Flight of the 'Mammoth'
A British Altitude Record
Feb 19, 2009 Joseph Allen McCullough
The early balloon aeronauts
In 1783, the French sent a man up in a hot air balloon. It was a great leap forward for science, and these early aeronauts added greatly to the knowledge of the science of the atmosphere. However, ballooning soon lost its scientific edge and instead became the domain of adventurers and entertainers.
The Mammoth
In 1862, the British Association for the Advancement of Science decided it was high time to learn more about the upper atmosphere and commissioned a series of scientific test. They hired Henry Coxwell and James Glaisher to crew the balloon. The balloon itself was constructed of American cloth, could hold 90,000 cubic feet of hot air, and was named the Mammoth. The experiments would consist of checks of temperature versus altitude, ozone levels, the effect on magnets and measurements of the solar spectrum.
Henry Coxwell and James Glaisher
Henry Coxwell was 43 at the time of the flights and already a noted balloonist. He was hired to fly the balloon and also helped in its construction. James Glaisher was ten years older than Henry, at 53, and was a founding member of the Meteorological society. It was he that would handle the scientific tests in the Mammoth.
The Early Flights of the Mammoth
The Mammoth first lifted off on July 17, 1862 from its base in Wolverhampton. In a strong wind, it ascended to 22,000 feet, at which point, Coxwell decided they had drifted too close to the ocean and started the descent. Although some valuable scientific knowledge was gained, the balloon became weighed down with water vapour while descending through clouds, causing a crash landing that destroyed a lot of the scientific instruments.
The second flight occurred on August 18 and was a much more successful and peaceful affair.
Breaking the Altitude Record
On September 5, the team readied for their third ascent. This time they were supplied with an extra potent fuel which promised greater lift. They quickly shot past their earlier heights. At about 26,000 feet two things occurred, Coxwell climbed up into the rigging to clear a tangled line, and Glaisher began to loose his vision. As the balloon continued up, Glaisher discovered that he could no longer move his limbs. He tried to call out for help, but found he had no voice. Glaisher didn't know it, but he was suffering from extreme hypoxia. At about 29,000 feet, Glaisher fell unconscious. Soon thereafter, Coxwell realized something was wrong. He went to pull the cord to start the decent, but found he too could not use his limbs. Desperate, Coxwell grabbed the cord with his teeth and pulled, and the balloon immediately started to descend.
Had Coxwell been unable to start the descent, both men would have surely died. As it was they both landed safely. The last altitude record taken by Glaisher was 29,000 feet, but they continued up for several minutes after he lost vision. Glaisher estimated that they made it up to 37,000 feet.
Although no one knows for sure, everyone agreed they must have topped 30,000 feet, and became the first humans to float up to the stratosphere. Whatever they exact height, the two men had reached the highest possible altitude for people to survive unaided. Although the two men would make other ascents, they would never again attempt that kind of height. It was a record that would last for decades.
Primary Information for this article obtained from The Man Who Touched the Sky by Johnny Action, Sceptre, 2002.
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