Thaddeus Sobieski Constantine Lowe (1832-1913)

Thaddeus Sobieski Constantine Lowe (August 20, 1832 – January 16, 1913) was an American aeronaut, scientist and inventor. Image File history File linksMetadata Thaddeus_Lowe. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Thaddeus_Lowe. ... August 20 is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1832 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... January 16 is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

Early years

He was born in Jefferson, New Hampshire to Clovis Lowe and Alpha Green (c1810-1842), the second child of a poor farm family of six. When he was ten his mother Alpha, the granddaughter of a Mayflower arrival, died, and he was sent to another farm where he worked as an indentured servant. He had little time or opportunity for education but he required answers to some of his observations of the heavens and the high wind that always blew in an easterly direction. It would become a life's ambition to fly that wind (now known as a jet stream). Jefferson is a town located in Coos County, New Hampshire. ... Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall (1882) The Mayflower was the ship which transported the Pilgrims from Plymouth, England to North Virginia (which later became part of the United States of America) in 1620, leaving Plymouth on September 6 and dropping anchor near Cape Cod on November 11 (both... An indentured servant is a labourer under contract (an indenture--explained below) to work (for a specified amount of time) for another person or a company/corporation, often without any monetary pay, but in exchange for accommodation, food, other essentials, training, or passage to a new country. ... Jet streams are fast flowing, relatively narrow air currents found in the atmosphere at around 12 km above the surface of the Earth, just under the tropopause. ...

He ran away from indentured servitude on July 4, 1844 and began a circuitous route homeward taking him to as far away as Portland, Maine, and Boston, Massachusetts, where he worked as a cobbler's apprentice for Nash, French and Company, and later for his older brother Joseph. By age 17 he had returned home, having become seriously ill. His father (Clovis Lowe, formerly also a cobbler, born in Sunkhaze, Maine) had earlier remarried (to Mary Randall) adding seven more children to the family. One day his step-brother Charles invited him to a road show demonstration of scientific phenomena put on by a Prof. Dincklehoff. Lowe was fascinated by the lighter-than-air gases the Professor used and their effect on bubbles. He even eagerly volunteered to help with one of the demonstrations. Lowe became the Professor's assistant on the road for another year until his retirement at which point Lowe took over the show under his newer name, Thaddeus Sobieski Coulincourt Lowe, Professor of Chemistry. July 4 is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 180 days remaining. ... 1844 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Location Location in Cumberland County, Maine Government Counties Cumberland County Mayor Jim Cohen Geographical characteristics Area  - City    - Land    - Water 52. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City on a Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Solar System), Athens of America Location Location in Massachusetts Government Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas Menino (Dem) Geographical characteristics Area     City 232. ... The expression lighter than air refers to objects, usually aircraft, that are buoyant in air because they have an average density that is less than that of air (usually because they contain gases that have a density that is lower than that of air). ...

The business proved profitable enough for Lowe to procure the education he lacked as a child. He tried medicine to fulfill his grandmother's wish, but the boredom redirected him to his first interest, aviation and the use of lighter-than-air gases. American balloonists used coke gas to inflate limp silk bags, as opposed to the original French balloons which were cotton weave over rigid frameworks that were stood over fires to collect hot smoke (hot air). By the late 1850's Lowe had become a foremost balloon builder and continued his lucrative business as a showman giving balloon rides to passersby and fairground attendees. This article is about the field of medical practice and health care. ... Aviation or air transport refers to the activities surrounding human flight and the aircraft industry. ... Coke is a solid carbonaceous residue derived from low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. ... Hot air balloon being inflated by its propane burners prior to a dawn launch Hot air balloons are the oldest successful human flight technology, dating back to the Montgolfier brothers invention in Annonay, France in 1783. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

Leontine Augustine Gaschon Lowe

In 1855, at one of his lectures, he met the pretty Parisian actress, 19-year-old Leontine Augustine Gaschon, who in a week became his wife, on February 14, 1855. During their honeymoon travels in the South, Lowe occasionally put on short programs in town as "Professor Coulincourt." They had ten children: Louise F. Lowe; Ida Alpha Lowe (1859-?); Leon Percival Lowe (1861-?); Ava Eugenia Lowe (1863-?); Augustine Marguerite Lowe (1865-?); Blanche Lowe (1867-?); Thaddeus Lowe II (1870-?), who had a famous aviatrix daughter known as Florence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes; Edna M. Lowe (1872-?); Zoe Lowe (1875-?); and Sobieski Constantine Lowe (1877-?). They made their home in New York City and later in Philadelphia. Image File history File links Leontine. ... Image File history File links Leontine. ... The Eiffel Tower, the international symbol of the city, as viewed from the Trocadéro This article is about the capital and largest city in France. ... February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Florence Lowe Pancho Barnes (born Florence Leontine Lowe on July 14, 1901, died March 30, 1975), was a pioneer of womens aviation and the owner of the celebrated Happy Bottom Riding Club located on land annexed into Edwards Air Force Base in southern Californias Antelope Valley in the... Flag Seal Nickname: Big Apple Location Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,214. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates , Government Country  State   County United States  Pennsylvania   Philadelphia Founded Incorporated October 27, 1682 October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 369. ...

He continued with his scientific endeavors and avocation to make a transatlantic flight via the high winds. In 1857 he piloted his first balloon in tethered flight at a small farm in Hoboken. His father also became involved in the balloon-making business with Thad and together they built the "Enterprise", which was demonstrated at an exhibition in Ottawa. He amassed supporters from all corners of the scientific community, in particular one Prof. Joseph Henry of the Smithsonian Institution. Transatlantic flight is any flight of an aircraft, whether airplane, balloon or other device, which involves crossing the Atlantic Ocean -- with a starting point in North America or South America and ending in Europe or Africa, or vice versa. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Enterprise was a hot air balloon used by the Union Army to spot oncoming troops during the American Civil War. ... Motto: Template:Unhide = Advance Ottawa/Ottawa en avant Location City Information Established: 1850 as Bytown Area: 2,778. ... Joseph Henry Joseph Henry (December 17, 1797 – May 13, 1878) was an American scientist. ... The Smithsonian Institution Building or Castle on the National Mall serves as the Institutions headquarters. ...

Lowe's mammoth balloon the City of New York, later named Great Western, to be used in a transatlantic flight.

Lowe's latest mammoth balloon, the City of New York, was a massive 103-foot diameter balloon with an 11-1/2 ton lift capacity (on coke gas, 22-1/2 ton on hydrogen), which included a 20-foot diameter, 8-man canvas covered gondola and a suspended lifeboat named for his wife Leontine. It was prepared for a test flight to be launched at Reservoir Square in New York on November 1, 1859. Unfortunately the local gas company was not able to deliver a sufficient supply of gas. Within a week Lowe was invited to Philadelphia by Prof. John C. Cresson of the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Sciences, who also happened to be Chairman of the Board of the Point Breeze Gas Works. They promised a sufficient supply of gas. Lowe stored the balloon in Hoboken and waited for spring to do the test flight. Image File history File linksMetadata City_of_NY_balloon. ...

Before the test flight the balloon was renamed the Great Western, on the advice of newspaperman Horace Greeley, to rival the maiden voyage of the steamship Great Eastern in the spring of 1860. Lowe made the flight successfully on June 28, 1860, from Philadelphia to New Jersey, but on his first attempt at a transatlantic launch on September 7, the Great Western was ripped open by a wind. A second attempt on September 29 was halted when the repaired spot on the balloon bulged during inflation. Lowe would need to overhaul the GW and wait for the next late spring. Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811–November 29, 1872) was an American editor of a leading newspaper, a founder of the Republican party, reformer and politician. ... The Great Eastern was a ship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. ...

A second test flight, at the suggestion of Prof. Henry, was made from Cincinnati and was to return him to the eastern seaboard. For this flight he used the smaller balloon Enterprise. His flight took off on the early morning of April 19, 1861, two days after Virginia had seceded from the Union. The flight misdirected him to Unionville, North Carolina where he was put under house arrest as a Yankee spy. Having established his identity as a man of science, he was allowed to return home where he had received word from Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase to come to Washington with his balloon. The American Civil War would end Lowe's attempt at a transatlantic crossing. Flag Seal Nickname: The Queen City Location Location in Hamilton County, Ohio Coordinates , Government Country State County United States Ohio Hamilton Mayor Mark L. Mallory (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 206. ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ... Map of the division of the states during the Civil War. ... Unionville is a town located in Union County, North Carolina. ... The term Yankee has a variety of meanings. ... John W. Snow, the current Secretary of the Treasury. ... Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808 – May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist in the Civil War era who served as Senator from Ohio, Governor of Ohio, as U.S. Treasury Secretary under President Abraham Lincoln, and Chief Justice of the United States. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederate) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties Killed in action: 110,000 Total dead: 360,000 Wounded: 275,200 Killed in action: 93,000 Total dead: 258...

Participation in the Civil War (1861-1863)

On the evening of June 11, 1861 Lowe met President Lincoln and offered to perform a demonstration with the Enterprise and a telegraph set from a height some 400 feet above the White House. Lowe was competing for the position with three other prominent balloonists, Mr. John Wise, Mr. John LaMountain, and the Allen Brothers, Ezra and James. Wise and LaMountain were old critics of Lowe, but were not able to obtain the assignment so easily. June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining. ... For other uses of the name Abraham Lincoln, see Abraham Lincoln (disambiguation) Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865), sometimes called Abe Lincoln and nicknamed Honest Abe, the Rail Splitter, and the Great Emancipator, was the 16th President of the United States (1861 to 1865), and the first president... Telegraphy (from the Greek words tele = far away and grapho = write) is the long distance transmission of written messages without physical transport of letters, originally over wire. ... The southern side of the White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States of America. ...

Lowe's first outing was performed at First Bull Run with General Irvin McDowell and the Army of the Potomac. His performance was impressive though he had the misfortune of having to land behind enemy lines. Fortunately he was found by members of the 31st New York Volunteers before the enemy could discover him, but he had twisted his ankle and was not able to walk out with them. Eventually his wife Leontine, disguised as an old hag, came to his rescue with a buckboard and was able to extract him and his equipment safely. General Irvin McDowell Irvin McDowell (October 15, 1818 – May 4, 1885) was an American military officer, famous for his participation in the American Civil War. ...

Word of his exploits got back to the President who ordered Gen. Winfield Scott to see to Lowe's formation of a Balloon Corps with Lowe as Chief Aeronaut. It was almost four months before Lowe received orders and provisions to construct four (eventually six) balloons with hydrogen gas generators. At the same time he assembled a band of men whom he would instruct in the methodology of military ballooning. The newly formed Union Army Balloon Corps remained a civilian contract organization, and never received a military commission, a dangerous position lest any one of the men be captured as spies and summarily executed. Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786 – May 29, 1866) was a United States Army general, diplomat, and presidential candidate. ... The Union Army Balloon Corps was a civilian run operation of aeronauts and gas filled balloons that performed reconnaissance missions for the Union Army in the American Civil War. ...

Lowe returned to the Army of the Potomac now under Gen. George McClellan with his new military balloon the Eagle, though his generators were not ready. He performed ascensions over Yorktown after which the Confederates retreated toward Richmond. Lowe was given use of a converted coal barge, The George Washington Parke Custis, onto which he loaded two new balloons and two new hydrogen gas generators, which exercised the first observations over the Potomac River thereby making the GWP Custis the first aircraft carrier. Lowe went on to serve in the Peninsula Campaign of 1862, making observations over Mechanicsville, Virginia, and the ensuing battle of Seven Pines and Fair Oaks. McClellan and Johnston of the Peninsula Campaign The Peninsula Campaign (also known as the Peninsular Campaign) of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. ... Mechanicsville is an unincorporated place located in Hanover County, Virginia. ...

The picture to the right depicts Lowe's ascent in the Intrepid over the Battle of Fair Oaks where his observations of the oncoming Confederate Army and the timely manner in which he reported troop movements saved the isolated army of General Heintzelman. Though he had used the hydrogen gas generators (each balloon camp was assigned two generator units), the inflation time was still another hour off. He quickly transferred the gas from the Constitution into the Intrepid by cutting a hole in the bottom of a camp kettle and connecting the balloons at the valve ends. The process took fifteen minutes, a time savings he valued at "a million dollars a minute." Image File history File links Balloon. ... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders George B. McClellan Joseph E. Johnston G. W. Smith Strength 41,797 41,816 Casualties 5,031 (790 killed, 3,594 wounded, 647 captured/missing) 6,134 (980 killed, 4,749 wounded, 405 captured/missing) The Battle of Seven Pines... This article is in need of attention. ... Samuel Peter Heintzelman (September 30, 1805 – May 1, 1880) was a U.S. Army General. ...

The muddy bogs around Fair Oaks and the Chickahominy River gave rise to many exotic diseases such as typhoid and malaria. Lowe contracted malaria and was put out of service for more than a month. The unsuccessful Army of the Potomac was forced to withdraw from the Fair Oaks and Lowe's wagons and mules were commandeered for the evacuation and eventually returned to the Quartermaster. When Lowe returned to Washington he was hard pressed to be put back into service. Eventually he was called to Sharpsburg and Fredericksburg where his services were used.

The Balloon Corps was reassigned to the Engineers Corps. Lowe's pay was Colonel's pay, $10 gold per day. In March of 1863 an officious Captain Comstock, put in charge of the newly reassigned air division, cut Lowe's pay to $6 cash ($3 gold). At the same time a Congressional assessment was being made of the air division and a disparaging third party report, which Lowe refuted in a lengthy response, gave pause to the Union commanders for further use of balloons. The whole sordid affair caused Lowe to tender his resignation in May 1863. The Allen Brothers took charge of the Balloon Corps, but were unable to operate it with the same capacity as Lowe. By August it had ceased to exist.

Return to the private sector

Lowe returned to show business, but his bout with malaria after the Fair Oaks battle and his weariness from the war took away his zest for a transatlantic flight (which no one ever made in a simple gas balloon). He made a new home in Norristown, Pennsylvania where he continued with his scientific endeavors with hydrogen gas, improving upon and patenting the water gas process by which high volumes of the volatile fuel could be made from passing steam over hot coal. The industry revolutionized home heating and lighting along the eastern seaboard. He held several patents on ice making machines and even discovered that gas burning through a platinum mantle produced a bright light (as later found in the Coleman lantern). Malaria (Medieval Italian: mala aria — bad air) and formerly called ague or marsh fever in English, is an infectious disease which causes about 350–500 million infections in humans and approximately 1. ... Norristown is a home rule municipality located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 17 miles (27 km) west by north of Philadelphia, on the Schuylkill River, USA. It formerly was a borough operating under Pennsyvanias borough code, its official name is The Borough of Norristown and it is frequently referred to... Syngas (from synthesis gas) is the name given to gasses of varying composition that are generated in coal gasification and some types of waste-to-energy facilities. ... It has been suggested that Refrigerator be merged into this article or section. ... For other uses of mantle see: mantle (disambiguation) An incandescent gas mantle, gas mantle, or Welsbach mantle is a device for generating bright white light when heated by a flame. ... Coleman Company, Inc. ... Stone lantern in a Chinese Garden A chōchin invites customers into an okonomiyaki restaurant in Japan A lantern is a portable lighting device used to illuminate broad areas. ...

He bought an old steamship in which he installed his refrigerating units and began shipping fresh fruit from New York to Galveston, and fresh beef back. This was an historical first where people were able to eat fresh beef that hadn't been packed in preservative salts. His steamship venture failed due to his lack of knowledge about shipping, but the industry was picked up by several other countries.

Lowe also manufactured products that ran on hydrogen gas. With these and his several patents Lowe amassed a fortune. For his achievements Lowe received the coveted Elliott Cresson Grand Medal of Honor for the Invention Held to be Most Useful to Mankind.

Retirement in Pasadena, California

In 1887 Lowe moved to Los Angeles and in 1890 to Pasadena, California where he built a 24,000 sq. ft. mansion. He started a water-gas company, founded the Citizens Bank of Los Angeles (not to be confused with Citizens Bank founded in Rhode Island), established several ice plants, and funded an opera house. Pasadena is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. ... Mansion near Almelo, The Netherlands A mansion is a large and stately dwelling house for the wealthy. ... Citizens Financial Group, Inc. ... An opera house is a building where operas are performed. ...

In 1891 he incorporated the Pasadena & Mount Wilson Railroad (later the Mount Lowe Railway). Unable to obtain all the rights of way to Mt. Wilson, he and his engineer David J. Macpherson redirected their railway toward Oak Mountain via the Echo promontory. The difference between this and any other railway of its kind was that it was all electric traction trolley (streetcar), the only one of its kind. Oak Mountain was later renamed Mount Lowe, and to make it official, Andrew McNally, the map printer from Chicago who was also transplanted to Altadena, had Mt. Lowe printed on all his maps (see Rand McNally). The Mount Lowe Railway began as a collaborrative effort between Thaddeus Lowe and David J. MacPherson. ... Mount Wilson is one of the more prominent peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains, part of the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County, California. ... This article refers to the mass transit vehicle running on rails. ... Mount Lowe is a mountain on the southern fold of the San Gabriel Mountains. ... Altadena is a census-designated place located in Los Angeles County, California. ... Title page of the 1879 Business Atlas, from DavidRumsey. ...

Lowe opened the first section of the railway on July 4, 1893, from the corner of Lake and Calaveras in Altadena to the Rubio Pavilion in the Rubio Canyon, then transferring to a steep 2,800-foot-long funicular to Echo Mountain. At the top there was a 40-room chalet. In 1894 he added an 80-room hotel, the Echo Mountain House, and the observatory. By 1896 the upper division was finished into Grand Canyon at Ye Alpine Tavern. Altogether there were some seven miles of track. Lowe lost the venture to receivership in 1899, which left him impoverished. The MLR became part of Henry Huntington's recently formed Pacific Electric Railway (also known as "Red Car") in 1902. July 4 is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 180 days remaining. ... Angels Flight, Los Angeles, California with gantlet track configuration Duquesne Incline, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with full length parallel tracks The Gütschbahn in Lucerne, Switzerland – from an 1893 guidebook A funicular, also called funicular railway, inclined railway, inclined plane, or, in the United Kingdom, a cliff railway, is a system of... Echo Mountain is a mountain above Altadena, California. ... Henry Edwards Huntington (February 27, 1850 - May 23, 1927) was an American railroad pioneer and art collector. ... The Pacific Electric Railway (AAR reporting mark PE), also known as the Red Car system, was a mass transit system in Southern California using streetcars, light rail and buses. ...

The only part of the railway property that remained Lowe's was the observatory on Echo Mountain. It boasted a 16-inch reflective telescope from which many astronomical finds were made. It was blown down in a gale in 1928. The railway fell in stages to the Echo Mountain House fire, a kitchen fire on February 4, 1900; a wind aided brush fire on Echo Mountain in 1905, which wiped out everything except the observatory and the astronomer's cabin; a Rubio Canyon flash flood in 1909 that destroyed the Pavilion; and an electrical fire that razed the Tavern in 1936. The line was abandoned after the Los Angeles deluge of March 1938. An optical telescope is a telescope which is used to gather, and focus light, for directly viewing a magnified image, making a photograph, etc. ... Radio telescopes are among many different tools used by astronomers Astronomy (Greek: αστρονομία = άστρον + νόμος, astronomia = astron + nomos, literally, law of the stars) is the science of celestial objects (such as stars, planets, comets, and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the Earths atmosphere (such as auroras and cosmic background radiation). ... February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Death

Lowe died at his daughter's Pasadena, California home at age 81 after a few years of failing health. Pasadena is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. ...

Legacy

The Mount Lowe Railway was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 6, 1993. Lowe is a member of the U.S. Army Military Intelligence Hall of Fame. January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Military Intelligence Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame established by the Military Intelligence Corps of the U.S. Army to honor soldiers and civilians who have made exceptional contributions to Military Intelligence. ...

See also

• 1880 US Census of Norristown, Pennsylvania
• Pancho Lowe Barnes, granddaughter and aviation pioneer

Norristown is a home rule municipality located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 17 miles (27 km) west by north of Philadelphia, on the Schuylkill River, USA. It formerly was a borough operating under Pennsyvanias borough code, its official name is The Borough of Norristown and it is frequently referred to... Florence Lowe Pancho Barnes (born Florence Leontine Lowe on July 14, 1901, died March 30, 1975), was a pioneer of womens aviation and the owner of the celebrated Happy Bottom Riding Club located on land annexed into Edwards Air Force Base in southern Californias Antelope Valley in the...

References

• Manning, Mike, Intrepid, An Account of Prof. T.S.C. Lowe, Civil War Aeronaut and Hero.
• Lowe, Thaddeus, Official Report (to the Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton) (Parts I & II) (#11 & #12) O.R. - Series III - Volume III [S#124] Correspondence, Orders, Reports, and Returns of the Union Authorities From Jan 1 to December 31, 1863.
• Block, Eugene B., Above the Civil War, 1966.
• Hoehling, Mary, Thaddeus Lowe, America's One-Man Air Corps, 1958.
• Seims, Charles, Mount Lowe, The Railway in the Clouds, 1976.
• Evans, Charles M., Air War over Virginia, an on-line publication.
• re: The Mount Lowe Railway: Man, Mountain and Monument 2001
• Bio at California Military Museum

External links

• Thaddeus Lowe biography, extensive site with many photographs.

Evans, Charles M. "The War of the Aeronauts--A History of Ballooning in the Civil War." Stackpole Books, 2002