| Show ACROSS THE SAHARA DESERT avelio santos and ollices have icet the world olive to the sensational possibilities of navigation officers of alio french army to tie carpi of leave been f devoting themselves to alic practical question of going by balloon from some available point in algiers or tunis to in alic enter of the french soudan tho results of their labors arc described in a recent number of lellus tra tion alio project of lengthy journeys by balloon by a new method of aerial navigation was suggested in 1891 by captain Dc of iho company of aaros tiers then stationed at versailles tho method proposed by kini consisted essentially in having from the under part of the balloon tho guide rope im anted by green but fixing to it a tt eight such that it would automatically keep abo balloon in equilibrium how acter intense might be the risings and tailings produced by the character of tho ground over which it dragged or tho ascensio nad force of the mass of light gas which it contained this equilibrium re alicd becomes simple and alic aerial vessel coald remain from six to eight days in the air in conjunction with the maritime engineer AL bibos captain Dc sought to find if this method of aerial navigation on a long course would not permit the traversing of alio sahara in a balloon they thought that alie con ana and regular trade winds which blow on the atlantic at of the year should at the same lime be felt over tho surface of the sahara tho study of tiro reports of tho explorers SI archand faureau lamy and others convinced them of the feasibility of the undertaking their conclusions on the subject were approved by the french academy of sciences and ihn smithsonian institution at washing ton a white captain and Lat nant experimented in frew using on tho bakloon a guiab rope but the fear of injuring tho properties passed over proved a serious hindrance an opportunity opening however for on the sahara captain 1 unfolded his project to count 1 de Cas do saint victor who readi ly agreed to join him therein to leave as little as possible to cliance clia they to inake their in three saries the first to determine by balloons of small volume the point in the tunisian or algerian sahara where balloons could be started with sonic certitude of being carried by a temporary wind from the north to alie region where commenced alic regular trade winds gabas a port of tunis seeming to respond to the need with its frequent winds from the northeast they chose aliis place of easy access by sea from which to the zone of the sahara trade winds they reckoned only to t 00 kilometers 2 ia to miles to carry out aliis first idea on wed aca january they launched the Eclair eur from theia camp dain zarig near the breeze which carried it fell and the balloon being seized by the arab was soon in a condition that precluded its going further two days after a steady northeast wind having set in the leo acx eighty seven meters was started on monday evening january 19 a telegram was received thief of the post announcing that a Ital loon coming from the southeast biad been caught by the natives some fifty five miles away about from gabes on ilic afternoon of january 17 the telegram showed thai the aco des had been stopped in its trial voyage after at least twenty six hours of trav el interrupted by alio guide rope and that it had been carried back from the south by a stroke of the sirocco before having readied the region of the trade winds from an acro point of view however abo projectors had every reason to bo satisfied for the balloon though not rising high had remained in ilic air for a long time and covered a distance very remarkable for an ac of buch small volume the guide rope lad not become entangled nor had the pigeons been released proving it had not come in contact with the earth if this balloon of eighty sean cubic matera behaved itself po well no doubt is entertained that one of 1000 meters will bo able to cover the 1120 miles of the oblique traverse of the sahara another point than gabas however will be sought for the start farther to the south and the trans saharan 1000 meters will probably bo heard from soon from the vicinity |
