichithadlongstruggled，butofwhichuntilthatmomentithadbeenkeptinutterignorance。
It，atlength，asifsomewhatfatiguedbyitsexertions，graduallyassumedthemotionsofasnakeworkingitswaywithextraordinaryspeedtowardsagivenobject。Duringthisfrightfuloperationthegaswasrushingintorrentsfromtheupperandlowervalve，butmoreparticularlyfromthelatter，asthedensityoftheatmospherethroughwhichwewereforcingourprogresspressedsoheavilyonthevalveatthetopoftheballoonastoadmitofbutacomparativelysmallescapebythisaperture。Atthisjuncture，haditnotbeenfortheapplicationtoourmouthsoftwopipesleadingintoanairbag，withwhichwehadfurnishedourselvesprevioustostarting，wemustwithinaminutehavebeensuffocated，andso，butbydifferentmeans，havesharedthemelancholyfateofourfriend。Thisbagwasformedofsilk，sufficientlycapacioustocontain100gallonsofatmosphericair。Priortoourascent，thebagwasinflatedwiththeassistanceofapairofbellowswithfiftygallonsofair，soallowingforanyexpansionwhichmightbeproducedintheupperregions。Intotheendofthisbagwereintroducedtwoflexibletubes，andthemomentwefeltourselvestobegoingupinthemannerjustdescribed，Mr。Spencer，aswellasmyself，placedeitheroftheminourmouths。Bythissimplecontrivancewepreservedourselvesfrominstantaneoussuffocation，aresultwhichmusthaveensuedfromtheapparentlyendlessvolumeofgaswithwhichthecarwasenveloped。Thegas，notwithstandingallourprecautions，fromtheviolenceofitsoperationonthehumanframe，almostimmediatelydeprivedusofsight，andwewereboth，asfarasourvisionarypowerswereconcerned，inastateoftotaldarknessforfourorfiveminutes。"
Messrs。GreenandSpencereventuallyreachedearthinsafetynearMaidstone，knowingnothingofthefateoftheirlatecompanion。ButofthiswearesufficientlyinformedthroughaMr。R。Underwood，whowasonhorsebacknearBlackheathandwatchingtheaeronautsatthemomentwhentheparachutewasseparatedfromtheballoon。Henoticedthattheformerdescendedwiththeutmostrapidity，atthesametimeswayingfearfullyfromsidetoside，untilthebasketanditsoccupant，actuallypartingfromtheparachute，felltogethertoearththroughseveralhundredfeetandweredashedtopieces。
Itwouldappearthattheliberationoftheparachutefrombelowtheballoonhadbeencarriedoutwithouthitch;indeed，allsofarhadworkedwell，andthewindatthetimewasbutagentlebreeze。Themisadventure，therefore，mustbeentirelyattributedtothefaultymannerinwhichtheparachutewasconstructed。Therecould，ofcourse，beonlyoneissuetothesheerdropfromsuchaheight，whichbecametheunfortunateMr。
Cocking’sfate，buttheveryinterestingquestionwillhavetobediscussedastothechancesinfavouroftheaeronautwho，withinhiswickercar，whilestilldulyattachedtotheballoon，maymeetwithaprecipitatedescent。
WemayherefitlymentionanearlyperilousexperienceofMr。
Green，duesimplytothemaliceofsomeoneneverdiscovered。
ItappearsthatwhileGreen’sballoon，previoustoanascent，wasontheground，thecordsattachingthecarhadbeenpartlyseveredinsuchawayastoescapedetection。Sothatassoonastheballoonrosethecarcommencedbreakingaway，anditsoccupants，Mr。GreenandMr。Griffiths，hadtoclutchatthering，towhichwithdifficultytheycontinuedtocling。
Meanwhile，thecarremainingsuspendedbyonecordonly，theballoonwascausedtohangawry，withtheresultthatitsuppernettingbegangivingway，allowingtheballoonpropergraduallytoescapethroughtheburstingmeshes，thusthreateningthedistractedvoyagerswithterribledisaster。Thedisaster，infact，actuallycametopasserethepartycompletedtheirdescent，"theballoon，rushingthroughtheopeninginthenet—workwithatremendousexplosion，andthetwopassengersclingingtotherestofthegear，fallingthroughaheightsaidtobenearahundredfeet。Both，thoughonlywithmuchtimeanddifficulty，recoveredfromtheshock。"
In1840，threeyearsafterthetragicadventureconnectedwithMr。Cocking’sparachutetrial，wefindCharlesGreengivinghisviewsastothepracticabilityofcarryingoutaballooningenterprisewhichshouldfarexcelallothersthathadhithertobeenattempted。ThiswasnothinglessthanthecrossingoftheAtlanticfromAmericatoEngland。Thereisnoshadowofdoubtthattheadventurousaeronautwaswhollyinearnestinthereadinessheexpressedtoembarkontheundertakingshouldadequatefundsbeforthcoming;andhediscussesthepossibilitieswithsingularclearnessandcandour。Hemaintainsthattheactualdifficultiesresolvethemselvesintotwoonly:first，themaintenanceoftheballoonintheskyfortherequisiteperiodoftime;and，secondly，theadequatecontrolofitsdirectioninspace。Withrespecttothefirstdifficulty，hepointsoutthefacttowhichwehavealreadyreferred，namely，thatitisimpossibletoavoidthefluctuationsoflevelinaballoon’scourse，"bywhichitconstantlybecomesalternatelysubjectedtoescapeofgasbyexpansion，andconsequentlossofballast，tofurnishanequivalentdiminutionofweight。"Takinghisownballoonof80，000cubicfeetbywayofexample，heshowsthatthis，fullyinflatedontheearth，wouldlose8，000cubicfeetofgasbyexpansioninascendingonly3，000feet。Moreover，theapproachofnightorpassagethroughcloudorfallingrainwouldoccasionchillingofthegasoraccumulationofmoistureonthesilk，ineithercasenecessitatingthelossofballast，thestoreofwhichisalwaysthetruemeasureoftheballoon’slife。
TocombattheabovedifficultyGreensanguinelyreliesonhisfavouritedeviceofatrailorguiderope，whosefunction，beingthatofrelievingtheballoonofamaterialweightasitapproachestheearth，could，hesupposed，bemadetoactyetmoreefficientlywhenovertheseainthefollowingmanner。
Itslength，suspendedfromthering，beingnotlessthan2，000
feet，itshouldhaveattachedatitslowerendatcertainintervalsanumberofsmall，stoutwaterproofcanvasbags，theaperturesofwhichshouldbecontrivedtoadmitwater，buttoopposeitsreturn。Betweenthesebagsweretobeconicalfloats，tosupportanylengthoftheropethatmightdescendonthesea。Now，shouldtheballooncommencedescending，itwouldsimplydepositacertainportionofropeonthewateruntilitregainedequilibriumatnogreatdecreaseofaltitude，andwouldthuscontinueitscourseuntilalterationofconditionsshouldcauseittorecommencerising，whentheweightofwaternowcollectedinthebagswouldplayitspartinpreventingtheballoonfromsoaringupintospace。WithsuchacontrivanceGreenallowedhimselftoimaginethathecouldkeepaproperlymadeballoonatpracticallythesamealtitudeforaperiodofthreemonthsifrequired。
Thedifficultyofmaintainingaduecoursewasnextdiscussed，andsomewhatspeedilydisposedof。HereGreenreliedontheresultsofhisownobservation，gatheredduring275ascents，andstatedhisconvictionthatthereprevailsauniformityofupperwindcurrentsthatwouldenablehimtocarryouthisboldprojectssuccessfully。Hiscontentionisbestgiveninhisownwords:？
"Underwhatevercircumstances，"hesays，"Imademyascent，howevercontrarythedirectionofthewindsbelow，Iuniformlyfoundthatatacertainelevation，varyingoccasionally，butalwayswithin10，000feetoftheearth，acurrentfromthewestorratherfromthenorthofwest，invariablytravailed，nordoIrecollectasingleinstanceinwhichadifferentresultensued。"Green’scompleteschemeisnowsufficientlyevident。
HewastocrosstheAtlanticpracticallybythesoleassistanceofuppercurrentsandhisguiderope，butonthislatterexpedient，shouldadverseconditionsprevail，heyetfurtherrelied，forheconceivedthattheropecouldhaveattachedtoitsfloatingendawaterdrag，whichwouldholdtheballoonincheckuntilfavouringgalesreturned。
Funds，apparently，werenotforthcomingtoallowofMr。Green’sputtinghisboldmethodtothetest;butwefindhimstilladheringwithsomuchzealtohisprojectthat，fiveyearslater，hemade，thoughagainunsuccessfully，asecondproposaltocrosstheAtlanticbyballoon。Hestillcontinuedtomakemanyandmostenterprisingascents，andoneofaspeciallysensationalnaturemustbebrieflymentionedbeforewepassontoregardtheexploitsofotheraeronauts。
Itwasin1841ontheoccasionofafeteatCremorneHouse，whenMr。Green，usinghisfamousNassauballoon，ascendedwithaMr。Macdonnell。ThewindwasblowingwithsuchextremeviolencethatRainham，inEssex，abouttwentymilesdistant，wasreachedinlittlemorethanaquarterofanhour，andhere，onnearingtheearth，thegrapnel，findinggoodhold，gaveawrenchtotheballoonthatbroketheringandjerkedthecarcompletelyupsidedown，theaeronautsonlyescapingprecipitationbyholdinghardtotheropes。Aterrificsteeplechaseensued，inwhichthetravellersweredraggedthroughstoutfencingandotherobstaclestilltheballoon，fairlyemptiedofgas，finallycametorest，butnotuntilsomesevereinjurieshadbeenreceived。
CHAPTERVIII。JOHNWISE——THEAMERICANAERONAUT。
Bythisperiodthedominationoftheairwasbeingpursuedinafreshpartoftheworld。EnglandandherContinentalneighbourshadviedwitheachinaddingtotherollofconquests，anditcouldhardlyotherbesupposedthatAmericawouldstandbywithouttakingpartinthecampaignwhichwasnowbeingrevivedwithsomuchfreshenergyintheskies。
TheAmericanchampionwhosteppedforwardwasMr。JohnWise，ofLancaster，Pa。，whosecareer，commencingintheyear1835，wemustnowforawhilefollow。FewattemptsatballooningofanykindhaduptothattimebeenmadeinallAmerica。ThereisarecordthatinDecember，1783，Messrs。RittenhouseandHopkins，MembersofthePhilosophicalAcademyofPhiladelphia，institutedexperimentswithanaerialmachineconsistingofacagetowhichforty—sevensmallballoonswereharnessed。Inthisstrangecraftacarpenter，bynameWilcox，wasinducedtoascend，which，itissaid，hedidsuccessfully，remainingintheairfortenminutes，when，findinghimselfnearariver，hesoughttocometoearthagainbyopeningseveralofhisballoons。Thisbroughtaboutanawkwarddescent，attended，however，bynomoreseriousaccidentthanadislocatedwrist。
Mr。Wise，ontheotherhand，statesthatBlanchardhadwonthedistinctionofmakingthefirstascentintheNewWorldin1793
inPhiladelphiaonwhichoccasionWashingtonwasaspectator;
andafewyearsafterwardsotherFrenchmengaveexhibitions，which，however，ledtonorealdevelopmentofthenewartonthis，thefurthersideoftheAtlantic。Thustheendeavoursweareabouttodescribewerethoseofanindependentand，atthesametime，highly，practicalexperimentalist，andonthisaccounthaveaspecialvalueoftheirown。
TherecordsthatWisehasleftofhisinvestigationsbeginattheearlieststage，andpossessthecharmofanobviousandsomewhatquaintreality。Theycommencewithcertaincrudecalculationswhichwouldseemtoplacenolimittothecapabilitiesofaballoon。Thus，hepointsoutthatoneof"theverymoderatesizeof400feetdiameter"wouldconvey13，000men。"Nowonder，then，"hecontinues，"thecitizensofLondonbecamealarmedduringtheFrenchWar，whentheymistooktheappearanceofavastflockofbirdscomingtowardstheMetropolisforNapoleon’sarmyapparentlycomingdownuponthemwiththisnewcontrivance。"
Proceedingtopracticalmeasures，Wise’sfirstcarewastoprocuresomepropermaterialofwhichtobuildanexperimentalballoonofsufficientsizetoliftandconveyhimselfalone。
Forthishechoseordinarylong—cloth，renderedgas—tightbycoatsofsuitablevarnish，thepreparationofwhichbecamewithhim，as，indeed，itremainstothisday，aproblemofchiefimportanceanddifficulty。Perhapsithardlyneedspointingoutthatthevarnishofaballoonmustnotonlybesufficientlyelasticnottocrackorscaleoffwithfoldingorunavoidableroughusage，butitmustalsobeofanaturetoresistthecommontendencyofsuchsubstancestobecomeadherentor"tacky。"Wisedeterminedonbirdlimethinnedwithlinseedoilandordinarydriers。Withthispreparationhecoatedhismaterialseveraltimesbothbeforeandafterthemakingup，andhavingprocuredanet，ofwhichhespeakswithpride，andaprimitivesortofcar，ofwhichhebitterlycomplains，hethoughthimselfsufficientlyequippedtoembarkonanactualascent，whichhefoundataskofmuchgreaterpracticaldifficultythanthemeremanufactureofhisairship。Fortheinflationbyhydrogenofsosmallaballoonashiswashemademorethanampleprovisioninprocuringnolessthanfifteencasksof130gallonscapacityeach。HealsodulysecuredasuitablefillinggroundatthecornerofNinthandGreenStreets，Philadelphia，buthemadeamiscalculationastothetimetheinflationwoulddemand，andthisledtounforeseencomplications，forasyetheknewnotthewayofacrowdwhichcomestowitnessaballoonascent。
Havingallthingsinreadiness，andprudentlywaitingforfairweather，heembarkedonhisgrandexperimentonthe2ndofMay，1835，announcing4p。m。asthehourofdeparture。Butbythattimetheinflation，havingonlyproceededforthreehours，theballoonwasbuthalffull，andthenthepopulacebegantobehaveasinsuchcircumstancestheyalwayswill。Theywereincredulous，andpresentlygrewtroublesome。Invaintheharnessingofthecarwasproceededwithasthoughallwerewell。Forallwasnotwell，andwhentheaeronautsteppedintohiscarwithonlyfifteenpoundsofsandandafewinstrumentshemusthavedonesowithmuchmisgiving。Still，hehadfriendsaroundwhomighthavebeenusefulhadtheybeenlesseagertohelp。Butthesesimplycrowdedroundhim，givinghimnoelbowroom，noropportunityfortryingthe"lift"ofhisall—too—emptyglobe。Moreover，somewouldendeavourtothrowthemachineupward，whileothersasstrenuouslystrovetokeepitdown，andatlasttheformerpartyprevailed，andtheballoon，beingfairlycastintotheair，grazedaneighbouringchimneyandthenplungedintoanadjacentplot，not，however，beforethedistractedtravellerhadflungawayallhislittlestockofsand。Therenowwasbriefopportunityforfreeaction，andtothefirstbystanderwhocamerunningupWisegavethetaskofholdingthecarincheck。Tothenexthehandedouthisinstruments，hiscoat，andalsohisboots，hopingthustogetaway;buthischancehadnotyetcome，foronceagainthecrowdswarmedroundhim，keepinghimprisonerwithgood—naturedbutmistakeninterference，anddrowninghisvoicewithexcitedshouting。Somehow，bywordandgesture，hegavehispersecutorstounderstandthathewishedtospeak，andthenhebeggedthemonlytogivehimachance，whereuponthecrowdfellback，formingaring，andleavingonlyonemanholdingthecar。Itwasamomentofsuspense，forWisecalculatedthathehadonlypartedwithsomeeighteenpoundssincehisfirstineffectualstartfromthefillingground;butitwasenough，andinanothermomenthewassailingupclearabovethecrowd。Sogreat，ashasbeenalreadyshewn，isoftentheeffectofpartingwiththelastfewpoundsofdeadweightinawell—balancedballoon。
Suchwasthefirst"sendoff"ofthefuturegreatballoonist，destinedtobecomethepioneerinaeronauticsonthefarsideoftheAtlantic。Theballoonascendedtoupwardsofamile，floatinggraduallyaway，butatitshighestpointitreachedaconflictofcurrents，causingeddiesfromwhichWiseescapedbyaslightdecreaseofweight，effectedbymerelycuttingawaythewreathsofflowersthatweretiedabouthiscar。Afurthersmallsubstituteforballastheextemporisedinthemetaltubeinsertedintheneckofhisfabric，andthishecastoutwhenoverthebreadthoftheDelaware，andhedescribesitasfallingwitharustlingsound，andstrikingthewaterwithasplashplainlyheardatmorethanamileinthesky。Afteranhourandaquartertheballoonspontaneouslyandsteadilysettledtoearth。
Anascentcarriedoutlaterinthesamesummerledtoamishap，whichtaughttheyoungaeronautanall—importantlesson。Usingthesameballoonandthesamemodeofinflation，hegotsafelyandsatisfactorilyawayfromhisstationinthetownofLebanon，Pa。，andsoonfoundhimselfoveratollgateintheopencountry，wherethegatekeeperinbantercalleduptohimforhisdue。TothissummonsWise，withheedlessalacrity，respondedinamannerwhichmightwellhavecosthimdear。Hethrewoutabagofsandtorepresenthistoll，and，thoughheestimatedthisatonlysixpounds，itsogreatlyacceleratedhisascentthatheshortlyfoundhimselfatagreateraltitudethanheeverafterattained。Hepassedthroughmistintouppersunshine，whereheexperiencedextremecoldandear—ache，atwhichtime，seekingthenaturalescapefromsuchtrouble，hefoundtohisdismaythatthevalveropewasoutofreach。Thushewascompelledtoallowtheballoontoascendyethigher，atitsownwill;andthenaterribleeventhappened。
Bymischancetheneckofhisballoon，whichshouldhavebeenopen，wasoutofreachandfoldedinwardsinsuchawayastopreventthefreeescapeofthegas，which，atthisgreataltitude，struggledforegresswithaloudhummingnoise，givinghimapprehensionsofanaccidentwhichveryshortlyoccurred，namely，theburstingofthelowerpartofhisballoonwithaloudreport。Ithappened，however，thatnoextremelossofgasensued，andhecommenceddescendingwithaspeedwhich，thoughconsiderable，wasnotveryexcessive。Still，hewaseagertoalightinsafety，untilachanceoccurrencemadehimasecondtimethatafternoonguiltyofanactofboyishimpetuosity。Apartyofvolunteersfiringasaluteinhishonourashenearedtheground，heinstantlyflungoutpapers，ballast，anythinghecouldlayhishandson，andonceagainsoaredtoagreatheightwithhisdamagedballoon。Hecouldthendonomore，andpresentlysubsidingtoearthagain，heacquiredthewelcomeknowledgethateveninsuchprecariouscircumstancesaballoonmaymakealongfallwithsafetytoitsfreight。
Mr。Wise’szealandindomitablespiritofenterpriseledtospeedydevelopmentsoftheartwhichhehadespoused;theroadtosuccessbeingfrequentlypointedoutbyfailureormishap。
Hequicklydiscardedthelinenballoonforoneofsilkonwhichhetriedanewvarnishcomposedoflinseedoilandindia—rubber，and，dressingseveralgoreswiththis，herolledthemupandleftthemthroughanightinadryingloft，withtheresultthatthenextdaytheyweredisintegratedandonthepointofburstingintoflamebyspontaneouscombustion。Freshsilkandothervarnishwerethentried，butwithindifferentsuccess。Nextheendeavouredtodispensewithsewing，andunitedthegoresofyetanotherballoonbythemereadhesivenessofthevarnishandapplicationofahotiron。
Thisledtoagapingseamdevelopingatthemomentofanascent，andthentherefollowedahastyandhazardousdescentonahouse—topandanexcitingrescuebyagentlemanwhoappearedopportunelyatathirdstoreywindow。Further，anotherballoonhadbeendestroyed，andWisebadlyburned，atadescent，owingtoanakedlighthavingbeenbroughtneartheescapinggas。Itisthenwithoutwonderthatwefindhimafterthistemporarilybankrupt，andresortingtohisskillininstrument—makingtorecoverhisfortunes。Only，however，forafewmonths，afterwhichheisbeforethepubliconcemoreasaprofessionalaeronaut。Henowadoptscoalgasforinflation，andincidentsofanimpressivenaturecrowdintohiscareer，forcingimportantfactsuponhim。Thespecialcharacteristicsofhisowncountrypresentpeculiardifficulties;broadriversandvastforestsbecomeseriousobstacles。Heiscaughtintheembraceofawhirlwind;henarrowlyescapesfallingintoaforestfire;heisprecipitated，butharmlessly，intoapinewood。Amongotherexperiments，hemakesasmallcopyofMr。
Cocking’sparachute，anddropsittoearthwithacataspassenger，provingtherebythatthatunfortunategentleman’sprinciplewasreallylessinfaultthantheactualslendernessofthematerialusedinhismachine。
WenowapproachoneofWise’sboldest，andatthesametimemostvaluable，experiments。Itwasthesummerof1839，andonceagaintheoldtroubleofspontaneouscombustionhaddestroyedasilkballoonwhichwastohaveascendedatEaston，Pa。Undeterred，however，Wiseresolutelyadvertisedafreshattempt，and，withonlyaclearmonthbeforetheengagement，determinedonhastilyriggingupacambricmuslinballoon，soakingitinlinseedoilandessayingthebestexhibitionthatthisimprovisedexperimentcouldafford。Itwasintendedtobecomeamemorableone，inasmuchas，shouldhemeetwithnohindrance，hisdeterminationwasnothinglessthanthatofburstingthisballoonatagreatheight，havingfirmlyconvincedhimselfthatthemachineinthesecircumstanceswouldformitselfintoanaturalparachute，andbringhimtoearthwitheverychanceinfavourofsafety。Inhisownwords，"Scientificcalculationswereonhissidewithacertaintyasgreatandprinciplesascomprehensiveasthatapocket—handkerchiefwillnotfallasrapidlytothegroundwhenthrownoutofathirdstoreywindowaswillabrick。"
Hisballoonwasspeciallycontrivedfortheexperimentinhand，havingcordssewntotheupperpartsofitsseams，andthenleddownthroughtheneck，wheretheyweresecuredwithinreach，theirofficebeingthatofrendingthewholeheadoftheballoonshouldthisbedesired。Onthisoccasionacatandadogweretakenup，oneofthesebeingletfallfromaheightof2，000feetinaCocking’sparachute，andlandinginsafety，theotherbeingsimilarlydismissedatanaltitudeof4，000feetinanoiledsilkballoonmadeintheformofacollapsedballoon，which，afterfallingalittledistance，expandedsufficientlytoallowofitsdescendingwithasafethoughsomewhatvibratorymotion。Itsbehaviour，atanyrate，fullydeterminedWiseoncarryingouthisownexperiment。
Beingconstructedentirelyforthemainobjectinview，theballoonhadnotrueopeningintheneckbeyondanorificeofaboutaninch，andbythetimeaheightof13，000feethadbeenreachedthegaswasstreamingviolentlythroughthissmallhole，theentireglobebeingexpandednearlytoburstingpoint，andthecordsdesignedforrendingtheballoonverytense。AtthiscriticalperiodWiseownstohavingexperiencedconsiderablenervousexcitement，andobservingfardownathunderstorminprogresshebegantowaverinhismind，andinclinedtowardsrelievingtheballoonofitsstrain，andsoabandoninghisexperiment，atleastforthepresent。Herememberspullingouthiswatchtomakeanoteofthehour，and，whilethusoccupied，thestrainingcords，growingtensereverymoment，suddenlytookchargeoftheexperimentandbursttheballoonoftheirownaccord。Thegasnowrushedfromthehugerentabovetumultuouslyandinsometensecondshadentirelyescaped，causingtheballoontodescendrapidly，untilthelowerpartofthemuslin，doublinginupwards，formedaspeciesofparachuteafterthemannerintended。Theballoonnowcamedownwithzig—zagdescent，andfinallythecar，strikingtheearthobliquely，tosseditsoccupantoutintoafieldunharmed。ShortlyafterthisWiseexperimentedwithfurthersuccesswithanexplodedballoon。
ItisnotalittleremarkablethatthispioneerofaeronauticsinAmerican——acontemporaryofCharlesGreeninEngland，butworkingandinvestigatingsingle—handedonperfectlyindependentlines——shouldhavearrivedatthesameconclusionsasdidGreenhimselfastothepossibility，which，inhisopinion，amountedtoacertainty，ofbeingabletocrosstheAtlanticbyballoonifonlyadequatefundswereforth—coming。
Sointentwasheonhisboldschemethat，inthesummerof1843，hehandedtotheLancasterIntelligenceraproclamation，whichhedesiredmightbeconveyedtoallpublishersofnewspapersontheglobe。Itcontained，amongotherclauses，thefollowing:——
"Havingfromalongexperienceinaeronauticsbeenconvincedthataconstantandregularcurrentofairisblowingatalltimesfromwesttoeast，withavelocityoffromtwentytofortyandevensixtymilesperhour，accordingtoitsheightfromtheearth，andhavingdiscoveredacompositionwhichrenderssilkormuslinimpervioustohydrogengas，sothataballoonmaybekeptafloatformanyweeks，IfeelconfidentwiththeseadvantagesthatatripacrosstheAtlanticwillnotbeattendedwithasmuchrealdangerasbythecommonmodeoftransition。Theballoonistobe100feetindiameter，givingitanetascendingpowerof25，000lbs。"Itwasfurtherstatedthatthecrewwouldconsistofthreepersons，includingaseanavigator，andascientificlandsman。Thespecificationsforthetransatlanticvesselwerealsotoincludeaseaworthyboatinplaceoftheordinarycar。Thesumrequisiteforthisenterprisewas，atthetime，notrealised;butitshouldbementionedthatseveralyearslaterasufficientsumofmoneywasactuallysubscribed。Inthesummerof1873theproprietorsoftheNewYorkDailyGraphicprovidedfortheconstructionofaballoonofnolessthan400，000cubicfeetcapacity，andcalculatedtolift14，000lbs。Itwas，however，madeofbadmaterial;and，becomingtornininflation，Wisecondemnedanddeclinedtouseit。Afewmonthslater，whenithadbeenrepaired，oneDonaldsonandtwootheradventurers，attemptingavoyagewiththisill—formedmonster，ascendedfromNewYork，andwerefortunateincomingdownsafely，thoughnotwithoutperil，somewhereinConnecticut。
Failinginhisgrandendeavour，Wisecontinuedtofollowthecareerofaprofessionalaeronautforsomeyearslonger，ofwhichhehasleftafullrecord，terminatingwiththespringof1848。Hisascentswerealwaysmarkedbycarefulnessofdetail，andacoolnessandcourageintryingcircumstancesthatsecuredhimuniformsuccessanduniversalregard。Hewas，moreover，alwaysacloseandintelligentobserver，andmanyofhismemorandaareofscientificvalue。