Airships past and present, together with chapters on the use of balloons in connection with meteorology, photography and the carrier pigeon . andin so far as their records go they confirm the results obtained. Since the monthof November, 1900,simultaneous as-cents are made onthe first Thursdayin the month atParis, Strassburg,Munich, Berlin,Vienna, St. Peters-burg, and Moscow;and on May 5th,1902, the 213threcording balloonwas sent up. The seed thussown has bornegood fruit. It hadgenerally been be-lieved that Glai-shers results werecorrect, and thatat fairly low levelsthe temperature Fig. 157.—A
Airships past and present, together with chapters on the use of balloons in connection with meteorology, photography and the carrier pigeon . andin so far as their records go they confirm the results obtained. Since the monthof November, 1900,simultaneous as-cents are made onthe first Thursdayin the month atParis, Strassburg,Munich, Berlin,Vienna, St. Peters-burg, and Moscow;and on May 5th,1902, the 213threcording balloonwas sent up. The seed thussown has bornegood fruit. It hadgenerally been be-lieved that Glai-shers results werecorrect, and thatat fairly low levelsthe temperature Fig. 157.—A recording balloon with instruments. remained Constant throughout the year. But this has been shown to be altogetherwrong. There is eternal change even at great heights, and thetemperature varies just as much at levels of 30,000 ft. as at1,200 ft. Moreover, at the same heights above Paris and there may be differences of temperature amountingto 60° or 70° F. Our observations have also proved that thevariation of temperature is not continuous, but that the atmo-sphere is composed of layers, as it were, which often show. SCIENTIFIC BALLOONING. 255 considerable differences of temperature. This layer-formationis one of the most important subjects at present underinvestigation. The future has still much work to do. At present, systematicobservations are made in few parts of the earth, and such portionsof our own continent as Italy, Spain and Norway are unrepre-sented at our conference. We are proposing to cover the oceanby means of balloons sent up fromsteamers, and our work must also beextended to the tropics. In this provincethe assistance of England is very im-portant, seeing that India offers greatscope for these observations. Our aimmust be to explore the great unknownabove our heads, and to discover fromit the secret of the weather chart. Since this speech was made, some ofits hopes have been fulfilled; Italy,Spain, and Sweden have joined the con-ference, and
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