  We present Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph and ORFEUS-II measurements of
Si IV, CIV, N V, and O VI absorption in the interstellar medium of the Galactic
disk and halo toward the nucleus of the Seyfert galaxy ESO141-055. The high
ionization absorption is strong, with line strengths consistent with the
spectral signature expected for hot (log T = 5-6) collisionally ionized gas in
either a ``Galactic fountain'' or an inhomogeneous medium containing a mixture
of conductive interfaces and turbulent mixing layers. The total O VI column
density of log N ~ 15 suggests that the scale height of O VI is large (>3 kpc)
in this direction. Comparison of the high ion column densities with
measurements for other sight lines indicates that the highly ionized gas
distribution is patchy. The amount of O VI perpendicular to the Galactic plane
varies by at least a factor of ~4 among the complete halo sight lines thus far
studied. In addition to the high ion absorption, lines of low ionization
species are also present in the spectra. With the possible exception of Ar I,
which may have a lower than expected abundance resulting from partial
photoionization of gas along the sight line, the absorption strengths are
typical of those expected for the warm, neutral interstellar medium. The sight
line intercepts a cold molecular cloud with log N(H2) ~ 19. The cloud has an
identifiable counterpart in IRAS 100-micron emission maps of this region of the
sky. We detect a Ly-alpha absorber associated with ESO141-055 at z = 0.03492.
This study presents an enticing glimpse into the interstellar and intergalactic
absorption patterns that will be observed at high spectral resolution by the
Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer.
