I[G~Z^   BY]IJ L Z.I' Z L.Ffl'/Cf.AAEJJ'OYP~EL'i YMAOOL t.




A
SYSTEM OF AERONAUTICS,
COMPREHENDING ITS
EARLIEST INVESTIGATIONS,
AND
MODERN PRACTICE AND ART.
DESIGNED AS A HISTORY FOR THE COMMON READER, AND
GUIDE TO THE STUDENT OF THE ART.
IN THREE PARTS.
CONTAINING AN
Account of the various attempts in the Art of Flying by Artificial Means,
from the Earliest Period down to the Discovery of the Aeronautic
Machine by the Montgolfiers, in 1782, and to a later Period.
WITH A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE AUTHOR'S FIFTEEN YEARS'
EXPERIENCE IN AERIAL VOYAGES.
ALSO, FULL INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ART OF MAKING BALLOONS, PARACHUTES,
ETC. ETC., AS ADAPTED TO THE PRACTICE OF AERIAL NAVIGATION,
AND DIRECTIONS TO PREPARE EXPERIMENTAL BALLOONS.
BY JOHN WISE,
AERONAUT. -
" There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
PHILADELPHIA:
JOSEPH A. SPEEL,
96 CHERRY STREET ABOVE SIXTH STREET.
1850.




Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1850, by
JOHN WISE,
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.




ERRATA.
Page 46, line 22 from the top, for tube read tub.
"  259, " 40    "    "  for I have read I heard.
"  286, "   5    "    "  for These read Two.
"  287, "   I and 3, for nine atoms read eight atoms.
"  305, "  15 from the top, for lug read lump.








AS A TRIBUTE OF RESPECT AND ESTEEM,
THIS WORK
IS
MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED
TO
PROFESSOR J. K. MITCHELL,
OF PHILADELPHIA,
FOR THE VALUABLE PHILOSOPHICAL SERVICES HE RENDERED ME WHEN I COMMENCED
THE INVESTIGATION AND PRACTICE OF AERONAUTICS.
JOHN WISE.








PREFACE.
MY determination to prepare this work was induced more from
the existing necessity of such a book, than from a desire to figure
as an author.  A vacuum exists in our common libraries on this
much neglected but important subject.  The student heretofore,
has been obliged to grope his way through the dark, as far as
practical information was desirable, while engaged in the investigation of the art and mystery of aeronautics, except what little
light he found in the larger Encyclopaedias, and these afford but
a meagre assistance to the practical experimentalist.  The details
of manufacturing, inflating and sailing of balloons, are scarcely
touched, and the prescriptions and instructions which are to be
found in these works, and general receipt books, are mainly
theoretical deductions, which are more apt to lead the searching
student into difficulties, than to promote the object of his pursuit.
This arises from the circumstance of the writers not being practically acquainted with the subject they write about, and holds
particularly strong in the case of describing the composition and
preparation of varnishes and other necessary requisites to the
practice of successfil ballooning.
Upon so important a question as that of aeronautics, which, at
best, has advanced but little since its first discovery, compared
with other sciences (more from a want of information in it, however, than a deficiency of intrinsic merit), it becomes essentially
necessary that the writer should have acquired his knowledge in
the school of-experience, in order to make his book valuable and
useful in the promotion of the art of aerial navigation.




vi                        PREFACE.
Having passed through an experimental ordeal of fifteen years,
and made nearly a hundred aerial voyages, and constructed all
the necessary machinery for its operations, it will be admitted
that I must have acquired more instructive and substantial knowledge, and must also, therefore, be more competent to impart it
to others, than the merely theoretical looker on. During all this
time I was equally interested in the study of the early history of
the subject, and consequently sought most diligently for all the
information that had been written and authenticated concerning
its earlier investigations.
As regards that part of the work, it had to be necessarily brief,
unless fabulous and superstitious accounts would have been
taken as matter pertinent to the subject, which could hardly have
been deemed admissible to a sober history.
With a few exceptions, plausible accounts and mathematical
deductions were only considered; and these are but sparingly interspersed among the romantic and fabulous stories which seem
to have been built upon them. It was often difficult to find out
who the real or original authors of these accounts were-and
whether they were writing from personal knowledge or from hearsay; and, indeed, in regard to most of them, it would seem of
little account to us, since the inventors of these flying machines
mainly attribute the particular excellences of their discoveries to
some patron saint's spiritual power, notwithstanding they used
many wheels and pinions in their aerial apparatus.
In the second part of the work-comprising an account of my
long experience in the practice of ballooning, I have endeavored
to combine the highest degree of interest to the common reader,
with as much useful instruction to the student of the art as my
numerous and most interesting aerial voyages have enabled me to
produce.  Meteorological phenomena, being so intimately connected with the practice and science of aeronautics, are described,
as far as they developed themselves in my voyages, just as they
presented themselves to my observation.  I flatter myself that
this part of the work will prove itself interesting to all classes of




PREFACE.                          vii
readers, because it embraces a pleasing and grand scope to the
human mind.
The third part of the work, comprising the philosophy, theory
and practice of the art, with full and complete instructions for
making all necessary aeronautic machinery, is written with a
view of bringing the subject fairly to the comprehension of the
minds of the common searchers, promoters and practitioners of
the art, and is, therefore, given in a plain style, easily to be understood, believing that in this way it would best attain the end
for which it is designed.
In conclusion, I would state with candor, that my whole object
has been to bring this much neglected art into a state of progression adequate to its easy acquirement and simplicity, for the purpose of dispelling the delusion manifest in so many persons of its
intricacy and its danger; and thereby bring into the field of
aeronautics the genius of our favorably gifted country, which
must inevitably place aerial transition as far before railroad and
steamboat transition, as the latter are before the old-fashioned
sail and horse-power modes, and impart its advantages to the
present rising generation.
With these views, and the natural sentiments arising from
them, I submit this work to the public with as much freedom and
confidence as I ever did my balloon and person to the vast element that surrounds us, and with a fill conviction on my mind
that the shocks of criticism and of praise it must meet with, will
be as mingled and severe as were the plaudits and censures of
my fifteen years' eventful experience as a professional aeronaut.
JOHN WISE.
Lancaster, 1850.








CON TENTS.
PART  I.
HISTORY OF FLYING BY ARTIFICIAL MEANS.
CHAPTER I.
Introduction-Archytas' artificial flying pigeon-Antonius Byerlink's
account-Deception on the Emperor Basil of Macedonia-Roger Bacon
on air sailing-His ingenious writings interdicted-Training up children to fly-Running and flying..    17
CHAPTER II.
History resumed-Famous John Muller and his artificial eagle-Dante
of Perouse's flight-Cuperus on flying-Bishop Wilkins' propositions
on air sailing-Philosophical approximations to the art-Jesuit Lana
on air sailing-Besnier's flight-Baldwin bought his wings-De Gusman's petition for a patent for flying-De Bourgois' account-Gallien's book on flying........                         22
CHAPTER III.
Discovery of aerostatic machines-Experiments-Academy of Arts and
Sciences of Paris taking it in hand-Excitement of the French people
about it-A sheep, cock, and duck the first aerial adventurers-De Rozier
and Marquis de Arlandes ascend with a fire balloon-Particulars of their
voyage-Proces verbal-Experiment of Rittenhouse and HopkinsonExperiments with inflammable air-Cavallo on the discovery of the
hydrogen balloon-Experiments at Lyons with a mammoth fire balloon
-Experiments at Milan....    31
CHAPTER IV.
Introduction of the hydrogen balloon under the auspices of members of
the Academy of Arts and Sciences-The inflation-Torch-light procession with it to the Camp of Mars-Successful termination.    44
CHAPTER V.
Infatuated conceptions of aerial voyages....          49




x                           CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VI.
First aerial voyage with a hydrogen balloon-Experiments to regulate its
direction, and rising and falling-Blanchard's voyage across the seaCompound aerostat and fatal result-Testu's remarkable voyage      51
CHAPTER VII.
Invention of the parachute-Experiments with it....    57
CHAPTER VIII.
Aerostatic institute-The French applying the art to the warlike aggrandizement of their nation-Practicing school at Mendon-New method of
generating hydrogen gas-Balloons for the French army-Battle of
Fleurus gained by aid of balloon reconnaissance-Balloons for surveying,
and electrical experiments......    60
CHAPTER IX.
Philosophical aerial voyage of Gay Lussac and Biot-Their experimentsSecond ascent of Lussac-His experiments....    63
CHAPTER X.
Suggestions on the use of balloons soon after their discovery.    71
CHAPTER XI.
Aerial voyage of M. Mosment, from Lisle-Lost his life by it-Nocturnal
aerial voyage of M. Garnerin, from Paris-His ascent from TivoliPerilous trip-Caught in a thunder storm....    73
CHAPTER XII.
From the Encyclopsedia Britannica-Buoyant force of balloons-Celerity
of ascent-Stability of suspension.....75
CHAPTER XIII.
Prospects of aerial navigation-Fulton and Napoleon-General introduction of carburetted hydrogen auspicious to aerial navigation.    82
CHAPTER XIV.
Pennington's flying machine-Connection of balloon with it-Anonymous
claimant to the invention of screw propeller-His views on balloon
sailing-Steam not adaptable to balloon propulsion-Henson's aerial
steam carriage-A description of it from "Newton's Journal"-Its contrivance more ingenious than practicable.....    84
CHAPTER XV.
Treatise from the "Westminster Review"-Means of propulsion-Electromagnetism  and gun-cotton-Guide rope-Various methods of keeping
balloons at a certain height-Friction of guide rope applicable to steering-" Kedging"......    90




CONTENTS.                              xi
CHAPTER XVI.
Rotation of balloons considered-Shape of balloons, also —Their navigation
demonstrable-Method set forth-Facility of crossing the AtlanticEffect of experiment considered-Air and water craft-California air
steamer-Comments on it —"Difficulty of aerial navigation"-Pro and
con-Its dangers considered....97
CHAPTER XVII.
Letter from the veteran aeronaut Green-The Vauxhall balloon-Account
of it from "the Mirror"-First ascent with it, nine persons went upGreen's narrative of the voyage-The enterprise-Its advantages-Cost
of Vauxhall balloon....   105
CHAPTER XVIII.
Great aeronautical expedition from London to Weilburg, across the seaMade by Robert Hollond Esq., Monck Mason, Esq., and Charles Green,
aeronaut-Written by Monck Mason..   112
CHAPTER XIX.
Fatal Parachute descent of Mr. Cocking, from the Nassau Balloon, at London-Account from the London "Penny Mechanic" of July 29th, 1837
137
CHAPTER XX.
Mr. Hampton's ascent from Cremorne House, Chelsea, Thursday, June
13, 1839-And descent with his parachute-Description of his parachute
-Aerial nocturnal excursion from Marseilles to Turin, by Mr. Arban
141
PART II.
COMPRISING A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE AUTHOR'S FIFTEEN
YEARS' PRACTICE IN THE ARr OF AERONAUTICS.
CHAPTER I.
Introduction of the subject-First American aeronauts..   146
CHAPTER II.
First balloon ascension in the United States-Durant, the first American
aeronaut-The author's first ascent-Details of the trip-Conclusions
148
CHAPTER III.
American aeronauts-Death of James Mills-Difficulty in the construe



xii                          CONTENTS.
tion of balloons-Author's second experiment-Failure, and its cause
-Hints to aeronauts in such predicaments.... 156
CHAPTER IV.
Author's third experiment-Perilous situation-Balloon bursting-Descent and its incidents-Woman more presence of mind than manTwo more experiments-Sixth and last experiment with muslin balloon-Unfortunate result-Near proving fatal....   158
CHAPTER V.
Abandonment of the old, and construction of a silk balloon-Spontaneous
combustion of oiled silk-Strange coincidences-Their causes-Ascent
from Lancaster with new balloon-Comments on it-Effects of the sun
above the clouds- -Experiments on echo-Rising and falling through the
cloud stratum-Final descent at night-Balloon moored to Mr. Stump's
house-Terrific explosion of balloon-Persons injured by it-Accident
to the aeronaut-His return home.....            164
CHAPTER VI.
Promptings of the author's profession-Spirit of development-Construction of a new balloon-Its failure-Abandonment of the art for a yearMr. Cocking's fatal experiment-Report of it in the United StatesCauses the author to make another ascent-Account of same-Balloon
inflated with coal gas-Newspaper extracts of the occasion-Particulars
of the experiment-Successful termination....   173
CHAPTER VII.
Construction of a new balloon-First experiment with it-Had to be
sewed-Incident showing how balloon could easily be filled with airSecond experimentwith it-Made privately-Philosophical experiments
for Professors J. K. Mitchell and Espy-Indiah Chiefs present-Keokuk's scrutiny of the affair-Black Hawk's remarks-Newspaper notices
of it-Account of the voyage-Transparent appearance of Delaware
River when viewed from balloon-Encounter of whirlwind-Nearly descending in the fiery pines of Jersey-Final descent..   181
CHAPTER VIII.
Experiment at Easton, Pa.-Failure and its consequences-Ascent from
the public square at Easton-End of cause of failures-Decomposition
of balloon-.-Prospects of future operations-Simplicity of the art-Success of pupils......   187
CHAPTER IX.
Construction of cambric muslin balloon-New principle involved in itSecond ascent from Easton-Thunder storm-~Parachutes-Explosion of
balloon above the clouds-Descent with it collapsed-Letter from an
unknown friend about it-Ascent from Allentown, Pa...   190




CONTENTS.                              xiii
CHAPTER X.
Consultation upon exploding balloon again-Announcement to do so in
Philadelphia-Newspaper comments on it-Explosive contrivanceBalloon bursted from top to bottom-Its descent, and motion-Place of
descent-Explosion of balloon while aloft not fatal to the aeronaut-Atmospheric resistance not fully appreciated by theorists..   195
CHAPTER XI.
Second ascent from Allentown, Pa.-Electrical phenomenon-Descent and
collapse of balloon-Third ascent from Allentown-Neglect at startingDescent of small parachute-Predicament from neglect-ThundergustPhenomenon attending it-Reflections in a critical case-Paradoxical
descent-Appearance of the gas when released at great heights-Peril
overcome-" Misfortunes never come single-handed"-Descent and its
consternation-Danger of being shot-Went up again-Final descentNext experiment-Novel ascent-An amateur-IIis opinion of aerial
voyages-Its healthfulness...   198
CHAPTER XII.
Double balloon ascents from  Philadelphia-Conversation while aloftSingular air-current-Subject for meteorologists-Electricity and aircurrents-Descents of the rivals..   204
CHAPTER XIII.
Ascension from Lancaster, Pa.-Effect of rough workmanship in balloon
machinery-Breaking of valve-spring-Sudden descent-Ascension from
Chambersburg, Pa.-Scenery-Singular appearance of South Mountain
-Descent-Its magic effect on a cripple-Second ascent from  Chambersburg-Rainy day —Sombre appearance of the earth-Passage
through the rain clouds-Grand spectacle above the clouds-Harbor in
the distance-Illusion-Second stratum of clouds-A heavenly mansion
between the two-Its sublimity....   206
CHAPTER XIV.
Ascent from Danville, Pa.-Appearance of the clouds-Passing over Pottsville-Orwigsburg-Schuylkill Haven-Atmosphere cold over mountainous regions-Appearance of a bread-basket thrown overboard-Its
descent seen by persons below-Crossing Reading, its aspect-Pulsatory
motion of balloon-Experiments on it-Descent-Warmth when sailing
over valleys, &c.                                                211
CHAPTER XV.
Ascent from Lewistown, Pennsylvania-Figure of the town-Mountains
and valleys-Their appearance-Juniata river-The narrows-Opinions
of their formation-Viewing objects from  high isolated positionsRegular order of nature-Ascent from Bellefonte, Pennsylvania-Black
balloon-Effect of its color-Current from west to east-Ascent from
Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania-Unfavorable weather-Novel way of going
up-Reference to second ascent from Danville-Letting persons up by
a rope-Lady went up first-A mania ensued for going up-Profitable
business.....                                             213




xiv                         CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XVI.
Ascension from York, Pa.-Two failures had been made there by Mr. Parker-Its effect on the people-The day for mine was unfavorable-The
populace would not have it put off-My predicament-Reason, and
compromise-Decision-People reasonable-" York Gazette" account
of it-The start-Scenery, and clouds-Tore the balloon in the clouds
-Consequences-Scene above the clouds-Phenomenon-Thunderstorm
-Brilliant image on clouds-Sensations-Reflections-Balloon speed
-Descent-Another ascent provided for on my return-Extracts from
"York Gazette".....216
CHAPTER XVII.
Ascent from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania-Experiments on the spiral ascent
of bodies-Refraction of light-Parhelion-Its effects-Waving motion
like aurora borealis-Experiments on it-Peculiar brilliancy of a mountain scene-Peculiarity of atmosphere and clouds-Descent-Second
ascent from Gettysburg-Made by an amateur —istorical description of
it-Humorously but graphically written-Perilous descent of the
amateur.....   223
CHAPTER XVIII.
Balloon campaign of 1843-Transatlantic project-Ascent from Carlisle,
Pa. —Rev. Mr. Thorn's communication-Account from aerial log-book
— "Beautiful and interesting spectacle" —Mr. Forney's descriptionLanding at Lancaster-Entry in the city-Reascension from Centre
Square-Descent, &c..228
CHAPTER XIX.
Determination to cross the Atlantic by balloon-Intention of proclamation-Publicity of it-Comments on it —"Ballooning extraordinary"Another extract-Volunteers for the project-Officers of the navy-Their
letter......                                              235
CHAPTER XX.
Second ascent from Carlisle-Editorial note of it-Narrative-Entering a
storm cloud-Hoar-frost in it-Hail and snow forming in it-Could not
get out of it-Terrific predicament-Remained in it twenty minutesAn age of time it seemed-Escape from it and descent-Professor Espy's
interrogatories concerning it-Petition to Congress for an aerial project
240
CHAPTER XXI.
Ascent from  Hollidaysburg, Pa.-Balloon "Vesperus"-Ilollidaysburg
papers-Narrative-Difficulty of inflation-Net broke-Ascent-Atmosphere squally a mile up-Net giving way-Fearful apprehensions-Expedient-Descent-Went up again, hanging outside of the car-Dashed
into a tree-Escape of balloon-Came down in Catskill Mountains,
N.Y.-Alarmed the people-Recovery of balloon, &c..    246




CONTENTS.                              xv
CHAPTER XXII.
Ascent from West Chester, Pa.-Extracts from aerial log-book-Descent
in a thunder storm-Car struck with lightning-Alarm of it-No serious
consequences-Another ascent from West Chester-Next ascent was
made from Utica, N. Y.-First ever made from that city-"Daily
Gazette's"  account of it-Another from  Utica-Project of war
balloon to reduce the castle of San Juan de Ulloa at Vera Cruz-Offer
to government-Comments on- it-Letter to the war department concerning it.                                                    252
CHAPTER XXIII.
Career of 1847-Philosophers should go up with balloons-Earth's attraction-Ballooning only ahead of the age-Letter from Professor Henry,
Secretary of "Smithsonian Institution"-Hollowness of theeglobe demonstrable by the laws of atmospheric pressure-Matter and its lawsAnother ascent from Utica-Next from Syracuse, N. Y.-Narrative of
it............    260
CHAPTER XXIV.
Ascent from Auburn, N.Y.-Narrative of its extraordinary magnificence
and grandeur —"A speck in the horizon"-Ascent from Buffalo City,
N.Y.-Windy weather-View of Niagara Falls from  balloon-Disappointment of expectations-Looked like a frothy bubble-Another
ascent from Buffalo-Driven out on Lake Erie-Rescued by "brig
Eureka," Captain Burnell —"Buffalo Courier" notice of it-Ascents
from Rochester-Oswego-One from Washington City, D. C..   265
PART III.
INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ART OF MAKING BALLOONS, PARACHUTES,
AND ALL KINDS OF AERONAUTIC MACHINERY: ALSO,
DIRECTIONS IN THE PROCESSES OF INFLATION AND PRACTICE OF AIR
SAILING.
CHAPTER 1.
Introduction-Atmosphere considered as a balloon medium-Cause of
failures in small experiments-Table of surfaces, capacities, and powers
of balloons-Metal balloons-Materials for experimental balloonsHints for varnishing silk or muslin for balloons...   271
CHAPTER II.
Of oils-Tests-Table of specific gravity of oils-Preparation of author's
invented balloon varnish-Varnish for recoating balloons-Bird-lime
varnish-To make bird-lime-Caoutchouc, or gum-elastic-Caoutchoucine.....   276




xvi                         CONTENTS.
CHAPTER III.
Scale to shape balloons-How to make a pattern —How to cut material economically-Pear-shape-Diameter to circumference-Seams, how joined
-Filling it with common air-Neck of balloon-Test of balloon-Valve,
how made-Net, how made-Rigging and car...               281
CHAPTER IV.
Weight of Hydrogen-Vitriolic process of inflation-Strength of sulphuric
acid-Apparatus illustrated-Balloon, how kept under process of inflation-Pure hydrogen process of inflation-Carburetted hydrogen for
balloons-Its consideration in the future prospects of aeronautics   286
CHAPTER V.
Directions in balloon sailing-Grappling irons-Guide line-Index-Instruments-Descent on woods and waters-How  to manage-To collapse balloon-How to fasten grapple ropes-Caution after descentFolding of balloon-Height instrument-Parachute-How made-Parachutes in the vegetable and animal kingdom-Pope's and Darwin's
ideas......291
CHAPTER VI.
Rarefied air balloons —Laws regulating them-Their powers consideredHow to construct them-How to inflate them-Experiment illustratedAn ascent with one described...   297
CHAPTER VII.
Pilot balloons, how made-How  coated with oil-How to inflate themGum-bag balloons-Devices-To soften gum-bags-To distend themSmall fire balloons, to make-Philosophical principles which govern
their ascent-To make them ascend-Things can be sent up with them
302
CHAPTER VIII;
General remarks on the art-Philosophy of varnish-coating to render stuff
impervious to gas-Experiments on the diffusion of hydrogen in balloon-Escape of experimental balloon-Double envelop prepared well,
would retain gas long enough to go round the world with-Aerial voyages are life conservative-Its philosophy considered-Its effects as experienced.....   306




A SYSTEM OF AERONAUTICS.
PART I.
HISTORY OF FLYING BY ARTIFICIAL MEANS.
CHAPTER I.
Introduction-Archytas' artificial flying pigeon-Antonius Byerlink's
account-Deception on the Emperor Basil of Macedonia-Roger Bacon
on air sailing-His ingenious writings interdicted-Training up children to fly-Running and flying.
FROM the records of the earliest history, we learn that the mind
of man was diligently directed to the investigation and discovery
of the art of flying, and navigation of the atmosphere. That
such a desire has been co-existent with the earliest advances of
civilization, is not strange, nor to be wondered at, when we behold
the easy and graceful faculty of locomotion enjoyed by the
feathered race.  There are few of us who have not viewed the
flight of our native hawk and vulture with mingled feelings of
envy and admiration.  To see them soaring aloft, with apparently
motionless wing, until the eye can scarcely trace them in the
mazy heights of the atmosphere, at once excites the mind to a
desire of enjoying their mode of transition, which, together with
its speed and facility, would also enhance the intellectual privilege
of feasting upon the wide expanse of beauty, which adorns the
earth beneath the aerial traveler.  The ancients, for a long time,
attributed this felicitous prerogative of the feathered race to a
supernatural agency, and consequently looked upon them  as a
species of the Deity.  Many traditions of this sort are handed
down to us through heathen mythology.
The ancient path of knowledge was obscure and intricate, until
the superstitious notions of horned deities, flying oracles, and
winged horses, began to be dispelled from the pages of philosophy.  The unlearned in ancient times looked upon the operations
3J




18                   ARCHYTAS' PIGEON.
of the artist with fear and reverence, while the initiated, through
motives of self-aggrandizement, wrapped the veil of mystery more
closely around their learning.  During later ages, in which
natural philosophy.began to take the place of superstitious mysteries and occult delusions, the arts and sciences progressed more
rapidly; and, since the art of printing has been discovered, mankind  has become more equalized in the pursuit of knowledge.
From that period, history and ingenuity assumed a nobler feature;
the monopoly of learning, possessed and exercised by a chosen
few, was broken up; the invention of John Faust, in the hands
of John Guttemberg, started a new era in 1470, which gave a
new and vigorous impulse to all kinds of improvement within the
province of mankind.  The faculty of flying, as well as other
mysteries, was thenceforth examined more upon natural principles, in order to test the possibility of applying it to the use of
the human family.
But let us return, for a moment, to the earliest writings for
accounts of machines for traversing the upper heavens, and
bring down a connected history of man's propensity to acquire so
desirable an art, to the present time.  We shall then surely see,
if not in the present, at least in an approximating future, a very
encouraging prospect of its fillest realization; not merely as a
means of pleasurable enjoyment, but also to carry on the most
extended and magnificent commercial and scientific pursuits.
The first account on this subject that we find on the records
of history, that carries with it anything like plausibility, and
to which nearly all modern writers on the art of flying make
reference, is that of Archytas' artificial pigeon.  This great
geometrician was of the Pythagorean school, and flourished about
four hundred years before the Christian era.  The account of it
is given by the historian Aulus Gellius, who wrote during the
time called the "Brazen Age."  He says, that "Archytas constructed a wooden pigeon which could fly by means of mechanical powers and an sJura Spirit." In the description of the construction of this artificial flying pigeon, the machinery is, in some
measure, explained.  Its buoyancy seems to have been effected
by magnets; but the moving, or rather the propelling, power is
attributed to an occult-a very indispensable accompaniment to
ancient works of wonder, of which we have only descriptions.
Another writer, in reference to this artificial bird, says: "Archytas, philosopher of Taranto, constructed  a wooden pigeon
which could fly; but if it fell to the ground, it could not raise itself
up again."
Much has been written about this wonderful piece of art during the last three centuries, the most important of which we find
in the writings of Cardan, Scaliger, Fabri, Lana, and others. But




ARCHYTAS' PIGEON.                      19
most of these authors, like the historian Gellius, have their descriptions involved with obscure proceedings-throwing but little
light on the path of discovery of aerostation. Writers of a more
modern date intimate that by the enclosed "aura spirit" might
be meant rarefied air, or hydrogen gas, and the mechanical artifice connected with it, to have been used for the purpose of giving it direction. These suppositions fall to the ground when we
examine the subject closely. If gas or rarefied air had been used
to give it buoyancy, the machine would necessarily have been of
great size, so much so, that it could hardly have retained much
resemblance to a pigeon (and all the writers who refer to the subject call it a pigeon), and yet none of them make mention of its
being of extraordinary size. Besides this, the process of inflation
either with rarefied air or hydrogen gas would have been so conspicuous a part of its operations, that it could not well have been
overlooked by those who saw it and wrote about it, without some
account of the process being given in its history.  It is not in
the least probable that Archytas had any knowledge of the gases
-and it is also very doubtfully maintained, that he made his
pigeon fly to any considerable extent or height. Such an opinion
is confirmed by the writer who says, "When it fell to the ground,
it could not raise itself up again."
It would be unnecessary to go into a critical investigation of the
merits of Archytas' invention, were it not that nearly all subsequent accounts of flying machines are too dependent upon this
tradition for their proof of success; many of them blending it
with their own fanciful notions, and throwing around them an
air of mystery and secrecy, well calculated to delude the unlearned
into the belief that it required the aid of a spiritual agency, which
could only be acquired by those whose learning entitled them to
hold communion with saints and demons.
It is not remarkable that, at a period when all civilized Europe
was shrouded in ignorance, and labored under the tortures of ironhanded tyranny, such doctrines should have elicited the admiration and awe of the multitude, and more especially so, when
even the tenets and history of the church of that day were embellished with accounts of flying temples, flying dragons, flying
saints, and flying witches.
The next account that we find particularly noticed in history is
that of a man, who, it is said, flew high in the air in the city
of Rome, under the reign of Nero, but lost his life in the descent.
(An unfortunate fatality which terminated many of the ancient
experiments in flying.) This adventure is related by Antonius
Byerlink, who endeavors to substantiate the circumstance by a
description of the ingenuity and mathematical precision of the
artist's wings and apparatus; but concludes with a vague in



20               ROGER BACON ON FLYING.
timation that the individual's evil genius became displeased with
him when aloft, and consequently suffered him to fall down.
Here, again, we find that the machinery, critically exact as
it may have been, could not of itself accomplish the design for
which it was constructed.  The apparent flight of these objects
must have been delusive.  At that period, the magic art was
expertly practiced. We have an example in the case of the Emperor Basil of Macedonia, as it stands written in "Brewster's
Letters on Natural Magic."  "Inconsolable at the loss of his
son, this sovereign had recourse to the prayers of the pontiff
Theodore Santabaren, who was celebrated for his power of working miracles. The emperor, in short, saw the aerial image of his
son on horseback, and as the picture was brought nearer the
mirror, the image advanced into his arms, when it, of course,
eluded his affectionate grasp."  This art being well understood
by the ancients, may have been the means of giving effect to the
delusion of flying machines, such' as Archytas' pigeon, and others
referred to by those historians.
Roger Bacon, an eminent philosopher of the thirteenth century,
who, from his genius and ability, won for himself the title of " The
Admirable Doctor," was the first to whom we are indebted for
an approximation to the true principles of aerostation. He wrote
upon various subjects, and displayed in all a great power of imagination, with an equal degree of enterprise. The knowledge he
possessed, and the theories he laid down, appear the more remarkable, because we have, within the last hundred years, realized several of his most magnificent schemes. Like Franklin,
his ideas and knowledge were three or four centuries ahead of the
age he lived in.  The art of sailing in the air, or, at least, the
principle by which it is accomplished, seems to have been so
well understood by him, that we may safely ascribe to him the
discovery of its main principle (atmospheric buoyancy), which we
will presently perceive.
In one of his works, he descants, in glowing language, on the
possibility of constructing engines of immense size and power,
that could traverse the land and the water with great speed, and
carry with them persons and merchandize.  He then goes on to
describe a plan of navigating the air. He assumes that the atmosphere is a material of some consistency, capable of bearing
upon its surface vessels, like ships are borne upon the surface of
the water. He next describes the construction of his aerial machine, " which," he says, " must be a large hollow globe of copper, or other suitable metal, wrought extremely thin, in order to
have it as light as possible.  It must, then," he says, "be filled
with' ethereal air or liquid fire,' and then launched from some
elevated point, into the atmosphere, where it will float like a ves



ROGER BACON ON FLYING.                     21
sel on the water." It cannot be ascertained, from the writings of
Roger Bacon, that he ever realized any of his grand projects of
flying, by actual experiment; but, in concluding his treatise upon
this branch, he expresses himself thus: "There is certainly a
flying instrument, not that I ever knew a man that had it, but I
am particularly acquainted with the ingenious person who contrived it."
After expressing himself so confidently upon the "hollow
globe" method, he thinks, " There may be made some flying
instrument, so that a man sitting in the middle of the instrument,
and turning some mechanism, may put in motion some artificial
wings which may beat the air like a bird flying."
To these descriptions of Bacon, some of our modern writers
have adverted with greater zeal than judgment, to prove that the
art of flying by human contrivances was known to the ancients,
or, at least, anterior to the discovery of the Montgolfiers.  They
contend that Roger Bacon was well acquainted with the properties of the atmosphere.  Some very learned disquisitions have
been written to prove that his ethereal air and liquidfire were the
same as our rarefied air, and hydrogen gas.
With all due deference to the brilliant genius and far-reaching
intellect of Roger Bacon, it must still be evident from his own
writings that he did not filly understand the principle of atmospheric pressure, or he would not have thought it necessary to
get his "hollow globe" on the surface of the atmosphere.  As to
his having some knowledge of the consistency of the air as an
elastic fluid, that will not be denied, for, at that period, the attention of the learned began to be directed to the science of pneumatics; but we have no authenticated writings to show that they
had a knowledge of the various and distinct gases.
The discovery of the art of making gunpowder has been attributed to Roger Bacon, and history makes it evident that he
accomplished astonishing things in his day, for we read that he
was accused of holding communion with the devil, and that the
perusal of his writings was interdicted by an order of Nicolas IV.,
and the Doctor placed under personal restraint, where the emanations of his brilliant mind could only enlighten the emperor and
his courtiers. Soon after Bacon's time, projects were instituted
to train up children from  their infancy in the exercise of flying
with artificial wings, which seemed to have been the favorite
plan of the flying philosophers and artists of that day. If we
credit the accounts of some of their experiments, it would seem
that considerable progress was made in that way. The individuals who used the wings could skim over the surface of the earth
with a great deal of ease and celerity. This was accomplished
by the combined faculties of running and flying.  It is stated,




22                 RUNNING AND FLYING.
that, by an alternately continued motion of the wings against the
air, and the feet against the ground, they were enabled to move
along with a striding motion, and with incredible speed.
If we are permitted, for a moment, to digress from the historical part of our subject, we will show that this method of locomotion, under the present knowledge of aeronautics, could be
turned to considerable account.  If, for instance, we take a
balloon of limited size, about eighteen feet in diameter each way,
it will, when inflated with hydrogen gas, be capable of raising
160 pounds, independent of its own weight.  Now, if this be so
fastened to a man's body, as not to interfere with the free use of
his arms and legs, he may then ballast himself so as to be a trifle
heavier than the upward tendency of the balloon, which will be
nearly in equilibrio. If then he provides himself with a pair of
wings, made on the bird principle, with socket joints to slip
over his arms at the shoulders, and a grasping handle internally
of each one, at the distance from the shoulder joint of the wing,
as the distance is from his shoulder to his hand, he may beat
against the air with his wings, and bound against the earth with
his feet, so as to make at least a hundred yards at each bound.
This the writer has often done, in the direction of a gentle wind,
with the aid of his feet alone, after his balloon had descended
to the earth; and, on one occasion, traversed a pine forest of
several miles in extent, by bounding against the tops of the trees.
Such a contrivance would be of inestimable value to exploring expeditions. Landings to otherwise inaccessible mountains; escapes
from  surrounding icebergs; explorations of volcanic craters;
traversing vast swamps and morasses; walking over lakes and
seas; bounding over isthmuses, straits, and promontories, or exploring the cloud-capped peaks of Chimborazo, could thus all be
easily accomplished.
CHAPTER II.
History resumed-Famous John Muller and his artificial eagle-Dante
of Perouse's flight-Cuperus on flying-Bishop Wilkins' propositions
on air sailing-Philosophical approximations to the.art-Jesuit Lana
on air sailing-Besnier's flight-Baldwin bought his wings —De Gusman's petition for a patent for flying-De Bourgois' account-Gallien's book on flying.
IN resuming our history, it is related by several authors, each
of whom seems to have copied the story from  his predecessor,




WILKINS ON FLYING.                     23
that the famous John Muller, also called Regiomontanus, constructed an artificial eagle at Nuremburg, which flew out to meet
the Emperor Charles V., and accompanied him back to town. It
is also stated: "About the same period, and in succeeding
times, we are told of a certain monk, named Elmerus, who flew
about a furlong from the top of a tower in Spain. Another flight
was attempted from St. Mark's steeple, in Venice, and also at
Nuremburg; and, by means of a pair of wings, a person named
Dante of Perouse was enabled to fly; but, while amusing the
citizens with his flight, he fell on the top of St. Mary's church,
and broke his thigh."
Cuperus, in his treatise on the "Excellence of Man," very
ingeniously contends that it is possible for human beings to attain
the faculty of flying. He asserts that Leonardo da Vinci, the
great painter, practiced it successfully; but his account is not well
authenticated.
The next writer upon this subject who merits particular attention, we find in John Wilkins, Lord Bishop of Chester, who died
in the year 1672.  In a work, which he entitled the "Discovery
of the New World," he says, "It is a pretty notion to this purpose, mentioned by Albertus de Saxonia, and out of him by
Francis Mendoca, that the air in some part of it is navigable;
and that, upon this static principle, any iron or brass vessel (suppose a kettle), whose substance is much heavier than that of
water, yet being filled with air it will swim upon it and not sink.
So, suppose a cup or wooden vessel, upon the outward borders of
the atmosphere, the capacity of it being filled with fire, or rather
ethereal air, it must necessarily, upon the same ground, remain
there, and of itself no more fall than an empty ship can sink."
Wilkins' reasoning here embodies the sentiments and princi-.
ples of Bacon on this subject, with, however, quainter illustrations
to show that the atmosphere is navigable. In tracing the progress
of knowledge in relation to the principles of atmospheric buoyancy, it exhibits to the mind a very striking exemplification of
the nearness to which we may approach to the desired object of
our pursuits, and yet, for the want of knowing correctly the apt
plication of a trifling part of it, how long we may be baffled in
perfecting our schemes.
We find here, that, for the space of over 400 years, one generation after another conceived more fully the principles and truths
of a theory, without any real success towards its consummation
in practice.  The idea thrown out by Roger Bacon, of atmospherical buoyancy, it does seem from history, had become the
favorite theory with the most philosophical portion of the advocates
of the doctrine that flying through the air could be accomplished
by human beings.  The other portion, who were evidently more




24               WILKINS' PROPOSITIONS.
of a mechanical turn, contended that it must be accomplished by
the aid of artificial wings, on the bird principle.  Now, that it is
not philosophically disproved, that man may fly by the aid of
artificial wings, is evident, for it would be no more at variance
with the laws of nature than it is for him to swim in the water
like a fish.
While Cuperus, upon the one hand, in his treatise on the
"Excellence of Man," contends that the faculty of flying, by
the use of artificial wings fastened to the body of a man, can
be attained, Borrelli, a Neapolitan mathematician, asserts that,
after having examined the subject with great nicety, in a comparison of the strength of the muscles of a man to the muscles of
a bird, it is impossible to fly by means of wings fastened to the
body.  Under this view of the subject, we may safely steer a
middle course, denying neither the one, nor positively assuming
the other, but leaving to the age of improvement in which we
live, to decide, by actual experiments, what may be accomplished by both plans.
Bishop Wilkins, in his treatise on mechanical motion, treats
expressly of the art of flying by the aid of wings. In the sixth
chapter, he says: " Scaliger conceives the framing of such volitant automata to be very easy.  Volantis columbae machinulum,
cujus autorem JIrchytam tradunt velfacillime profiteri audeo."
"But this may better be performed by the strength of some
such spring as is commonly used in watches. This spring may
be applied unto one wheel, which shall give an equal motion to
both the wings; these wings having unto each of them another
smaller spring, by which they may be contracted and lifted up,
so that being forcibly depressed by the strength of the great
and stronger spring, and lifted up again by the other two; according to this supposition, it is easy to conceive how the motion of flight may be performed and continued."
Not so very easy, we should suppose, especially in continuing
the flight-unless it would be a flight of fancy-which we shall
presently show the bishop to have been more expert in, than in
any other department of genius. In his seventh chapter, he lays
down four different plans by which flying in the air has been, or
may be, attempted.  To wit: "Firstly, by spirits or angelssecondly, by the help of fowls; thirdly, by wings fastened immediately to the body; and, fourthly, by a flying chariot."
The first one of these propositions is an inheritance of the ancient superstition, as related by Aulus Gellius, in ascribing the
power of Archytas' wooden pigeon to an aura spirit, and Antonius Byerlink's evil genius, which seems to have been the mainspring to this flying artist's machinery.
The second, which depends upon the help of birds, might, to




FLIGHT OF ELMERUS.                     25
some extent, be realized by the training of some such powerful
bird as the condor of South America, which, it is said, can fly off
with a sheep or a calf. But such a mode would not seem to be
very promising in its results, admitting that it were practicable.
The third, which is to be accomplished by the aid of wings
fastened immediately to the body, he recommends more in detail.
Regarding this plan, he says: "It is the obvious and common
opinion that this may be effected by wings fastened immediately
to the body, this coming nearest to the imitation of nature, which
should be observed in such attempts as these. This is that way
which Fredericus Hermanus, in his little discourse, De Art Volandi, doth only mention and insist upon; and if we may trust
credible story, it hath been frequently attempted, not without
some success.  It is related of a certain monk, called Elmerus,
about the Confessor's time, that he did, by such wings, fly from a
tower above a furlong; and so another from  St. Mark's steeple,
in Venice; another at Nuremburg; and Busbequius speaks of a
Turk in Constantinople who attempted to fly.   MIr. Burton,
mentioning this quotation, doth believe that some new-fangled
wit will, some time or other, find out this art. Though, the truth
is, most of these artists did unfortunately miscarry, by falling
down and breaking their arms or legs; yet that may be imputed
to their want of experience, and too much fear, which must, of
course, possess men in such dangerous and strange attempts.
Those things that seem  very difficult and fearful at the first,
may grow very facile after frequent trial and exercise; and, therefore, he that would effect anything in this way must be brought
up to the constant practice of it from his youth; trying first only
to use his wings, in running on the ground, as an ostrich or
tame goose will do, touching the earth with his toes; and so on
by degrees learn to rise higher, till he shall attain unto skill and
confidence. I have heard it from credible testimony, that one of
our nation hath succeeded so far in this experiment, that he was
able, by the help of wings, in such a running pace, to step, constantly, ten yards at a time."
In the same chapter, he says, "But now, because the arms
extended are too weak, and easily wearied, therefore the motions
by them are like to be but short and slow, answerable, it may be,
to the flight of such domestic fowls as are mostly confined to the
ground, which of themselves we see are quickly weary, and therefore much more would the arm of a man, as being not naturally
designed to such a motion."
"It were therefore worth the inquiry, to consider whether this
might not be more probably effected by the feet, which are naturally more strong and indefatigable: in which contrivance, the
wings should come down from the shoulders on each side, but the




26                   BACON'S PRINCIPLE.
motion of them  should be from  the legs, being thrust out, and
drawn in again, alternately, so that each leg should move both
wings; by which means a man should, as it were, walk or climb
up into the atmosphere; and then the hands and arms might be
at leisure to help and direct the motion, or for any other service
calculated for them.  This conjecture is not without strong probability, and some special advantages above the other."
Now comes his favorite project, and one which has frequently
been attempted, but invariably without the least success.  "But
the fourth and last way seems unto me altogether as probable,
and much more useful than any of the rest; and'that is by a flying
chariot, which may be so contrived as to carry a man within it;
and though the strength might perhaps be serviceable for the
motion of this engine, yet it were better to have it assisted by the
labor of some intelligent mover, as the heavenly orbs are supposed
to be turned.  And therefore, if it were made big enough to carry
sundry persons together, then each of them in their several turns
might successively labor in the causing of this motion; which
thereby would be much more constant and lasting than it could
otherwise be, if it (lid wholly depend on the strength of the same
person.  This contrivance being as much to be preferred before
any of the other, as swimming in a ship before swimming in
water."
Now, some writers have warmly contended that Bishop Wilkins
discovered the Art of Flying.  So far from this being the case,
the most plausible part or plan suggested by him  is taken from
Roger Bacon's treatise on the subject, which is the Balloon principle. He appears to have been very sanguine that the art could
be attained, and much credit undoubtedly is due him for the
assistance he has rendered the progress of its discovery.  He
expressed himself at one time to the effect, that he believed the
time would come when it would be as common for a man to call
for his wings, when about to prepare for a journey, as it was in
his time to call for boots and spurs.  From the further investigations and quotations that we will make, it will be seen that Roger
Bacon's principle was kept sight of by his successors, in the pursuit of this subject, until it was consummated and realized by the
Montgolfiers, and the committee appointed on this subject by the
Academy of Arts and Sciences of Paris.
The philosophers, from Bacon's time down to the discovery of
the true nature of atmospheric pressure, as illustrated by the'Iorricellian tube, and air pump, in their speculations upon aerial
navigation, all had an opinion that the atmosphere had a defined
limit or border, not very high above the earth, upon which the
aerial vessel must necessarily be placed in order to have it buoyed
up by the air underneath, like the water under a ship.  Reason



FATHER LANA'S PROPOSITIONS.                   27
ing from their knowledge of hydrostatics, they took it for granted
that the atmosphere was a vast ocean of air surrounding our globe,
upon the outer border of which rested another ethereal ocean of a
much rarer kind, separate and distinct as the air rests upon the
water.  Still they approached nearer, in each succeeding generation, to an attainment of navigating the air.  Judging, then, from
the scanty knowledge they possessed of pneumatics, and'indeed
of all the sciences, they are entitled to a great deal of credit, in
regard to the art of aerial navigation, as also to other important
subjects. It does seem that, if the progressive individuals of our
generation were to apply themselves with the same earnestness
to this subject now, that those did before us whom we have made
reference to, it would not be long before we should see air traveling as much preferred and in advance of steamboat and railroad
traveling, as the latter are now in advance of the old-fashioned
stage-coach and schooner method. In the course of our history,
we shall see that the discovery by the Montgolfiers created a spirit
for its advancement so far beyond a legitimate end, that we may
ascribe to it much of the apathy that has followed it.  At the present time, there is, however, a new and sober determination growing up again in the way of improving this neglected art.
The great interest that was manifested in the seventeenth century, from the numerous experiments that were going on in every
civilized part of the world, brought into the field many able writers
on this subject, which soon revived all the knowledge and history
of the past, and created a fresh stimulus to the investigation of all
subjects that had any bearing on, or relation to, the improvement of
aerial navigation. Hypothetical narrations had now to give way
to the more solid principles that naturally suggested themselves
under such a state of improvement.  Mathematical demonstration
was resorted to as the only sure guide to direct the progress of the
arts, and thus the veil of mystery could no longer cover the vague
pretensions of monopolized learning.  The researches of alchemy
had also contributed many valuable discoveries towards strengthening the rational philosophy of the day. And from about this
period we date the beginning of the most important and useful
improvements in the operations of mankind.
Francis Lana, a Jesuit, and a very judicious writer, deduced
from the new discoveries the real nature and pressure of the atmosphere, and is the first who established a theory verified by
mathematical accuracy, and clearness of perception, which placed
him far in advance of his predecessors in the science of aerial
navigation.  He very truly inferred that a vessel exhausted of
air would weigh less than when full of that fluid. He also shows
in his problems that the capacity of globular vessels increases
much faster than their surfaces. For example, two globular ves



28           FATHER LANA'S PROPOSITIONS.
sels, one of ten feet diameter, and another of twenty feet diameter;
the first will have a capacity of 523 cubic feet and a fraction over,
while the other will have 4189 cubic feet. The surface of the larger
is about four times that of the smaller, while its capacity, or contents, is eight times as great. This is a very important consideration in the construction of balloons. Thus, a balloon that would
carry one person, and would weigh one hundred pounds, which
is about the weight of such a one, and would cost two hundred
dollars; one capable of carrying two persons would not cost
more than three hundred dollars, and would not weigh more than
one hundred and fifty pounds. Now, a balloon of the power first
mentioned would be about twenty feet in diameter, which, when
filled with ordinary hydrogen gas, would have an ascending
power of two hundred and fifty pounds, while one of five times
its diameter, being one hundred feet, would have an ascending
power of thirty-two thousand, seven hundred and twenty-five
pounds, which would be capable of carrying one hundred and
sixty-six men, independent of its own weight and necessary appendages.
Lana proposed to prepare four hollow globes of copper, each
twenty feet in diameter, and so thin, that they would weigh less
than an equal bulk of atmosphere, when they were exhausted of
air. To these globes he designed fastening a boat, in which the
aeronaut and his appendages were to be stationed, for the purpose
of directing the machine.  Although the idea laid down here
involves the same principles by which aeronautics are practiced
at the present day, still, several obstacles present themselves
which must have rendered his plan impracticable. The copper,
of which the balloons were to have been made, must necessarily
have been so thin, to make the vessels light enough, that they
would not have been strong enough to resist the external pressure
of the atmosphere when they were exhausted.
The barometer, by which the pressure of the atmosphere is
ascertained, was discovered in 1643.  The immense weight of
the air, as shown by the Torricellian tube, being about fifteen
pounds to every square inch of surface, was no doubt the stimulus
to Lana's proposition of the copper globes. His work, entitled
" Prodromo dell' Arte Maestra Brecia," in which he describes his
machine, appeared in 1670, while the air pump was not invented,
or at least its invention not made known, until the year 1672.
The great pressure of the air, as shown by the barometer, without
a knowledge of its specific gravity, would very naturally induce
a belief that it possessed a much greater weight than it really
has, which is one and two-tenth ounces to the cubic foot. At
this rate, Lana's globes of twenty feet diameter would each have
displaced 4189 cubic feet, making in all 16,756 cubic feet,








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BESNIER'S WINGS.                      29
weighing 1256 pounds; so whatever less than this his globes and
appendages would have weighed, would have been the ascensive
power of his aerial machinery.  Now the surface of one of these
copper globes would have 1256 square feet, which, at the common pressure of the atmosphere on the surface of the earth, would
have an external pressure of 2,712,960 pounds, a force sufficiently
great to have crushed it, had it been made light enough to be
raised by atmospheric buoyancy.  Had Lana known the exact
pressure and specific gravity of the air, his mathematical knowledge would have at once suggested to his mind the impracticability of his machinery. Notwithstanding these difficulties present themselves to Lana's plan, there are not wanting advocates
of its efficiency. A few years ago, it was attempted in Paris. In
this experiment, the balloon was composed of silk, and the vacuum
was to have been formed by forcing the balloon open by the aid
of light framework arranged with ropes and pulleys fixed in the
inside of it.
In the "Journal des Savans," of the 12th of September, 1678,
an account is given of one Besnier, a locksmith of Sable, in
France, who succeeded in flying.  His wings consisted of four
rectangular surfaces, one at the end of each of two rods passing
over the shoulders of him who used them. The inventor did not
pretend that he could rise from the earth, or sustain himself long
in the air with them, from the inability to give his apparatus the
required power and rapidity; but he availed himself of their aid
in progressively raising himself from one height to another until
he reached the top of a house, from the roof of which he passed
over the neighboring houses. By thus leaving an elevated position, he could cross a river of considerable breadth, or any other
obstacle. His first pair of wings were purchased by a Mr. Baldwin, of Guibre, who, it is said, used them with remarkable success. One John Babtiste Dante also framed a pair of wings, with
which it is stated he could fly, but that he finally ended his career
by breaking his thigh.  In pursuing the history of our subject,
we next find a letter dated Lisbon, the 10th of February, which
was published soon after in some of the scientific journals of
Paris, containing with it the copy of an address presented to the
King of Portugal, in the year 1709, by a friar called Bartholomew
Laurence de Gusman.  In this the petitioner represents himself
as having invented a flying machine, capable of carrying passengers, and navigating through the air very swiftly.  He also
requests the privilege of being the sole possessor of the invention,
desiring a prohibition against all and every person from constructing a similar machine under a severe penalty.  Upon this the
king issued the following order in his favor:



30                  GUSMAN'S MACHINE.
" Agreeably to the advice of my council, I order the pain of
death against the transgressor.  And, in order to encourage the
suppliant to apply himself with zeal towards improving the machine which is capable of producing the effects mentioned by
him, I also grant unto him the first professorship of mathematics in my University of Coimbra, and the first vacancy in my
College of Barcelona, with the annual pension of 600,000 reis
during his life.
"The 17th day of April, 1709."
The drawing of this machine somewhat resembles a bird.
Its leading features are mainly embodied in a drawing of a flying machine, published in the "Penny Magazine" some years
ago.  The effect was to be produced by the wind, which was to
pass through several tubes and swell a sail something in the
shape of a parachute.  In the absence of the wind, it was to be
effected by a pair of bellows, assisted by two powerful magnets,
and several pieces of amber which were to pull upwards, with
other contrivances equally vague and absurd.  Indeed, it does
appear that this applicant of the king's favor was nothing more
than a pretender without ingenuity; for the whole design, as
near as it can be traced, is merely a modified form of Archytas'
flying bird. In many of the writer's descriptions, a great deal of
ingenuity and mechanical skill is manifested, but in the above
we have nothing but that never-to-be-forgotten notion, of making
a thing lift itself up. And even at this day, we have persons
who have erected pumps to pump up water to a head race for
the purpose of driving mill machinery, which is about equal to
De Gusman's idea of supplying wind by bellows to propel his
flying chariot. Of this class of persons are the wanderers after
perpetual motion.
D. Bourgois, in his "Recherches sur l'Art de Voler," says
that, in the above account, the name of De Gusman is wrongly
annexed to Bartholomew Laurence, and that they were distinct
persons.  He tells us that it was Bartholomew Laurence who
presented the petition to the king, and of De Gusman he relates
the following history: That, in the year 1736, De Gusman made
a wicker basket of about seven or eight feet in diameter, covered
with paper, which basket elevated itself as high as the tower of
Lisbon. This author says that he learned this from a very creditable person, who witnessed the experiment. But that, for better
confirmation of it, he wrote to a distinguished merchant of Lisbon, who answered him that it was true, and that many persons
still remembered it, though they attributed it to witchcraft.
Joseph Gallien published a book in 1755, at Avignon, entitled
"L'Art de Naviger dans les Airs," in which he asserts that a bag




GALLIEN'S IDEA.                      3
of cloth or leather, filled with an air lighter than that of atmosphere, might be used with perfect security for the purpose of
aerial voyages.  Had Gallien been acquainted with hydrogen
gas, and the means of its production, the honor of the discovery
of aerostatic machinery would no doubt have fallen to him.  It
may be possible that De Gusman's machine was nothing more
than a paper vessel kept distended by a wicker frame, and made
to rise by heating the air within it, which might have been
accomplished without having fire attached to it when it ascended.
By passing it in very hot, and suddenly letting it go, it would
rise some distance,  This idea is strengthened, from the mention
that is made of its rising up two hundred feet, and immediately
coming down again. However, as De Gusman never made known
the principle by which his machine was elevated, the merit of
discovery can not be awarded to him.
A great many experiments were now put in progress to solve
the problem of atmospheric buoyancy, and indeed a number of
persons contended that they were the first who discovered it,
after it was really solved.  We shall, therefore, refer to the most
noted authors on this subject, concerning its discovery, who wrote
immediately after it was made.
CHAPTER III.
Discovery of aerostatic machines-Experiments-Academy of Arts and
Sciences of Paris taking it in hand-Excitement of the French people
about it-A sheep, cock, and duck the first aerial adventurers-De Rozier
and Marquis de Arlandes ascend with a fire balloon-Particulars of their
voyage-Procs verbal-Experiment of Rittenhouse and HopkinsonExperiments with inflammable air-Cavallo on the discovery of the
hydrogen balloon-Experiments at Lyons with a mammoth fire balloon
-Experiments at Milan.
AFTER progressive researches and repeated experiments, during
the lapse of more than twenty centuries, the art of aerial navigation was at length discovered in the year- 1782, in France.
When we consider the attention that was paid to the subject,
during its progress through so many years, by the most learned
men, we may reasonably expect that much more will be done to
improve its present condition, and make it what it can be, and
ought to be made; the most expeditious, easy, and pleasant mode
of traveling that the human family is capable of enjoying.




32            MONTGOLFIERS' EXPERIMENTS.
After the elasticity of air was discovered, and its real weight
and nature ascertained, it would seem that no great difficulty lay
in the way to make a successful experiment.  But this, like
almost every other important discovery, was in the end attained
by indirect means, rather than from  purely pre-considered and
tried experiments on the subject.  It may be that Bacon's and
Lana's notions of the atmosphere's surface suggested the idea of
the cloud and smoke principle.  However, as we have no information that the Montgolfiers had particularly devoted any of their
pursuits to the discovery of aerostatics, it does rather appear that
the idea was spontaneously suggested.
The natural ascent of smoke and clouds, it appears, first drew
the attention of the two brothers, Stephen and Joseph Montgolfer,
to make their aerostatic experiment. Stephen, the younger of
the two brothers, concluded in his mind, that, if a light paper
bag were to be made and filled with cloud or smoke, either of
these substances, from their natural inclination to rise, would
carry the bag with it in an upward direction. Accordingly, a
light paper bag of an oblong shape was made, of a capacity of
about forty cubic feet. With this they made their first experiment
in a private manner in their own chamber, at Avignon, about the
middle of November, 1782.  The lower part of the bag had an
orifice to which they applied burning paper, upon which it began
to distend itself, and in a few minutes sustained itself by being
held at its lower part, when, on being released, it ascended to the
ceiling of the chamber, where it remained a few moments, much
to the joy and astonishment of its projectors.  Moved on by this
pleasing experiment, they next tried it in the open air.  Here,
again, after it was inflated and released, it ascended, reaching a
height of about seventy feet.
Encouraged by this success, the experiment was next to be made
on a larger scale.  For this purpose, an envelop of a capacity of
about 600 cubic feet, and of a spherical shape, was made. Upon
trial, this experiment far exceeded their most sanguine expectations. This balloon (for this was made after the shape of a balloon, "a large, round, short-necked vessel used in chemistry,"
and hence the name of balloon for aerial ships), after being inflated
in the same manner as the former, became so strong that it broke
the strings by which it was to be retained a certain distance above
the earth, and ascended to a height of about six or seven hundred
feet, and alighted soon after upon the adjoining ground.
Finding, upon these trials, that, as they enlarged their machines,
the balloons, they succeeded better, they concluded to build one
of thirty-five feet in diameter.  Such a balloon was accordingly
constructed, and the 3d day of April, 1783, was fixed on to make
the experiment.  When the appointed day came, the wind was




GALLIEN'S IDEA.                      31
of cloth or leather, filled with an air lighter than that of atmosphere, might be used with perfect security for the purpose of
aerial voyages.  Had Gallien been acquainted with hydrogen
gas, and the means of its production, the honor of the discovery
of aerostatic machinery would no doubt have fallen to him.  It
may be possible that De Gusman's machine was nothing more
than a paper vessel kept distended by a wicker frame, and made
to rise by heating the air within it, which might have been
accomplished without having fire attached to it when it ascended.
By passing it in very hot, and suddenly letting it go, it would
rise some distance,  This idea is strengthened, from the mention
that is made of its rising up two hundred feet, and immediately
coiing down again. However, as De Gusman never made known
the principle by which his machine was elevated, the merit of
discovery can not be awarded to him.
A great many experiments were now put in progress to solve
the problem of atmospheric buoyancy, and indeed a number of
persons contended that they were the first who discovered it,
after it was really solved.  We shall, therefore, refer to the most
noted authors on this subject, concerning its discovery, who wrote
immediately after it was made.
CHAPTER III.
Discovery of aerostatic machines-Experiments-Academy of Arts and
Sciences of Paris taking it in hand-Excitement of the French people
about it-A sheep, cock, and duck the first aerial adventurers-De Rozier
and Marquis de Arlandes ascend with a fire balloon-Particulars of their
voyage-Proces verbal-Experiment of Rittenhouse and HopkinsonExperiments with inflammable air-Cavallo on the discovery of the
hydrogen balloon-Experiments at Lyons with a mammoth fire balloon
-Experiments at Milan.
AFTER progressive researches and repeated experiments, during
the lapse of more than twenty centuries, the art of aerial navigation was at length discovered in the year- 1782, in France.
When we consider the attention that was paid to the subject,
during its progress through so many years, by the most learned
men, we may reasonably expect that much more will be done to
improve its present condition, and make it what it can be, and
ought to be made; the most expeditious, easy, and pleasant mode
of traveling that the human family is capable of enjoying.




32             MONTGOLFIERS' EXPERIMENTS.
After the elasticity of air was discovered, and its real weight
and nature ascertained, it would seem that no great difficulty lay
in the way to make a successful experiment.  But this, like
almost every other important discovery, was in the end attained
by indirect means, rather than from purely pre-considered and
tried experiments on the subject. It may be that Bacon's and
Lana's notions of the atmosphere's surface suggested the idea of
the cloud and smoke principle.  However, as we have no information that the Montgolfiers had particularly devoted any of their
pursuits to the discovery of aerostatics, it does rather appear that
the idea was spontaneously suggested.
The natural ascent of smoke and clouds, it appears, first drew
the attention of the two brothers, Stephen and Joseph MJontgolfier,
to make their aerostatic experiment. Stephen, the younger of
the two brothers, concluded in his mind, that, if a light paper
bag were to be made and filled with cloud or smoke, either of
these substances, from their natural inclination to rise, would
carry the bag with it in an upward direction. Accordingly, a
light paper bag of an oblong shape was made, of a capacity of
about forty cubic feet. With this they made their first experiment
in a private manner in their own chamber, at Avignon, about the
middle of November, 1782.  The lower part of the bag had an
orifice to which they applied burning paper, upon which it began
to distend itself, and in a few minutes sustained itself by being
held at its lower part, when, on being released, it ascended to the
ceiling of the chamber, where it remained a few moments, much
to the joy and astonishment of its projectors.  Moved on by this
pleasing experiment, they next tried it in the open air.  Here,
again, after it was inflated and released, it ascended, reaching a
height of about seventy feet.
Encouraged by this success, the experiment was next to be made
on a larger scale.  For this purpose, an envelop of a capacity of
about 600 cubic feet, and of a spherical shape, was made. Upon
trial, this experiment far exceeded their most sanguine expectations.  This balloon (for this was made after the shape of a balloon, "a large, round, short-necked vessel used in chemistry,"
and hence the name of balloon for aerial ships), after being inflated
in the same manner as the former, became so strong that it broke
the strings by which it was to be retained a certain distance above
the earth, and ascended to a height of about six or seven hundred
feet, and alighted soon after upon the adjoining ground.
Finding, upon these trials, that, as they enlarged their machines,
the balloons, they succeeded better, they concluded to build one
of thirty-five feet in diameter.  Such a balloon was accordingly
constructed, and the 3d day of April, 1783, was fixed on to make
the experiment.  When the appointed day came, the wind was




EXPERIMENT AT ANNONAY.                      33
so violent that it was thought most prudent to defer it until the
25th of same month.  This proving a more favorable day, the
trial came off handsomely, and with unbounded applause from
those who were in attendance.  The balloon, after being filled
and released, rose very suddenly into the air until it reached a
height of at least 1000 feet, and fell to the ground at the distance of three quarters of a mile from the place it had ascended.
It was now concluded by the Montgolfiers to make a public experiment with this last constructed balloon, on the 5th of June
following. Accordingly, invitations were extended, and, as might
naturally be expected, a great concourse of spectators assembled
to witness the novel and extraordinary sight. This balloon, being
of a spherical form, thirty-five feet in diameter, had a capacity of
nearly 23,000 cubic feet. It was inflated over a pit, or well, in
which were burned chopped straw and wool, over which the lower
orifice of the balloon was placed by swinging it from a cross rope
fixed up for the purpose.  When it was fully inflated with heated
air, it was found to have an ascending power of 500 pounds. As
it displayed its huge dimensions, the spectators gave vent to loud
exclamations and shouts of applause. In a few moments after it
was filled, it was released from its fastenings, and ascended majestically, amidst the most deafening shouts of approbation.  It
rose to the height of six or seven thousand feet, and fell to the
ground at the distance of a mile and a half from its point of departure.
After this demonstration, this wonderful invention was heralded
to every part of Europe with a rapidity that its importance had
naturally inspired.  The particulars, as stated in one of the journals of the day, are as follows: "On Thursday, the 5th of June,
1783, the States of Vivarais being assembled at Annonay, Messrs.
Montgolfiers invited them to see their new aerostatic experiment.
An immense bag of linen lined with paper, and of a shape nearly
spherical, had its aperture, which was on its inferior part, attached to a frame of about sixteen feet surface, upon which it lay
flaccid like an empty linen bag. When this machine was inflated,
it measured 117 English feet in circumference; its capacity was
equal to about 23,000 cubic feet; and it had been.calculated that,
when filled with the vapor proper for the experiment, it would
have lifted up about 490 pounds, besides its own weight, which,
together with that of the wooden frame, was equal to 500 pounds,
and this calculation was found to be pretty true by experience.
The bag was composed of several parts, which were joined together by means of buttons and holes, and it is said that two men
were sufficient to prepare and fill it, though eight men were required to prevent its ascension when filled."
Other accounts give a still more glowing description of this
3




34     EXPERIMENT BEFORE THE ROYAL ACADEMY.
wonderful experiment; but, as the one we quoted seems to be given
with soberness and accuracy, we prefer it to any of the rest. The
conflicting opinions in regard to the possibility of such a thing;
the doubts of others; with an ardent degree of credulity manifested
by those who had either seen, or positively heard of its having
been done before, all combined to give the occasion an extraordinary character.
This occasion dated an epoch in the history of aeronautic
science.  The subject was now taken up with renewed vigor.
Various claims were also set up for its discovery. Cavallo intimated that he had made the first air balloons, but concedes the
right of discovery to the Montgolfiers.  He says, in speaking of
this subject, " The weight and elasticity of the air were well
known to the ancient philosophers, as may be deduced from
several passages in their works.  Borrelli relates an experiment
of a Florentine, called Candido Buono, which shows that air,
rarefied by heat, becomes lighter, and ascends amid the colder
air. This easy, and at the same time satisfactory, experiment
consists in bringing a red-hot iron under one of the scales of a
balance, when that instrument hangs in equilibrio; for as soon
as the red-hot iron is brought under one of the scales, the air,
heated and rarefied by it, will ascend, and will impel the said
scale upwards, the opposite scale descending as if a weight were
put to it."
Whatever knowledge may have existed on this point, it is evident, from the history of the case, that the Montgolfiers did not
make the discovery on that account.  And if they even had, it
would not detract from the merit of their discovery.  It would
seem that they rather based the idea of success in having discovered how to make artificial clouds, supposing they were constituted of a vapor or gas specifically lighter than atmosphere.
This doctrine was even maintained by the advocates of the Montgolfierian system, after the hydrogen balloon was introduced.
Soon after the experiment had been made at Annonay, Stephen
Montgolfier arrived in Paris.  He was immediately invited to
attend the sitting of the Royal Academy of Sciences, and by that
body requested to repeat his experiment at their expense.  He
cheerfully accepted the proposition, and soon constructed a large
balloon of an elliptical shape, seventy-two feet high, and forty-one
feet in diameter.  When completed, it was found to weigh 1000
pounds.  It was finished and decorated in a most magnificent
style; elegantly ornamented over its outer surface with beautiful
and appropriate designs. At a preliminary-experiment, it raised
eight men from the ground.  On the 12th of September, 1783,
the day appointed for its exhibition before the members of the
Royal Academy, it ascended with a load of from four to five hun



ASCENT OF DE ROZIER AND THE DUKE D'ARLANDES. 35
dred pounds. But, owing to a violent gust of wind at the time,
it was damaged in the ascent, which prevented the machine from
attaining a great height.  Upon its descent, it was found to be
so much damaged, that a new one of nearly the same dimensions
was ordered to be made.  To this was added a basket of wickerwork. It was then inflated in the presence of the king and royal
family, at Versailles, and a sheep, a cock, and a duck were
placed in the basket.  With these three living animals as its
passengers, it was launched into the upper air, when it ascended
to the height of about 1500 feet.  Owing to a similar accident
that befell the other, it did not rise so high as it otherwise would.
The animals, however, landed safely with it at a distance of
10,000 feet from the place of ascent.
This was the first experiment in which any living creature
ascended with an aerostatic machine.  Another was now constructed which was seventy-four feet high, and forty-eight feet in
diameter. With this large balloon, M. Pilatre de Rozier volunteered to make an aerial voyage. This machine had an opening
at the bottom end of about fifteen feet in diameter.  Around this
opening was arranged and fastened a gallery of wicker-work,
three feet broad, and around the outer edge of this was a balustrade of the same material, three feet high, and around the lower
circumference of the balloon, and immediately above the gallery
plafform, port-holes were worked in it, for the purpose of introducing fuel.  From  around the lower aperture of the balloon,
chains were suspended, to which was fastened an iron brasier,
intended for the fire-place, on which the aeronaut could easily introduce his fuel from the port-holes, as necessity required it.
With this machine, M. Pilatre de Rozier made several ascents to
the height of two or three hundred feet, while it was fastened by
ropes of that length. On the 21st of November, he, in company
with the Marquis d'Arlandes, concluded to make an aerial voyage.  Accordingly, the balloon was inflated, and the gallery
supplied with fuel, whereon M. Pilatre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes stationed themselves on opposite sides of the
gallery, when, at a given signal, the balloon was released from
its moorings and left free in the air. It rose majestically amidst
the shouts and applause of a delighted multitude, until it attained
a height of 3000 feet. The whole machine, with fuel and passengers, "weighed 1600 pounds.  They remained in the air
twenty-five minutes, and encountered several different currents
of wind.  During this voyage, they were several times in imminent danger by the balloon taking fire. The marquis became
greatly agitated at this, and desired to make a precipitate descent,
which might have ended the adventure with serious consequences.
But the coolness and intrepidity of M. Pilatre de Rozier prevent



36 ASCENT OF DE ROZIER AND THE DUKE D'ARLANDES.
ed them from incurring this danger, as he had provided himself
with a sponge  and water for the emergency, with which he
very deliberately extinguished the fire, which enabled them  to
remain in the atmosphere some time longer.  They raised and
lowered themselves frequently, during this excursion, by regulating the fire in the brasier, and finally landed in safety five miles
from where they started, after having sailed over a great portion
of Paris.  Previous to this voyage, M. Pilatre de Rozier ascended several hundred feet high, in company with M. Girond de
Vilette. We will here give the original documentary account of
this most interesting aerial voyage.
Proces Verbal.-" To-day, November 21, 1783, at the chateau
de la Muette, took place an experiment with the aerostatic machine
of M. de Montgolfier.  The sky was partly clouded, wind northwest. At eight minutes after noon, a mortar gave notice that the
machine was about to be filled.  In eight minutes, notwithstanding the wind, it was ready to set off, the Marquis d'Arlandes and
M. Pilatre de Rozier being in the car.  It was at first intended to
retain the machine awhile with ropes, to judge what weight it
would bear, and see that all was right.  But the wind prevented
it rising vertically, and directed it towards one of the garden
walls; the ropes made several rents in it, one of six feet long.
It was brought down again, and in two hours was set right.
Having been filled again, it set off at fifty-four minutes past one,
carrying the same persons. It rose in the most majestic manner,
and when it was about 270 feet high, the intrepid voyagers took
off their hats, and saluted the spectators. No one could help feeling a mingled sentiment of fear and admiration.  The voyagers
were soon undistinguishable; but the machine, hovering upon the
horizon, and displaying the most beautiful figure, rose at least 3000
feet high, and remained visible all the time. It crossed the Seine,
below the barrier of La Conference; and passing thence between
the Ecole Militaire and the Hotel des Invalides, was in view of
all Paris.  The voyagers, satisfied with their experiment, and not
wishing to travel farther, agreed to descend; but, seeing that the
wind was carrying them  upon the houses of the Rue de Seve,
Faub. St. Germain, they preserved their presence of mind, increased the fire, and continued their course through the air till
they crossed Paris.  They then descended quietly on the plain,
beyond the New Boulevard, opposite the mill of Croulebarlie, without having felt the slightest inconvenience, and having in the car
two-thirds of their fuel. They could then, if they had wished, have
gone three times as far as they did go, which was 5000 toises, done
in from twenty to twenty-five minutes.  The machine was seventy
feet high, and forty-six feet in diameter; it contained 60,000 cubic
feet, and carried a weight of from 1600 to 1700 pounds.  Given




P S.)uvaTs Stear lliL.Press.
IMONTCiOLE IER S  BALLOON.








ASCENT OF DE ROZIER AND THE DUKE D'ARLANDES. 37
at the chateau of La Mluette, at five in the afternoon.  Signed,
Due de Polignac, Duc de Guisnes, Compte de Polastron, Compte
de Vaudreuil, D'Hunaud, Benjamin Franklin, Faujus de St. Fond,
Delisle, Leroy, of the Academy of Sciences."
The following is an extract from  a letter written by the Marquis d'Arlandes to M. de St. Fond, concerning, this first aerial
voyage, dated November 28th, 1783: "We set off at fifty-four
minutes past one.  The balloon was so placed that M. Rozier
was on the west, and I on the east.  The machine, says the public, rose with majesty. I think few of them saw that, at the
moment when it passed the hedge, it made a half turn, and we
changed our positions, which, thus altered, we retained to the end.
I was astonished at the smallness of the noise or motion occasioned by our departure among the spectators; I thought they
might be astonished and frightened, and might stand in need of
encouragement, so I waved my arm with little success.  I then
drew out and shook my handkerchief, and immediately perceived
a great movement in the yard. It seemed as if the spectators
all formed one mass, which rushed by an involuntary motion towards the wall, which it seemed to consider as the only obstacle
between us. At this moment, M. de Rozier called out,' You are
doing nothing, and we do not rise.' I begged his pardon, took
some straw, moved the fire, and turned again quickly; but I could
not find La Muette. In astonishment, I followed the river with
my eye, and at last found where the Oise joined it. Here, then,
was Conflans; and, naming the principal bends of the river by
the places nearest to them, I repeated Poissy, St. Germain, St.
Denis, Seve; then I am still at Poissy or Chaillot. Accordingly,
looking down through the car, I saw the Visitation de Chaillot.
M. Pilatre said to me at this moment,' Here is the river, and we
are descending.''Well, my friend,' said I,'more fire;' and
we set to work. But, instead of crossing the river, as our course
towards the Invalides seemed to indicate, we went along the Ile
des Cygnes, entered the principal bed again, and went up the
stream till we were above the barrier La Conference.  I said to
my brave associate,'Here is a river which is very difficult to
cross.''I think so,' said he;'you are doing nothing.''I
am not so strong as you,' I answered;' and we are well as we
are.' I stirred the fire, and seized a bundle of straw, which,
being too much pressed, did not light well. I shook it over the
flame, and the instant after I felt as if I had been seized under
the arms, and said to my friend,'We are rising now, however.''Yes, we are rising,' he answered, coming from the interior,
where he had been seeing all was right. At this moment, I heard
a noise high up in the balloon, which made me fear it had burst.
I looked up, and saw nothing; but, as I had my eyes fixed on the




38 ASCENT OF DE ROZIER AND THE DUKE D'ARLANDES.
machine, I felt a shock, the first I had experienced. The shock
was upwards, and I cried out,' What are you doing-are you
dancing?''I am  not stirring.'' So much the better,' I
said;'this must be a new  current, which will, I hope, take
us off the river.' Accordingly, I turned to see where we were,
and found myself between the Ecole Militaire and the Invalides,
which we had passed by about 400 toises.  M. Pilatre said,'We
are in the plain.'' Yes,' I said,'we are getting on.''Let
us set to work,' he replied. I heard a new noise in the machine,
which I thought came from the breaking of a cord.  I looked
in and saw that the southern part was full of round holes, several of them  large.  I said,'We must get down.''Why?'' Look!' said 1. At the same time, I took my sponge and easily
extinguished the fire, which was enlarging such of the holes as
I could reach; but on trying if the balloon was fast to the lower
circle, I found it easily came off. I repeated to my companion,'We must descend.'  He looked around him  and said,'We
are over Paris.' Having looked to the safety of the cords, I
said,'We can cross Paris.' We were now coming near the
roofs; we raised the fire, and rose again with great ease. I looked
under me and saw the Missions Etrangeres, and it seemed as if
we were going towards the towers of St. Sulpice, which I could
see.  Raising ourselves, a current turned us south.  I saw on
my left a wood, which I thought was the Luxembourg.  We
passed the Boulevard, and I called out,'Pied a terre.' We
stopped the fire; but the brave Pilatre, who did not lose his selfpossession, thought we were coming on mills, and warned me.
We alighted at the Butte aux Cailles, between the mill Des Merveilles and the Moulin Vieux.  The moment we touched land, I
held by the car with my twvo hands; I felt the balloon press my
head lightly. I pushed it off, and leaped out. Turning towards
the balloon, which I expected to find full, to my great astonishment it was perfectly empty and flattened."
These are the first aerial voyages that were ever made by human beings that we have any well authenticated proof of.  And
to these all true historians must point as the first practical and
fully successful experiments in navigating the air.
The Montgolfiers were natives of Annonay, and were the sons
of a wealthy paper manufacturer, who had retired from business
and left it in their hands. From the history that is afforded of
them, it appears that they were both attached to the study of
mathematical science. But it seems they were not exactly acquainted with the true nature of the substance that caused the
ascent of their balloons.  They attributed the ascending power
of them to a peculiar kind of gas which was emitted by the combustion of chopped straw and wool mixed together. This, how



CAVALLO ON INFLAMMABLE AIR.                   39
ever, does not, in the least, detract from the merit of their discovery; and so the learned men of that day thought, for, at the
next meeting after their experiment before the Royal Academy
of Arts and Sciences of Paris, that eminent body voted Stephen
Montgolfier a gold medal, in honor of having made the most important discovery of that period.
That the Montgolfiers did not exactly understand the cause or
nature of the material that gave ascensive power to their balloons,
is evidenced by their affidavit which communicated the discovery
to the Royal Academy. In this, the effect of the balloon's ascension is not attributed to the rarefied state of the air which filled it,
but to a peculiar gas evolved by the burning of straw and wool,
which they termed "certain materials."  It was, for a better
name, termed JMontgolfier's gas, and led even the members of
the Academy to believe, for a while, that a new kind of gas,
other than hydrogen, and lighter than common air, had been discovered. A certificate to this effect was signed by the Dukes of
Polignac and Deguines, the Counts De Polarton and De Vaudreuil, Dr. Franklin, and Messrs. Faujus, Delisle, and Leroy, of
the Academy of Arts and Sciences.  Dr. Franklin was then in
Paris, and had been elected to a membership of that noted institution.
During the latter part of the same year, Dr. Rittenhouse and
Mr. Hopkinson made some experiments in the city of Philadelphia, by connecting four balloons together, which were inflated
with hydrogen gas.  An individual ascended with these to the
height of several hundred feet, but, taking alarm, he was induced
to cut a hole in one of them, which caused him to descend.
Inflammable air, or hydrogen gas, which is its proper name,
was discovered as early as the year 1766.  It was even known
to exist long before that time by miners of coal.  Its fatal effects
have often been experienced by that class of men. But its properties were first made known in the year just named, by Mr.
Cavendish, as will be seen by reference to the Philosophical
Transactions of that period.
Tiberius Cavallo  says: Soon after this discovery of Mr.
Cavendish, it occurred to the ingenious Dr. Black, of Edinburgh,
that a vessel might be made, which, when filled with inflammable
air, might ascend into the atmosphere, in consequence of its being
altogether lighter than an equal bulk of common air. This idea
of the Doctor had been frequently mentioned, but he himself wrote
a candid account of it to Dr. James Lind, physician at Windsor;
and here follows part of the letter:"EDINBURGH, Nov. 131h, 1784.
" DEAR SIR: The person who first discovered with exactness
the specific gravity of inflammable air was, as far as I know, Mr.




40            CAVALLO ON INFLAMMABLE AIR.
Cavendish.  I never heard of any experiments made with that
intention, before his appeared in the Philosophical Transactions
for the year 1766.  It had been my constant practice before, to
show, every year, in what manner it burns when pure and unmixed with air, and how it exploded when air is mixed with it
before it is fired; but Mr. Cavendish made a variety of such mixtures by rule and measure, and describes in the same paper the
manner in which they severally exploded. As soon as I read the
above paper, it occurred to me, as an obvious consequence of Mr.
Cavendish's discovery, that, if a sufficiently thin and light bladder
were filled with inflammable air, the bladder, and the air in it,
would necessarily form  a mass lighter than the same bulk of
atmospheric air, and which would rise in it; this I mentioned to
some of my friends, and in my lectures, the next time I had occasion to speak of inflammable air, which was either in the year
1767 or 1768; and, as I thought it would be an amusing experiment for the students, I applied to Dr. Munro, dissector, to prepare for me the allantois of a calf.  The allantois was prepared,
but not until after some time had passed, and when I was engaged
with another part of my course, and did not choose to interrupt
the business then going on; so I dropped the experiment for that
year, and in the subsequent years I only mentioned the thing as an
obvious and self-evident thing, from Mr. Cavendish's discovery;
but, finding generally some difficulty in providing an allantois at
the proper time, I never made the experiment which I considered
as merely amusing.  About two months ago, I was informed, by a
gentleman in the South of Ireland, that he had tried it, and that
it succeeds perfectly well."
These circumstances are related by some writers to show that
the principle of raising aerostatic machines had been discovered
before the experiment was made by the brothers Montgolfier.
Tiberius Cavallo introduces this letter of Dr. Cavendish's in an
article wherein he himself claims to be the first person who
succeeded in raising balloons.  He says, " The possibility of constructing a vessel, which, when filled with inflammable air, would
ascend into the atmosphere, had occurred to me when I first began
to study the subject of air, and other permanently elastic fluids,
which was about eight years ago; but early in the year 1782, I
actually attempted to perform this experiment; and the only success I had, was to let soap-balls, filled with inflammable air,
ascend by themselves rapidly into the atmosphere; which was
perhaps the first sort of inflammnable air balloons ever made.  I
failed in several other attempts of the like nature; and, at last,
being tired with the expenses and loss of time, I deferred to some
other time the prosecuting of those experiments, and contented




CAVALLO ON INFLAMMABLE AIR.                  41
myself with giving an account of what I had done to the Royal
Society, which was read at a public meeting of the society on the
20th of June, 1782."
Although Mr. Cavallo concedes the right of discovering the
aerostatic machine, which first proved successful, to the Montgolfiers, it is but due to his ingenuity and ability in philosophical
pursuits to give his ideas in full upon this subject.
The following is a copy of the paper presented to the society
by Mr. Cavallo.  "It has been commonly believed, that common
air would not pervade the pores of paper, such as is used for
common printing, or writing; and, that paper is permeable to
water, and not air, has been alleged by some persons as an
instance tending to prove that some fluids have the property of
passing through certain substances, and others have not; although
the particles of the former are of a grosser, heavier, or more of a
tenacious nature towards each other.
"Admitting, according to the common notion, this impermeability of paper to common air, and presuming that it was impervious to other permanently elastic fluids also, I determined to
make use of paper for an experiment, which, though repeatedly
attempted with other substances, had never succeeded.  The experiment was, to construct a vessel, or a sort of bag, which,
when inflated with inflammable air, might be lighter than an equal
bulk of common air, and consequently ascend, like smoke, into
the atmosphere; it being well known that inflammable air is
specifically lighter than common air.
"The weight of inflammable air, the mean weight of atmospheric air, and the weight of substances of which the vessels
are to be formed, being ascertained, it is easy then to determine,
by calculation, the dimensions of a vessel which, when filled
with inflammable air, might be lighter than an equal bulk of
atmospheric air. In this manner, and for the above-mentioned
purpose, I tried bladders, the thinnest and largest that could be
procured.  Some of them were cleaned with great care, removing from them  all the superfluous membranes and matter that
could be possibly scraped off; but, notwithstanding all these precautions, the lightest and largest of these bladders being gauged,
and the requisite calculations being made, it was found that,
when filled with inflammable air, it would be at least ten grains
heavier than an equal bulk of common air, and consequently it
would descend, instead of ascending, in that element.  Some.
swimming bladders of fishes were also found too heavy for the
experiment; nor could I even succeed in making durable light
balls by blowing inflammable air into a thick solution of gums,
thick varnishes, and oil paint. In short, soap balls, inflated with
inflammable air, were the only things of this sort that would




42           CAVALLO ON INFLAMMABLE AIR.
ascend into the atmosphere; but as they were very brittle, and
altogether untractable, they do not seem applicable to any philosophical purpose."
Thus, it is seen that, in the progress of over 2000 years, this
science was gradually built up.  Each succeeding generation
adding to it the ideas and recommendations of its most ingenious
artists. As an obvious truth, it naturally inspired the scientific
of all ages to explore its feasibility to human convenience. As
an acknowledged science, and practicable art, it is yet destined
to open to the civilized world a grand and expansive field of
happiness.  Those who contributed to its discovery deserve the
attention of the historian; because their perseverance, and indefatigable efforts, devoted to its development, are calculated to keep
alive the energy of those who shall succeed them in endeavoring
to improve its usefulness.
Although Mr. Gallien, in his book published in 1755, asserts
in theory the very thing that was practically demonstrated by the
Montgolfiers in 1782, and Tiberius Cavallo more than theorized
the subject by inflating soap bubbles, still it required much more
than all these intimations and incomplete experiments to demonstrate to the world that the atmosphere was really navigable to
human beings.  Tiberius Cavallo did in reality approach nearer
to a final discovery than any of his predecessors; but from his
own words he makes it appear that little, beyond the partial success of his soap-bubbles, was attained in his investigations.
The necessary stimulus-realization of the theory, such as the
experiment at Annonay-yet wanting, would have left the subject
to slumber with the mysteries unrevealed, had it depended on his
experiment alone, at least for a time to come.
The Royal Academy had the same inducements, in a merely
philosophical point of view, to institute experiments to the ascent of bodies in the air, upon Cavallo's communications and
those of Dr. Black, that they had oh the information of the Montgolfiers' discovery. In short, the merit of any discovery properly
belongs to the actual inventor, to him who first realizes the idea
by putting it in practical operation, just as the Montgolfiers did
with their balloons.
After the decisive experiment had been made by the aerial
voyage of M. Pilatre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes, over
the city of Paris, and in sight of all the people of that modern
Athens, it naturally gave an impulse to the subject that operated
more favorably on its progress and improvement than any mere
theory or simple experiments could have given it for ages.  It
was the experimentum  crucis of aeronautic science.  The news
of it spread like wildfire through every civilized nation on the
earth.  America not behind the rest, and with its Rittenhouse




LEVIATHAN BALLOON AT LYONS.                  43
and Hopkinson distinguished our nation, even on that subject,
for the genius and boldness of its people.
Paris did not long remain alone the theatre of aeronautic experiments. In the following year, a balloon of most extraordinary
size was constructed in the city of Lyons. It was 130 feet high,
and 105 feet in diameter. It lifted up over eighteen tons when
the air was highly rarefied in it. On the 19th of January, 1784,
an experiment was made with it. After the preliminary arrangements of preparing a fire-place over which to inflate it, and a
frame on which to lay it, the inflation was completed in the short
space of seventeen minutes.  Seven aeronauts then took their
station on and around the gallery of the balloon. Everything
being now adjusted so as to keep this huge machine in proper
trim, the rarefaction of the air within it being at such a pitch as
to give it a tremendous ascending power, it was thus suffered to
waft itself and passengers into the serene atmosphere above.
The effect of the ascension, as given by the accounts at the
time, was astonishing in the extreme. The intense curiosity of
the vast concourse of people present seemed at first completely
paralyzed by the grandeur of its ascent; but, soon after, they
broke out in the most intense and tumultuous shoutings.  In
seventeen minutes, the balloon rose 3500 feet high, which was
ascertained by instruments expressly provided for the occasion.
Unfortunately for this magnificent machine, it was made of
material of too frail a quality for so large a balloon, which caused
it to give way on one side when it was at the greatest height,
making a rent of at least fifty feet.  This caused the inclosed air
to cool very suddenly, which brought the whole concern down
with considerable rapidity. The passengers, however, all landed
safely, having received not even the slightest injury from the
accident.
In the month of February of the same year, a balloon was constructed at Milan.  This was only sixty-eight feet in diameter.
Three Italian gentlemen ascended with it, and made a very interesting voyage. They remained in the atmosphere for a considerable length of time, and managed to lower and raise themselves
at pleasure by regulating the fire by which they kept up the rarefaction of the air in the balloon. They were eminently successful in the whole adventure, which inspired a degree of confidence
in that quarter, in regard to the management and safety of aerial
traveling, that acquired for the subject a fresh spirit of improvement.
Having thus followed out the most important experiments and
adventures made with fire balloons on the Montgolfierian principle, we will now go back a year or two to investigate the introduction and experiments of the hydrogen balloon.




44          HYDROGEN BALLOON INTRODUCED.
CHAPTER IV.
Introduction of the hydrogen balloon under the auspices of members of
the Academy of Arts and Sciences-The inflation-Torch-light procession with it to the Camp of Mars-Successful termination.
AFTER the subject had been fairly tested in the presence of all
classes of people, and the news clearly brought before the learned
institutions of the world, it naturally inspired the members of the
French Academy to take up anew the experiments of Cavallo, and
the suggestions of Dr. Black.  The certificate, presented to the
Academy by the States of Vivarais, stated that the Montgolfiers'
balloon was filled with a gas half as heavy as common air. Now,
as it was known at that time that hydrogen gas was not more
than one-eighth or one-tenth as heavy as common air, they supposed that the Montgolfiers had discovered a new kind of gas.
From the large quantities used in their experiments, and the very
short time it took them to generate it, it was evident that it could
not be hydrogen. This, together with the great difference of specific gravity of the two gases, brought them to the conclusion to
make an experiment with the hydrogen.
When we consider the many and fruitless attempts that had
been made by a number of ingenious men, in various parts of
Europe, to contrive a machine or vessel that would be impervious
to hydrogen gas, and at the same time light enough to ascend
when filled with it, we can duly appreciate the result of this first
experiment.  A subscription to defray the expenses incident to
the necessary arrangements was opened by M. Faujus De Saint
Fond.  Persons of all classes and ranks, on being apprised of the
design, eagerly sought an opportunity to put down their names.
With an avidity of feeling adequate to the interest already inspired
to promote the object, the money necessary to accomplish a full
and complete trial was immediately subscribed. This preliminary disposition of the people, in regard to furthering an object
which promised to be of vast importance to the civilized world,
reflects honor on the French nation for their liberality of spirit,
and desire to promote scientific objects.
The Messrs. Roberts (brothers) were appointed to construct the
machine, and M. Charles, professor of experimental philosophy,
was appointed to superintend the whole affair.  Although the




FIRST HYDROGEN BALLOON.                    45
reader will learn that, under these preliminary arrangements, they
surmounted every obstacle, and accomplished the object of their
design, still they had nothing more to be governed by, than was
known to Gallien, Dr. Black, Cavallo, and others, who preceded
them.  It might be inquired, how could they be more successful
now than then, if they had nothing more obvious to direct them
in the present attempt? Why, because a new life had been given
to the inventive genius. The experiment of the Montgolfiers had
really proved that aerostatic machines could be made and raised.
This fired the ingenuity of these men.  They had not the question to settle, when their machine was made, whether it would
rise. It had only to be made and filled with a gas (hydrogen),
which they knew to be lighter, and consequently better adapted
to the object in view, than that of their predecessors.  To make
a bag that would retain the gas, was the problem to be solved.
And for the accomplishment of this, as it was done, they deserve
great honor.  Of such a nature must be the stimulus that is yet
to give the art a valuable feature! We know that the air is navigable! We know that it is in the elements of philosophy that
balloons can be made to travel in any direction! And, like the
committee appointed to perfect the firststep, we must apply ourselves with zeal and energy to promote the second.
They constructed a silken bag from lutestring silk, about thirteen
feet in diameter, and of a globular shape.  The next step was to
make this bag or balloon impervious to the gas. To effect this, it
was covered with a varnish composed of gum elastic, dissolved in
spirits of turpentine.  The balloon had but one aperture, like the
neck of a bottle, into which was fastened a stopcock, for the convenience of introducing and stopping off the gas. The whole
machine, when completed, weighed twenty-five pounds.
On the 23d of August, 1783, the balloon being completed, the
next to be done was to make arrangements for the inflation, and
the appointment of a day on which to make the final experiment.
These were matters not to be regarded slightly at that day.
Members of the most celebrated institution of the age had ventured their talents and ingenuity upon the result.  To generate
so large a quantity of hydrogen gas at that period, had many obstacles in its way.  And on this account a full-description of the
manner in which it was conducted should be here given. The
27th of the month was the day appointed for the grand exhibition.  But, in order to have ample time for alterations, and refixing any part of the apparatus that might not answer the purpose,
they commenced the inflation on the 23d.  The balloon was suspended from a rope, which was fastened at both ends, to poles
planted some distance apart for that purpose.  The top of the
balloon had a sort of button worked in it, to which was fastened




46          FIRST HYDROGEN GAS APPARATUS.
the rope, by which it was hanging freely over the inflating apparatus.  This apparatus consisted of a series of trays, somewhat
resembling a case of drawers, each drawer being lined with sheet
lead, and all of them  communicating to a common main pipe,
from which proceeded a hose, or tube, made of the same material
as that of the balloon.  This hose communicated to the stopcock of the balloon, which made the arrangement of communication complete.  The materials for generating the hydrogen gas
were then placed in these cases, and the process of inflation
was carried on for several hours, with but very poor success.
More gas was wasted than entered the balloon.  After having
thus labored, with little success, until two o'clock in the afternoon, they concluded to remove this apparatus and substitute
another. Accordingly, they next tried a common cask, which was
set up on one of its ends; in the upper end were bored two holes,
one of which corresponded to the tube through which the gas
was to be conducted into the balloon, the other hole was intended
for the introduction of the iron filings, and the oil of vitriol. The
process of inflation was next commenced with this new contrivance, which soon promised better success than the former.  It
will be observed that they had not, in this apparatus, the condensing tube filled with water for the gas to pass through, as we
have in the present mode of inflating balloons.  This rendered
the inflation very dangerous to the safety of the balloon, from acid
vapor that might pass into it, every time the cask required replenishing with fresh materials, which it did very frequently. To
obviate this difficulty in some degree, the stopcock in the neck
of the balloon answered a good purpose, as, on the introduction of
new materials, it could be closed to prevent the acid fumes from
entering the balloon during this part of the process. Although
this new arrangement answered the purpose seemingly well at
first, it was discovered, after being used awhile, to present many
obstacles to a successfuil result.  After the operation had been
carried on for several hours, the materials became so much heated
that a great quantity of hot vapor would pass into the balloon along
with the gas.  To prevent the balloon from being injured by the
heat, they kept a constant stream' of water pumping against it.
This also answered to condense the hot vapor into water.  To
discharge the water fiomn it, it was frequently necessary to detach the balloon from the inflating apparatus to suffer the water
to escape.
After working in this way until nine o'clock at night, they got
the balloon about one-third filled; and in this state it was left
until the next morning, the inflation being also discontinued
during the night.
The next morning, at the break of day, the operators returned




FIRST HYDROGEN GAS APPARATUS.                 47
to resume their labors. On arriving at the place, they were exceedingly surprised to find the balloon completely distended,
although it had been but partly filled the day before. On examining the machine, they discovered that the stopcock in the
neck of the balloon had been left open, which suffered the common air to enter, and with the gas already in it, to make it completely full. This, however, did not discourage the experimenters.
They immediately expelled all the air from  the balloon, and
commenced their operations anew, with apparently more energy
and hope than the previous day. They labored assiduously until
about six o'clock in the evening, when, to their great satisfaction,
they saw the balloon giving evident signs of buoyancy; and at
seven o'clock they found it to exert considerable effort against the
rope above it, to which it had been suspended. Everything was
now properly secured against all impending danger, and the
operations discontinued until the next day.
The following day, the 25th, they resumed their labors early
in the morning. They did not, on this morning, as the one previous, find anything wrong, or calculated to mar their future
progress.  A fresh supply of gas was introduced, and, at six
o'clock in the morning, the balloon was found to be capable of
lifting up twenty-one pounds. The generation of gas was again
discontinued, and at nine o'clock in the evening, it was found to
have a lifting power of eighteen pounds, having lost three pounds
of levity during the day.  This was attributed to the needle holes,
which were not properly filled up with varnish, and through
which, it was presumed, the gas had leaked.  It was again
secured for the night, and the operators retired from their work.
On the following morning, being the 26th, the balloon was
found to have lost a gradual proportion of gas and levity.  The
apparatus was again replenished with the proper materials, and
a further quantity of gas was worked into the balloon. This was
continued until eight o'clock in the morning, when it was again
detached from the machinery.  Having now a strong ascending
power, it was secured by cords, by which it was suffered to rise
to the height of more than a hundred feet, when it was drawn
down again.  This, as might naturally be supposed, brought
together a great number of people.  From these partial flights of
letting it up, and hauling it down again, the assemblage became
so great, that it was found necessary to secure it to its place,
where it had been inflated, and a guard of soldiers placed around
it to prevent the crowd from  pressing too closely on it, and
causing it some injury.  Such was their curiosity, that they had
already broken through the prescribed limits, and nothing short
of a strong guard was found capable of insuring its safety.
The spot where the operations had been carried on was near




48      TORCHLIGHT PROCESSION- WITH BALLOON.
the place of Victories, and the place appointed for the ascension
of the balloon was the Camp of Mars.  The distance between
these two places is about two miles.  In order to avoid, as much
as possible, the difficulty of conveying the balloon from the former
to the latter place, amidst so vast a concourse of people as might
be anticipated would be there, it was concluded to move it the
next morning before daylight.
Accordingly, on the following morning, it being the 27th, at an
early hour, preparations were made for its removal to the Camp
of Mars.  It was secured to a cart, and notwithstanding everything was in readiness to proceed before the break of day, an
immense concourse of people had already assembled to escort
the nocturnal traveler.  Torches, flambeaux, musical instruments,
guns, and everything that the lively imagination of the people
could suggest, were brought into requisition, to render the procession grand and animating.
The Camp of Mars was lined in every direction with anxious
spectators. Everyhouse top, avenue, and window, along the route,
was filled with human beings; and, as the strange and novel
machine passed along, in the midst of a strong military guard of
horse and foot, supporting itself in the air, reflecting the light of
the numerous torches, giving it the appearance, at a distance, of
a bright star, the air fairly rung with the shouts of the assembled
and pleased multitude. Having arrived at its place of destination,
and the proper arrangements being made to secure it from the
pressure of the dense throng that already had assembled, it was
again secured to the inflating apparatus, which had also been
brought hither.  A fresh supply of gas was introduced to make
up the loss which the balloon sustained during the night. It
also gave the people an opportunity of seeing how the inflation
was conducted. Thus the day passed on, with constantly increasing accessions to the great multitude already present. At length,
the discharge of artillery, at five o'clock in the afternoon, announced the signal for the experiment. The balloon was released
from its moorings, and rose before the eyes of some hundred thousands of astonished spectators, amidst a copious shower of rain.
Its ascent was extremely rapid, and in the short space of two
minutes it attained a height of 3123 feet.  This was ascertained
by observations made with instruments expressly provided for that
purpose.  Above this elevation, the balloon was lost in a dark
cloud.  This was signalized by another discharge of cannon.
Soon after, it re-appeared for a moment, but was finally hidden
behind the clouds.  During the time of its visible flight, the very
air was made to reverberate with shouts and demonstrations of
satisfaction-a heavy shower of rain to the contrary notwithstanding.  After it had remained in the atmosphere for three quarters




DESCENT OF BALLOON.                      49
of an hour, it descended in a field near Gonesse, a village about
fifteen miles distant from the Camp of Mars.  The balloon was
immediately discovered and secured by some peasants, who were
working in a field near its place of descent.
The manifestations of joy, and the satisfactory exclamations of
the vast multitude of people that had assembled on this occasion,
are most graphically described by some of the journals of that day.
Although the ascent of an aerostatic machine was not of itself any
longer calculated to inspire such a lively interest, this was the test
of a new principle, which, if successful, was calculated to give it
a new impulse, on account of its greater feasibility than the rarefied air principle.
The liberality and energy that characterized this experiment,
the obstacles that were surmounted in an unexplored and critical
science, the devotion and interest of the people manifested towards a successful result, reflect honor on its projectors.  It has
marked an epoch in the history of the world, that will increase in
interest as long as the arts and sciences shall hold an equal pace
with its progressive movement.
CHAPTER V.
Infatuated conceptions of aerial voyages.
Now that a new door had been opened, through which the
genius of man could take a view into the future destinies of a
new science, it inspired a feeling which had a tendency to overrate the value of the discovery.  An overheated zeal, fostered by
an ambitious desire to explore the grand mysteries of the Creator,
necessarily brought about a reaction that was calculated to do
more harm  than good, in improving the new science.  The infatuation of men carried their minds beyond the legitimate sphere
of their operations.  The exploration of their own world and its
mysteries was no longer sufficient to give interest adequate to
their expectations and attainments.  Greater and more magnificent projects dazzled their bewildered minds.  The grand ultimatum  of human aspirations had been solved in the problem
of aerostation. Man could now build himself a " castle in the
air."  He was no longer subservient to the laws of gravitation,
which bound him to the land, and the water. He felt that more
than Bishop Wilkins' saying had been realized, when he said,
"It will be as common for a man hereafter to call for his wings,
4




50     INFATUATED CONCEPTIONS OF BALLOONING.
when about to make a journey, as it is now to call for his boots
and spurs."  To make a long journey, or to circumnavigate the
earth, fell into insignificance, compared with the projects and
ideas that were conceived.  The earth appeared now related to
man, as the haycock in the field was to the lark, when he
mounted its top with expanded wings, to launch himself into the
immensity of space.  Voyages to the moon and neighboring
planets haunted the imagination of more than weak minds.
The binding cord of gravitation had been severed, and there was
no restraint above.  No one could define the limit of operations
to this new and important discovery.  The traditions of flying
oracles, which were handed down by profane and sacred history,
were now looked upon as realities which had been discovered
and lost to human ingenuity. All the glories of the past, the
present, and the future, seemed to be resolved in the re-discovery
of this grand art. The fanciful dreams and midnight visions of
the Parisians were not the only disturbed slumbers of that period.
All civilized Europe had its genius startled at the news of the
academical experiment.  All eyes were turned to Paris, as the
point of embarkation for other worlds. It stood now as a depot
in the solar system.  Even the skeptical in religion began to
think that a more exalted destiny awaited man, than to sink in
the earth and sleep forever in its mouldering ashes.
These overwrought imaginings and premature speculations
subsided as the sober and considerate experiments advanced.
Notwithstanding the public mind resumed a natural equilibrium
in regard to aerial navigation, the scientific and ingenious were
not backward in promoting its utility.  The first adventurers
were not disparaged in their pursuits by discovering the immutable laws that confine all things to their legitimate sphere.  Although the idea of immigrating to foreign worlds soon vanished
from the minds of men, there still existed and progressed a perseverance to render the discovery useful to terrestrial purposes,
that conferred an honor on that age.
This will be shown in the historical details that will be given
of the experiments that followed the discovery of the hydrogen
balloon.  Although the experiment which was instituted by the
Academy of Arts and Sciences of Paris, to test the use of hydrogen gas instead of the dangerous mode of keeping up a rarefaction of air by the use of fire, proved eminently successful, it was
still contended by the friends of Montgolfiers' plan that the
heated air principle was the best.  And it will be observed that
the advocates of the Montgolfierian plan gave strong reasons to
sustain their position.  They succeeded in many of their experiments far beyond what the best contrived rarefied air plans warranted.  Aerial voyages of great interest and success were made




FIRST AERIAL VOYAGE WITH HYDROGEN.                 51
with extraordinarily large rarefied air balloons, in various parts of
France.
The same perseverance and intrepidity that prevailed in the
promotion of aerial navigation about the time of the discovery of
air-balloons could not fail, if revived at the present time, to give
it an impetus in the scale of improvement, that would, ere long,
realize all that was, upon its first discovery, anticipated by its
sober-minded advocates.  But, like every other subject, it must
have its time.  Time alone will overcome the doubts and opposition of those who denounce it through the want of a proper understanding of its real merits.
CHAPTER VI.
First aerial voyage with a hydrogen balloon-Experiments to regulate its
direction, and rising and falling-Blanchard's voyage across the sea —
Compound aerostat and fatal result-Testu's remarkable voyage.
THE successful experiment of the first hydrogen balloon encouraged anew the desire for aerial voyages.  M. Charles and
the two Messrs. Roberts resolved to undertake an aerial excursion with a balloon filled with hydrogen gas. One was accordingly prepared by the Messrs. Roberts, of varnished silk.  It was
of a spherical form, twenty-seven feet in diameter, and had a car
suspended from  it for the accommodation of the adventurers.
To prevent any danger from the expansion of the gas under a
diminished pressure of the atmosphere in the upper regions, the
balloon was furnished with a valve, formed in such a manner as
to permit the free discharge of gas when occasion required.
Thus, on the 17th of December, 1783, M. Charles, and one of
the Roberts, having previously ascertained the direction of the
wind by launching a small balloon, ascended from Paris to the
height of 6000 feet; and, after a voyage of an hour and threequarters, descended at a distance of twenty-seven miles from the
place of their departure.  After their descent, M. Roberts got
out of the car, which lightened the vessel about 130 pounds,
which enabled M. Charles to reascend; and in twenty minutes
he attained an elevation of 9000 feet above the surface of the
earth.  At this immense height, he says, all terrestrial objects
totally disappeared from his view.  The thermometer stood at
47 degrees when he left the earth, but in the space of ten minutes
it fell to 21 degrees. The effects which so rapid a change of




52                   GUIDING BALLOONS.
situation produced upon him  were violent in the extreme; he
was benumbed with cold, and felt a severe pain in his right ear
and jaw.  The balloon passed through different currents of air,
and in the higher regions the expansion of the gas was so powerful, that M. Charles was obliged to allow part of it to escape
in order to prevent the bursting of the balloon.  After having
risen to the height of 10,500 feet, he came down about a league
from the place where he left his companion out of the car. The
balloon, including the two aeronauts, thermometer, barometer,
and ballast, weighed 640 pounds, and the hydrogen gas was
found, on calculation, to be about five and one-quarter times
lighter than common air.
Jean Pierre Blanchard, an ingenious Frenchman, who had
spent a great deal of time in trying to perfect a mechanical contrivance by which he might be enabled to fly, was the next to
construct a balloon upon the hydrogen gas plan. This was also
twenty-seven feet in diameter.  He ascended from Paris on the
2d of March, 1784, accompanied by a Benedictine friar.  After
rising fifteen feet, the balloon was precipitated to the ground with
a violent shock, upon which, the friar, apprehensive of his safety,
was induced to abandon his seat.  M. Blanchard then ascended
alone, and attained a height of 9600 feet. He met with various
currents of air. He suffered from extreme cold, and became oppressed with drowsiness, and finally descended, after a voyage of
an hour and a quarter.  In order to direct his course, he used,
on this occasion, an apparatus consisting of a rudder and two
wings, which were attached to his car, but found that it exerted
little or no influence over the balloon, either in this or in subsequent voyages.
In April, 1784, MM. Morveau and Bertrand adopted p similar
expedient, which they found to operate very sensibly on the direction of their balloon. They rose about 13,000 feet high, where
they enjoyed one of the most sublime and magnificent prospects
that the imagination could conceive.  The mass of clouds that
floated in silent disorder through the regions below them, presented the appearance of a serene and boundless ocean, while a
beautiful parhelion of concentric circles, that began to form as
the sun went down, heightened the grandeur of the scene.  In
the month of June following,  I. de Morveau undertook another
voyage, which, as well as the former, commenced at Dijon. His
balloon was twenty-five feet in diameter, and made of varnished
taffeta.
A similar device for regulating the course of the balloon was
resorted to by the Messrs. Roberts, who had before ascended together.  Their former balloon was converted into an oblong
spheroid, forty-six feet by twenty-seven, the longer axis being




GUIDING BALLOONS.                       53
parallel to the horizon, and the car, which was seventeen feet
long, had five wings or oars disposed around it, for the purpose
of steering.  The Messrs. Roberts, and M. Collin Hullin, upon
entering the car of this machine, threw out twenty-four pounds of
ballast, which produced a gentle ascent.  The current of air
between the altitudes of 600 and 4200 feet was uniform.  On
arriving at the height of 14,000 feet, they encountered some
stormy clouds, which they endeavored to avoid, by alternately
ascending and descending.  In three hours from  their ascent,
they heard two peals of thunder, when the thermometer fell from
seventy-seven to fifty-nine degrees.  Finding themselves, soon
afterwards, becalmed, they had recourse to their oars, by the
exertion of which, their balloon, in thirty-five minutes, described
an elliptical segment, whose shortest diameter was 6000 feet.
After traveling 150 miles, in the space of six hours and a half,
they descended in safety.
The Messrs. Roberts, accompanied by the Duke of Orleans,
and a fourth person, ascended in July, 1784, in a balloon different in its structure from any that had hitherto been tried.  On all
former occasions, aeronauts had found the method of effecting a
descent by a discharge of gas, attended with inconvenience, and
to obviate this difficulty, the Messrs. Roberts had suspended a
small balloon within the large one. This interior balloon was to
be filled with common air, by means of bellows attached to it by
tubes, whenever they wished to descend, it being justly supposed,
that the addition of common air would increase the weight, as its
diminution would, on the other hand, lighten the balloon.  This
expedient, however, though promising in theory, did not answer
in practice.  In the space of three minutes, they rose to a height
where not an object was to be seen but the clouds that surrounded
them.  The balloon, no longer obeying their management, was
tossed, with the most violent agitation, as if from one whirlwind
to another. The cords, by which the interior balloon was suspended, giving way, it fell down in such a position as completely
to close up the aperture which communicated between the large
balloon and the car.  A sudden gust of wind next drove them
beyond the region of the storm; but the expansion of the hydrogen
within the vessel increasing, they dreaded the bursting of the
balloon, and, being unable to remove the small one, which now
obstructed the aperture, they continued to ascend.  It finally
gave way in two places, and, notwithstanding the imminent danger to which they were exposed, from the rapidity of its descent
caused by this accident, they all landed without being hurt.
Though several experiments on the ascensive power of balloons
had been made in England, during the course of the year after
their discovery, the first aerial voyage, which was undertaken by




54       FIRST AERIAL VOYAGE ACROSS THE SEA.
Vincent Lunardi, an Italian, did not take place till September,
1784.  His balloon was thirty-three feet in diameter, and shaped
like a pear.  It was made of oiled silk, with alternate stripes of
blue and red, having the car suspended from a hoop below the
balloon, by forty-five cords.
FIRST AERIAL VOYAGE ACROSS THE SEA.
The most remarkable aerial voyage that was made soon after
the discovery of aerostatic machinery, was accomplished by M.
Blanchard, in company with Dr. Jeffries, an American physician,
who was at the time residing in England. On the 7th of January,
1785, in a clear frosty day, the balloon was launched from the
cliff of Dover, and, after a somewhat perilous adventure, they
crossed the Channel in something less than three hours.  The
balloon, after its release, rose slowly and majestically in the air;
they passed over several ships, and enjoyed a grand prospect of
the numerous objects below them.  They soon, however, found
themselves beginning to descend, which put them to the necessity
of throwing over half their ballast, when they were about onethird way across the Channel.  When they got about half way
across, they found themselves descending again, upon which,
they threw over the balance of their sand; also some books they
had with them.  All this failed to overcome the gravitating power
of the balloon.  They next commenced throwing overboard
their apparatus-cords-grapples, and bottles.  An empty bottle
seemed to emit smoke as it descended, and, when it struck the
water, the shock of the concussion was sensibly felt by the
aeronauts.  Still, their machine continued to descend, when they
next betook themselves to throwing off their clothing; but, having
now nearly reached the French coast, the balloon began to ascend
again, and rose to a considerable height, without compelling them
to dispense with much of their apparel.  They passed over the
highlands between Cape Blanc and Calais, and landed near the
edge of the forest of Guiennes, not far beyond Calais.  The magistrates of the town treated the aerial travelers with the utmost
kindness and hospitality.  The Kingof France made M. Blanchard a present of 12,000 livres, as a token of appreciation of the
aeronaut's perseverance and skill, in the newly-discovered art.
Several hundred ascensions had now already been made, and
not a single fatal accident had yet taken place; but we are now
compelled to record one which proved most disastrous to its projectors, and when we fairly estimate its design, it seems as though
it could hardly have terminated otherwise. Pilatre de Rozier and




TESTU'S REMARKABLE VOYAGE.                    55
M. Romain were anxious to return the compliment of M. Blanchard and Dr. Jeffries, by crossing over the Channel from France
to England. For the purpose of avoiding the difficulty which attended Blanchard's balloon in keeping her up, they constructed
a compound balloon.  This was arranged by suspending a fire
balloon underneath the hydrogen balloon. The fire balloon was
intended to regulate the rising and falling of the whole machine.
The hydrogen- balloon was of a globular shape, forty feet in
diameter; the other was about ten feet in diameter. After various
delays, occasioned by adverse winds, he, in company with M.
Romain, set out from  Boulogne, on the 15th of June, 1785.
Scarcely a quarter of an hour had elapsed, when, at the height
of about 3000 feet, the whole apparatus was discovered to be on
fire. Its scattered fragments, with the unfortunate bodies of the
aeronauts, fell to the ground near the sea shore, about four miles
from  Boulogne.  They were instantly killed by the tremendous
crash, and their bodies were of course awfully mangled.
TESTU'S REMARKABLE VOYAGE.
" On the 18th of June, 1785, M. Testu ascended from  Paris.
His balloon was twenty-nine feet in diameter, constructed by
himself, of glazed tiffany, furnished with auxiliary wings, and
filled, as had now become the fashion, with hydrogen gas. It
had been much injured by wind and rain during the night before
its ascension; but, having undergone a slight repair, it was finally
launched, with its conductor, at four o'clock in the afternoon.
The barometer then stood 29.68 inches, and the thermometer as
high as eighty-four degrees, though the day was cloudy and threatened rain. The balloon had at first been filled only five-sixths; but
it gradually swelled as it became drier and warmer, and acquired
its utmost distension at the height of 2800 feet.  But to avoid
the waste of gas or the rupture of the balloon, the navigator calculated to descend by the reaction of his wings.  Though this
force had little efficacy, yet at half-past five o'clock he softly
alighted in a corn-field in the plain of Montmorency. Without
leaving the car, he began to collect a few stones for ballast, when
he was surrounded by the proprietor of the corn and a troop of
peasants, who insisted on being indemnified for the damage occasioned by his idle and curious visitors. Anxious now to disengage
himself, he persuaded them that, his wings being broken, he was
wholly at their mercy. They seized the stay of the balloon, which
floated at some height, and dragged their prisoner through the air
in a sort of triumph towards the village.  But M. Testu, finding
that the loss of his wings, his cloak, and some other articles, had




56                    TESTU'S VOYAGE.
considerably lightened the machine, suddenly cut the cord, and
took an abrupt leave of the clamorous and mortified peasants.
He rose to the region of the clouds, where he observed small
frozen particles floating in the atmosphere.  He heard thunder
rolling beneath his feet, and as the coolness of the evening advanced, the buoyant power of his vessel diminished, and at three
quarters after six o'clock, he approached the ground with his car
near the Abbey of Royaumont. There he threw out some ballast,
and in the space of twelve minutes rose to a height of 2400 feet,
where the thermometer stood only at sixty-six degrees.  He now
heard the blast of a horn, and descried some huntsmen below in
full chase.  Curious to witness the sport, he pulled the valve and
descended at eight o'clock, between Etouen and Varville, when,
rejecting his oars, he set himself to gather some ballast.  While
he was thus occupied, the hunters galloped up to him. He then
mounted a third time, and passed through a dense body of clouds,
in which thunder followed lightning in quick succession.'With fresh alacrity and force renewed,
Springs upward, like a pyramid of fire,
Into the wild expanse, and through the shock
Of fighting elements, on all sides round
Environed wins his way.'
"The thermometer fell to twenty-one, but afterwards regained its
former point of sixty-six degrees, when the balloon had reached an
altitude of 3000 feet. In this region, the voyager sailed till half-past
nine o'clock, at which time he observed from his'watch-tower in
the sky' the final setting of the sun. He was now quickly involved in darkness, and enveloped in the thickest mass of thunder
clouds.  The lightnings flashed on all sides, and the loud claps
were incessant.  The thermometer, seen by the help of a phosphoric light with which he had provided himself, stood at twentyone degrees, and snow and sleet fell copiously around him. In this,
most tremendous situation, the intrepid adventurer remained the
space of three hours, the time during which the storm lasted.
The balloon was affected by a sort of undulating motion upwards
and downwards, owing, he thought, to the electrical action of the
clouds.*  The lightning appeared excessively vivid; but the
thunder was sharp and loud, preceded by a sort of crackling
noise.  A calm at last succeeding, he had the pleasure to see the
stars, and embraced this opportunity to take some necessary refreshments.  At half past two o'clock, the day broke in; but his
ballast being nearly gone, he finally descended a quarter before
four o'clock, near the village of Campremi, about sixty-three miles
from Paris."
* It is caused by the uprising current of air which always prevails in
thunder storms. This would drive his balloon up to the top of the clouds,
from whence it would fall into the vortex below again.




INVENTION OF THE PARACHUTE.                  57
CHAPTER  VII.
Invention of the parachute-Experiments with it.
As the parachute properly belongs to the subject of aeronautics,
we must not defer giving its earliest introduction and use in the
practice of aerial navigation.  As the chief danger in the early
practice of balloon voyages consisted in accidental and rapid descents, the parachute was introduced to countervail this danger,
and which would also enable the aerial voyager, in case of alarm,
to desert his balloon in mid-air, and drop, without sustaining
injury, to the ground.  The French language, though not very
copious, has yet supplied this convenient term, signifying a guard
for falling, as it has likewise furnished the words of analogous
composition, parapluie, paravent; and parasol, to denote a sunscreen.  The parachute very much resembles the ordinary umbrella in shape, but is much larger.  The umbrella itself,
requiring such strength to bear it up against a moderate wind,
might naturally have suggested the application of the same principle to break the fall of a body coming from a great height. To
effect this, nothing was required but to present a surface having
dimensions sufficient to experience from the air a resistance equal
to the weight of descent, in moving through' the fluid with a velocity not exceeding that of the shock which a person can sustain
without danger of injury. Accordingly, in the east, where the
umbrella, or rather the parasol, has been from the remotest ages
in familiar use, this implement appears to be occasionally employed by vaulters, for enabling them to jump safely from great
heights.  Father Loubere, in his curious account of Siam, relates
that a person, famous in that remote country for his dexterity,
was accustomed to divert exceedingly the king and the royal
court by the prodigious leaps which he took, having two umbrellas with long slender handles fastened to his girdle. He
generally alighted on the ground, but was sometimes carried by
the force of the wind against trees and houses, and not unfrequently into the river.  Not a great many years ago, the umbrella
was, at least on one occasion, employed in Europe with similar
views, as well as in our own country. In the campaign of 1793,
a French general, named Bournonville, having been sent by the
National Convention, with four more commissioners, to treat with




58               PARACHUTE EXPERIMENTS.
the Prince of Saxe-Coburg, was, contrary to the faith or courtesy
heretofore preserved in the fiercest wars that have raged in civilized nations, detained a prisoner with his companions, and sent
to the fortress of Olmutz, where he suffered a rigorous confinement.  In this cruel situation, he made a desperate attempt to
regain his liberty. Having provided himself with an umbrella,
he jumped from a window forty feet high; but, being a very heavy
man, this screen proved insufficient to let him down safely. He
struck against an opposite wall, fell into the ditch, and broke his
leg, and was carried in this condition back again to his dungeon.
Blanchard was the first person who ever constructed a parachute for the purpose of using it with a balloon, in cases of
accident while aloft. During an excursion which he took from
Lisle, about the end of August, 1785, during which, he traversed
without halting, a distance not less than 300 miles, he let down
a parachute with a basket fastened to it containing a dog, from a
great height, which fell gently through the air, and let the animal
down to the ground unhurt.  Since that period, the practice and
management of the parachute have been carried much farther by
other aeronauts, and particularly by M. Garnerin, who has dared
repeatedly to descend from the region of the clouds with that very
slender machine.  This ingenious and spirited Frenchman visited
London during the short peace of 1802, and made two fine ascents with his balloon, in the second of which he let himself fall
from an amazing elevation with a parachute.  This consisted of
thirty-two gores of white canvass formed into a hemispherical
shape of twenty-three feet in diameter, at the top of which was a
round piece of wood ten inches in diameter, and having a hole in
its centre, admitting short pieces of tape to fasten it to the several
gores of the canvass.  About four feet and a half below the top,
a wooden hoop of eight feet diameter was attached by a string
from each seam; so that, when the balloon rose, the parachute
hung like a curtain from this hoop. Below it was suspended a
cylindrical basket covered with canvass, about four feet high, and
two and a quarter wide.  In this basket the aeronaut, dressed in
a close jacket and a pair of trowsers, placed himself, and rose
majestically from an inclosure near North Audley Street, at six
o'clock in the evening of the 2d of September. After hovering
seven or eight minutes in the upper region of the atmosphere, he
meditated a descent in his parachute. Well might he be supposed to linger there in dread suspense, and to
"        - -       -look awhile
Pondering his voyage; for no narrow frith
He had to cross  *   *   *   *   *
He views the breadth, and, without longer pause,
Downright into the world's first region throws
His flight precipitant, and winds with ease,
Through the pure marble air, his oblique way."




PARACHUTE EXPERIMENTS.                    59
He cut the cord by which his parachute was attached to the
net of the balloon; it instantly expanded, and for some seconds
it descended with an accelerating velocity, till it became tossed
extremely, and took such wide oscillations, that the basket or car
was at times thrown almost level or horizontal with the parachute.
Borne along at the same time by the influence of the wind, the
parachute passed over Marylebone and Somerstown, and almost
grazed the houses of St. Pancras.  At last it fortunately struck
the ground in a neighboring field; but the shock was so violent
as to throw poor Garnerin on his face, by which accident he received some cuts, and bled considerably.  He seemed to be
much agitated, and trembled exceedingly at the moment he was
released from the car.  One of the stays of the parachute had
chanced to give way, which untoward circumstance deranged
the apparatus, disturbed its proper balance, and threatened the
adventurer, during the whole of his descent, with immediate
destruction.  At the moment of separating the parachute, the
balloon took a rapid ascending motion, and was found, next day,
twelve miles distant from the place of departure.
From the principles before explained, we may easily determine
the descent of a parachute, when, with its attached load, it is
abandoned in the air. It must, from the continued action of gravity,
proceed at first with an accelerated motion, till its increasing
velocity comes to oppose a resistance equal to the force of attraction, or to the combined weight of the whole apparatus. After
this counterpoise has taken place, there exists no longer any cause
of acceleration; the parachute should descend uniformly with its
acquired rapidity. This perfect equilibrium will not, however,
be attained at once. The accumulation of swiftness, produced
by the increasing operation of gravity, is not immediately restrained by the corresponding increased resistance of the atmosphere.  The motion of a parachute must hence, for some short
time, be subject to a sort of interior oscillation, alternately accelerating and retarding.  It first shoots beyond the terminal velocity,
and then, suffering greater resistance, it relaxes, and contracts
within the just limits.  This unequal and undulating progress
which a parachute exhibits subsequently to the commencement
of its fall, is calculated to excite disproportionate alarms of insecurity and danger.  The terminal velocity of a parachute, or
the uniform motion to which its velocity tends, would, according
to theory, be equal, if its surface were flat, to the velocity that a
heavy body must acquire in falling through the altitude of a
column of air incumbent on thlat surface, and having, under the
usual circumstances, the same weight as the whole apparatus.
But we have already seen that a cylinder of air, one foot
in diameter and height, weighs only, in ordinary cases, the




60               PARACHUTE EXPERIMENTS.
seventeenth part of a pound avoirdupois.  Wherefore, if the
square of the diameter of a parachute be divided by seventeen,
the quotient will give the number of pounds equivalent to the
weight of an atmospheric column of one foot; and the weight of
the apparatus, being divided again by this quotient, the result
will express the entire altitute of an equiponderant column.  Of
the altitude, the square root multiplied by eight will denote the
final velocity, or that with which the parachute must strike the
ground.  But the actual resistance of the air is rather greater
than what theory would give; and it is besides augmented by
the concavity of the opposing surface, which occasions an accumulation of the fluid.
A parachute of a hemispherical form, twenty-five feet in diameter, is all sufficient to let down an ordinary sized man from any
height in safety. But it will be shown, in the course of this work,
that the balloon itself will form a parachute, in case of bursting
while aloft. This happened to the author of this work during an
ascension he made from Easton, Pennsylvania; and afterwards
in an excursion from the city of Philadelphia, the minute details
of which will be given in another part of this work. Although
the arrangements and descent by parachute are as easy and
simple as are the constructing of and ascending with a balloon,
still there are few who have ever ventured to try it.  This maybeascribed mainly to two causes: First, a want of knowledge of
the scientific principles by which it is governed; and secondly,
because there appears to be no great utility concerned in its practice; but merely the novelty of seeing a person, as it were, jump
from the clouds to the earth without being injured.
CHAPTER VIII.
Aerostatic institute-The French applying the art to the warlike aggrandizement of their nation-Practicing school at Mendon-New method of
generating hydrogen gas-Balloons for the French army-Battle of
Fleurus gained by aid of balloon reconnaissance-Balloons for surveying,
and electrical experiments.
IN the early part of the French revolutionary war, when ingenuity and science were so eagerly called into active service,
the savans of the French Academy recommended the use of balloons, as a fertile means of reconnaissance. Under these auspices,
an aeronautic school was established at Mendon, near Paris. It




AEROSTATIC INSTITUTE.                      61
was got up with the utmost secrecy, so that the powers opposed
to the French could not avail themselves of its advantages, until
the first projectors had already used it in such an effective manner as to greatly paralyze the allied powers.  In order to have it
at once facile and useful, it was necessary to have it reduced to
systematic practice.  The management of the institution was
committed to the most eminent philosophers of Paris.  Guyton
Morveau, the celebrated French chemist, and M. Contel, superintended its operations. Fifty young military students were admitted to this school for training.  A balloon of thirty-two feet
in diameter was constructed, of the most durable materials, as a
practicing machine for these pupils. Although the original plan
of generating hydrogen gas was by decomposing water with the
aid of oil of vitriol, and iron filings and borings, Morveau introduced another method in this case.  For this purpose, six iron
cylinders had been fixed by masonry in a simple kind of furnace,
each of their ends projecting, and covered with an iron lid.  Two
sets of metal tubes were also inserted into these lids, one for conveying in the water, and the other for carrying off the gas which
was formed from the water.  The cylinders being charged with
iron turnings, and brought to a red heat, the humidity of the
water was instantly converted into steam, whose expanded particles were soon decomposed, by the oxygen uniting with the redhot iron, forming an oxide of iron, while the hydrogen was thus
freed, and forced out by its own pressure, from the other tube, and
from thence through a washer of lime water, to deposit its carbonic acid gas, that might adhere to it, when it was perfectly pure
and ready for the balloon.  By this method, they procured, at a
very moderate expense, a quantity of gas sufficient to inflate a
balloon thirty-two feet in diameter, which holds 17,000 cubic feet,
in the space of four hours.  The practicing balloon was kept constantly full, so as to be at all times ready for exercise, and when
not in use, it was fastened to the terrace of the lodge, in the open
air.  Whenever the weather was fair, the colonel of the corps and
a pupil seated themselves in the car, when the machine was suffered to rise five or six hundred feet, arranged by cord and windlass.  This primary movement became an object of great interest,
from  the advantages it seemed to possess.  Paris, at this time
being the great military focus of the world, could by these means
view with Argus eyes the movements around the great metropolis.  Telegraphic communication was greatly facilitated to the
governmental centre by the aeronautic observers.  A balloon was
also constructed for this school, which, when filled with hydrogen,
required the strength of twenty men to keep it to the earth.  It
could, after the lapse of two months, without, in the mean time
replenishing it with gas, raise into the air two men, with neces



62                FRENCH WAR BALLOONS.
sary ballast and all the instruments of observation.  The eminent
artist, MI. Contel, constructed balloons specially appropriated to
the different divisions of the French army. The Entreprenant for
the army of the north, the Celeste for that of the Sambre and
Meuse, the Hercule for the army of the Rhine and Moselle, and
the Intrepide for the memorable army of Egypt.
In June, 1794, M. Contel ascended in the war balloon Entreprenant, to reconnoiter the hostile army, just before the battle of
Fleurus, accompanied by an adjutant and general. They rose to a
height of several thousand feet, with their windlass machinery so
arranged that they could make it stationary at any given altitude.
They mounted twice in the course of that day, and remained up
each time about four hours.  During the second aerial reconnaissance, they were discovered by the enemy, causing consternation
and surprise within their lines.  A brisk cannonade upon the
aerial man-of-war ship, however, soon followed; but the observers,
not being very high at the time, soon elevated themselves to a
point at which they finished their observations, in defiance of the
enemy's cannon.  Upon this they descended safely, and by the
signals communicated to General Jourdan, he was enabled to
gain a speedy and decisive victory over the Austrian forces on the
plains of Fleurus.
The French government also introduced the art of aeronautics
to the utility of surveying and locating geographical lines.  M.
Lomet was appointed to superintend these operations.  He found
considerable difficulty in his observations from the irregular motion
of the balloon, over which he had no controlling power. He,
however, concluded that the practice of aerial topographing was
of great use in facilitating geographical surveys.
The Abb6 Bertholon also used balloons in his electrical experiments.   They were sent up attached  to long slender wires,
which were fastened to the earth by the intervention of glass
rods, or some other non-conducting substance. The balloons had
fine projecting pointed wires proceeding from them; these wires
connected with the main conducting wire which went down to
the earth, where it was connected with a prime receiver. By this
method, he was enabled to collect the electric fluid in abundance.
I would, however, caution experimenters who may become engaged in this way. Trying this method with merely a hempen
line for the main cord, which was wetted with a metallized solution as the balloon ran up with it, I found the sparks so rapid
and powerful, given out from a tin ball six inches in diameter,
which was insulated below, as to make it extremely painful to
draw them off by the bare hand, and they became so extremely
rapid that I was induced to desist, for fear of serious consequences.
This experiment I made immediately preceding' a thunder-storm,




GAY LUSSAC'S ASCENT.                      63
and the balloon was not more than four hundred feet high. Any
danger liable to arise from such experiments might, however, be
avoided, by having the fixtures and instruments properly arranged
for the purpose.
CHAPTER IX.
Philosophical aerial voyage of Gay Lussac and Biot-Their experimentsSecond ascent of Lussac-His experiments.
"AFTER the capitulation at Cairo, the balloon which had been
sent to Egypt was returned to Paris, after the French army
had returned from the African deserts.  Two young and ardent
French philosophers, MM. Biot and Gay Lussac, proposed to
undertake an aerial excursion, in order to examine the magnetic
force at great elevations, and to explore the constitution of the
higher atmosphere and its electrical properties.  For such a
philosophical enterprise they were eminently qualified, having
been educated together at the Polytechnic School of Paris, and
both of them deeply versed in mathematics; the former indulging
in a wide range of study, and the latter concentrating his efforts
more on chemistry, and its application to the arts.  Their offer
to government was seconded by Berthollet and Laplace, and the
celebrated chemist Chaptal, then minister of the interior, gave it
his patronage and warm  support.  The war balloon which had
once been in Egypt was now given to the custody of Biot and
Gay Lussac; and the same artist who constructed it was, at the
public expense, ordered to refit and prepare it under their direction. Besides the usual provision of barometers, thermometers,
hygrometers, and electrometers, they had two compasses, and a
dipping needle, with another fine needle, carefully magnetized,
and suspended by a very delicate silk thread, for ascertaining by
its vibrations the force of magnetic attraction.  To examine the
electricity of the different strata of the atmosphere, they carried
several metallic wires, from sixty to three hundred feet in length,
and a small electrophorus feebly charged.  For galvanic experiments, they had procured a few discs of zinc and copper, with
some frogs, to which they added some insects and birds.  It was
also intended to bring down a portion of air from the higher regions, to be subjected to a chemical analysis; and for this purpose a flask, carefully exhausted, and fitted with a stopcock, had
been prepared for them.




64                LUSSAC'S EXPERIMENTS.
The balloon was placed in the garden of the Conservatoire des
Airts, or Repository of Models, formerly the Convent of St. Martin; and no pains were spared by Contel in providing whatever
might contribute to the greater safety and convenience of the
experimental voyagers.  Everything being now ready for their
ascent, these adventurous philosophers, in the presence of a few
friends, embarked in the car at ten o'clock on the morning of the
23d of August, 1804.  The barometer was then at 30.13 inches,
the thermometer at 610 on Fahrenheit's scale, and Saussure's hygrometer pointed at 80.8~, or very nearly the limit of absolute
humidity.  They rose with a slow and imposing motion.  Their
feelings were at first absorbed in the novelty and magnificence of
the spectacle which opened before them; and their ears were
saluted with the buzz of distant gratulations, sent up from the
admiring spectators.  In a few minutes, they entered the region
of the clouds, which seemed like a thin fog, and gave them a
slight sensation of humidity. The balloon had now become quite
inflated, and they were obliged to let part of the gas escape by
opening the upper valve; at the same time they threw out some
ballast, to gain a greater elevation.  They now shot up through
the range of clouds, and reached an altitude of about 6500 English
feet. These clouds, viewed from above, had the ordinary whitish
appearance; they all occupied the same height, only their upper
surface seemed marked with gentle swells and  undulations,
exactly resembling the aspect of a wide plain covered with snow.
MM. Biot and Gay Lussac now began their experimental operations.  The magnetic needle was attracted, as usual, by iron;
but they found it impossible at this time to determine with accuracy its rate of oscillation, owing to a slow rotary motion with
which the balloon was affected.  In the meanwhile, therefore,
they made other observations. A voltaic pile, consisting of twenty
pairs of plates, exhibited all its ordinary effects: gave the pungent taste, excited the nervous commotion, and occasioned the
decomposition of water.  By rejecting some more ballast, they
had attained the altitude of 8940 feet, but afterwards settled to
that of 8600 feet. At this great elevation, the animals which
they carried with them appeared to suffer from the rarity of the
air. They let off a violet bee, which flew away swiftly, making
a humming noise.  The thermometer had fallen to 56~ Fahrenheit, yet they felt no cold; they were, on the contrary, scorched
by the sun's rays,* and were obliged to lay aside their gloves.
Both of them  had their pulses much accelerated; that of Biot,
which generally beat seventy-six times in a minute, was raised to
* I have always found the sun oppressive when sailing over dense strata
of clouds, which is caused by reflection. This was the case in this
instance.




LUSSAC'S EXPERIMENTS.                     65
one hundred and eleven; while the pulse of his friend, Gay Lussac, a man of a less robust frame, was heightened from sixty to
eighty beats in the minute.  Notwithstanding their quickened
pulsation, however, they experienced no sort of uneasiness, nor
any difficulty in breathing.
What perplexed them  most was the difficulty of observing
the oscillations of a delicately suspended magnetic needle.  But
they soon remarked, on looking attentively down upon the surface
of the conglomerated clouds, that the balloon slowly revolved,
first in one direction, and then returned the contrary way.  Between the opposite motions, there intervened short pauses of rest,
which it was necessary for them to seize. Watching, therefore,
the moments of quiescence, they set the needle to vibrate, but
were unable to count more than five, or, very rarely, ten oscillations.  A number of trials, made between the altitudes of 9500
and 13,000 feet, gave 7l for the mean length of an oscillation,
while, at the surface of the earth, it required 72j1' to perform
each oscillation. A difference so very minute as the hundred
and fortieth part could only be imputed to the imperfection of the
experiment; and it was hence fairly concluded, that the force of
magnetic attraction had, in no degree, diminished at the greatest
elevation which they could reach.  The direction of this force,
too, seemed, from  the concurring circumstances, to have continued the same; though they could not depend on observations
made in their vacillating car with so delicate an instrument as
the dipping needle.
At the altitude of 11,000 feet, they liberated a green linnet,
which flew away directly; but, soon feeling itself abandoned in
the midst of an unknown ocean, it returned and settled on the
stays of the balloon.  Then, mustering fresh courage, it took a
second flight, and dashed downwards to the earth, describing a
tortuous yet almost perpendicular track.  A pigeon, which they
let off'under similar circumstances, afforded a more curious spectacle.  Placed on the edge of the car, it rested awhile, measuring,
as it were, the breadth of that unexplored sea which it designed
to traverse; now launching into the abyss, it fluttered irregularly,
and seemed, at first, to try its wings on the thin element, till,
after a few strokes, it gained more confidence, and, whirling in
large circles or spirals, like the birds of prey, it precipitated itself
towards the mass of extended clouds, where it was lost from
sight.
It was difficult, in those lofty and rather humid regions, to make
electrical observations; and the attention of the scientific navigators was, besides, occupied chiefly by their magnetical experiments.  However, they let down from the car an insulated metallic wire 6f about 250 feet in length, and ascertained, by means
5




66                LUSSAC'S EXPERIMENTS.
of the electrophorus, that the upper end indicated resinous or
negative electricity. This experiment was several times repeated;
and it seemed to corroborate fully the previous observations of
Saussure and Volta, relative to the increase of electricity met
with in ascending the atmosphere.
The diminution of temperature in the higher regions was found
less than what it generally is at the same altitude on mountains.*
The hygrometer, or rather hygroscope, of Saussure, advanced
regularly towards dryness, in proportion to the altitude which
they attained. At the elevation of 13,000 feet, it had changed
from  80~.8 to 30~.  But still the conclusion, that the air of
the higher strata is drier than that of the lower, we are inclined
to consider as fallacious. In fact, the indications of the hygroscope depend on the relative attraction for humidity possessed
by the substance employed, and the medium in which it is immersed.  But air has its disposition to retain moisture always
augmented by rarefaction, and, consequently, such alteration
alone must materially affect the hygroscope. The only accurate
instrument for ascertaining the condition of air with respect to
dryness is founded on a property of evaporation.  But we shall
afterwards have occasion to refer to this.
The ballast now being almost quite expended, it was resolved
to descend.  The aeronauts, therefore, pulled the upper valve,
and allowed part of the hydrogen gas to escape. They dropped
gradually, and when they came to the height of 4000 feet, they
met the stratum of clouds, extending horizontally, but with a
surface heaved in gentle swells. When they reached the ground,
no people were near them  to stop the balloon, which dragged
them in the car to some distance along the fields. From this
awkward and even dangerous situation, they could not extricate
themselves without discharging a great quantity of gas, and,
therefore, gave up the idea of sending Gay Lussac up alone to
explore the highest regions. It has been reported, that his companion Biot, though a man of activity, and not deficient in personal courage, was so much overpowered by the alarms of their
descent, as to lose for the time the entire possession of himself.
The place where they alighted, at half-past one o'clock, after
three hours and a half spent in the midst of the atmosphere, was
near the village of Meriville, in the department of the Loiret, and
about fifty miles from Paris.
Several philosophers of Paris now desired that Gay Lussac
should mount a second time, and repeat the different observations
at the greatest elevation he could attain. Experience had in* This want of diminution.was caused by the reflection of the sun from
the cloud stratum below them.




LUSSAC'S SECOND ASCENT.                     67
structed him to reduce his apparatus, and to adapt it better to the
actual circumstances. As he could only count the vibrations of
the magnetic needle during the very short intervals which occurred between the contrary rotations of the balloon, he preferred
one about six inches in length, which, therefore, oscillated more
quickly.  The dipping needle was magnetized and adjusted by
the ingenious M. Coulomb.  To protect the thermometer from
the direct action of the sun, it was enclosed within two concentric cylinders of pasteboard covered with gilt paper.  The hygrometers, constructed by Richer's mode, with four hairs, were
sheltered nearly in the same way. The two glass flasks, intended
to bring down air from the highest regions of the atmosphere, had
been exhausted, till the mercurial gauge stood at the twenty-fifth
part of an inch, and their stopcocks were so perfectly fitted, that,
after the lapse of eight days, they still preserved the vacuum.
These articles, with two barometers, were the principal instruments which Gay Lussac took with him.  The skill and intelligence of the artist had been exerted in further precautions for the
safety of the balloon.
At forty minutes after nine o'clock, on the morning of the 15th
of September, 1804, the scientific voyager ascended, as before,
from the garden of the Repository of Models. The barometer then
stood at 30.66 English inches, the thermometer at 82~ Fahr., and
the hygrometer at 57%~.  The sky was unclouded, but misty.
Scarcely had the observer reached the height of 3000 feet, when
he observed spread below him, over the whole extent of the atmosphere, a thin vapor, which rendered the distant objects very
indistinct. Having gained an altitude of 9950 feet, he set his
needle to vibrate, and found it to perform twenty oscillations in
83", though it had taken 84.33" to make the same number at the
surface of the earth. At the height of 12,680 feet, he discovered
the variation of the compass to be precisely the same as below;
but with all the pains he could take, he was unable to determine
with sufficient certainty the dip of the needle.  Gay Lussac continued to prosecute his other experiments with the same diligence,
and with greater success. At the altitude of 14,480 feet, he found
that a key, held in the magnetic direction, repelled with its lower
end, and attracted with its upper end, the north pole of a needle
of a small compass.  This observation was repeated, and, with
equal success, at the vast height of 20,150 feet-a clear proof
that the magnetism of the earth exerts its influence at remote
distances.  He made not fewer than fifteen trials at different
altitudes, with the oscillations of his finely suspended needle.
It was generally to vibrate twenty or thirty times.  The mean
result gives 4.22" for each oscillation, while it is 4.216" at the




68                LUSSAC'S EXPERIMENTS.
surface of the earth-an apparent difference so extremely small,
as to be fairly neglected.
During the whole of this gradual ascent, he noticed, at short
intervals, the state of the barometer, the thermometer, and the
hygrometer.  Of these observations, amounting in all to twentyone, he has given a tabular view. We regret, however, that he
has neglected to mark the times at which they were made, since
the results appear to have been very materially modified by the progress of the day. It would likewise have been desirable to have
compared them with a register noted every half hour at the Observatory. From the surface of the earth to the height of 12,125 feet,
the temperature of the atmosphere decreased regularly from 82~
to 47~.3, by Fahrenheit's scale; but afterwards it increased
again, and reached to 530.6 at the altitude of 14,000 feet; evidently owing to the influence of the warm currents of air which,
as the day advanced, rose continually from the heated ground.
From that point the temperature diminished, with only slight deviations from a perfect regularity.  At the height of 18,636 feet,
the thermometer subsided to 320.9, on the verge of congelation;
but it sunk to 14~.9 at the enormous altitude of 22,912 feet
above Paris, or 23,040 feet above the level of the sea, the
utmost limit of the balloon's ascent.
From these observations no conclusive inference, we think,
can be drawn respecting the mean gradation of cold which is
maintained in the higher regions of the atmosphere; for, as we
have already remarked, the several strata are, during the day,
kept considerably above their permanent temperature by the hot
currents raised from the surface through the action of the sun's
rays. If we adopt the formula given by Professor Leslie at the
end of his "Elements of Geometry," which was the result of
some accurate and combined researches, the diminution of temperature corresponding to the first part of the ascent, or 12,125
feet, ought to have been 400 Fahr.  It was actually 34~.7, and
would no doubt have reached to 400, if the progressive heating
of the surface, during the interval of time, were taken into the
account.  In the next portion of the voyage, frori the altitude of
14,000 to that of 18,636 feet, or the breadth of 4636 feet, the
decrement of temperature, according to the formula, should have
been only 161~, instead of 20~.7, which was really marked-a
proof that the diurnal heat from below had not yet produced its full
effect at such a great height.  In the last portion of the balloon's
ascent, from 18,636 feet to 22,912, a range of 4276 feet, the decrease of heat ought to have been 151~, and it was actually 18~;
owing, most probably, to the same cause, or the feebler influence
which warm currents of air from the surface exert at those vast
elevations.  Taking the entire range of the ascent, or 22,912




LUSSAC'S EXPERIMENTS.                     69
feet, the diminution of temperature, according to the same formula, would be for the graduation of temperature in ascending the
atmosphere 850.4.  The decrease actually observed would be
67~.1, which might be raised to 80~, if we admit the very probable supposition, that the surface of the earth had become heated from 820 to 94~.9 during the interval between ten o'clock in
the morning and near three in the afternoon, when the balloon
floated at its greatest elevation.
After making fair allowances, therefore, on account of the
operation of deranging causes, the results obtained by Gay Lussac, for the gradation of temperature in the atmosphere, appear,
on the whole, to agree very nearly with those derived from  the
formula which theory, guided by delicate experiments, had before assigned. This gradation is evidently not uniform, as some
philosophers have assumed, but proceeds with augmented rapidity in the more elevated regions.  The same conclusion results
from a careful inspection of the facts which have been stated by
other observers.
The hygrometers, during the ascent of the balloon, held a progress not quite so regular, but tending obviously towards dryness.
At the height of 9950 feet they had changed from 57~.5 to 62~;
from which they continued afterwards to decline, till they came
to mark 270.5, at the altitude of 15,190 feet.  From this inferior
limit the hygrometers advanced again, yet with some fluctuations,
to 350.1, which they indicated at the height of 18,460 feet.
Above this altitude, the variation was slight, though rather inclining
to humidity. There can exist no doubt, however, that, allowing
for the influence of the prevailing cold, the higher strata of the
atmosphere must be generally drier than the lower, or capable of
retaining, at the same temperature, a larger share of moisture.
At the altitude of 21,460 feet, Gay Lussac opened one of his
exhausted flasks; and, at that of 21,790 feet, the other.  The air
rushed into them through the narrow aperture, with a whistling
noise.  He still rose higher; but, at eleven minutes past three
o'clock, he had attained the utmost limit of his ascent, and was
then 22,912 feet above Paris-or 23,040 feet (being more than
four miles and a quarter) above the level of the sea. The air was
now more than twice as thin as ordinary, the barometer having
sunk to 12.95 inches.  From that tremendous altitude, 1600 feet
higher than the summit of the Andes, more elevated than the
loftiest pinnacle of our globe, and far above the height to which
any mortal had ever soared, the aerial navigator might have indulged the feelings of triumphant enthusiasm. But the philosopher, in perfect security, was more intent on calmly pursuing his
observations.  During his former ascent, he saw the fleecy clouds
spread out below him, while the canopy of heaven seemed of the




70                LUSSAC'S EXPERIMENTS.
deepest azure; more intense than Prussian blue.  This time,
however, he perceived no clouds gathered near the surface, but
remarked a range of them, stretching at a very considerable
height over his head; the atmosphere, too, wanted transparency,
and had a dull, misty appearance. The different aspect of the
sky was probably owing to the direction of the wind, which blew
from the northwest in his first voyage, but in his second from the
southeast.
While occupied with experiments at this enormous elevation,
he began, though warmly clad, to suffer from excessive cold, and
his hands, by continual exposure, grew benumbed. He felt likewise a difficulty in breathing, and his pulse and respiration were
much quickened.  His throat became parched from inhaling the
dry, attenuated air, so that he could hardly swallow a morsel of
bread; but he experienced no other direct inconvenience from
his situation. He had indeed been affected, through the whole
of the day, with a slight headache, brought on by the preceding
fatigues and want of sleep; but though it continued without
abatement, it was not increased by his ascent.
The balloon was now completely distended, and not more than
thirty-three pounds of ballast remained; it began to drop, and
Gay Lussac, therefore, only sought to regulate its descent.  It
subsided very gently, at the rate of about a mile in eight minutes;
and after the lapse of about thirty-four minutes, or at threequarters after three o'clock, the anchor touched the ground, and
instantly secured the car. The voyager alighted with great ease
near the hamlet of St. Gourgan, about sixteen miles from Rouen.
The inhabitants flocked around him, offering him assistance, and
eager to gratify their curiosity.
As soon as he reached Paris, he hastened to the laboratory of
the Polytechnic School, with his flasks, containing air of the
higher regions, and proceeded to analyze it in the presence of
Thenard and Gresset.  Opened under water, the liquid rushed
into them, and apparently half filled their capacity. The transported air was found, by a very delicate analysis, to contain
exactly the same proportions as that collected near the surface of
the earth, every 1000 parts holding 215 of oxygen. From concurring observations, therefore, we may conclude that the atmosphere is essentially the same in all situations.
The ascents performed by MM. Biot and Gay Lussac are
memorable, as being the first ever undertaken solely for objects
of science.  It is impossible not to admire the intrepid coolness
with which they conducted those experiments, operating, while
they floated in the highest regions of the atmosphere, with the
same composure and precision as if they had been quietly seated
in their cabinet at Paris.  Their observations on the force of ter



EXPERIMENTAL BALLOONS.                     71
restrial magnetism show, most conclusively, its deep source and
wide extension.   The identity of the constitution of the atmosphere, to a vast altitude, was likewise ascertained.  The facts
noted by Gay Lussac, relative to the state of the thermometer at
different heights, appear generally to confirm the law which theory
assigns for the gradation of temperature in the atmosphere; but
many interesting points were left untouched by this philosopher.
We are sorry that he had not carried with him the cyanometer,
which enabled Saussure to determine the color of the sky on the
summits of the Swiss mountains; still more do we regret that he
was not provided with an hygrometer and a photometer, of Leslie's construction. These delicate instruments could not have
failed, in his hands, to furnish important data for discovering the
relative dryness and transparency of the different strata of air.
It would have been extremely interesting, at such a tremendous
height, to have measured with accuracy the feeble light reflected
from the azure canopy of heaven, and the intense force of the
sun's direct rays, and, hence, to have determined what portion
of them is absorbed in their passage through the lower and denser
atmosphere.
CHAPTER X.
Suggestions on the use of balloons soon after their discovery.
" BALLOONS have at different times been thought capable of useful application.  It has been even proposed to employ their
power of ascension as a mechanical force.  This might be rendered efficient, it was believed, to raise water from mines, or to
transport obelisks, and place them on great elevations.  We can
easily imagine situations where a balloon could be used with advantage; such as to raise, without any scaffolding, a cross or a
vane to the top of a high spire; but the power would then be
purchased at a very disproportionate expense. It would require
four and a half pounds of iron, or six of zinc, with equal quantities of sulphuric acid, to yield hydrogen gas sufficient to raise up
the weight of a pound. Balloons have rendered important service in reconnoitering the face of a country, and communicating
military signals; and it is rather surprising that a system, which
promised such obvious advantages, has not been carried much
farther.
"But to a skilful and judicious application of balloons, we may




72               EXPERIMENTAL BALLOONS.
yet look for a most essential improvement of the infant science
of meteorology. Confined to the surface of this globe, we have
no direct intimation of what passes in the lofty regions of the atmosphere.  All the changes of weather, which appear so capricious and perplexing, proceed, no doubt, from the combination
of a very few simple causes. Were the philosopher to penetrate
beyond the seat of the clouds, examine the circumstances of their
formation, and mark the prevailing currents, he would probably
remove, in part, the veil that conceals those mighty operations.
It would be quite practicable, we conceive, to reach an elevation
of seven miles, where the air would be four times more attenuated than ordinary.  A silk balloon of forty feet diameter, if properly constructed, might be sufficient for that enormous ascent,
though not more than one-fourth filled with hydrogen gas. The
voyager would not, we presume, suffer any serious inconvenience
from breathing the thin air;* the animal frame adapts itself with
wonderful facility to external circumstances. Perhaps the quickened pulse and short respiration which some travelers have experienced on the summits of lofty mountains, should be attributed
chiefly to the suddenness of their transition, and the severity of
the cold. The people of Quito live comfortably 9560 feet above
the level of the sea; and the shepherds of the hamlet of Antisana, the highest inhabited spot in the known world, who breathe,
at an elevation of 13,500 feet, air that has only three-fifths of the
usual density, are nowise deficient in health or vigor. But the
intenseness of the cold is, probably, what the resolute observer
would have most to dread, at the height of seven miles. This
decrease of temperature, perhaps equal to 148~, might extend
below the point at which mercury freezes; yet several circumstances tend to mitigate such extreme cold, and proper clothing
might enable an experimenter for a short time to resist its
effects.
" Much could be done, however, without risk or material expense.  Balloons from  fifteen to thirty feet in diameter, and
carrying register thermometers and barometers, might be capable
of ascending alone to altitudes between eight and twelve miles.
Dispatched from the centres of the great continents, they would
not only determine the extreme gradations of cold, but indicate
by their flight, the direction of the regular and periodic winds,
which doubtless obtain in the highest regions of the atmosphere.
* He would suffer from a diminution of atmospheric pressure. At the
surface of the earth, an ordinary sized man sustains an atmospheric pressure of over 25,000 pounds, while at the height of seven miles he would
have but 6500 pounds. From what I have experienced at three and a
quarter miles high, I would suppose very serious consequences would ensue at that immense height.




MOSMENT'S FATAL ASCENT.                     73
But we will not enlarge.  In some happier times, such experiments may be performed with the zealous concurrence of different
governments; when nations shall at least become satisfied with
cultivating the arts of peace, instead of wasting their energies in
sanguinary, destructive, and fruitless wars."
CHAPTER XI.
Aerial voyage of M. Mosment, from Lisle-Lost his life by it-Nocturnal
aerial voyage of M. Garnerin, from Paris —Iis ascent from TivoliPerilous trip-'Caught in a thunder storm.
ON the 7th of April, 1806, M. Mosment, an experienced aeronaut, undertook an aerial voyage from Lisle.  He ascended at
noon, waving a flag decorated with the imperial eagle of France,
amid the shouts of the assembled spectators.  The commencement of his career was so rapid as to bear him in a very short
time beyond the vision of the crowd.  During his ascent, he
dropped an animal attached to a parachute, which came safely to
the ground. About one o'clock, something was observed slowly
descending through the atmosphere, which proved on its fall to
be the flag which M. Mosment had carried along with him.
Very soon afterwards, a murmur circulated through the crowd,
and the body of the unfortunate aeronaut was discovered in one
of the fosses of the city, lifeless, and covered with blood.  The
balloon reached the ground on the same day, at the distance of
twenty-five leagues from Lisle; the car containing nothing except
an unloaded pistol, a little bread, and a piece of flesh.  M. Garnerin ascribes this melancholy disaster to the extreme shallowness
of the car, and the too great distance between the cords which
attached it to the balloon; and is of opinion that M. Mosment,
when leaning over the car to drop the animal, had lost his balance,
and was precipitated to the earth.
Of all the voyages which the history of aeronautics presents to
our notice, the nocturnal aerial excursions of M. Garnerin must be
ranked among the most enterprising and adventurous. At eleven
o'clock on the evening of the 4th of August, 1807, he ascended
from Tivoli, at Paris, under the Russian flag, as a token of the
peace that subsisted between France and Russia. His balloon
was illuminated by twenty lamps; and to obviate all danger of
communication between these and the hydrogen gas which it
might be necessary to discharge in the course of the voyage, the




74            GARNERIN'S PERILOUS VOYAGE.
nearest of the lamps was fourteen feet distant from the balloon, and
conductors were provided to carry the gas away in an opposite
direction. After his ascent, rockets, which had been let off from
Tivoli, seemed to him scarcely to rise above the earth, and Paris,
with all its lamps, appeared like a plain studded with luminous
spots.  In forty minutes, he found hiniself at an elevation of
13,200 feet, when, in consequence of the dilatation of the balloon,
he was under the necessity of discharging part of the inflammable
air. About twelve o'clock, when 3,600 feet from the earth, he heard
the barking of dogs; about two, he saw several meteors flying
around him, but none of them so near as to create apprehension.
At half past three, he beheld the sun emerging in brilliant majesty,
above an ocean of clouds, and the gas in the balloon being thereby expanded, it soon rose 15,000 feet above the surface of the
earth, where he felt the cold exceedingly intense. In seven
hours and a half from his departure, M. Garnerin descended near
Loges, forty-five leagues distant from Paris.
This same intrepid aeronaut undertook a second nocturnal voyage on the 21st of September, 1807, in the course of which he
was exposed to the most imminent danger.  M. Garnerin prognosticating an approaching storm, from  the state of the atmosphere, refused to be accompanied by M. de Chassenton, who
earnestly requested it. He ascended, therefore, alone from Tivoli,
at ten o'clock, and was carried up with unexampled rapidity to
an immense height above the clouds.  The balloon was then
dilated to an alarming degree, and M. Garnerin, having been prevented by the turbulence of the mob, before his ascent, from regulating those parts of the apparatus which were meant to conduct
the gas away from the lamps on its escape, was totally incapable of
managing the balloon. He had no alternative left, therefore, than
with one hand to make an opening, two feet in diameter, through
which the inflammable air was discharged in great quantities,
and with the other to extinguish as many of the lamps as ie
could possibly reach. The aeronaut was now without a regulating valve; and the balloon, subject to every caprice of the whirlwind, was tossed about from current to current. When the storm
impelled him downwards, he was forced to throw out his ballast,
to restore the ascending tendency; and at last every resource
being exhausted, no expedient was left him to provide against
future emergencies.  In this forlorn condition, the balloon rose
through thick clouds, and afterwards sunk; and the car, having
struck against the ground with a violent impulse, rebounded from
it to a considerable altitude. The fury of the storm dashed him
against the mountains, and, after many rude agitations and severe
shocks, he was reduced to a state of temporary insensibility. On
recovering from his perilous situation, he reached Mont Tonnerre




BUOYANT FORCE OF BALLOONS.                   75
in a storm of thunder.  A very short period after this, his anchor
hooked in a tree, and in seven hours and a half, after a voyage
which had nearly proved fatal to him, he landed at the distance
of 300 miles from Paris.
We might enumerate a great many voyages undertaken with
balloons about the beginning of the present century; but we have
preferred to take only such from among them as seem to be best
calculated to impart useful information on the subject to the student of aeronautics.  Some of the accounts are also too highly
exaggerated to enter a sober history.
CHAPTER XII.
From the Encyclopaedia Britannica-Buoyant force of balloons-Celerity
of ascent-Stability of suspension.
THE following interesting calculations made to ascertain the
mathematical buoyancy, expansion, velocity of ascent, &c., of balloons is taken entire from the Encyclopaedia Britannica, it being
useful to the student of aeronautics; but at the same time it must
be considered as purely theoretical-a part of the science very
essential to the aeronaut, although he will find a great difference
between theory and practice. Upon the latter, we shall treat fully
in another part of this work.
I. The Buoyant Force of Balloons.-Since balloons in their
shape generally approach to the spherical form, it will be more
convenient to ground our calculations on that figure. A globe
one foot in diameter of common air at the level of the sea, and
of the mean density and temperature, is found to weigh about the
twenty-fifth part of a pound avoirdupois. Consequently, if a perfect vacuum  could be procured, a balloon of ten feet diameter
must rise with a force of forty pounds; one of twenty feet diameter with that of 320 pounds; and a balloon of thirty feet
diameter would mount in the atmosphere with the power of 1080
pounds, thus augmenting always in the ratio of the cube of the
diameter. But air expands by heat about the 450th part of its
bulk for each degree on Fahrenheit's scale; supposing, therefore,
that the air included within the balloon were heated fifty degrees,
it would follow that one-ninth part of this fluid would be driven
out of it by the warmth, and consequently, that the tendency of
the balloon to rise upwards would be equal only to the ninth part
of the entire power of ascension. Were it possible to maintain




76            BUOYANT FORCE OF BALLOONS.
a heat of seventy-five degrees within the balloon, the buoyant
force would yet not exceed the sixth part of the absolute ascensional power.
The dilatation which the presence of humidity communicates to
air will, during fine weather in this climate, amount generally to
one-eighteenth part, though it may sometimes reach to more than
the double of this quantity.  But in the tropical regions, such
dilatation will commonly exceed the twentieth part of the volume
of fluid. Hence moist air thrown into a bag, likewise wetted,
and sufficiently large, would cause it to rise in the atmosphere.
To succeed, however, in this way, the balloon constructed of coarse
linen would require enormous dimensions, not less than three
hundred feet in diameter.
But it is the union of heat and moisture that gives to air the
greatest expansion.  The white smoke with which the balloons
are filled on the Montgolfiers' plan, was found by computation to be
at least one-third specifically lighter than the external air. This
purer sort of smoke is scarcely anything but air itself charged with
vapor, being produced by the burning of chopped straw and vine
twigs in a brasier, under the orifice of the balloon. It would have
required no fewer than 1500 of heat alone to cause the same extent of rarefaction.
We have, therefore, sufficient data for calculating the buoyant
force of the common fire, or smoke balloons.  This force being
estimated about twelve and a half pounds avoirdupois, when the
diameter of the'balloon is ten feet, would amount to 15621 pounds,
if the diameter were fifty feet, and to 12,500 pounds if it were a
hundred feet. The weight of the linen case may be reckoned at
two-fifths of a pound for a sphere of one foot in diameter.  Consequently, a balloon of ten feet diameter would, without its appendages, weigh forty pounds; one of fifty feet diameter, 1000
pounds; and one of a hundred feet diameter, 4000 pounds. Such a
balloon of ten feet diameter would need twenty-seven and a half
pounds to make it rise; but one of fifty feet diameter would ascend
with a force of 562- pounds, and one of a hundred feet diameter
would exert an ascending power of not less than 8500 pounds.
There is besides to be deducted the weight of the cordage, the
car, the ballast, and the passengers.  It would require, on these
estimates, a diameter of thirty-three and a half feet, to procure
merely an equilibrium between the weight of the canvass and the
buoyant force of the rarefied air.
The hydrogen gas obtained from the action of dilute sulphuric
acid upon iron filings is only six times lighter than atmospheric
air; but.the gas evolved during the solution of zinc in that acid,
is not less than twelve times lighter than common air.  The
ordinary way of examining the specific gravity of the different




BUOYANT FORCE OF BALLOONS.                     77
gases requires a very nice operation-weighing with the most exquisite balance; a serious difficulty, which long retarded our
knowledge of their comparative densities.  In one of the notes
to his " Treatise on Heat," Professor Leslie has pointed out a very
simple method, founded on the principles of pneumatics, for discovering the relative specific gravities of the aeriform fluids.
This consists in observing the time that a given portion of the
gas, under a determinate pressure,'takes to escape through a very
small aperture.  The density of the gaseous fluid must be inversely as the square of the interval elapsed.  Thus, the hydrogen gas procured from zinc, but without any depuration, was
found, under the pressure of the same column of water, to flow
thrice as fast as atmospheric air.  This experiment is very striking, and requires no more apparatus than a cylindrical jar, open
below and surmounted by a cap terminating in a fine tubular
orifice.
On a very moderate supposition, therefore, and after, making
every allowance for imperfect operation, we may consider the
hydrogen gas which fills a balloon as six times lighter than an
equal bulk of common air.  Consequently, such a balloon must
exert five-sixths of the whole buoyant force corresponding to its
capacity, or will have a tendency to mount in the atmosphere,
that is equal to the thirtieth part of a pound avoirdupois for a
globe of one foot in diameter. _A spherical balloon of fifteen feet
diameter would hence have a buoyancy of 112- pounds; one of
thirty feet, 900 pounds; and one of sixty feet no less than 7200
pounds.  Here follows an estimate of the weight of the silk used
in balloons, which of course is to be deducted from the above
ascensional powers, but which is much lighter than the silk I
would recommend for such purposes.  It is, therefore, omitted,
as the aeronaut can make that calculation best from the balloon
actually in use.
But the calculations now given would in strictness require a
small modification. The weight of the envelop and all appendages must evidently compress the included gas, and thereby
render it in some degree denser.  To compute this minute effect,
we have only to consider that the pressure of a column of atmosphere, at the mean temperature, and near the level of the sea, is
1632 pounds, on a circle of a foot diameter. Thus, in the balloon
of sixty feet diameter, if we suppose the whole load to have been
6000 pounds, the compression of the bag would only amount to
five-thirds of a pound for each circle of a foot diameter in the
horizontal section, or correspond to the 979th part of the entire
pressure of the atmosphere.  But the weight of the confined gas
being 1200 pounds, its buoyancy must have suffered a diminution
of somewhat more than a pound, or 11th from the incumbrance




78            BUOYANT FORCE OF BALLOONS.
opposed to it.  This connection is, therefore, a mere theoretical
nicety, which may be totally disregarded in practice.
II. The next circumstance to be considered in aeronautics, is
the celerity with which balloons make their ascent.  It is obvious
that the efficient power of ascension, or the excess of the whole
buoyant force above the absolute weight of the apparatus, would
by acting constantly produce always an accelerated motion. But
this acceleration is very soon checked, and a uniform progress
maintained, by the increasing resistance which the huge mass
must encounter in its passage through the air.  The velocity
which a balloon would gain from unobstructed acceleration must,
from the theory of dynamics, be to that which a falling body acquires in the same time as the efficient buoyancy is to the aggregate weight of the apparatus and of the contained fluid.  Thus,
if a balloon were to rise with a force equal to the eighth part of
its compound weight, the celerity resulting from  a constant
acceleration would be expressed by multiplying four feet into the
number of seconds elapsed since it was launched into the air.
Its accelerating advance, however, being opposed, the balloon
may to all appearance attain, though still affected with partial
oscillations, the final velocity in perhaps little more than double
the time required without such obstruction.
This final velocity, or the velocity at which the ascent becomes
uniform, the resistance from the air being then equal to the efficient buoyancy of the balloon, is easily calculated.  The resistance a circle encounters in moving through any fluid in the
direction perpendicular to its plane, is measured by the weight of
a column of that fluid, having the circle for its base, and an'altitude equal to the height from which a heavy body in falling would
acquire the given celerity.  But near the level of the sea, and at
the mean temperature, a column of atmospheric air seventeen feet
high, an'd incumbent on a circle of one foot diameter, weighs a
pound avoirdupois; which is therefore the resistance that a circle
would suffer if carried forwards with the celerity of thirty-three
feet each second. According to the same theory, however, which
we owe to the sagacity of Newton, the resistance of a sphere is
just the half of that of its generating circle, and consequently
a velocity of forty-six and two-fifths feet in a second through
the air would in ordinary cases create a resistance of one pound
to a ball of one foot diameter.  In other circumstances, the
quantity of resistance must be proportional to the square of
velocities and of the diameters.  Whence, if the buoyant power
were always the same, the velocity of the ascent of a balloon
would be inversely as its diameter.
Suppose a balloon to have thirty feet in diameter, and an
ascensional power of 100 pounds.  This effort is evidently the




STABILITY OF SUSPENSION.                    79
same as the ninth part of a pound for a globe of a foot in diameter,
and would, therefore, be countervailed, by the resistance corresponding to a velocity of 461 divided by 3, the square root of 9,
or 151 feet a second.  The balloon would, therefore, reach the
altitude of a mile in about six minutes. Its accelerating force
being equal to the sixteenth part of its total weight, it might have
acquired the uniform motion of ascent in twenty seconds, or before it had attained the height of 200 feet.  This example differs
very little from reality, and the method of computation will be
easily transferred to other cases.
But the resistance of the air assigned by theory is, from the
circumstances omitted in the simplification of the problem, generally somewhat less than the results of observation. In low velocities, this difference amounts seldom to the fifth part of the whole
effect; but in the high velocities it increases considerably, exceeding even the third part in certain extreme cases.  From the
numerous and accurate experiments of Dr. Charles Hutton, we
may, however, deduce a simple formula for expressing the terminal velocity of balloons, or the celerity of their uniform ascent.
To express the rule in words: As the diameter of the balloon in
feet is to the constant number forty, so is the square root of the
ascensional power in pounds to the terminal or uniform velocity
of ascent each second.  To illustrate the application of the formula by an example; suppose the balloon to have a diameter of
sixty feet, with an accelerating power of 144 pounds; the corresponding rate of uniform ascent becomes eight feet each second,
or about a mile in eleven minutes.
III. The last point which demands attention in aeronautics is,
the stability of the suspension of a balloon at any given height in
the atmosphere. The circumstances which regulate or determine
that stability, requiring little exercise of thought, have been commonly neglected, and very seldom  examined with due care.  It
will be proper to consider,first, the fire or smoke balloons; and,
secondly, the balloons filled with hydrogen gas.
1. The warm humefied air of the balloon, constructed on Montgolfier's plan, suffering less external compression as it approaches
the upper strata of the atmosphere, must, at the same time, necessarily expand, and partly escape by the orifice above the
brasier.  The weight of the included fluid, and that of the part
expelled, constituting its buoyant force, will hence be reduced,
in proportion to the diminished density of the medium in which
it floats.  The balloon will continue to ascend till its enfeebled
buoyancy is no longer able to support the incumbent load. At
the height of a mile above the surface, the power of ascension
would be diminished rather more than one-fifth part; but, at an
altitude of three miles and a half, it would be reduced to one-half.




80              STABILITY OF SUSPENSION.
At the ordinary temperature, this buoyancy would suffer a reduction of the hundredth part for each ascent of 278 feet.
For example, a balloon of 100 feet diameter, which is about
the largest dimension of any yet constructed, near the level of the
sea, and at the ordinary temperature, would have a power of ascension of 12,500 pounds; but at the height of 8000 feet, or somewhat more than a mile and a half, where the density is diminished
one-fourth, that power becomes reduced to 9375 pounds, being a
deficiency of 3125 pounds.  On the supposition that the balloon
was, at first, so much loaded, as to rest just suspended at the
ground, a ballast of 3125 pounds must have been thrown out, to
make it rise to the altitude of a mile and a half. Hence also the
rejection of 125 pounds would have been sufficient to give the
balloon an elevation of 278 feet.  For the same reason, ten pounds
of ballast heaved out would have raised it twenty-two feet at the
surface, twenty-nine feet at the height of a mile and a half, and
forty-four feet at that of three miles and a half.
2. The stability of the suspension of balloons filled with hydrogen gas must depend on principles which are very different
and less marked.  In these aeronautic machines, after the gas
has been once introduced, it is closely shut up; and, therefore,
having constantly the same absolute weight, it should likewise,
in all situations, exert the same buoyant force.  Hence, if the
balloon were capable of indefinite expansion, it would still continue to ascend through unbounded  space.  The determinate
capacity of the bag alone can oppose limits to its rise in the
atmosphere.  The upper strata being rarer than those below,
will have less power to keep any given bulk suspended; and the
actual buoyancy being diminished from that cause, the balloon
will find its station at a corresponding height in the diffuse medium.  But this diminution of the buoyant force, and the consequent increase in the bulk of the hydrogen gas, must necessarily
be confined within very moderate limits, otherwise the thin silk
case would be torn to shreds by the expansive efforts of the imprisoned fluid.  A safety-valve is accordingly placed at the top
of the balloon, calculated to give vent to the gas before the distension has become such as to endanger the bursting of the
envelop.
A balloon should not at first be filled completely with hydrogen
gas, but allowed to begin its ascent in a flaccid state. As it
mounts into the rarer atmosphere, it will gradually swell, till it
has attained its full distension, when the safety valve may come
to act.  But such dissipation of the gas ought, by a previous
arrangement, to be as much as possible avoided. If the balloon
were intended to rise to the height of four miles, it would not be
requisite to fill more than half its capacity with the elastic fluid.




STABILITY OF SUSPENSION.                    81
To push the charge any further in this case, would only occasion
a superfluous waste of materials.  By throwing out part of his
ballast, the aeronaut may raise himself higher; and, by opening
the valve to permit some of the imprisoned gas to escape, he may
descend again; but both these expedients are attended by a wasteful expenditure of power.
It is evident that a balloon can have no stability of equipoise,
so long as it remains in a loose or flaccid state.  The slightest
action would then be sufficient to make it rise or fall, since, under
such circumstances, any change of its station could not, in the
smallest degree, affect the measure of its buoyant force.  The
general elevation to which the balloon will ascend must be determined by its quantity of ballast, conjoined with the regulation
of its safety valve; but the strain of the silk envelop itself would
be sufficient to. confine the ascent within certain limits, and to
procure the stability of the floating mass.  Thus, if a balloon,
fully distended, had yet a slight disposition to rise, the imprisoned
gas, suffering more and more compression as it gradually ascends,
would become proportionally denser (in reference to its surrounding atmosphere), and, therefore, lose a'corresponding part of its
previous buoyancy.  An equilibrium  would hence soon obtain,
which must arrest the floating machine at a determinate height
in the atmosphere.
Suppose a balloon to be capable, without any danger of bursting, of sustaining an expansion equal to the hundredth part of
the elasticity of the included fluid; the whole buoyancy would,
by such an alteration, be diminished one five-hundredth part, or
its floating power would subside fifty-five feet near the surface,
and sink proportionally more in the upper regions.  To produce
the effect, it would only be requisite to throw common air into the
balloon, without suffering the hydrogen to escape.  On this principle, Muesnier, an ingenious French chemist, very soon after the
discovery of balloons, proposed to regulate with nicety their ascent and position of equilibrium in the atmosphere.  The mode
which he suggested was to place within the principal balloon a
much smaller one, to be filled occasionally with common air by
help of bellows, or emptied again by opening an exterior valve.
The aeronaut would thus have it in his power, without expending
the charge of hydrogen gas, either to sink gently through a short
space, or to rise again at will, by inflating the inner balloon, or
allowing it to collapse.  The adjustment of the height of a balloon could hence be managed with great precision.
The command possessed by the aeronaut of raising or depressing his machine at pleasure, might afford him the means of influencing the direction of its course.  From the various motions of
the several ranges of clouds, we may infer that different currents
6




82         PROSPECTS OF AERIAL NAVIGATION.
exist at the same time in the atmosphere.  (I have found five
within the height of one mile and three-quarters.)  The aeronaut
has, therefore, in his ascent, only to seek the current best suited
to his purpose; and, taking his station in that stratum, to commit
his vessel to the guidance of the stream.
CHAPTER XIII.
Prospects of aerial navigation-Fulton and Napoleon-General introduction of carburetted hydrogen auspicious to aerial navigation.
WE have now taken a review of the experiments and trials in
the art of aeronautics which transpired within the period of a few
years after its discovery; and although it is frequently said that
it has not been improved beyond its original invention, it is more
than probable that the reader will come to a more favorable conclusion in the perusal of this work.  True it may be that, as yet,
no actual demonstration has been made to prove that we can sail
from point to point with a balloon with the same precision and
certainty that we can with steamships. And if we had no other
prospects on which to rest our hopes and anticipations, in acquiring such perfection, we have at least the consolation to know that
steamship navigation, for more than local purposes, was as much
decried, and denounced as visionary, as a means of crossing the
ocean, thirty years ago, as transatlantic balloon navigation is
now.  In 1801, Napoleon Bonaparte was rising in the most auspicious period of his glory, and his military genius was apparently
concentrated upon the necessity of England's reduction.  Concerning this, Alison says a singular circumstance occurred at
that time, which demonstrates how little the clearest intellect can
anticipate the ultimate result of the discoveries which are destined
to effect the greatest changes in human affairs. At the time when
all eyes in Europe were fixed on the Channel, and the orators of
the French tribune were wishing for a " fair wind and thirty-six
hours," an unknown individual (Robert Fulton) presented himself to the First Consul, and said: "The sea which separates
you from  your enemy gives him  a great advantage.  Aided
alternately by the winds and tempests, he braves you in his inaccessible isle. This obstacle, his sole strength, I engage to
overcome.  I can, in spite of all his fleets, at any time, in a few
hours, transport your armies into his territory, without fearing the
tempests or having need of the winds. Consider the means which




PROSPECTS OF AERIAL NAVIGATION.                  83
I offer you."  A most singular proposition was this, truly.  Napoleon so far entertained it, as to commit the plans and details of
Mir. Fulton to a commission of the most learned men which
France could produce, and this was all that the First Consul's
vast engagements would allow him  to do.  The most learned
commission reported to Napoleon that it was " visionary and impracticable."  Such was the reception which steam navigation,
that has done so much, first received at the hands of philosophy.
It is even so with aerial navigation at the present day-condemned, and pronounced "visionary," instead of receiving that
support and encouragement which would at least enable it to
have a fair trial in the several ways that are at present proposed
and urged.  To hear the murmurings of some, that the art has not
been improved, is one of the most happy omens, to the practical
aeronaut, of what it soon will be. He alone is capable of fairly
valuing this view of the subject, when he compares the knowledge and facilities we possess of its operations at the present day, with those at the period of its discovery.  The cost of
construction of balloons has been more than one-half reduced
from what it was forty years ago.  The means of making them
impermeable to hydrogen gas has also been vastly improved, to
say nothing of what is likely to come out of the important discoveries and improvements in gum  elastic and gutta percha.
Then comes the general introduction of carburetted hydrogen, or
coal gas, into every important town in the United States, bringing
within the compass of ordinary means the cost of inflating balloons, for experimental purposes.  While the cost of inflating one
of these machines which is capable of carrying an individual,
amounted to at least one hundred and fifty dollars, by the vitriolic
process, it costs but twenty-five or thirty dollars to fill one with coal
gas, capable of raising the same weight, and affords a good profit
to the gas companies at that.  Here, then, a wide and desirable
field is opening, and which, to a great extent, is already opened,
calculated to give the art a new life, by inviting its friends and
promoters to experiments and improvements, who are ever ready
in such laudable objects, when the means to do so are placed
within their reach.  This is the more encouraging, because we
are not groping in the dark, seeking an untried, unphilosophical
phantom, but a mathematically demonstrated truth, which is only
awaiting an actual realization.  For, that the air is navigable is
no longer to be denied-its practicability, as a generally useful
art, is merely doubted.




84              PENNINGTON'S STEAM KITE.
CHAPTER XIV.
Pennington's flying machine-Connection of balloon with it-Anonymous
claimant to the invention of screw propeller-His views on balloon
sailing-Steam not adaptable to balloon propulsion-Henson's aerial
steam carriage-A description of it from " Newton's Journal"-Its contrivance more ingenious than practicable.
IN examining into, and commenting on, this subject, in its present condition, the means and contrivances which have been
resorted to byvarious individuals, who have, in modern times,
attempted to navigate the air with machines entirely independent
of balloons, should not be overlooked. Although such a method
seems to be behind the balloon principle, from its never yet having accomplished any real action to prove its efficiency, still, its
various contrivances, some of them very ingenious, are not without value, and are, therefore, worthy of being fairly considered in
this work. It is by examining every collateral and approximating
advantage pertaining to this subject, in the minutest degree, that
we shall be enabled to attain the highest point of perfection in
the shortest possible time.
The first of these that we shall notice is the one suggested by
Mr. John H. Pennington, of Baltimore, Md.
In order that a fair estimation may be made of Mr. Pennington's views on the subject of aerial navigation, connected with
what he claims as his invention, his own explanation is here subinitted:
"The principle is the lateral pressure of the atmosphere,
acting upon the inclined plane, the propelling power and wheel.
The machine or inclined plane will resemble in figure the transverse section of a spheroid, in either side of which are openings
for the purpose of admitting a pair of beveled wheels, by which
the machine is to be propelled; and centrally situated between
these is a small engine, by which the wheels are to be put in
motion, by a chain band connected with the engine. It is proposed to have the engine made of steel, so as to secure the
greatest possible strength in the smallest possible compass-and
to use spirits of turpentine or alcohol, which boil at about thirtythree and a half per cent. less heat than water; when 300 per
cent. of strength may be obtained by using these materials, and




PENNINGTON'S STEAM KITE.                   85
the same proportionate weight of metal being dispensed with,
which being calculated to work two and a half or three horse
power-and to carry 450 lbs. exclusively of weight of engine,
fuel, and dilating fluid, averaging 500 lbs. more. This would
make a total of 950 lbs., which would require an extent in width
of about 125 feet by 375. This, multiplied by itself, and onethird of the quotient deducted, would leave the number of square
feet contained in the area of the disc of the inclined plane of the
machine.
" The wheels, which are intended to propel the plane forward,
are spiral or beveled-winged, situated in openings on either side
of the plane, and formed on the common principle of the windmill wheel.  To the lower extremity of the plane is attached the
steering power, capable of moving either vertically or horizontally.
To calculate then the power of the machine, it must be considered
in a state of equilibrium; that is, in the state where the power
just balances it which is to overcome the resistance of the atmosphere. Having discovered what quantity of power will be requisite for this purpose, it will then be necessary to add so much
more as to overcome the friction and weight of the machine itself,
and to give the necessary velocity. The whole machine, then,
in all its simplicity, resolves itself into the principle of the common boy's kite-the beveled-winged wheels, the momentumand the engine, the power."
Having met with Mr. Pennington at Winchester, Va., while
making arrangements for a balloon ascension from that place, I
advised him to place a balloon, instead of a kite, as a buoyant
power to his flying machine, which he at once adopted. He has
deposited a model in the patent office at Washington; and in his
pamphlet, purports to have entered it for letters patent, which, if
so, is more likely to be improved than infringed; for, thus far,
nothing has been realized by it.  The application of beveled
wheels to the propulsion of aerial machinery did not originate
with Mr. Pennington, nor can it be ascribed to any one in particular, as the use of them would naturally suggest itself to any
one who was engaged in the investigation of aerial navigation.
Mr. C. Green, of London, the veteran aeronaut, used them in an
experimental model of a flying machine, a balloon, at an exhibition of his air navigating machine before the Polytechnic School
of London, before Mr. Pennington presented his claim to their
application for such purpose.
The same principle is claimed as having been recommended
at a period prior to the use of it in steamboats.  We will take the
claimant's communication to the "Philadelphia Sun" newspaper
of 1843, in full, as being pertinent to the subject under consideration.




86                 BALLOON PROPULSION.
He says, "Though all the devices and projects directed to the
object contained in the article you published on'Navigating
the Air,' I consider as inefficient or futile, yet I by no means
think the idea visionary or impracticable, and therefore, they lead
me to recur to a communication of mine, inserted in the'United
States Gazette,' of the 17th of June, 1828, now nearly twenty
years ago, signed E. L. B. E. In it a contrivance is proposed
for the purpose, which all previous and subsequent reflection and
observation confirm me in believing adequate to effect it, though
it has not yet attracted the practical attention of any one who may
be competent, through his wealth and skill, to give it a fair trial,
which I should be glad to assist a party in doing. As the date
of that communication is so far in the rear, that perhaps few, if
any, besides myself, remember anything of it, I will briefly recapitulate its scope. In it I contemplated the accomplishment of
aerial navigation, by means of a mechanical contrivance, derived
from the well-known power and operation of revolving inclined
planes, as exemplified in a windmill, or in a child's plaything,
displayed in almost every house, on the stove, during the winter.
Therein I held that, as a current of air, acting against a system of
confined inclined planes, causes them to.revolve with great power,
increasing in proportion to their surface and the strength of the
current, so, if the power were reversed, the planes set free, and
the force applied directly to them, they would project themselves
forward with a corresponding force and velocity-the same as
does a ship in similar circumstances-for, contrary to the common
conception, three-fourths of a ship's sailing is performed by the
sails acting as inclined planes against the current of wind, instead
of direct line impulse.
" Now, to practically effect my proposition, I contemplate an
oblong balloon, whose capacity should be but a few pounds less
in ascensive power, when provided with a vertical and horizontal
set of rotary inclined planes, than the burden it is to carry.  Then,
but a small portion of the power of a man to the horizontal planes,
would cause its ascension, and a proportionate power to the vertical ones, would cause its forward progress. The steering could
be effected exactly in the manner of a ship, bird, or fish. I have,
also, in my head the application of a well-known, very common
principle of power, little inferior to steam, which has but trifling
weight, and requiring neither fuel nor fire, which could as certainly be brought into action, as that of human or any other force.
" In the same communication (June 17th, 1828), I proposed the
application of this principle to the propelling of vessels, exactly
as Mr. Loper has since done, efficiently in the fact, and, I believe,
profitably so to himself; with the additional proposition of substituting inclined planes for the wind, instead of steam power, to




HENSON'S AERIAL CARRIAGE.                    87
move the propellers-and invited the conference of any enterprising person, whose means and perceptions might be brought
to favor an experiment; but, though the communication was copied
into some papers-particularly, I remember, the'Boston Galaxy'
-I never have heard a word of it since.
"I do not mean to imply that Mr. Loper's device is not intuitive with himself, for my observation and experience have informed me of the fact that two persons, or even more, widely
distant and unknown to each other, may hit on the very same
idea."
The plan laid down above is theoretically correct, and, were it
not for the desideratum existing in the propelling power, it were
worth the while to try it. Human power is insufficient for, and
steam  power is not adapted to, balloon navigation; there are
several insuperable difficulties connected with it, to say nothing
of the danger that would constantly attend its use, arising from
the proximity of fire with so ignitable and explosive a substance
as the gas would be that might in any way escape from the balloon and mix with the air surrounding it.
The next which is worthy of consideration we find in Henson's idea.  Many persons in England were sanguine in the belief that his machine was destined to perfect the art of aerial
navigation, and it was seriously contemplated to build one after
his model, with which to cross the Atlantic.  Indeed, it was
well calculated to inspire such a belief in the mere theoretical
mind; but to the practical man it at once occurs, what is to keep
it from tilting over in losing its balance by a flaw of wind, or
any other casualty, and thus tumbling to the ground, admitting
that it could raise itself up and move forward?
The principal feature of the invention is the very great expanse of its sustaining planes, which are larger, in proportion to
the weight it has to carry, than those of many birds; but if they
had been still greater, they would not have sufficed of themselves
to sustain their own weight, to say nothing of their machinery
and cargo; surely, though slowly, they would have come to the
ground. The machine advances with its front edge a little raised;
the effect of which is to present its under surface to the air over
which it is passing, the resistance of which, acting on it like a
strong wind on the sails of a windmill, prevents the descent of
the machine and its burden. The sustaining of the whole, therefore, depends upon the speed at which it is traveling through the
air, and the angle at which its under surface impinges on the air
in its front, and this is exactly the principle by which birds are upheld in their flight with but slight motion of their wings, and
often with none.




88              HENSON'S AERIAL CARRIAGE.
But then this result, after the start, depends entirely on keeping up the speed, and there remains beyond that, the still more
formidable difficulty of first obtaining that speed.  All former attempts of this kind have failed, because no engine existed that was
at once light enough and powerful enough to lift even its own
weight through the air with the necessary rapidity.  Mr. Henson has removed this difficulty partly, by inventing a steam  engine of extreme lightness and efficiency, and partly by another
and very singular device, which requires particular notice.  The
machine, fully prepared for'flight, is started from the top of an
inclined plane, in descending which, it attains a velocity necessary to sustain it in its further progress. That velocity would be
gradually destroyed by the resistance of the air to the forward
flight; it is, therefore, the office of the steam-engine and the
vanes it actuates simply to repair the loss of velocity; it is made,
therefore, only of the power and weight necessary for that small
effect.  Here, we apprehend, is the chief, but not the only merit
and originality of Mr. Henson's invention; and to this happy
thought we shall probably be indebted for the first successful attempt to traverse at will another domain of nature.
The editor of " Newton's Journal of Arts and Sciences," an
excellent English periodical, speaks of it thus: "The apparatus
consists of a car, containing the goods, passengers, engine, fuel,
&c.; to which a rectangular frame, made of wood or bamboo
cane, and covered with canvass, or oiled silk, is attached.  This
frame extends on either side of the car, in a similar manner to
the outstretched wings of a bird; but, with this difference, that
the frame is immovable. Behind the wings are two vertical fanwheels, furnished with oblique vanes, which are intended to propel the apparatus through the air.  These wheels receive motion through bands and pulleys, from a steam or other engine
contained in the car.  To an axis at the stern of the car, a triangular frame is attached, resembling the tail of a bird, which is
also covered with canvass or oiled silk. This may be expanded
or contracted at pleasure, and is moved up or down for the purpose of causing the machine to ascend or descend.  Beneath the
tail is a rudder for directing the course of the machine to the right
or to the left; and, to facilitate the steering, a sail is stretched
between two masts which rise from the car.
" The amount of canvass, or oiled silk, necessary for buoying up
the machine, is stated to be equal to one square foot for each half
pound weight, the whole apparatus weighing about 3000 lbs.,
and the area of surface spread out to support it, 4500 square feet
in the two wings, and 1505 in the tail, making altogether 6000
square feet.  The engine is proposed to be of from  twenty-five




-P S. Duvals Stearnl lth.T'ress.
HENSON'S ARTAI  STlAM  CMAIAIACE.
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HENSON'S AERIAL CARRIAGE.                    89
to thirty horse power.  It is stated, in the specification, that, on
launching the machine into the air, an elevated situation must be
selected, and the machine allowed to run some distance down an
inclined plane, for which purpose vertical wheels are attached to
the bottom of the car or boat. When the machine has thus acquired a momentum, the rotary fan-wheels are put in motion to
raise it into the air and propel it; the rudder appended to the
car is then used for regulating its course.
"In concluding our hasty remarks on this invention, we would
remind our readers that many projects of a like character have
been promulgated to the world by enthusiastic projectors, all of
which have fallen to the ground (we use a figure of speech, for
they have never risen), from the fact of having overlooked the
laws of matter, and miscalculated the powers of mechanism, in
imitating the functions of animal life.
" The engraving of this machine represents the aerial steamer
flying.  The bat-like wing, or sail, is the tail which turns on
joints; answering the same purposes as the tail of a bird; and
can be depressed, elevated, contracted or expanded, at the will
of the commander. The car, containing the steam engine, cargo,
conductors, and passengers, in suitable compartments, is represented by windows, and three wheels upon which the carriage
can run on land.  Aerial goes foremost, and is a little raised:
to the middle of the other is jointed the tail.  The carriage is
two hundred and fifty feet by thirty, and the tail is fifty feet long.
The rainbow-like circular wheels are the propellers, answering
to the wheels of a steamboat, and acting upon the air after the
manner of a windmill.  The car is seen at one side, owing to
the difficulty of representing it in an engraving underneath the
surface of the carriage, where it is located, between and below
the propelling wheels."
This invention was introduced eight or nine years ago, and
drew the attention and commendation of the scientific both of
Europe and America.  It certainly comes nearer to the construction and consequent physical action of the bird, than any that has
ever preceded it.  It, moreover, embraces all the most rational
conceptions, and fine mechanical contrivances, without the inefficient incumbrances, of all other flying machines that have ever
been brought before the public.  We might go on and multiply
the description of plans and models that have been suggested of
late years; but as the ones we have here given seem to embrace
every valuable discovered feature of mechanism, it seems useless
to waste time in their further investigation.  Even Messrs. Porter
and Robjohn's California Balloon, which they designed should be
propelled by steam applied to the Archimedes screw-wheel, is but




90                  BALLOON TREATISE.
a repetition of the suggestions made years ago.  The propulsion
of the spheroidal balloon by steam or any other power, applied
to the windmill-like paddle wheel, was first shown by a working
model, put in motion by a clock spring, by Charles Green, of
England, one of the most experienced aeronauts in the world, before
the Polytechnic School of London, ten or twelve years ago. By
reference to the London papers of that period, a description will
be found concerning it. Mr. Green has gone farther than thishe has given us a plan by which a balloon may be made to ascend
and descend without expending ballast or gas, which is certainly
more valuable in the art of aerial navigation than any improvements lately made. And even this idea (" kedging") is said to
have been first suggested as available in balloon sailing by Baldwin, a writer on aeronautics.
CHAPTER XV.
Treatise from the "Westminster Review"-Means of propulsion-Electromagnetism and gun-cotton-Guide rope-Various methods of keeping
balloons at a certain height-Friction of guide rope applicable to steering-" Kedging."
" THE problem of aerial navigation is of course not completely
resolved by the invention of a machine or apparatus capable of
sustaining the human body in the air. It is necessary to discover, likewise, the means of guiding or propelling such a machine in any direction. It would, perhaps, at first sight appear
probable that, if means of floating in the air be discovered, a
method of propulsion could be readily found; yet it has proved
in practice a far more difficult attempt than had, at first, been
imagined; and the numerous schemes for effecting this object
have all proved abortive, or been attended with success so insignificant as not to warrant the further prosecution of them.  The
balloon invented, the art of guiding or propelling it appears thus
to be almost as far from our grasp, and as distant of attainment,
as ever.
"Since the invention of the gas balloon, by M. Charles, of
Paris, but few improvements of importance have been made in it;
and, as might be foreseen from the original simplicity of the invention, what improvements have been made, are not improvements in the principle, but in minor matters of detail. The most




BALLOON TREATISE.                      91
important improvement since introduced, is one effected in the
early part of the present century, by Mr. Green, well known for
the many successful public ascents which he has since made.
This improvement consists in the use of coal gas instead of pure
hydrogen, which latter gas was employed in the ascents of M.
Charles, and the subsequent ones of Lunardi, Garnerin, and other
aeronauts.
" One of the principal advantages arising from the employment
of coal gas is economy, the saving of expenses being very great;
at the same time, from the greater density of the gas, its use entails this disadvantage, that the balloon is required to be of somewhat larger dimensions than when pure hydrogen is employed
for inflation.  The original expense of construction is thus increased, but the disadvantage of the greater cost and size of the
balloon is more than counterbalanced by the economy and convenience attending the use of coal gas; and, what is of great
importance if balloons are eventually to become of practical
utility, the period which a balloon retains its ascending power is
considerably prolonged, when coal gas is substituted for pure
hydrogen.
" Since the introduction of the use of coal gas in aeronautics,
but few, or rather, perhaps, we ought to say no improvements in
the construction of balloons have been made; minor improvements
have indeed been made in the form and arrangements of some
parts of the machine, or apparatus connected with it, such as the
ingenious method of liberating the balloon employed by Mr.
Green, whom we have already mentioned; but these are all simple contrivances of detail, which in no respect alter the principle
of the machine.
"With the invention of the balloon, we had then obtained the
means of floatingin the air, and acquired possession of a contrivance.
for this purpose; which, except its inability to support very great
weights, left but little to be desired, when considered as destined
merely to support the human body in the air, and to move freely
with the wind.  But the employment of such a contrivance can
scarcely be called aerial navigation; and, in fact, only half the
work had been done; the ship for navigating the air had been
invented; the art of sailing is still unknown.  We can scarcely
consider ourselves to have succeeded in discovering the art. of
aerial navigation until the aeronaut has at his command the
means of varying the elevation of the balloon above the earth,
and of causing it to move in any horizontal direction, at will.
Two methods of. effecting this naturally suggest themselves; indeed, the art of aerial navigation may be considered (as that of
ocean navigation now generally is) as divided into two great and
distinct branches; the one, comprising the manner of directing




92                  BALLOON TREATISE.
the machine by the agency of the wind itself in any direction,
either coincident with or different from that of the wind; the other,
the employment of artificial means of propulsion, such as propellers driven by steam engines, or machinery of a similar nature.
Of the attainment of a practically usefiil method of propelling
balloons by the motive power of steam, we fear there is little
hope; and were the attention of projectors directed to a method of
sailing balloons, rather than propelling them, it is probable some
useful practical progress might soon be made in the art of aerial
navigation.  Attempts at guiding balloons have indeed been
made; but, being ill directed, have always failed; and, in fact,
the application of the steam engine to locomotion not having been
made at the time of the invention of balloons, all the early attempts at guiding balloons, or increasing their speed, were
directed by the analogy, real or supposed, of a balloon and a sailing vessel.  The supposed identity of the two cases led immediately to the trial of sails and rudders applied to balloons; the
experimentalists not perceiving the considerable and important
difference existing between the two-a balloon and a ship-appear
to have fancied that the two cases differed merely in that of the
balloon floating in a medium of far less density than water. The
similarly of the two cases is, however, apparent rather than real.
In the eagerness of the attempt, it was entirely overlooked that
whilst the balloon, entirely surrounded by and immersed in the
fluid which supports it, moves necessarily at the same rate as the
current of air in which it happens to be, a vessel floating on the
surface of the water is impelled by the force of the air, which,
moving at a much greater velocity than any current, either in the
river or the ocean, has, notwithstanding its much less density,
sufficient power to give motion to the vessel.  Sails and rudders,
then, when applied to balloons, were found useless; the first did
not increase the speed of the balloon, the second had no effect in
guiding it.  Sails were, of course, useless, since there was no
wind to fill them-a balloon moving as fast as the wind; and for
the same reason, there being no current, the rudder had no action
on the direction of the motion.
" The more recent attempts made of late years have almost
invariably been founded on schemes for propelling balloons, and,
in a great number of these, the employment of the steam engine
is a principal feature.  The objections to the employment of this
motive power, even if it should be found possible to avail ourselves
of the force of steam for this purpose, would probably prove of
such force as to prevent its introduction to any extent.  It may,
no doubt, be urged that, in a medium of so small a density as air,
the actual force required to propel a balloon would be very
small, and that this being the case, the size and weight of the




BALLOON TREATISE.                         93
machinery necessary to impel a balloon need not be very considerable, and that, therefore, it would be found possible to construct balloons of sufficient size and ascending power to carry the
necessary machine.  But, were it even so, the necessity there
would be of either relinquishing the use of the propeller after a
very short period, or of descending to obtain supplies of fuel and
water, would be found to render its practical application of but
little value.  If it also be remembered that to work a steam engine it requires not only an engine and boiler, but a heavy weight
of water and fuel, even if the engine work but for a very short
time, and also engine men and stokers to work the machinery
and feed the fires, the uselessness of the attempt is so evident as
to render numerical calculations unnecessary for exposing its fallacy. The lightest form of marine steam engine in use weighs
about thirteen hundred weight per horse power, and when to this
we add the weight of fuel and water contained in the boiler, and
that of the men necessary for attending the machinery, we arrive
at a sum  total for the weight, whatever horse power we may
assume as necessary, entirely beyond the power of any balloon
to support.  For, though we may imagine a balloon of such vast
dimensions as to be able to support such a weight, yet the construction of such a balloon would be difficult, and its inflation
almost impossible.
"But, hereafter, one means of obtaining motive power may be
discovered which will enable us to dispense with the cumbersome
appendage of a steam  boiler, and the weight of fuel and water
necessary for it.  Electro-magnetism  may, perhaps, stand us
here in good stead; but, at the present moment, the recently
discovered gun-cotton offers, perhaps, the best hopes.of success.
The enormous force of this substance, compared with its weight
and the space it occupies, the abolition of the boiler and all fuel
which it will effect, and the fact of no water, either for feed or
condensation being required, are advantages which make us look
forward to a trial of gun-cotton as offering a prospect of greater
success than has hitherto attended attempts at balloon propulsion.
Gun-cotton might be tried, probably with some effect, on the
recoil principle'of the rocket, and the fumific impeller of Mr.
Gordon, as well as with machinery similar to the ordinary steam
engine, such as has recently been patented by Mr. Talbot. The
force of steam not being in this case applicable as a propelling
power, if that of gun-cotton should not be found available, we
must seek in another direction for a motive power, which, with a
small weight, gives an intense force.  The great object of the
inventor will evidently be to get rid of a heavy incumbrance,
such as a steam boiler, and to confine his machine within the
most narrow limits possible as to space and weight. The use of




94                  BALLOON TREATISE.
gun-cotton in lieu of steam, would certainly reduce the size and
weight of the machinery, as far as we can reasonably hope to
reduce it. Our propelling machinery would then, in short, be a
steam  engine working without water, without a boiler, and with
but a very small weight of fuel; but, until this substance has been
successfully applied as a motive power, its application to ballooning must, of course, be mere conjecture.
" There can be no doubt that, if a motive power fit for the purpose could be found, some form of propeller would soon be invented capable of applying this power, with good effect, in the
propulsion of balloons. The numerous experiments which have
been made during the last few years with submerged propellers
applied to steam vessels, make it certain that a similar form  of
propeller might be used for balloons, with a fair chance of a successful result, if only a moderate velocity be required. We have,
ourselves, seen a model balloon furnished with a screw propeller,
worked by clock-work, perform  in a satisfactory manner in a
small room, the air being still.  The employment of a propelling
power applied to the car of a balloon would, however, experience
a difficulty of a peculiar nature, which presents itself in all balloon experiments; this is a constant, though slow, rotation of a
balloon round its vertical axis.  The use of the guide-rope,
which we shall presently describe, almost, if not entirely, destroys the tendency to rotation; but, one effect of the guide-rope
is to retard the motion of the balloon, while the object of the employment of a propelling force is, of course, to increase the velocity of the balloon, so that the cotemporaneous employment of
the propelling force and the guide-rope is scarcely feasible; but,
until, by some alteration in the form of balloons, or by the application of some mechanical contrivance destined to that effect, the
tendency of a balloon to rotate round its vertical axis be destroyed,
the application of propelling machinery to balloons can be followed but by little or no useful effect.
" The want of success attending the early attempts at guiding
balloons, appears to have deterred adventurers from repeating
these experiments, or devising new. methods for effecting this
object; and, since the beginning of the present century, nothing
of practical utility has been tried.  However, Mr. C. Green,
whom we have already had occasion to mention, has broached
an idea which appears to be in the right direction, and which
will, possibly, when modified, be found to be feasible.  Mr.
Green having remarked, during his numerous balloon voyages,
that at various heights above the earth he met with currents of
air which carried him in a direction different from that in which
the wind was blowing at the time of starting, conceived the idea,
if it be possible to keep a balloon at a constant elevation above




BALLOON TREATISE.                       95
the surface of the earth, that advantage might be taken of this circumstance, for, by increasing or diminishing the altitude of the
balloon, a current of air might be found to carry the aeronaut in
any direction he might desire. It has, indeed, been long known
that the wind, observed at the surface of the earth, does not blow
in the same direction with the current of air moving at some distance from the earth. This phenomenon occurs not only in our
latitudes, but also in the regions of the trade-winds; and several
observers, amongst them Sir James Ross, in his recent voyage,
have noticed, when in the trades, small clouds moving at a considerable height above the sea, in a direction contrary to that of
the trade-winds.  It is obvious that, if it be true that, at some
height or other above the earth, we may find a wind blowing in
any given direction, and supposing we can cause the balloon to
remain invariably at the same height, we might be enabled to
move a balloon in any direction, merely by ascending or descending until a current of air having the required direction is
met with.
" Various methods of causing the balloon to remain at an invariable height may, doubtless, be supposed; but the one actually
in use, namely, that of discharging gas or ballast according as it
may be necessary to check a tendency of the balloon to rise or
fall, is of very limited application, for the quantity of ballast and
gas which can be employed in this manner is very small. The
power of varying the elevation, or remaining at the same height,
would be greatly extended by the use of condensed or liquefied
gas; a small receiver containing liquid coal gas, might be taken
up in the car, and being connected with the balloon by a tube
and stopcock, the aeronaut would be able, by the simple opening
of the stopcock, to permit the entrance into the balloon of a
large quantity of gas. There would undoubtedly be a few practical difficulties in its application, but none such as could not be
readily overcome; but the danger attending the use of gas in
this form is but slight; liquefied gas having been in common use
for some years past, for lighting apartments and railway carriages
in France.
" Mr. Green, however, proposes Mr. Baldwin's method, which
is very different from the above.  He supposes the aeronaut furnished with a rope of sufficient length to reach from the balloon,
when in the desired current of air, to the earth; one portion of
the rope resting on and trailing along the surface of the earth or
sea, as the case may be, while the other end is attached to the
balloon or car. If the balloon, from the effects of the sun's rays
on it, rise to a greater elevation, a corresponding length of rope
will be raised off the surface of the ground and supported in
the air, and in the same way, if the balloon sink, an additional




96                  BALLOON TREATISE.
length of rope will be plunged in the water or drag along the
earth.  The result will be that, in the one case, the same effect
will be produced as if an additional quantity of ballast were
added to, or a small volume of gas allowed to escape from, the
balloon; in the other, the effect will be similar to that of the discharge of ballast from  the balloon.  It is evident that by this
contrivance the balloon will remain at nearly the same height
from the ground, the effect of any expansion or' contraction of the
gas created by increase or decrease of the temperature of the
surrounding air being counteracted by the alteration in the weight
which the balloon has to support, and that without any loss of
either ballast or gas.  This method, however, could scarcely be
practicable, except at sea,'on account of the damage and difficulty its employment would occasion by the entanglement of the
rope in trees and buildings; but at sea no difficulty arising from
these circumstances could be experienced, and the experiment is
certainly well worth a trial.  At great elevations above the earth,
the weight of the rope would also become so considerable as to
require for its support a large portion of the ascending power of
any balloon.
" One thing is clear, that the friction of the rope on the earth
or in the water, would occasion a degree of resistance sufficient
to retard in some degree the speed of the balloon; and this would
lead us to hope that this plan being adopted, it would be found
possible to guide or steer balloons.  We have already observed,
that to guide or steer balloons, it will be necessary to find out some
method of creating a relative velocity between the balloon and the
wind which impels it; or, in other words, we must arrange matters so that the balloon move either slower or more rapidly than
the wind.  Now this is effected by the proposed guide-rope of
Mr. Green; and we may observe, that sailors are sometimes compelled to resort to a similar artifice in order to obtain steerageway on a vessel.
" This artifice in navigation is termed' kedging,' and is employed when vessels are floating down streams or rivers, when
there is no wind.  Under such circumstances, a vessel would be
in constant danger of being run on shore, unless steerage-way
could be got on the vessel.  This is effected in the following
manner: It is well known that an anchor holds the ground more
or less firmly, according as its distance from the vessel is greater
or less; and, when the anchor is immediately under the ship's
bow, it has very little or no hold.  Now, supposing a vessel be
in a tide-way with no sails set, to obtain steerage-way, the anchor
is allowed to trail along the ground, under the bows of the vessel,
the cable being hove down until nearly vertical; and the resist



BALLOON TREATISE.                        97
ance thus opposed to the motion of the vessel through the water,
sufficiently great to enable the vessel to be steered.
"The artifice above, briefly described, evidently bears a striking resemblance to the guide-rope of Mr. Green, and we think
that an attempt at steering balloons, made in conjunction with
the use of the guide-rope, would be successful. Of course some
practical difficulties would be found to exist, and the form and
arrangement of the steering apparatus, would be a subject for
great consideration. Some difficulty would also be met with from
the rotation of the balloon on its vertical axis.
"At sea, where this idea holds out great hopes of success, the
lower end of the guide-rope should be attached to a small boat,
or float, which would increase the resistance, and give additional
steerage-way.
"The difficulties of steering balloons would then be found, we
think, to be far from insuperable. The rotation of a balloon about
its vertical axis would likewise be found a considerable obstacle
to the use of any propelling power, since the rotary motion of the
balloon would cause the direction of the propelling force to change
at each instant. A balloon always rotates in this manner, but its
rotation is slow, and the fact is not at once perceptible, and only
apparent on regarding fixedly an object, such as a cloud, at some
distance from the spectator, when the position of the observer is
soon found to change. It is possible that, were a form other than
the spherical one, usually adopted, given to a balloon, this motion
of rotation might be very much diminished, if not altogether
avoided."
CHAPTER XVI.
Rotation of balloons considered-Shape of balloons, also-Their navigation
demonstrable-Method set forth —Facility of crossing the AtlanticEffect of experiment considered-Air and water craft-California air
steamer-Comments on it" Difficulty of aerial navigation"-Pro and
con-Its dangers considered.
THE preceding account, which we have quoted from  the
"Westminster Review," seems to cover the whole ground of the
theory of balloon sailing and balloon steering.  The value of its
ideas and suggestions is enhanced by the fact, that what it contemplates as serious obstacles to the perfection of balloon navigation, are, to the practical aeronaut, but minor difficulties.  The
7




98               ROTATION OF BALLOONS.
rotary motion of the balloon, while sailing quiescently in the aircdrrent, is the effect of so slight a cause, that its reality, under
the present system of aeronautics, presents no formidable obstacle
to the perfection of aerial navigation.  This rotation is attributable to two causes-the shape of the balloon and the undulatory
motion of the air-currents.  The position of the balloon, when
floating in the air-current, while it is in equilibrio with the surrounding atmosphere, may be justly compared, in regard to its
motion round its vertical axis, to a similar shaped vessel with a
string fastened to its upper axis and suspended from the ceiling
of a room.  In the latter case, the vessel should have gravity
enough to merely hang down,, in order properly to illustrate the
question.  It will thus be perceived how very slight must be the
wave of atmosphere to put it in motion, poised as it is, in either
case, upon its centre of gravity.  In the case of the suspended
vessel, it would have to overcome the friction of the string by
which it was hanging, and would consequently require more force
to make it vibrate on its axis, than it would with the balloon,
which, while sailing free in the air, would not have to encounter
that part of the friction.  Now, it is evident that the effect of so
slight a cause as that which gives rotary motion to a balloon,
would be entirely neutralized by any propelling force that would
move it faster than the air-current; as, in such case, there must
necessarily be a rudder, which would keep the machine fore and
aft with its line of direction, the same as a steamboat or ship would
be, when propelled along, and faster than the current in which
either of them might be sailing. I have, while sailing in the aircurrent, reversed the motion of the balloon round its vertical axis,
by simply using a palm-leaf fan. There is, however, connected
with this part of the subject, another circumstance worthy of consideration.  It is while the balloon is ascending and descending
from one current into another. In such case, the effect of rotation
and counter rotation is of course more violent than when the
balloon is sailing quiescently in the air-current; and it is similar to
that which a ship experiences when sailing through a bay and
coining suddenly across a current dashing down a river into the
bay.  But even this circumstance presents no greater barrier to
the management of a balloon while being propelled by the aid of
artificial motive power, than does the case just mentioned to the
ship's management.
It has been demonstrated, that a balloon of a spheroidal shape,
moving forward with its longer axis in a horizontal position, and
propelled by a motive power applied to windmill-shaped wheels,
is not liable, 6r at least not much disturbed, by a tendency to
rotary motion.  And even a globular-shaped balloon would be
free from such disturbance when propelled forward, and having




AIR CURRENTS.                        99
a rudder to guide it. But, of course, an oblong shape-which
comes nearer the shape of a bird or a fish-is best adapted to the
principle of steering or guiding; while the globular shape, on the
other hand, is best adapted to the method of seeking the aircurrents which are to waft it to its destination. Here are two
principles, by which aerial navigation may be accomplished in a
useful manner.  By a combination of the two principles, it is
within the present known province of mechanical contrivance;
and requires nothing more than the effort to put it in motion.
While on this subject, let us consider the means of its consummation. A balloon, fifty by a hundred feet, of a spheroidal shape,
would be capable of carrying 6000 pounds independent of its
own weight, and a due allowance for expansion of the gas. This
would enable us to carry a car, supplied with an engine to be
worked with gun-cotton, sufficiently powerful to propel the balloon
with a speed of eighty miles per hour in a calm atmosphere, forty
miles per hour against a wind of a velocity of forty miles per hour,
and so on in the same ratio against winds of greater or lesser
velocities. In addition to the engine, wheels, and rudder, the
balloon would be capable of carrying from 1500 to 2000 pounds
of ballast. Now, with an aerial ship thus provided, I would have
no more hesitation to undertake a trip across the Atlantic Ocean,
than to embark for that destiny in the. most approved steamship
now  plying between the ports of New  York and Liverpool.
Indeed, the engine would only be required to make steerage way,
so as to make the exact point of destination; for, the main part
of the voyage may be certainly accomplished by seeking the
proper currents that will waft the vessel in its destined direction.
The engine could be, moreover, employed as a means of elevating or lowering the balloon, by having a screw wheel adapted to
that purpose, and by such means enable us to seek the proper or
most advantageous current, without expending any gas or ballast
while in search of it.
Now, an experiment of this kind is really wanted. It is wanted
for two important reasons; one is, to demonstrate positively and
in reality, that aerial navigation is so far practicable as to enable
us to sail from New York to Liverpool with a balloon, and that,
too, in less than half the time it requires the best ocean steamers
to accomplish the same. The other reason is, to draw the attention of the community at large towards the improvement of the
art, which will follow just as surely as the experiment will be
accomplished.
Steam, the agent which has revolutionized the moral and commercial world within the present century, would, in all human
probability, be to this day yet what it was in the hands of Savary
and Newcomen, had not a Fulton demonstrated its utility by




100                  COMPOUND CRAFT.
actually building a steamboat, and propelling it up the Hudson
River at the rate of four miles, per hour. So with aerial navigation-something more than mere theorizing and simple ascents
with balloons is wanting, to bring it to that state of perfection
which art, science, and the genius of our race require of it. So
far, however, our modern projectors of aerial machinery, all seem
to have overstepped the mark. The few who have actually been
engaged in it have rather attempted too much, and therefore
failed in their designs, instead of doing what was within their
reach, and thereby establishing that confidence in the community,
which is so necessary to the attainment of a high perfection in
anything that concerns the general welfare of a nation. Miscarriages in projects connected with an advancing art are more detrimental to its progress than if no experiments were made at all;
while, on the other hand, success in an experiment which gives
the slightest evidence of improvement is generally followed by
rapidly increasing accessions.  On this account, it were better
if the friends and promoters of this art would confine their experiments within the range of what is more certain of success,
than to overleap the expectation of moderate advance, and thereby
lose the time and labor devoted to the subject, which, in the end,
brings distrust instead of encouragement.
In attempting too much, we do not simply run the risk of being
defeated in the end; but we also bring down upon the projects in
such cases, theoretical demonstrations from scientific sources,that
are strongly detrimental to a vigorous pursuit of the subject.
Such has been the case in regard to projects lately suggested in
some of our large cities, concerning aerial navigation. Not many
years ago, it was proposed in the city of New York to form a company to navigate the Hudson River between the above-named city
and Albany, by a combination of water and air craft machinery.
it was to consist of a balloon and a steamboat. The balloon was
to be oblong or spindle shaped, of the same length as the steamboat, and was to be of such power as to buoy up a less weight
than the boat, so much less, as to leave the boat draw water sufficient to make her steerable, and for her propelling wheels to take
effect in the water.  Thus combined, the steamboat hanging
underneath the balloon, drawing very little water, the wheels put
in rapid motion, it was to go up or down the North River with a
velocity of not less than a hundred miles per hour.
Now, all this appeared very feasible and interesting in theory,
and a great many sensible people believed it would go into operation; but, to the practical mind, it at once proved its own
futility.  In a calm  atmosphere, and on a straight river, this
might be done; but in the ordinary and natural requirements of




OPINIONS OF "SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN."              101
transportation and its circumstances, it promised no usefulness,
nor even experimental success.
In later times, and in the same place, when half the population of our country was infatuated with the gold romance of California, it was proposed to build a balloon with which to carry
passengers to the gold regions of California at. the rate of two
hundred miles per hour.  A model of the machine was exhibited in New York and in Philadelphia.  It was simply a spheroidal or spindle-shaped balloon, rigged with a pair of propeller wheels and rudder, and a steam  engine for propelling
power.  The exhibition of this model created a considerable
sensation in the minds of the credulous, and it was asserted at
the time that many persons engaged passage in the contemplated
"Aerial Steamer."  Whether it was seriously intended by these
projectors to build one on a large scale, time, thus far, has not yet
positively developed; although, it was stated in a respectable
journal of New York city, in the year 1849, that the machine
was actually in course of construction, and the steam engine was
finished.
Had these projectors gone on from their miniature model, to
the erection of one capable of carrying one or two persons, in
order to prove its practicability on a larger scale, there might
have been reason to believe that they harbored an idea of its
general usefulness. But when the project embraced at once so
magnificent a scheme, as that contemplated in the swooping
strides towards the modern El Dorado, with a cargo of a hundred gold hunters, it seemed too much for sober-minded people.
And, as we stated before, it brought upon itself philosophical criticism and scientific condemnation, and with that, a good share
of opposition to the hopes and expectations of aerial navigation in
any shape.
The "Scientific American," one of the best journals of its kind
then existing in the country, published in the city of New York,
made frequent allusions to the subject of aerial navigation, as
well as to all matters connected with the progress of the material
world, and, from the assumptions contemplated in the California
project just mentioned, published the following article under the
head of " The Difficulty of Navigating the Air."  It says: " No
body can float in the air unless it be 800 times lighter than water;
such a body, therefore, must of course carry 800 times less power
than might be used in a steamboat.  But the utmost power that
a steamboat can carry will not enable it to make the least headway against wind blowing 200 miles per hour.  How then is it
possible for a body of 800 times less power to make any headway
against even a wind blowing three miles an hour?
"In navigating the air, we can obtain no fulcrum but the air




102                 OPINIONS NOTICED
itself, and that is yielding, and but a small portion of even the
power which can be carried could prove effective.
" If a body, so comparatively solid as water, causes a loss of
power, the loss must be vastly greater in a body 800 times lighter
and exceedingly elastic. When to all this we add 800 times
less power than a steamboat, and at the same time bear in mind
the further fact that a steamboat cannot make the least headway
against wind blowing 200 miles an hour-it is no go."
Seeing the effect of such reasoning, coming, as it did, from a
purely scientific and highly respectable journal, the author of this
work, as an ardent laborer in the cause of improvement, felt it
his duty to notice the above hypothesis in the following brief
manner:GENTLEMEN: In the second number of the present volume of
your journal, you have an article under the head of'The Difficulty of Navigating the Air.' In it you correctly assume that
a body must be 800 times lighter than water before it can float
in the air, and that such a body, therefore, must carry 800 times
less power than a steamboat. You then go on and state that a
steamboat cannot make any headway against a wind blowing
200 hundred miles per hour.  Granted.  The part of the boat
above the water is opposed by the wind-the part below, or in
the water, is against the opposing current of water, caused by
the wind, which is much more opposing than the wind would be
of itself, if blowing against the hull of the boat directly. In the
case of the water, acted on by the wind, it is an accumulating
force, increased by the duration of the blast and extent of its impact upon the water. But it is even so as you have stated. You
then say,' How is it possible for a body of 800 times less power
to make any headway against even a gentle breeze blowing three
miles an hour?' And from the whole calculation you make in
the aforesaid article, you conclude that aerial navigation'is no
go.'
Your paper is intended to promote the arts and sciences, and
your opinion.on any subject, being its editors, carries with it
weight, and should, therefore, be open to a fair analysis. Now,
if your premises in the question were firm and invariable, the
conclusions could hardly be shaken. Your hurricane would, indeed, blow all aerial machinery its own way, with a velocity
exactly equal to its own (I have experienced this), and it would,
moreover, wreck and founder any ship or steamboat in the water
caught in its track. Not so, however, with aerial machinery!
The air-craft has but one medium, the water-craft has two; hence
the latter's destruction, arising from the great disparity of density
in the two mediums, and the former's safety from moving in the
simple element. Such a wind, so far from injuring a balloon,




FRANKLIN'S OPINION ON BALLOONS.                 103
would only drive it completely round the world in five days, if it
continued that long.  Now, the aerial ship has an advantage,
compared with the water ship, that is seldom considered.  It can
surmount, or dodge, the'no go' barrier in your premises-the
steamboat can't. It is not necessary, in aerial navigation, to go
right against the wind; nature is very profuse in its variety of
atmospherical currents, within two miles above the level of the
sea.  The greatest obstacle to the perfection of aerial navigation
is in the loss of buoyant power required in rising and falling into
the currents that will waft the vessel towards its port of destination.  I am  not theorizing when I say that nature is profuse in its variety of currents; I know it from the experience of
over a hundred aerial excursions.  By the aid of these contrary and various currents, I have avoided the necessity of descending into rivers, forests, lakes, seas, and bays. The uppermost current I have always found to blow from west to east.
While aloft, I have, within the visible length of a twine string
suspended from the car, seen, the effects of two currents besides
the one that moved the balloon.  These strings were 500 feet long.
You may often see, as you no doubt have seen, two, three, and
four different currents of air within the range of the cloud region,
when clouds exist. I have found these various currents just as
numerous in a perfectly clear atmosphere.  The greatest desideratum, in aerial navigation, is a power adaptable to raising and
lowering the balloon, without expending any of-its buoyant gas.
Steam, I think, is not adaptable to its being made a common useful art. It would do for a demonstrable purpose. But the progress of improvement may yet give us a power-agent adaptable
to this art, if we should fail to contrive a means by which a balloon may be made to rise and fall by the principle of expansion
and contraction.
Franklin said the child must learn to walk before it can run,
in allusion to aeronautics; and, as this child lay in the womb of
science over two thousand years before it was born  (it was
sought after all that time by many ingenious persons), it is certainly doing very well, considering its infant state. A subject
like this, calculated, when perfected, to bring within the space
of a few weeks the practicability of exploring the whole circumference of the globe, must have its time,-that time is fast approaching; but it wants encouragement, especially by the developing powers,-the scientific press.
The natural elements, so far from presenting barriers and obstacles, as they do to a great extent in ocean navigation, seem to
be peculiarly inviting to aerial navigation. The almost universal
opinion, and to a great extent among really scientific men, that
aerial navigation cannot be turned to a generally useful account,




104           BALLOONING NOT DANGEROUS.
is almost as prevalent as the opinion that aerial voyages are extremely dangerous, and is just as wrongly founded, in my humble opinion.
The foregoing article was published in the New York " Scientific American," and drew from its editors the following complimentary notice.  [" The above communication from Mr. Wise
is just such a one as we like. It is reasonable, and contains
practical information.  His opinions respecting steam  as an
aerial propellant accords with our own, and as we have expressed them on the subject in our last volume.  There is
another thing, besides the discovery of a more compact power,
which would greatly facilitate economical balloon navigation,
namely, a more buoyant, cheaper gas than hydrogen.  A body
of great magnitude is not easily managed-the whole experience
of ballooning proves this. We all know that balloons can ascend, float, and move in the atmosphere, and have been propelled
by the Roberts, in Paris. These things are not the subject of
discussion. It is the practicability of propelling balloons through
the atmosphere as steam vessels on the ocean. There is no man
to whom we can more confidently look for a correct account of
the economical establishment of aerial navigation than Mr. Wise.
We would be content with a balloon speed of ten miles per hour,
if the balloon could be perfectly controlled by the aeronaut, as a
steed is by its rider.
" As it respects the last paragraph of the above letter, we must
say that the whole history of ballooning, to scientific men, is full
of facts, affording just grounds for their opinion, that is, respecting its danger. Within the past three months, one aerial navigator lost his life in England; Vardalle barely escaped with his
in our city; and it was certainly a most wonderful escape of the
celebrated Mr. Green, in one of his late ascents in London. The
subject of aerial navigation has been before the scientific world
for sixty-seven years, and we know of no practical improvements
that have been made in it since the days of the French Consulate; while during that period, steam navigation, and the science
of electricity, and other sciences, have advanced with giant
strides; yet for all this, we never have, and never will ridicule
experiments in aerial navigation. We have hopes like those of
our correspondent; but so far as it regarded the balloon excitement that was raised about going to California at the rate of two
hundred miles per hour, we deemed it our duty to expose the
sham, although believed by thousands, and the results have
faithfully borne us out in our predictions-yea, in every word."]
Now concerning the danger of ballooning, I still say there is
no just ground for its apprehension. In reference to the cases
just mentioned, it should be recollected that the one which








e >.KDiivalS Steanm 111. P8e3s.
TIT HE VLIUXHALL IALLOO-N.




GREEN, THE VETERAN AERONAUT.                  105
proved fatal to the aeronaut in England, was more from the cause
of imprudence, than the intrinsic peril of ballooning. The balloon and aeronaut were both drifted on to the beach soon after
their descent; thus showing that, if the individual had trusted
himself to the aid of his machinery, instead of, as may be reasonably supposed he did, swimming to shore, his life would have
been saved.  In the case of Verdalle, it must be remembered
that he used a rarefied-air balloon, a contrivance long ago abandoned by scientific men on account of its inutility. As to the
case of Mr. Green, it is of a kind that has so frequently happened
to aeronauts without any serious consequences, that it is scarcely
to be counted a peril.  Moreover, there has never yet been a
fatal accident in ballooning in the United States, notwithstanding
many hundreds of ascensions have been made.  This latter fact
is a strong argument in favor of the non-danger of ballooning,
when practiced by ordinarily skillful persons. If we had not the
mathematical science of the art to prove that it is as simple and
as safe as any other mode of travel or conveyance, this fact alone,
the result of many hundred voyages, would indubitably establish
the truth of what has been said of its safety.
CHAPTER XVII.
Letter from the veteran aeronaut Green-The Vauxhall balloon-Account
of it from "the Mirror"-First ascent with it, nine persons went upGreen's narrative of the voyage-The enterprise-Its advantages-Cost
of Vauxhall balloon.
DURING the early part of last fall, when I had determined to
complete this work during the winter, I wrote to the veteran
aeronaut, Mr. Charles Green, of London, for an account of his
voyage from the English metropolis to Germany, as I had failed
to find it in our libraries. Just as the book was getting ready for
the press, I was fortunate enough in getting from that gentleman
a package enclosing the account written for, as well as several
other papers too valuable to be omitted in this edition of the
work.  To show the lively interest this celebrated aerial navigator still exhibits in the art, a part of his letter may be quoted:Highgate, Dec. 7th, 1849.
Mr. JOHN WISE:
ESTEEMED SIR-Having only this day returned from the Continent, your favor has just come to hand, which I much regret,




106          GREEN, THE VETERAN AERONAUT.
as I fear this will reach you too late to be of service for your
work.
Herewith you will receive the only copy I have of the trip to
Germany; likewise all I can lay my hand on relative to Mr.
Cocking's fatal parachute descent. I have a numerous collection
of articles on aerostation, with many duplicates, some of which,
in the event of your having a second edition of your work, might
be of service; but which at present are much confused and mislaid, by my preparations for removal to a new residence after
Christmas.
I am  convinced much may be done by the aid of propellers,
not only by causing the balloon to ascend or descend without discharging gas or ballast, but in varying its direction in a tranquil
atmosphere, which I have often experienced within a mile of the
earth during the prevalence of a strong wind at its surface.
I likewise consider a guide-line of gutta percha, with compensating appendages as used by me for land or water, indispensably
necessary to the performance of long voyages.
The accident you allude to was in a great measure a newspaper affair, which arose from my assistant suffering the escape
of too much gas as it expanded in the ascent-the balloon being
quite distended on leaving the earth.
I am, esteemed sir, your sincere well-wisher,
CHARLES GREEN.
(From the "London Mirror" of the 17th of September, 1836.)
THE VAUXHALL BALLOON.
"Aeronautics, or ballooning, has of late years attracted a very
considerable portion of public curiosity. The early experiments
in the science were fraught with uncertainty and danger, as every
outline of its history narrates; from Roger Bacon's'machine for
flying,' to poor Garnerin's perilous voyage of three hundred miles.
The first balloons, as the reader may recollect, were inflated with
heated or rarefied air. Next, hydrogen, the lightest gas known,
was substituted for the heated air, the result of which application
proved a greater impetus than the science had hitherto received.
Indeed, the first ascent in a balloon filled with hydrogen gas,
made in 1783, must still be regarded as the most important
practical improvement in aeronautics.
" Nevertheless, with this grand advance, the balloon has unfortunately proved but an abortive instrument in the hands of
science.  Its construction, at all times expensive, was, from the
above period till within these fifteen years, too costly to reward




GREAT VAUXHALL BALLOON.                     107
aeronauts, especially as their labors led to no result beyond that
of an exhibition of skill to gratify curiosity.   Hydrogen gas,
though a successful substitute, was somewhat too costly for mere
amusement.  Besides, there was some uncertainty in its production in sufficient volume to inflate large balloons.  This uncertainty often led to the disappointment of crowds assembled to
witness balloon ascents, and altogether threw discredit upon persons who professed to be competent to insure success.  Hence
the doubt and incredulity with which, more or less, the balloon
announcements were received just previous to the year 1821.
"About this period, Mr. Green (the architect of the balloon
we are about to describe), had first turned his attention to aeronautics.  In his early experiments,'seeing the great expense,
difficulty, and inconvenience of using pure hydrogen gas, he conceived the possibility of substituting carburetted hydrogen, or coal
gas, such as is used for illumination;' and proved the truth of
his theory by ascending with his balloon inflated with coal gas,
from the Green Park, on the day of the coronation of the late
King George IV.; and Mr. Green has since shown the efficiency
of his improvement in 220 ascents from the metropolis and the
various provinces: he is now, therefore, an air-beaten sailor;
and has encountered many an ill wind in gathering experience
and success to qualify him for more extensive labors.
"From  the year 1821, therefore,'the use of pure hydrogen has been almost, if not entirely discontinued, the expense
of generating it being six times greater than that of coal gas.
But the specific gravity of coal gas being considerably greater
than that of hydrogen, it gives a balloon a much smaller ascending power; and the quality of coal used, and the method employed by different gas companies in its manufacture, are so various
(the specific gravity having been found to vary from 340 to 790),
that it was impossible to ascertain exactly what would be the
power of a balloon inflated with it.' The balloons in which Mr.
Green had hitherto ascended were of such small dimensions as
not to allow scientific men to take with them sufficient apparatus
for making experiments, which circumstance Mr. Green considers
to have caused balloons generally, to be regarded as mere objects
of public exhibition. In some measure, therefore, to establish the
utility of aeronautics, MIr. Green proposed to construct a balloon
three times as large as any one in which he had ascended; in
which project he was joined by the proprietors of Vauxhall
Gardens.
" Our anxiety to introduce this new balloon early to the reader
led us to applyfor permission to inspect the machine in the progress
of construction.  The application was answered by a courteous
invitation to the Garden; and thither, about a week since, we




108            SIZE OF VAUXHALL BALLOON.
proceeded on the interesting inquiry.  The morning was wet,
plashy, with clouds and sunshine to feed reflection; for, of the
truth, in Vauxhall Gardens, in such weather, one may suck'melancholy from a song.'
"We reached the building wherein was the balloon; and which
was originally the saloon wherein the Pandean Band were wont to
discourse on their mellifluous pipes. Mythology and the balloon
were no bad associates. Here, half prostrate on the flooring, lay
the huge leviathan of silk, the bag nearly half inflated with the
atmosphere, the valve aperture at the top, and the opening at the
neck, being closed with wooden lids.  Here, too, we met Mr.
Green, in excellent spirits on having nearly completed his balloon,
after'many months of anxious labor,' and in pleasant anticipation of the success of his first ascent.
"The balloon is 150 feet in circumference; and the extreme
height of the whole, when inflated, and with the car attached,
Mr. Green stated, would be 80 feet. It is formed of 2000 yards
of silk, imported raw from Italy, in part, dyed crimson by Messrs.
Soper, of Spitalfields.  The silk is cut in forty-four gores, alternately crimson and white; their length is 90 feet; they are joined
by each overlaying the other, and being doubly stitched; and the
seams are overlaid by a cement of such a tenacious nature, that,
when once dry, the joint becomes the strongest part; this cement
or varnish filling up the minute space left by the many thousand
stitches, which might otherwise allow some escape of gas. The
whole of the silk is also coated with a kind of varnish, formed of
caoutchouc dissolved in turpentine, and mixed with a certain
proportion of boiled oil, the manufacture of which appertains to
Mr. Green's arcana of balloon making.  The wooden covering
being removed from the neck of the bag, we were invited within
the vast machine, on condition of taking off our boots, to prevent
injury to the silk; but were content to stoop and take a view of
the interior of the vast hemispheroid. The effect was, indeed,
striking; the light from the openings in the building streaming
through the alternate gores of crimson and yellow, half the number having assumed that color from the varnish.' The appearance
of so vast a roof, unsupported save by air, and ever and anon
rising and falling in graceful undulations, reminded us of the strict
analogy of the atmosphere to a fluid.  As festive associations are
inseparable from Vauxhall, we thought a table might be spread
for a' goodly companie' beneath this fairy-like vault, redolent, as
it was, of boiled oil.
"It has been mentioned that the bag was scarcely half filled;
the weig;t of atmospheric air sufficient to inflate it, would be about
5346 lbs.; while the silk so inflated would sustain an atmospheric
pressure of 20,433,600 Ibs., or 9122 tons. To inflate the bag with




ASCENT WITH VAUXHALL BALLOON.                 109
pure hydrogen gas, would require about 364 lbs., at a cost of
about 2501.; the machine would have an ascending power of 4982
lbs.; and allowing 700 lbs. for the weight of the silk and apparatus, and 362 Ibs. for ballast, it would ascend with twenty-eight
persons of the average weight of 140 lbs. each. Now, the cost of
the 70,000 feet of coal gas is but 701.; this, indeed, is an extraordinary charge, being at the rate of 20s. for every 1000 feet,
although the gas for lighting streets or shops is charged at 9s. for
every 1000 feet.  Unless the balloon gas be of purer quality
than the latter kind, the company supplying it cannot be commended for their liberality towards experimental science.
"Having inspected the silken bag, we were shown the valve,
of leather upon wooden frame work, and thickly coated with the
varnish.  Beside, lay the net for enveloping the silk-an excellent
specimen, by the way, of hempen manufacture.
"We now crossed the grove, and ascended to one of the octagonal supper rooms, wherein was the car for the balloon. It is
of oblong form, with elliptical ends, somewhat deep, and having
a seat around it, the whole being of strong basket work; and to
insure safety, the cords by which the car is attached to the silk
bag, are plaited with wicker. At each end of the car, is the head
of a colossal eagle, richly gilt. The draperies for the covering
of the car were in readiness; they are purple and crimson velvet,
richly embroidered.
ASCENT WITH THE VAUXHALL BALLOON.
"The ascent with this stupendous balloon took place at the
Gardens, on Friday, the 9th inst.  The day,'big with fate,'
was auspicious in the morning; but, at two o'clock, the weather
changed, and from that time until half past four, it rained incessantly. The balloon having been removed to a piece of ground
adjoining the fire-work walk, the inflation commenced at ten
minutes past eleven, and in the space of twelve minutes the balloon possessed sufficient power to support itself.  Thirty-six
policemen were placed around it, each taking charge of one of
the cords connected with the network. In about an hour, an iron
half-hundred weight was also attached to each cord, and shortly
after, five more in different parts, making in all, forty-one weights
of fifty-six pounds each. These were soon three feet from the
ground, and the policemen were compelled to pass their staves
through several of the meshes, to prevent the cords cutting their
hands.  This combined resistance was, however, found insufficient; and twenty other persons were called to assist the policemen. By this time, Mr. Green calculates that the netting and
silk must have absorbed 300 lbs. weight of water, besides the




110            VAUXHALL BALLOON VOYAGE.
quantity retained on the top of the balloon, by the pressure of the
net on the silk, each mesh forming a small reservoir.
"The inflation was superintended by Mr. Hutchinson, engineer
to the London Gas Company, and was completed, under all favorable circumstances, in four hours and five minutes.  The labor
of attaching the car to the net was now commenced, and from the
shrinking of the ropes by the wet, and the adjustment requisite
at the first ascent, occupied some time. Twenty-four bags of
ballast, weighing together 400 lbs., were then placed in the bottom of the car, and the grapple, or anchor was laid in: this is of
wrought iron, and was attached to an elastic, caoutchouc cord,
from the factory of Mr. Sirvier, which will, in a great measure,
prevent any sudden jerk in stopping the balloon in rough weather,
whereby many accidents have occurred. The balloon being now
ready, the party took their seats in the car; there were nine persons: Mr. Green, Mrs. Green, Miss Mary Anne Green, niece of
Mr. Green, Mr. James Green, his brother, Captain Currie, Mr.
Hildyard, Mr. Holland, and Mr. Edwin Gye, and Mr. William
Hughes, sons of the proprietors of Vauxhall Gardens.
" The appearance of the balloon was truly magnificent; and
though ponderous, nothing could exceed its graceful beauty; as
shown in the previous engraving, from a lithograph, by Mr.
Cocks, the artist to the Gardens.  It should, however, be remarked that the network has been added.
"' Mr. Green had calculated the ascending power of the balloon
from the average specific gravity of the gas made by the different
companies, and found it to be considerably more than he announced to the public; for, it was found that, instead of carrying
up from  eight to ten persons, the number stated, there was
buoyancy enough to take up twenty persons.  Mr. Green was,
therefore, compelled to allow about 15,000 feet of gas (more than
one-fifth of the whole power) to escape, before he could release
the balloon from its moorings; the ascending power being much
too great, and there not being room in the car for more voyagers.
To this circumstance is to be ascribed the apparent smallness of
the balloon to the distant spectators, and the absence of that regularity of form which is at all times to be remarked in an inflated
body. All being now ready, the signal-gun was fired, the ropes
were cut, and the balloon shot rapidly into the nether regions.
Mr. Green's narrative of the voyage is subjoined.
NARRATIVE.
"We proceeded at first to the east, but soon took a southeasterly direction, leaving Greenwich and Woolwich to the left.
The gardens, and every avenue leading to them, appeared to be




VAUXHALL BALLOON VOYAGE.                  111
one solid mass of human beings; in fact, there was not an elevated spot within two miles of the metropolis, which was not
crowded with spectators.  We had ascended about three-quarters
of a mile when we found ourselves in a brilliant sunshine, which
formed a strong contrast to the dense and clouded atmosphere we
had just left. The gas now expanded rapidly, and the silk, down
to the bottom of the neck, was completely distended.  We, of
course, ascended with great velocity, and in less than five minutes,
the fall of the mercury in the barometer indicated a height of two
miles and a quarter; this was our greatest elevation, and it being
nearly dark, I thought it unadvisable to ascend higher; therefore,
suffering a small portion of gas to escape from the valve, we
commenced our descent.  We were now nearly opposite Gravesend, and had crossed the Thames several times.  The grappling iron first touched the ground near the village of Cliffe, in
Kent; and, after slightly catching several times, took a firm hold.
A slight breeze springing up at this moment, the jerk caused the
hoop, to which the grapple rope was fastened, to give way, which
rendered it necessary to open the valve very wide.  This done,
the car soon touched the ground. We then drifted about a hundred yards, and the valve being kept open, the stupendous machine, which so lately exhibited its giant power, lay motionless
on the ground.
"All my companions expressed the greatest delight during
the voyage, and enjoyed themselves much; indeed, so loud was
their mirth several times, that I had some difficulty in making
my directions audible; for, I assigned a duty to each, such as
watching the rise or fall of the mercury in the barometer and
thermometer, throwing out ballast, &c. Being forced to take
such a large quantity of ballast, we found the car too small; but
a new one, much larger, will be constructed for the next ascent.
We slept at the village of Cliffe, proceeding to Gravesend yesterday (Saturday) morning, and arrived in town at ten o'clock at
night.                                       C. GREEN."
"Among the advantages to be gained from the vast increase in
the balloon, Mr. Green states the following:'A  much greater
elevation will be attained than has hitherto been, and the long
agitated question decided as to whether there are, at a great altitude, currents of air in one direction for several months together.
This, Mr. Green from many observations he has made, believes
to be the case at an altitude where the atmosphere is not acted
upon by the reflection of the sun's rays from the earth, or dense
masses of clouds.  Should this theory be correct, a grand step in
the progress of aeronautics will be made. Before the next ascent
of this balloon, a larger car will, doubtless, be provided  and
Mr. Green proposes a small chamber to be attached in place of




112                  BALLOON VOYAGE.
the car, in which from three to six persons can ascend, with
ample space and convenience for experimental apparatus.'
" It should be added, that the records of aeronautics present few
instances of such success as has rewarded Mr. Green and the
proprietors of Vauxhall Gardens, in the construction of this vast
balloon. The enterprise has, in every particular, been so well
managed, that too much credit can scarcely be given to the skill,
experience, and liberality of the respective parties. More than
was promised to the public has been performed; so that their
patronage has, in every instance, been well bestowed upon this
costly experiment. The expense of constructing the balloon is
calculated at 21001.: the expense of the silk, which is of excellent quality, was 7001."
CHAPTER XVIII.
Great aeronautical expedition from London to Weilburg, across the seaMade by Robert Hollond Esq.,,Monck Mason, Esq., and Charles Green,
aeronaut-Written by Monck Mason.
" To Robert Hollond, Esq., to whose liberal and enterprising spirit
the late expedition owes its origin and success, the following
sketch is inscribed, as a slight testimony of the regard and respect in which he is held by his sincere friend and faithful
servant,                                     M. MASON.
"Paris, Dec. 1836.
ACCOUNT OF THE AERONAUTICAL EXPEDITION FROM LONDON TO
WEILBURG.
" THE interest with which the public at all times appear to have
regarded the progress of aerostation, and especially the very flattering concern which they have deigned so unequivocally to express for the successful issue of our late undertaking, have concurred in inducing me to abandon the usual path of communication hitherto adopted upon such occasions, and confirm me in
the opinion that some account, more accurate and detailed than
is generally to be found in the columns of the public press, might
not prove unacceptable to those for whose sympathy and consideration we can never acknowledge ourselves sufficiently grateful.
In this belief, which I hope may not be deemed fallacious, I have
seized the first vacant moment since our descent, to embody in
the present form all those incidents and observations to which a
voyage so singular is so amply calculated to give rise. It is




FROM LONDON TO WEILBURG.                     113
true that many of these have already reached the public ear
through the medium of the public press, while at the same time,
no doubt, much of the interest which owes its origin to the uncertainty and supposed peril of such exploits must have already
subsided in the knowledge of the result, and of the leading features, which our duty to the public made it imperative upon us
immediately to divulge.  It is not, however, in the mere issue,
successful or unsuccessful, that the chief merit or importance of
such an enterprise can alone be said to consist. Designed with a
view to special ends, and undertaken for the sole purpose of ascertaining and establishing the efficacy of certain improvements
in the art, from which most beneficial results were, and I am
now happy to add are, most likely to accrue, it becomes no less
an obligation to ourselves than to the world in general, to make
them partakers in the knowledge of whatever interesting or important circumstances either accompanied the progress of our
expedition, or may justly be expected to attend the adoption of
those improvements, the merits of which it was our sole object
in the present instance to confirm.
"From  the time of the first discovery of the properties and
power of the balloon,* up to a late period (already a lapse of
more than half a century), a variety of obstacles apparently insurmountable continued to obstruct the progress, and paralyze
the efforts of all who sought to render it obedient to the sway of
human will, and subservient to the purposes of human life.  The
chief of these impediments consisted in the uncertainty and expense attending the process of inflation from the employment of
hydrogen gas; the dangers considered inseparable from the practice of the art; the difficulties which hitherto have baffled all attempts to give a direction to the ungovernable mass, and the impossibility which all previous aeronauts have experienced of remaining in the air a sufficient time to ensure the attainment of a
sufficient distance.
"To remove these obstacles and reduce the aerial vehicle to a
more certain issue, a vast extent of actual experience, united to an
intellect capable of turning it to a proper account, was absolutely
required; and it would be an act of much injustice were I not to
* It may not be uninteresting to those concerned in the annals of aerostation, to mention that the widow of the celebrated Montgolfier, the first
inventor of the balloon, to which his name continues to be attached, is at
this present moment living in Paris; and, though in her eighty-second
year, in the perfect enjoyment of all her faculties, ardent il the advancement of the art, and hospitable in the reception of those who cultivate it.
I had the pleasure of dining at her table, since our arrival, and of hearing
from her own lips many of those curious anecdotes illustrative of its origin
and progress, which, indeed, appear at all times to have accompanied the
first dawning of great and important discoveries.
8




114                   BALLOON VOYAGE
declare, that it is to the combination of both these in the person
of Mr. Charles Green, that we are indebted for the entire results
of all that is beneficial in the practice, or novel in the theory of
this, the most delightful and sublime of all sublunary enjoyments.
"It was to him, and to his discovery of the applicability of
coal gas to the purposes of inflation, that we owe the removal of
the first of those impediments in practice, which till then had
continued to weigh down with a leaden hand the efforts of the
most indefatigable and expert, and had, in fact, bid fair to quench
the incipient science in its very onset.
"Up to the period of that discovery, the process of inflation
was one, the expense of which was only to be equaled by its
uncertainty: two, and sometimes even three days of watchful
anxiety have been expended in the vain endeavors to procure a
sufficiency of hydrogen to fill a balloon, from which, on account.
of its peculiar affinities, it continued to escape almost as fast as
it was generated; during all which time the various casualties of
wind and weather, the inevitable imperfections of a vast and
cumbrous apparatus, and above all the enormous expense attending this operation, were to be incurred and endured, for the sole
purpose, and with the sole object of remaining for a few hours
helplessly suspended in the air. Under such disadvantages, all
prospect of advancement in the art had speedily disappeared;
and it was only by the timely intervention of Mr. Green's ingenious application that the art itself was saved from  a premature
extinction-aerostation had gone to sleep, when, roused by this
discovery, she awoke to redoubled efforts, and rendered that, in
the hands of the skillful, a profession and a profit, which before
had ever been a matter of doubt, difficulty, and distress.*
"With respect to the next of those impediments, which in the
opinion of mankind might have continued to oppose the adoption
of aerostation as an organ of general utility-I mean the danger
usually considered as consequent upon the exercise of the art,
much is not required to prove the fallacy of such fears; two
hundred and twenty-six ascents,t undertaken at all periods of the
year, without one disappointment to the public, and without one
* Independent of the diminution of expense and risk, from the employment of coal gas, in preference to hydrogen, for the purpose of inflation,
there are other advantages of great importance, one of which merits special
notice. I allude to the superior facility with which the latter is retained
in the balloon, owing to the greater subtility of the particles of hydrogen,
and the strong affinity which they exhibit for those of the surrounding
atmosphere. In a balloon, sufficiently perfect to retain its contents of
coal gas unaltered in quality or amount for the space of six months, an
equal quantity of hydrogen could not be maintained in equal purity for
an equal number of weeks.
t The amount of Mr. Green's public ascents, up to the present period.




FROM LONDON TO WEILBURG.                      115
solitary instance of fatal consequences, or even of an accident of
disagreeable results (except from the intervention of malice),*
ought to be a sufficient proof of how little danger is to be apprehended in the practice of aerostation, when, under the management of a skillful leader, and with the aid of those improvements
to which his experience has given rise.  It is not from the bungling efforts of unqualified persons that any judgment should be
formed on this or other matters of practical detail; and where
that skill is present, without which no one has a right to expect
success, and those precautions have been observed which experience has shown to be requisite, I do not hesitate to say, that the
practice of aerostation is as devoid of extraordinary danger as
that of any other mode of conveyance hitherto adopted.t
"Great, however, as are the merits of Mr. Green's previous
discoveries, they may be said to yield in importance to that
whereby he has succeeded in enabling the aeronaut to maintain
the power of his balloon undiminished during the continuance of
the most protracted voyage it could ever be required to perform.
In order fully to comprehend the value of this discovery, which
more immediately formed the object of our late enterprise, it is
necessary that some idea should be had of the difficulties it was
intended to obviate, and of the effects they were calculated to
produce upon the further progress of aerostation.  When a balloon ascends to navigate the atmosphere, independent of the loss
of power occasioned by its own imperfections, an incessant waste
of its resources in gas and ballast becomes the inevitable consequence of its situation. No sooner has it quitted the earth than it is
immediately subjected to the influence of a variety of circumstances
tendingto create a difference in its weight; augmentingor diminishing, as the case may be, the power by the means of which it is
* In an ascent from Cheltenham, a few years ago, in which Mr. Green
was accompanied by Mr. Griffiths, some malicious scoundrel contrived to
sever the ropes of the car in such a manner as not to be perceived before
the balloon had reached a considerable elevation, whereby the parties were
precipitated to the ground, and very narrowly escaped destruction. Neither
the author of this premeditated villainy, nor the design it was intended to
answer, has ever yet been discovered, although a reward of one hundred
guineas was immediately offered for his detection.
t It will be observed, that no reference is here made to the state of the
art in respect of the power of guiding the balloon according to a given
direction; the want of which, is generally considered as the most effectual
obstacle to its further progress and adaptation to the ordinary purposes of
human life. As the discussion, however, of this question would tend to a
considerable digression, and as it lillwise formed no part of the project in
pursuance of which our late expedition was undertaken, I have thought it
preferable to omit all mention of it for the present, reserving for a future
opportunity a more elaborate investigation of the case, than would be here
either consistent or ameable.




116                   BALLOON VOYAGE
supported.  The deposition or evaporation of humidity to the
extent, in proportion to its size, of several hundred weight; the
alternate heating and cooling of its gaseous contents by the remotion or interposition of clouds between the object itself and
the influence of the solar rays, with a variety of other more secret,
though not less powerful agencies, all so combine to destroy the
equilibrium which it is the main object of the aeronaut to preserve, that scarcely a moment passes without some call for his
interposition, either to check the descent of the balloon by the
relection of ballast, or to control its ascent by the proportionate
discharge of gas; a process by which, it is unnecessary to observe,
the whole power of the balloon, however great its dimensions,
must in time be exhausted, and sooner or later terminate its career
by succumbing to the laws of terrestrial gravitation.  By the
simple contrivance of a rope of the requisite magnitude and extent, trailing on the ground beneath (and if over the sea, with a
sufficient quantity of liquid ballast contained in vessels floating
on its surface), have all these difficulties been overcome, and all
the features of the art completely  and  effectually reversed.
Harnessed to the earth or ocean, by a power too great for her to
resist, it is in vain the balloon endeavors to change the level
of her onward course; every foot she would have been otherwise
compelled to add to her elevation now only adds to her weight,
by her endeavors to abstract from the earth a further portion of
that rope which is dependent upon its surface; while, on the other
hand, every foot she would have been inclined to descend, had
she been at liberty as heretofore, now only abstracts from the
weight which draws her downward, by throwing on the earth the
labor of supporting an additional portion of the guide-rope, which
she would otherwise have had to sustain without relief. Limited
to one unalterable plane, all the fluctuations above mentioned,
whereby her irreparable stock of power became subjected to incessant waste, have thus completely been avoided, and not only
her ascensive force maintained in its full vigor throughout a
period determinable solely by her own imperfections, but at all
times, and under all circumstances, over the boundless ocean
without a landmark in the densest fog, and throughout the darkest
night the exact direction of her course, as well as the very rate
of herprogress, determined with the utmost facility and most infallible results.* The main feature, however, in this discovery,
* The progress of the guide-rope being delayed to a certain extent by
its motion over the more solid plane ofthe earth's surface, while the movement of the balloon is as freely as ever controlled by the propelling action
of the wind, it is evident that the direction of the latter when in progress,
must ever be in advance of the former; a comparison therefore of the relative positions of these two objects by means of tlWcompass, must at all




FROM LONDON TO WEILBURG.                     117
is the altered aspect under which it enables the aeronaut to regard
the perils of the sea, and the consequent extension it bestows
upon the hitherto limited sphere of his relations.  The ocean,
now no longer the dreaded enemy of the aerial voyager, becomes
at once his greatest friend; and instead of opposing his progress,
offers him advantages more certain and efficacious than even the
earth itself with all its presumed- security, is calculated to contribute.
"Such then was the actual state of aerostation when Mr.
Robert Hollond, a gentleman who had long cultivated a practical acquaintance with the art, resolved to afford an opportunity
for a full display, and unequivocal determination of the merits of
these discoveries, by undertaking at his own expense to fit out an
expedition, under the guidance of Mr. Green (in which he was
so kind as to include me), for the purpose and with the intention
of starting from London, and proceeding (in whatever direction
the winds at that time prevailing might happen to convey us), to
such a distance as would suffice to answer the ends for which the
voyage was especially designed.  Accordingly, the proprietors,
Messrs. Gye and Hughes, having kindly conceded the use of
the great Vauxhall balloon and of their premises, for the purpose
of the ascent; after several unavoidable delays, occasioned
chiefly by the weather, the day of departure was fixed for Monday, November 7th, 1836, and the process of inflation having been
commenced at an early hour, everything was gotready for starting by one o'clock in the afternoon of the same day.
" The appearance which the balloon exhibited previous to the
ascent, was no less interesting than strange. Provisions, which
had bqen calculated for a fortnight's consumption in case of
emergency; ballast to the amount of upwards of a ton in weight,
disposed in bags of different sizes, duly registered and marked, together with an unusual supply of cordage, implements, and other
accessories to an aerial excursion, occupied the bottom of the car;
while all around the hoop, and elsewhere appended, hung cloaks,
carpet-bags, barrels of wood and c6pper, coffee-warmer,* barometimes indicate the exact direction of her course; while with equal certainty, an estimate can at once be obtained of the velocity with which she
is proceeding, by observing the angle formed by the guide-rope and the
vertical axis of the machine. In proportion as this angle enlarges, an increase in the rate of the balloon may be infallibly inferred; and, vice versa,
its diminution will be found to'correspond exactly with the diminished
velocity of her advance. When the rope is dependent perpendicularly,
no angle of course is formed, and the machine may be considered as perfectly stationary, or at least endowed with a rate of motion too insignificant
to be either appreciable or important.
* A machine had been contrived for the purpose of warming coffee and
other liquors, without the intervention of fire, by the means of slaked




118                    BALLOON VOYAGE
ters, telescopes, lamps, wine jars and spirit flasks, with many other
articles, designed to serve the purposes of a voyage to regions,
where once forgotten, nothing could be again supplied.
"Among the other matters with which we had taken the precaution to provide ourselves, were passports directed to all parts
of the continent, specifying the peculiar nature of our voyage,
and entitling us to exemption from the usual formalities of office.
" In addition to these, we were also charged with a letter to
His Majesty the King of Holland, from  Mr. May, His Majesty's
Consul-General in London; which was put into the post-office
at Coblentz, on the evening  of the day  succeeding  our departure.*
" Thus prepared, and duly accoutred, at half-past one o'clock
the balloon was dismissed from  the ground, and rising gently
under the influence of a moderate breeze, bore speedily away towards the south-east, traversing in her course the cultivated
plains of Kent, and passing in succession nearly over the towns
of Eltham, Bromley, Footscray, and others, whose variegated
outlines beautifully diversified the rich landscape that lay beneath us.  The weather was uncommonly fine for the time of
year; a few light clouds alone floated in the sky, and at least as
usefil as ornamental, served to indicate the existence of different
currents at different altitudes; an information of which, it will
lime, which answered the purpose sufficiently well, although the danger
which it was intended by these precautions to avoid, is really not such as
to require the aid of such appliances; with that degree of prudence and attention which can at all times be commanded, no real peril is to be apprehended from the use of actual fire. During the whole night, we had a
lamp constantly burning, nor did we at any time suffer anxiety on account
of its presence, or perceive any occasion, even temporarily, to wish for its
extinction.
* Of the due arrival of this letter, and his Majesty's gracious reception
of it, we received the following testimony in a letter from Mr. May, shortly after we reached Paris.
London, November 28, 1836.
SIR-Perceiving from the accounts in the newspapers that you and your
friends have arrived at Paris, I lose no time in having the satisfaction of
thanking you very sincerely, for the care taken of the letter I took the
liberty of entrusting to your kindness, for the purpose of having it forwarded to the king, at the Hague; it reached its destination on the 12th
of November, through the post-office at Coblentz, and his majesty was
very much gratified at receiving a letter from England, by so novel a mode
of conveyance as a balloon. The king has written a memorandum on the
letter "to be carefully preserved;" wishing to keep it as a remembrance of
this, as yet, extraordinary occurrence. I congratulate you and your companions on the success of your enterprise, and remain with great regard,
sir,
Your most obedient, humble servant,
J. W. MAY.




FROM LONDON TO WEILBURG.                      119
be seen hereafter, we were enabled to avail ourselves with much
effect.
"Continuing in a south-easterly direction, at forty-eight minutes past twos we crossed the Medway, at the distance of about
six miles to the west of Rochester, and in little more than an
hour aftert were in sight of the city of Canterbury, the lofty
towers of its cathedral bearing distant about two miles in a westerly direction.  In honor of the mayor and inhabitants of that
city, under whose patronage our celebrated pilot had twice before ascended, we lowered a small parachute containing a letter
addressed to the mayor, and couched in such terms as our hurried passage would permit us to indite.:
" In a few minutes after,~ we obtained our first view of the
sea, brightening under the last rays of a setting sun, and occupying the extreme verge of the horizon, in the direction in which
we were now rapidly advancing.
During the latter period of this part of our voyage, the balloon,
perhaps owing to the condensation occasioned by the approaching shades of evening, had been gradually diminishing-her altitude, and for some time past had continued so near the earth as
to enable us, without much exertion, to carry on a conversation
with such of the inhabitants as happened to be in our immediate
vicinity.  So close, indeed, were we, at one time, as to be able
distinctly to observe a covey of partridges, which either our approach, or some other equally dreaded apparition, had dislodged
from their resting place, and sent to seek a refuge on the borders
of a wood which lay adjacent.  A whole colony of rools, alarmed
no doubt by our formidable appearance, rose, likewise, in dismay, and, after rending the air for miles round with their cries,
and vainly trying the protection of the neighboring woods, finally
dispersed, scattering themselves in every direction over the surface of the earth beneath.
"It was at this period of our voyage that the first opportunity
occurred of showing how far it was possible for the skillful and
* The times and distances, as well as the direction of our course by the
compass, during the voyage, being taken from the notes kept by Mr. Hollond on the occasion, will account for the exact correspondence on these
points, between the different relations already before the public, which,
without this explanation, might perhaps appear to border a little on the
extraordinary.
t Five minutes past four.
I Of the due receipt of this letter, as well as of one to the same effect,
which we subsequently addressed to the mayor of Dover, we have since
been informed; though the others which we discharged by similar means,
at different periods of our voyage, we have reason to believe, never reached
the hands for which they were designed,
2 Fifteen minutes past four,




120                   BALLOON VOYAGE
experienced aeronaut to influence the course of his aerial vessel,
by availing himself of the advantages which circumstances frequently place at his disposal.  Shortly after we had lost sight of
the city of Canterbury, a considerable deviation appeared to have
taken place in the direction of our route. Instead of pursuing
our former line of south by east, which was that of the upper
current, by means of which we had hitherto advanced, it became
apparent that we were now rapidly bearing away upon one which
tended considerably to the northward, and which, had we continued to remain within the limits of its influence, would have
shortly brought us to sea, in the direction of the North Foreland.
As it had all along been an object to proceed as near to Paris as
circumstances would permit,* we resolved to recover as soon as
possible the advantages which a superior current had hitherto
afforded us; and accordingly rose to resume a station upon our
previous level.  Nothing could  exceed the beauty of this manceuvre, or the success with which the balloon acknowledged the
influence of her former associate.  Scarcely had the superfluous
burden been discharged proportioned to the effect required, when
slowly she arose, and sweeping majestically round the horizon,
obedient to the double impulse of her increasing elevation and
the gradual change of current, brought us successively in sight
of all those objects which we had shortly before left retiring behind
us, and in a few minutes placed us almost vertically over the castle of Dover, in the exact direction of crossing the Straits between
that town and Calais, where it is confined within its narrowest
limits. t
" It was forty-eight minutes past four when the first line of
waves breaking on the beach  appeared beneath us, and we
might be said to have fairly quitted the shores of our native soil,
and entered upon the hitherto dreaded regions of the sea.
" It would be impossible not to have been struck with the
grandeur of the prospect at this particular moment of our voyage;
* The proprietors of the balloon having contemplated making an ascent
from Paris, and Mr. Hollond having undertaken to transfer the balloon
thither, it became a consideration with us, not to increase, our distance
from that capital, more than was consistent with the main object of the
expedition.
t It was undoubtedly at this period of our voyage, while the rapidity of
our course appeared to be delayed by the circuitousness of our route, the
length of time we consequently remained in sight, and above all, the rectilinear direction of our approach, that originated the observation contained
in the newspapers, that the progress of the balloon did not exceed the
rate of four or five miles an hour; an assertion which a slight consideration of the time we had left London, and the distance we had accomplished, would have been sufficient to disprove. According to the above
method of calculation, the mean rate of our course, up to the time referred
to, was somewhat more than twenty-five miles an hour.




FROM LONDON TO WEILBURG.                     121
the more especially as the approaching shades of night rendered
it a matter of certainty that it would be the last, in which earth
would form a prominent feature, that we might expect to enjoy
for a considerable lapse of time. Behind us, the whole line of
English coast, its white cliffs melting into obscurity, appeared
sparkling with the scattered lights, which every moment augmented, among which the light-house at Dover formed a conspicuous feature, and for a long time served as a beacon whereby
to calculate the direction of our course.  On either side below
us the interminable ocean spread its complicated tissue of waves
without interruption or curtailment, except what arose from the
impending darkness, and the limited extent of our own perceptions; on the opposite side a dense barrier of clouds rising from
the ocean like a solid wall, fantastically surmounted, throughout
its whole length, with a gigantic representation of parapets and
turrets, batteries and bastions, and other features of mural fortifications, appeared as if designed to bar our further progress, and
completely obstructed all view of the shores, towards which we
were now  rapidly drawing.  In a few  minutes after, we had
entered within its dusky limits, and for a while became involved in the double obscurity of the surrounding vapors, and of
the gradual approach of night. Not a sound now reached our ears;
the beating of the waves upon the British shores had already died
away in silence, and from the ordinary effects of terrestrial agitation our present position had effectually excluded us.*
" In this situation,.we prepared to avail ourselves of those contrivances, the merits of which, as I have already stated, it was
one of the main objects of our expedition to ascertain; and consequently to provide against the loss of power by the increase of
weight proceeding from  the humidity of the atmosphere, naturally to be expected on the approach of night, we commenced
lowering the copper vessels which we had provided for the occasion.
"Scarcely, however, had we completed our design, and were
* I scarcely know whether it is an observation worthy of being committed to paper, that the sea, unless perhaps under circumstances of the most
extraordinary agitation, does not in itself appear to be the parent of the
slightest sound; unopposed by any material obstacle, an awful stillness
seems to reign over its motions. Nor do I think that even under any circumstances, no matter how, violent, can any considerable disturbance arise
from the conflict of its own opposing members. The impossibility of ever
having been placed in a situation to bring this fact under the cognizance of
our senses, is no doubt the reason why it has never before been noticed.
On the shore or in the sea, no one has ever been present, independent of
that material support, the absence of which is necessary to the success of
the experiment; it is in the balloon alone, suspended in elastic ether, that
such a phenomenon could either have been verified or observed.




122                  BALLOON VOYAGE
patiently awaiting the descent we had anticipated, when the faint
sound of the waves beating against the shore again returned upon
our ears, and awakened our attention. The first impression which
this event was calculated to convey, was that the wind had
changed, and that we were in the act of returning to the shores
we had so shortly before abandoned. A glance or two, however,
served to show us the fallacy of this impression; the well-known
lights of Calais and of the neighboring shores were already glittering beneath us; the barrier of clouds which I have before
mentioned as starting up so abruptly in our path, as abruptly terminated; and the whole adjacent coast of France, variegated with
lights, and ripe with all the nocturnal signs of population, burst at
once upon our view.  We had, in fact, crossed the sea; and in
the short space of about one hour, from the time we had quitted
the shores of England, were floating tranquilly, though rapidly,
above those of our Gallic neighbors.
" It was exactly fifty minutes past five when we had thoroughly
completed this trajet; the point at which.we first crossed the
French shore bearing distant about two miles to the westward of
the main body of the lights of Calais, our altitude at the time
being somewhat about three thousand feet above the level of the
ocean. As it was now perfectly dark, we lowered a Bengal light,
at the end of a long cord, in order to signify our presence to the
inhabitants below; shortly after, we had the satisfaction to hear
the beating of drums, but whether on our account, or merely in
performance of the usual routine of military duty, we were not
at the tite exactly able to determine.
"Before dismissing the sea, a word or two seems required to
counteract a vague and incorrect impression regarding its peculiar
influence upon the buoyancy of the balloon, arising from the difficulties experienced by Messrs. Blanchard and Jeffries in their
passage of the same straits in the year 1785, and the apparently
unaccountable remotion of their difficulties as soon as they had
reached the opposite coast. So many, however, are the circumstances within the range of aeronautical experience to which,
without intruding upon the marvellous, or calling new affinities
into existence, these effects can be satisfactorily attributed, that
the actual difficulty lies in ascertaining to which of them they
are most likely to have owed their origin: of these the increase
of weight by the deposition of humidity on the surface of the balloon, occasioned by the colder atmosphere through which the first
part of their journey had to be pursued, and the subsequent
evaporation of the same by the rise of temperature to which they
necessarily became subjected as soon as they came within the
calorific influence of the land, is in itself quite sufficient to explain the difference that existed in the buoyancy of the balloon,




FROM LONDON TO WEILBURG.                  123
during the different stages of its progress.  Even in the absence
of any humidity whereby the actual weight of the balloon could
have been increased, the mere diminution of temperature, by condensing its gaseous contents; and their subsequent rarefaction by
the altered temperature they were sure to encounter when they
reached the opposite coast, are more than enough to account for
much greater effects than even those to which it is here intended
to apply. As far as we were concerned, certainly no such uncommon impression was observable, nor did we experience any
diminution of ascensive power in our transit across the sea, beyond what we should have expected under similar circumstances
over a similar extent of land.
" The night having now completely closed in, and no prospect
of any assistance from the moon to facilitate our researches, it
was only by means of the lights which either singly or in masses,
appeared spreading in every direction, that we could hope to take
any account of the nature of the country we were traversing, or
form any opinion of the towns or villages which were continually
becoming subjected to our view.
" The scene itself was one which exceeds description.  The
whole plane of the earth's surface, for many and many a league
around, as far and farther than the eye distinctly could embrace,
seemed absolutely teeming with the scattered fires of a watchful
population, and exhibited a starry spectacle below that almost
rivaled in brilliancy the remoter lustre of the concave firmament
above. Incessantly, during the earlier portion of the night, ere
the vigilant inhabitants had finally retired to rest, large sources of
light, betokening the presence of some more extensive community,
would appear just looming above the distant horizon in the direction in which we were advancing, bearing at first no faint resemblance to the effect produced by some vast conflagration, when
seen from such a distance as to preclude the minute investigation
of its details. By degrees, as we drew nigh, this confused mass
of illumination would appear to increase in intensity, extending
itself over a larger portion of the earth, and assuming a distincter
form and a more imposing appearance, until at length, having attained a position from whence we could more immediately direct
our view, it would gradually resolve itself into its parts, and
shooting out into streets, or spreading into squares, present us
with the most perfect model of a town, diminished only in size,
according to the elevation from which we happened at the time
to observe it.
"It would be very difficult, if not impossible, to convey to the
minds of the uninitiated any adequate idea of the stupendous
effect which such an exhibition, under all its concomitant peculiarities, was calculated to create. That we were, by such a




124                  BALLOON VOYAGE
mode of conveyance, amid the vast solitude of the skies, in the
dead of night, unknown and unnoticed, secretly and silently reviewing kingdoms, exploring territories, and surveying cities, in
such rapid succession as scarcely to afford time for criticism or
conjecture, was in itself a consideration sufficient to give sublimity to far less interesting scenes than those which formed the
subject of our present contemplations.  If to this be added the
uncertainty that from henceforward began to pervade the whole
of our course-an uncertainty that every moment increased as we
proceeded deeper into the shades of night, and became further
removed from those landmarks to which we might have referred
in aid of our conjectures, clothing everything with the dark mantle
of mystery, and leaving us in doubt more perplexing even than
ignorance as to where we were, whither we were proceeding, and
what were the objects that so much attracted our attention-some
faint idea may be formed of the peculiarity of our situation and of
the impressions to which it naturally gave rise.
"In this manner, and under the influence of these sentiments,
did we traverse with rapid strides a large and interesting portion
of the European Continent; embracing within our horizon an
immense succession of towns and villages, whereof those which
occurred during the earlier part of the night, the presence of their
artificial illumination alone enabled us to distinguish.
"Among these latter, one in particular, both from  its own
superior attractions, the length of time it continued within our
view, and the uninterrupted prospect which our position directly
above it, enabled us to command, captivated our attention and
elicited constant expressions of mingled admiration and surprise.
Situated in the centre of a district which actually appeared to
blaze with the innumerable fires wherewith it was studded in
every direction to the full extent of all our visible horizon, it
seemed to offer in itself, and at one glance, an epitome of all
those charms which we had been previously observing in detail.
The perfect correctness with which every line of street was marked
out by its particular line of fires; the forms and positions of the
more important features of the city, the theatres and squares, the
markets and public buildings, indicated by the presence of the
larger and more irregular accumulation of lights, added to the
faint murmur of a busy population still actively engaged in the
pursuits of pleasure or the avocations of gain, all together combined to form a picture which for singularity and effect certainly
could never have been before conceived.  This was the city of
Liege, remarkable from the extensive iron works which, abounding in its neighborhood, occasioned the peculiar appearance
already described, and at the time led to that conjecture con



FROM LONDON TO WEILBURG.                    125
cerning its identity, the truth of which a subsequent inquiry
enabled us to confirm.
"This was the last spectacle of the kind which we were destined to enjoy.  Scarcely had we completely cleared the town
and the fiery region in which it was embosomed, ere an unbroken
obscurity, more profound than any we had yet experienced, involved us in its folds, and effectually excluded every terrestrial
object from our view.
" It was now past midnight, and the world and its inhabitants
had finally committed themselves to repose.  Every light was
extinguished, and every sound hushed into silence; even the
cheerful tones of the vigilant watch-dog, which had frequently
contributed to enliven our course during the previous portion of
the night, had now ceased; and darkness and tranquillity reigned
paramount over the whole adjacent surface of the globe.
" From this period of our voyage until the dawning of the following day, the record of our adventures becomes tinged with
the obscurity of night. The face of nature completely excluded
from our view, except when circumstances occasionally brought
us into nearer contact with the earth, all our observations during
the above period are necessarily confined to a register of incidents and sensations nmingled with vague conjectures, and clouded
with the mystery wherewith darkness and uncertainty were destined to involve so large a portion'of the remainder of our expedition.  The moon, to which we might have looked up for
companionship and assistance, had she been present, was nowhere to be seen.  The sky, at all times darker when viewed
from an elevation than it appears to those inhabiting the lower
regions of the earth, seemed almost black with the intensity of
night; while, by contrast, no doubt, and the remotion of intervening vapors, the stars, redoubled in their lustre, shone like
sparks of the whitest silver scattered upon the jetty dome around
us.  Occasionally faint flashes of lightning, proceeding chiefly
from the northern hemisphere, would for an instant illuminate the
horizon, and after disclosing a transient prospect of the adjacent
country, suddenly subside, leaving us involved in more than our
original obscurity. Nothing in fact could exceed the density of
night which prevailed during this particular period of the voyage.
Not a single object of terrestrial nature could anywhere be distinguished; an unfathomable abyss of' darkness visible' seemed
to encompass us on every side; and as we looked forward into its
black obscurity in the direction in which we were proceeding, we
could scarcely avoid the impression that we were cleaving our
way through an interminable mass of black marble in which we
were imbedded, and which, solid a few inches before us, seemed
to soften as we approached, in order to admit us still farther




126                  BALLOON VOYAGE
within the precincts of its cold and dusky enclosure.  Even the
lights which at times we lowered from the car, instead of dispelling, only tended to augment the intensity of the surrounding
darkness, and as they descended deeper into its frozen bosom,
appeared absolutely to melt their way onward by means of the
heat which they generated in their course.
"The cold, during this part of the night especially, was certainly intense, as could be perceived not less from the indications
of the thermometer (ranging variously from within a few degrees
below, to the point of congelation), than from the effects which it
produced upon the different liquors wherewith we were provided.
The water, coffee, and, of course, the oil in our several vessels
were completely frozen; and it was only by the actual application of the heat of the lamp that we were enabled to procure a
sufficiency of the latter to supply our wants, during the long term
of darkness to which we were about to be subjected.
" Strange, however, as it may appear, while all around bore
such unequivocal testimony to the severity of the cold, the effects
produced upon our persons, undefended as they were by any extraordinary precautions, were by no means commensurate to the
cause, nor such as even, under ordinary circumstances, we might
fairly have expected to encounter. The reason to which may be
attributed this unusual exemption from the consequences of a low
temperature, is the absence of all current of air, the natural result of our situation, and one of the peculiar characteristics of
aerial navigation.*
"To this intensity of cold, preceded by a long subjection to
the action of a humid atmosphere, while floating at a lower elevation, is likewise to be attributed the occurrence of an incident,
which, for the impression it is calculated to produce upon the
minds of those who experience it for the first time, and in ignorance of its cause, merits particularly to be noticed.
"It was about half-past three in the morning, when the balloon,
having gained a sudden accession of power, owing to a discharge
of ballast, which had taken place a few minutes before, while
navigating too near the earth to be considered perfectly safe in a
country, with the main features of which we were totally unacquainted, began to rise with considerable rapidity, and ere we
had taken the customary means to check her ascent, had already
attained an elevation of upwards of twelve thousand feet. At
this moment, while all around is impenetrable darkness, and still* After what has been stated respecting the temperature to which we
were subjected, it will be unnecessary to offer any further disproval of the
absurd reports which were circulated concerning its severity, and the
serious consequences which we were supposed to have suffered from our
exposure to it during the night.




FROM LONDON TO WEILBURG.                    127
ness most profound, an unusual explosion issues from  the machine above, followed instantaneously by a violent rustling of
the silk, and all the signs which may be supposed to accompany the bursting of the balloon, in a region where nothing but
itself exists to give occasion to such awful and unnatural disturbance. In the same instant, the car, as if suddenly detached from
its hold, becomes subjected to a violent concussion, and appears
at once to be in the act of sinking, with all its contents, into the
dark abyss below.  A second and a third explosion follow in
quick succession, accompanied by a recurrence dof the same
astounding effects; leaving not a doubt upon the mind of the
unconscious voyager of the fate which nothing now appears capable of averting.  In a moment after, all is tranquil and secure;
the balloon has recovered her usual form and stillness, and nothing appears to designate the unnatural agitation to which she
has been so lately and unaccountably subjected.  The occurrence
of this phenomenon, however strange it may appear, is, nevertheless, susceptible of the simplest resolution, and consists in the
tendency to enlargement from  remotion of pressure which the
balloon experiences in rising from a low to a higher position in
the atmosphere, and the resistance to this enlargement occasioned
by the net-work previously saturated with moisture, and subsequently congealed into the elliptical form which the dependent
weight of the car obliges it to assume, whenever the shrunken
capacity of the sphere it encompasses will admit of its longitudinal distension.  As this resistance is occasioned by the intervention of a non-elastic medium (the ice) which has bound the
meshes of the net-work in their contracted form, it is evident that
the liberation occasioned by their disrupture will not take place
until the internal pressure of the balloon has reached a certain
amount; when suddenly that liberation is accomplished, attended
by those collateral effects which we have already attempted to
describe.  The impression of the descent of the car in the above
representation is evidently a false one; the car, so far from sinking, actually springs up; it is the unexpectedness of such a movement, and its apparent inconsistency with the laws of gravitation,
that occasions the delusion, the reality of which the concomitant
circumstances essentially tend to confirm.
"Several times, during the latter part of the night, we had
approached so near to the earth, as to be enabled to observe,
imperfectly, it is true, some of its most prominent features, and
to obtain some faint idea of the nature of the ground beneath us.
At these times, we appeared to be traversing large tracts of country partially covered with snow, diversified with forests, and
intersected occasionally with rivers, of which the Meuse, in the
earlier part of the night, and the Rhine, towards the conclusion,




128                  BALLOON VOYAGE
formed, as we afterwards learned, the principal objects, both of
our admiration and of our conjectures.
"Large masses of fleecy clouds would, at times, likewise occupy the lower regions of the atmosphere, intercepting our view
as we descended, and for a while leaving us in doubt whether
they were not a continuation of those snowy districts which we
so frequently had occasion to remark.
" From out of this mass of vapors, more than once during the
night our ears became assailed with sounds bearing so strong a
resemblance to the rushing of waters in enormous volumes, or the
beating of the waves upon some extensive line of coast, that it
required all our powers of reasoning, aided by the certain knowledge we had of the direction we were pursuing, to remove the
conviction that we were approaching the precincts of the sea, and,
transported by the winds, were either thrown back upon the shores
of the German Ocean, or about to enter upon the remoter limits of
the Baltic.
" It would be endless to enumerate all the conjectures to which
this phenomenon gave rise, or the various manners by which we
endeavored to explain its occurrence. Among them those which
seemed to obtain the greatest credit, were that the sound proceeded from some vast forest, agitated by the winds; some rapid
river rushing impetuously over a broken and precipitous channel;
or, finally, that the misty vapors themselves, by the mutual action
of their watery particles, or their precipitated deposition upon the
irregular surface of the earth beneath, had occasioned the murmurs which, multiplied throughout so large a space, came.to our
ears, in the formidable accents to which we have above alluded.
According as the day drew  nigh, these appearances vanished,
with much of the doubts to which they had given rise. Instead
of the unbroken outline of the sea, an irregular surface of cultivated country began gradually to display itself; in the midst of
which the majestic river we had noticed for some time back,
appeared dividing the prospect, and losing itself in opposite directions amid the vapors that still clung to the summits of the hills,
or settled in the valleys that lay between them. Across this river
we now  directed our course, and shortly after lost sight of it
entirely, behind the gently swelling eminences by which it was
bordered on both sides.
"It was about six o'clock,* during an ascent which occurred
* The time referred to here, and elsewhere, throughout this narrative,
is that of Greenwich. Upon the completion of the voyage, a difference,
amounting to about thirty-four minutes, was found to exist between the
times indicated at its two extremes; the chronometers of Weilburg being
so much in advance of those of London. This difference was occasioned
by the easterly direction of our course, and the difference in latitude, to
the extent of eight degrees twenty minutes, between the two places.




FROM LONDON TO WEILBURG.                     129
shortly after we had crossed this river, that the balloon having
reached a considerable elevation, showed us our first view of the
sun, and gladdened us with the prospect of a speedy approach of
day. Powerful, indeed, must be the pen which could hope to do
justice to a scene like that which here presented itself to our
view.  The enormous extent of the prospectS-the boundless
variety it embraced-the unequaled grandeur of the objects it
displayed-the singular novelty of the manner under which they
were beheld-and the striking contrast they afforded to that situation and those scenes, to which we had so long and so lately been
confined, are effects and circumstances which no description is
capable of representing in the light in which they ought to be
placed, in order to be duly appreciated.  Better by far to leave it
to a fertile imagination to fill in the faint outlines of a rough and
unfinished sketch, than by a lame and imperfect coloring, run the
risk of marring a prospect, which, for grandeur and magnificence,
has certainly no parallel in all the vast and inexhaustible treasures of nature.
"This splendid spectacle, however, we were not long destined
to enjoy; a rapid descent, which shortly after ensued, for a while
concealed it from our view, and once more consigning us to the
shades of night, which still continued to reign unbroken throughout the lower region of the air.
"Again we rose within the reach of this delightful prospect;
and again did we lose sight of it, amid the vapors and obscurity
that accompanied our descent; nor was it till we had three times
made the sun rise, and twice beheld it set, that we could fairly
consider it established above the horizon, and daylight complete
upon the plane of the earth beneath us.
"From this time forward all our observation was principally
directed to the nature of the country, and its adaptation to the
descent which we had now resolved to effect the first fitting opportunity.  To this step, the uncertainty in which we necessarily
were, with respect to the exact position we occupied, owing to
our ignorance of the distance we had come, especially determined
us. For a long time past, the appearance of the country, so unlike
any with which we were acquainted, had led us to entertain
* If we only reflect, that our position, when at this altitude, could enable
us to behold objects at a distance of above one hundred and fifty miles
on every side of us; had these objects been sufficiently great, or sufficiently striking to fix the attention, some idea may be had of the vast
extent of our prospect, at this particular moment of our voyage. We shall
then be seen occupying the centre of a circle, whose diameter extending to
above three hundred miles in length, afforded us a horizon, the circumference of which, extending an equal number of leagues, comprised within its
circuit an extent of visible surface, little short of eighty thousand square
miles.
9




130                 BALLOON VOYAGE
serious doubts as to whether we had not already passed the limits
of that part of Europe where we might expect to find the accommodation and conveniences which our own comfort, and the safety
of the balloon, imperatively demanded. This opinion, the large
tracts of snow over which we had passed, during the latter part
of the night, bearing a strong resemblance to all we had hitherto
pictured to ourselves of the boundless plains of Poland, or the
barren and inhospitable Steppes of Russia, considerably tended
to confirm; and as the region we were immediately approaching
seemed to offer advantages which, under these circumstances,we
could not always hope to command, we resolved not to lose the occasion it so opportunely appeared to have afforded us. As soon as
we had come to this determination, all preparations were speedily
commenced for the descent; Ihe guide-rope was hauled in (an operation of much labor, owing to the bad construction and imperfect
action of the windlass), the grapnel and cable lowered, and everything got ready, that we might be able to avail ourselves of the first
and fittest opportunity that might occur. To this intent, likewise,
we quitted our exalted station, and sought a more humble and
appropriate level, along which we continued to range for some
time, and to a considerable distance; the yet early hour of the
day, deterring us from completing the descent, in the fear of not
obtaining that ready assistance from the inhabitants, which it is
always the main object of the aeronaut, if possible, to secure. As
the mists of the night began to clear away from the surface of the
soil, we were delighted to perceive a country intersected with
roads, dotted with villages, and enlivened with all the signs of
an abundant and industrious population.  One or two towns,
likewise, of superior pretensions, were distinctly to be seen;
giving promise of accommodation and advantages, which in our
present emergencies, and under our present convictions, were not
to be neglected.  Accordingly, having pitched upon the spot
most proper for the purpose, the valve was opened, and we commenced our descent.  The place so selected was a small grassy
vale, of about a quarter of a mile in breadth, embosomed in hills,
whose sides and summits were completely enveloped with trees.
Beyond this, on the opposite side, lay another valley of the same
description; the only one visible for many miles, where we could
conveniently effect our landing; an endless succession of forest
scenery, completing the landscape in the direction in which we
should have to proceed. Into the former of these we now precipitated our descent, with the design of alighting, if possible, in
the centre, clear of the woods, that enclosed it on all sides.  In
these hopes, we were, however, disappointed; the wind suddenly
increasing as we approached the ground, so much accelerated the
onward progress of the balloon, that before the grapnel could take




FROM LONDON TO WEILBURG.                   131
effectual hold of the soil, we had passed the middle of the valley,
and sweeping rapidly over the ground, were borne close against
the wooded declivity that flanked its eastern termination. To discharge a sufficiency of ballast to raise the balloon, and carry her
clear of the impending danger, was the natural remedy.  An
unexpected obstacle to this operation here again presented itself:
the sand, which forms the ballast, frozen, during the night into
a solid block of stone, refused to quit the bag in the proportion
required; and no time remained to search for one more suited to
the occasion.  Not a moment, was, in fact, to be lost; the valley
was passed, and the branches of the trees, that clotted the opposing precipice, were already within a few feet of the balloon; the
grapnel continued to drag, and no chance appeared of arresting
her progress onward.  In this emergency, one alternative alone
remained, and the sack itself, with all its contents, to the amount
of fifty-six pounds in weight, was at once consigned to the earth.
In a moment, the balloon, lightened of so large a portion of her
burden, had sprung up above one thousand feet, and clearing the
mountain at a bound, was soon in rapid progress to the realms
above.  To counteract the consequence of this sudden accession
of power, and avoid being carried beyond the reach of the second
valley, which we have already described, as the only other available spot for our descent, the valve was again opened, and issue
given to a large quantity of gas; sufficient, as was calculated, to
check the course of the balloon, in time to enable us to attain the
point to which all our views were now directed. A second time,
however, were we doomed to be disappointed. No sooner had we
completed this manceuvre, than by another caprice of nature, the
wind suddenly abating, we found ourselves at once becalmed,
and rapidly descending into the bosom of the woods that capped
the summit, and clothed the sides of the intervening eminences.
From this dilemma, we were only relieved by the timely discharge
of a further portion of our weight; not, however, before the accelerated descent of the balloon, had brought us within a cable's
length of the ground,* and almost in contact with the upper surface of the wood.  Here, for a few moments, we continued to
hover; the grapnel struggling with the topmost branches of the
trees, and grasping and relinquishing its hold, according to the
varying impulse of the slight wind that prevailed at our elevation.
While in this situation, we perceived, standing in the path of the
wood, two females, the first inhabitants we had noticed, lost in
astonishment, and  absolutely petrified with  gazing  upon so
astounding an apparition.  It was in vain we addressed them
* The length of the cable, to which the grapnel is attached, is about one
hundred and twenty feet.




132                   BALLOON VOYAGE
with a speaking-trumpet, in the hopes of procuring the assistance
of some of the male population, which we conjectured could not
be far off; the sound of our voices, proceeding from such an altitude, and invested with such an unearthly character, only augmented their astonishment, and added to their fears; they fled
incontinently, and without waiting farther parley, sought the
shelter of the neighboring coverts.
" After continuing for a few minutes longer in these straits,
we at length reached the confines of the wood; when, resolving
not to be again baffled in our designs by the treacherous inconstancy of the wind, the valve was opened to its fullest dimensions, and the grapnel taking hold shortly after, we came to the
ground with considerable, though by no means, disagreeable
rapidity.*
" As soon as the descent was completed, and the power of the
balloon sufficiently crippled to permit one of the party to quit the
car,t the inhabitants who had hitherto stood aloof regarding our
manceuvres from  behind the trees, began to flock in from all
quarters; eyeing at first our movements with considerable suspicion, and not seldom looking up in the direction from which
we had just alighted, in the expectation no doubt of witnessing
a repetition of this, to them, inexplicable phenomenon.
"A few words in German, however, served to dissipate their
fears and secure their services; when, as if eager by present assiduity to make amends for former backwardness, they absolutely
seemed to contend with each other in their exertions to afford us
assistance and execute our several behests.  To this kindly feeling we endeavored to contribute by every means in our power.
Our stock of biscuits, wine, and brandy, quickly disappeared,
with a relish which the novelty of the journey they had so lately
performed, tended no doubt, considerably to augment.  The
brandy, in particular, so much stronger than any they had ever
before essayed, attracted their special admiration; and as they
each in succession drank off their allowance, seemed by the
* Too much praise cannot be given to Mr. Green for his excellent conduct throughout the whole of this intricate pilotage. It is not by reading
a mere description of the difficulties encountered, and the manner by which
they were counteracted, that a correct judgment can be formed upon the
proper merits of such a case as this; a further consideration is necessary;
the knowledge that these difficulties did not proceed from the same source
as the remedies by which they were defeated. In this light it is, that the
conduct of our celebrated captain has a right to be criticised; the impediments were those of uncontrollable nature-the victory, and the means
employed to secure it, were all his own.
t It was half-past seven o'clock when this occurrence took place, and
our descent could be fairly said to be completed. The duration of our
-voyage may therefore be calculated at exactly eighteen hours.




FROM LONDON TO WEILBURG.                    133
exclamation of'Himmlischer Schnapps,'  which accompanied
every draught, as well as by the upward direction of their eyes,
to denote the quarter from which they now became fully convinced a beverage so delicious could  alone have proceeded.
From them we now also learned where it was that we really had
alighted, and for the first time became aware that we were in the
Grand Duchy of Nassau, and about two leagues from the town of
Weilburg, the nearest where we could expect to meet with the
accommodation which the circumstances of the case rendered
desirable.t  Thither, therefore, we determined to proceed, and
having procured a cart and horses for the transportation of the
balloon, we quitted this, to us, ever memorable spot, and attended by an amazing concourse of persons of every rank, age, and
sex, set out for Weilburg, which a few hours enabled us to attain.
" The fame of our adventure had, however, already preceded
us.  On our approach we found ourselves greeted with acclamations, and a ready welcome and honorable attentions awaited our
arrival; all the resources of the town were immediately placed at
our disposal; the use of the archducal manege was tendered for
the occupation of the balloon; and sentries, more indeed as a
guard of honor than protection, stationed at the doors and avenues
leading to the place of its reception.
" Here then we resolved to remain until our future movements
should be determined by the return of the letters we had dispatched to Paris immediately upon our descent.  In the meantime we took advantage of this delay to open and inflate the balloon, as well for the purpose of drying and examining it, as to
make some return for the obligations we were under, by contributing to gratify the curiosity of our hospitable entertainers.
It would be scarcely credible were I to relate the interest wherewith the inhabitants seemed to regard this, to them, novel exhibition; the numbers that poured in to witness it from all quarters
for many a league around, or the grateful acknowledgments with
which they never ceased to overwhelm us during the fortnight it
continued open to public inspection.
" Nothing in fact could surpass the courtesy and attention that
we experienced from  this simple-hearted and hospitable community during the whole period of our residence at Weilburg.
Every one seemed to vie with each other in conferring favor and
* The literal interpretation of the above expression is-" Celestial dram."
t The exact spot where the event took place was in a field adjacent to a
mill, known by the name of Dillhausen, situated in the valley of Elbern,
in the commune of Niederhausen, about two leagues from the town of
Weilburg; already, by a curious coincidence, noted in the annals of aerostation as the place where the celebrated M. Blanchard effected his landing
after an ascent which he made at Francfort in the year 1785.




134                  BALLOON VOYAGE
contributing to our entertainment; balls, dinners, concerts, and
other amusements in honor of our adventure were given without
intermission, and the congratulations of the city were presented
to us by a deputation of the principal citizens, headed by their
chief civil officer, in the form of a document duly signed and
sealed by the competent authorities.  Among the festive recreations to which our unexpected arrival at Weilburg gave rise, we
must not omit to mention the ceremony of christening the balloon,
which took place the day previous to our departure; the Baron de
Bibra, Grand Maitre des Eaux et Forets, and the Colonel, Baron
de Preen, being the godfathers; the Baroness de Bibra and the
Baroness de Dungern the godmothers, on the occasion. The balloon having been inflated to the greatest size the dimensions of
the place would admit, eight young ladies, in company with Mr.
Green, entered within the gigantic sphere, and the name of' The
Great Balloon of Nassau' having been bestowed by one of their
number, Mdlle. Theresa, the lovely and amiable daughter of the
Baron de Bibra, accompanied by a copious libation of wine, the
ceremony was concluded with a collation, consisting of the remains of our stock of provisions which had been unconsumed at
the time of our descent.
"From  such an universal display of hospitality and kindness
it would be difficult to single out any to whom in particular our
thanks are due: among those, however, whose station and circumstances entitle them to especial notice, were the Baron de
Bibra, Grand Maitre des Eaux et Forets; the Baron de Dungern,
Grand Ecuyer de son Altesse, pensionne; the Colonel, Baron de
Preen, and their respective ladies; M. Hutschsteiner, Premier
Conseiller de Medecine; M. Giesse, Premier Conseiller de Justice; M. Freydemann, Superior of the University, and M. Barbieux, likewise attached to the same establishment, together with
a variety of others, the mere repetition of whose names would
prove but a little recompense for the kindness we received at
their hands. Through the Baron de Bibra, likewise, we took the
opportunity to present to his Highness the Archduke of Nassau
the flags' which accompanied the expedition, as a slight token of
the hospitable reception we had experienced in his territories,
* Besides the usual national insignia, these flags presented a series of
allegorical representations descriptive of the rise and progress of aerostation. Independent, however, of any merit which they might possess from
their execution or design, there was one circumstance in their history which
rendered them invaluable in the eyes of the aeronaut; they had already
performed two hundred and twenty-one voyages in the air; having been
the constant companions of Mr. Green's excursions ever since his fifth
ascent, wherein he had the misfortune to lose his balloon and all it contained in the sea off Beechy Head.




FROM LONDON TO WEILBURG.                      135
with a request that they should be preserved in commemoration
of the occurrence, among the archives of the Ducal Palace at
Weilburg, where they now  lie alongside of that which half a
century before M. Blanchard deposited in like manner to perpetuate the remembrance of a like event.
"Thus ended an expedition, which, whether we regard the
extent of country it passed over, the time wherein it was performed, or the result of the experiment for the sake of which it
was undertaken, may fairly claim to be considered among the
most interesting and important which have hitherto proceeded
from the same source.  Starting from London, and traversing the
sea, which mere accident alone prevented from forming a more
important feature in our route, in the short space of eighteen
hours, we performed a voyage which, including only those deviations we have since been enabled to ascertain, rather exceed than
falls short of an extent of five hundred British miles.
"It would be endless as well useless, to enumerate all the
places of name or notoriety, which a subsequent examination of
the map, aided by the reports of our appearance at different
stations by the way, showed us to have either passed over or
approached at some period or other during this extraordinary peregrination. A considerable portion of five kingdoms, England,
France, Belgium, Prussian Germany, and the Archduchy of Nassau; a long succession of cities, including London, Rochester,
Canterbury, Dover, Calais, Cassel, Ypres, Courtray, Lille, Audenaerde, Ath, Brussels, with the renowned fields of Waterloo and
Genappe, Namur, Liege, Spa, Malmedy, Coblentz, and a whole
host of intermediary villages of minor note, were all brought
within the compass of our horizon, which our superior elevation*
* The propriety of economizing our resources during the commencement of a voyage, the duration of which was a matter of uncertainty,
occasioned our mean altitude to be rather under than over the extreme of
aeronautical adventure. In the morning, however, as these necessities
became less urgent, and we could afford to devote something to mere
amusement, we frequently rose to an elevation of about twelve thousand
feet, occasionally higher. At no time, however, did we experience the
slightest effect upon our bodies, proceeding from the diminished pressure
of the atmosphere. Nor, from what my own observations, and still more
those of Mr. Green (whose experience in such matters far outweighs that
of all the aeronautical world together), would lead me to assert, do I believe
that any such effects as are currently attributed to this diminished pressure have any existence at all; at least, at any elevation to which any
person has hitherto been enabled to arrive. The impressions experienced
in the ascent of high mountains, which have no doubt led to the adoption
of such opinions, and induced aeronauts with more regard to fame than
veracity, to anticipate and assert effects they thought they would have experienced had they reached the elevation they fain would have the credit
for, owe their existence to another cause, and proceed from the inordinate




136 BALLOON VOYAGE FROM LONDON TO WEILBURG.
and various aberrations enabled us to extend far beyond what
might be expected from a mere consideration of the line connecting the two extremities of our route.
"To all this there was but one drawback, in the time of year
in which the experiment was conducted, and which by curtailing
our daylight, devoted to the obscurity of night so large and interesting a portion of the expedition.  Over this, however, we had
no control; the constant occupation of the balloon for the purposes of public exhibition during the summer months, left no
chance of its being procurable at a better season of the year,
especially for a project such as ours, the determination of which
as to time and distance was a matter of complete uncertainty.
The excursion must therefore have been undertaken as it was, or
altogether abandoned; of these alternatives Mr. Hollond unhesitatingly preferred the former.
"Ere concluding this hasty narrative, a word or two is required concerning the success of that experiment which formed
the main feature as well as the chief object of the expedition.
This success, I feel no hesitation in now declaring to be complete;
and the discovery itself one, the entire result of which on the
future progress of the art, it would be impossible at present to
anticipate.  With such an instrument as this there now seems to
be no limit to the powers of aerostation; no bounds to its sphere
of action.  All the theoretical objections which a hasty consideration of the means might otherwise have suggested, experiment
has now proved to be erroneous; and perhaps the best answer
that can be given to those who might be inclined to question the
practicability of its employment, or cavil at its effects, is, that by
such means alone have we been enabled, without let or hinderance,
danger, or difficulty, to traverse so large a portion of the European
continent; descending at a distance of about five hundred miles
from the place of our departure, with power enough to have enabled us, had we been so intentioned, to have continued our
course throughout the whole circumference of the globe."
muscular exertion and its consequences upon the circulating system,
developed in the attempt.
I am aware that great names appear in array against such an opinion;
and likewise that nothing but the having arrived at the same altitude,
without experiencing the same results, can authorize the flat denial of another's experience. If, however, at an altitude of three miles and threequarters no symptom whatever is to be felt of those effects, which, at a
quarter of a mile further evince themselves by such terrific consequences,
the world is at least at liberty to exercise its own judgment upon the
case,




7PS.Duvals Steam lith.P6es.5.
MR. COCKING:S PARACHUTE.








COCKING'S FATAL PARACHUTE DESCENT.              137
CHAPTER XIX.
Fatal Parachute descent of Mr. Cocking, from the Nassau Balloon, at London-Account from the London "Penny Mechanic" of July 29th, 1837.
WE regret to have to state that the experiment of the descent
of the parachute, has terminated fatally to Mr. Cocking. In consequence of the announcement that he was to ascend in his parachute suspended to the great Nassau balloon, a great number of
persons, among whom  were many of the first nobility of the
country, assembled in the gardens to witness the experiment.
Without the gardens, upon Vauxhall bridge, and upon Millbank,
the crowd was immense.  It was in circumference 107 feet four
inches. From the bottom of this machine, which was constructed
of fine Irish linen, a basket of wicker was suspended, in which
Mr. Cocking placed himself. The distance between the basket
and the car in which were Mr. Green and Mr. Spencer, was between forty and fifty feet. The ascent of the balloon took place
about twenty minutes before eight o'clock.  When Mr. Cocking
entered the basket of the parachute he was perfectly collected,
and exhibited no appearance of want of nerve or indecision.
At twenty minutes to eight o'clock, everything being in readiness, and the parachute attached to the car of the balloon, the
ascent took place.  Nothing could be more majestic.  The weight
and great extent of the parachute apparently rendered the motion
of the balloon more steady than on any former ascent, and the
almost total absence of wind assisted in keeping the balloon in a
perfectly perpendicular position.  There was not the slightest
oscillation; the balloon and parachute sailed through the air with
a grandeur which exceeded anything of the kind ever before witnessed, and continued in sight for about ten minutes. A good
deal of ballast was discharged almost immediately over the enclosure, after which the huge machine rose rapidly, but not so
suddenly as to break the even current of its course.  It was expected by those in the gardens that Mr. Cocking would have
descended so near Vauxhall as to afford them a view of his descent.  This was not the case.  He was lost in the clouds, and
the company were, for some time, left in conjecture, but certainly
not in anticipation of the result of the experiment.  A son of Mr.
Gye was the first person who announced to our informant the




138      COCKING'S FATAL PARACHUTE DESCENT.
fatal catastrophe.  This gentleman followed on horseback, and
arrived in a field, near Lee, in Kent, just in time to learn that
the parachute had descended with such violence, that Mr. Cocking had lost his life in his experiment.  The intelligence was not
suffered to transpire for some time, in hopes that the account
might be incorrect, and that Mr. Cocking might have only been
stunned, or have fainted, it being remembered that something of
this sort occurred on the descent of M. Garnerin some years ago.
It was, however, very shortly ascertained that the intelligence
was too true.  It appears that the descent of the parachute was
made over a field close to Lee, that, on approaching the ground,
the parachute, from some cause or other, most probably from the
hoop which distended the external circumference, being composed
of a hollow tube of tin, collapsed, and consequently opposed no
resistance whatever to the atmosphere, but turned over and over
in the air, and came down with a frightful velocity. Mr. Cocking was not, as we are informed at present, thrown out of the
basket, but he received a dreadful wound on the right temple,
and had his ankle dislocated.  He moved his hand once after his
fall, but exhibited no other signs of life.  Several country people,
who were close by, procured a wattled hurdle, placed him upon
it, and conveyed him without delay to the Tiger's Head Inn at
Lee.  He was immediately attended by Dr. Chowne, who was
on the spot; but all medical assistance was unavailable. The
arteries of his arms were opened, but it was to no purpose; life
had fled.  It is but justice to say, that this fatal result is attributable in no manner to any person connected with Vauxhall or
with the balloon. Mr. F. Gye endeavored, but in vain, to persuade Mr. Cocking to have the hoop of the parachute of ash,
but that unfortunate gentleman, from a notion that tin would be
sufficiently strong and much lighter, refused to listen to his suggestion.
" The inflation," says Mr. Green, " commenced about twelve,
under the able direction of the engineer to the London Gas Company, and was completed by five o'clock. Prior to the parachute
being attached to the balloon, I caused a trial to be made, with the
view of ascertaining whether the buoyancy of the latter was sufficient to carry up the former with safety.  The result of this trial
was, after some arrangements with respect to the ballast, of which
I was compelled to give out about 650 lbs. in weight, in every
respect, satisfactory.  The abandonment of this large quantity of
ballast I found to be absolutely requisite, in order with safety to
commence the ascent.  The balloon was then allowed gently to
rise a sufficient height to be conveyed over the parachute; but
in consequence of the great and unavoidable delay which was
necessarily caused in affixing the two machines, the gas in the




COCKING'S FATAL PARACHUTE DESCENT.               139
former became very considerably condensed, from  a reduction
of its temperature. It, thereupon, became a matter of compulsion
that I should get rid of 100 lbs. more of the ballast, which I
emptied out of the bags through a tube, constructed of canvass,
and about fifty feet in length. The object in having this tube
was, that any ballast I might deem it advisable to throw out during our voyage, should take such a course as would entirely clear
the broadest expanse of the parachute. The connexion between
the balloon and the parachute was at length completed by the
rope of the latter being made fast to the liberating iron, by which
Mr. Cocking was to free himself from the balloon.
"It is but justice to myself, I should here state, that I had on
several occasions expressed my determination not to liberate the
parachute from the balloon, upon the ground, setting aside any
other considerations, that I might select a moment for the severance
when Mr. Cocking was not altogether prepared or ready for his
descent, and therefore, if any accident were to accrue to him, that
I of course should be regarded as the responsible party, and the
one to whom blame would naturally attach.
"Mr. F. Gye, everything being in readiness, about twenty-five
minutes to eight o'clock, gave the signal for the whole of the apparatus to be released from its trammels, and we instantly rose
very steadily, taking an easterly course.
"Mr. Cocking had always desired that we should ascend to an
elevation of 8,000 feet, about one mile and a quarter, at which
height he proposed to detach himself from the balloon, and to
commence his descent.  Finding, therefore, that our upward
progress was very slow, I requested Mr. Spencer to discharge
some more ballast, and he accordingly, threw the contents of a
bag, weighing twenty pounds, through the tube already named.
This proving of little avail, I directed a second and then a third
bagfull to be got rid of by the same means.
"As soon as we had attained the height of 5,000 feet, I told
him that it would be impossible to get up as high as he desired
in a sufficient time for him to descend by the light of day. Upon
this Mr. Cocking said,' then I shall very soon leave you; but tell
me whereabouts I am?' Mr. Spencer, who had a few minutes
before caught a glimpse of the earth, answered,' We appear to be
on a level with Greenwich.' I then asked him if he felt himself
quite comfortable, and whether he found that the practical trial
bore out the calculations he had made?  Mr. Cocking replied,'Yes; I never felt more comfortable or more delighted in my life.'
Shortly afterwards Mr. Cocking said,' Well, now I think I shall
leave you.' I answered,'I wish you a very good night and a
safe descent, if you are determined to make it, and not to use the
tackle' (an apparatus, constructed under the direction of Mr. F.




140      COCKING'S FATAL PARACHUTE DESCENT.
Gye, to afford us the facility of assisting Mr. Cocking to haul himself up into the car of the balloon if necessary).  Mr. Cocking, to,
this question, made no other reply than'Good night, Spencer;
good night, Green.' At this instant I desired Mr. Spencer to take
fast hold of the ropes, and like myself, to crouch down in the car.
Scarcely were these words uttered, before we felt a slight jerk
upon the liberating iron, but quickly discovered, from not having
changed our elevation, that Mr. Cocking had failed in his attempt
to free himself.  Another, but more powerful jerk ensued, and in
an instant the balloon shot upwards with the velocity of a skyrocket.
" The effect upon us at this moment, is almost beyond description.  The immense machine which suspended us'between
heaven and earth,' whilst it appeared to be forced upwards with
terrific violence and rapidity, through unknown and untraveled
regions, amidst the howlings of a fearful hurricane, rolled about
as though reveling in a freedom, for which it had long struggled,
but of which, until that moment, it had been kept in absolute
ignorance.  It at length, as if somewhat fatigued by its exertions,
gradually assumed the motions of a snake working its way with
astonishing speed towards a given object. During this frightful
operation, the gas was rushing in torrents from  the upper and
lower valves, but more particularly from the latter, as the density
of the atmosphere through which we were forcing our progress,
pressed so heavily on the valve at the top of the balloon, as to
admit of comparatively but a small escape by that aperture.
"At this juncture, had it not been for the application to our
mouths of two pipes leading into an air-bag, with which we had
furnished ourselves previous to starting, we must, within a minute, have been suffocated; and so, but by a different means,
have shared the melancholy fate of our friend. The gas, notwithstanding all our precautions, from the violence of its operations
on the human frame, almost immediately deprived us of sight,
and we were both, as far as our visionary powers were concerned,
in a state of total darkness for between four and five minutes.
"As soon as we had partially regained the use of our eyes, and
had somewhat recovered from  the effects of the awful scene in
which, from the circumstances we had been plunged, our first
attention was directed to the barometer.  I soon discovered that
my powers had not sufficiently returned to enable me to see the
mercury, but Mr. Spencer found that it stood at 13,20, giving
an elevation of 23,384 feet, or about four miles and a quarter. I
do not conceive, from the length of time I had been liberating the
gas, that this was anything like our greatest altitude, for we were
evidently effecting a rapid descent.
"Recollecting the late hour at which we quitted Vauxhall, I




]P S.Tuval's Steam  hth. Press.
MR.HAMPTON'S ASCENT FROM CREEMORNE HOUSE, CHELSEA.








MR. HAMPTON'S ASCENT.                    141
now began to be anxious about the time, and on applying to Mr.
Spencer, ascertained that it wanted not more than a quarter to
nine o'clock.  From  this I was aware, notwithstanding, in our
then position, we were blessed with a magnificent light, that on
emerging from below the clouds, darkness would have assumed
her sable hue over the earth, and that we should have much difficulty, therefore, in ascertaining the nature and character of the
country, supposing us to be over the land, on which we must
effect our final descent.  I consequently became  extremely
anxious to make our way through the clouds as quickly as possible, which having done, we proceeded until we had reached
within some 300 feet of the ground, when we found it requisite,
from our inability to ascertain the nature of the ground, the whole
country beneath us offering the appearance of thick woods, to
cast out every article of ballast and movable matters, even to
ropes and empty ballast-bags, in order to prevent us from coming
in contact with what was supposed to be trees.  After calling
out for some time, and hanging out the grapnel, we heard voices
in reply, and the parties speedily drew us to a safe place of landing
which proved to be close to the village of Offham, near Town
Malling, seven miles west of Mlaidstone, and twenty-eight from
London.
" At half-past ten o'clock this morning, we quitted Town Malling, and it was not until our arrival at Wrotham, at which place
I inquired whether they had heard where Mr. Cocking had descended, that I became acquainted with the unexpected and
melancholy result of his experiment."
CHAPTER XX.
Mr..Hampton's ascent from Cremorne House, Chelsea, Thursday, June
13, 1839-And descent with his parachute-Description of his parachute
-Aerial nocturnal excursion from Marseilles to Turin, by Mr. Arban.
" MR. HAMPTON commenced his career as an aeronaut at the
Eyre Arms Tavern, St. John's Wood, on the 7th of June last,
where he met with great difficulties, but his judgment and intrepidity soon overcame them. It was on his ascent afterwards at
Rochester, that he particularly displayed great presence of mind,
and determined spirit, for, on that occasion, shortly after he had
left the earth, the wind shifting, drove his balloon seaward, and
it descended on the ocean, some miles from the coast: while in




142       MR. HAMPTON'S PARACHUTE DESCENT.
this perilous situation, he clung to his balloon, until rescued by
a trading vessel, which landed the aeronaut, with his Albion balloon, at Whitstable. He ascended next at Canterbury, when the
balloon not being sufficiently buoyant from a want of gas, the intrepid Hampton cut away the car to lighten the balloon, and he
ascended standing on the hoop to which the ropes that passed
over the balloon were attached, and descended safely. In the
course of last summer, Mr. Hampton ascended from  Cremorne
House, and also at other places, with the greatest facility, and
descended without accident.  At length he determined to outstrip
all competition, by descending from his balloon by means of a
newly-constructed parachute: the Montpelier Gardens, at Cheltenham, was the place chosen for this daring exploit; but the sad
fate of Mr. Cocking, and the censure which the proprietors of
Vauxhall Gardens incurred, by permitting the descent from the
Nassau balloon, induced the owner of Montpelier Gardens to withhold his consent to Mr. Hampton's experiment; but in order to
gratify the curiosity of the immense concourse of spectators that
were assembled upon that occasion, he consented that the balloon
and parachute should be exhibited, but to ascend no higher than
sixty feet from the earth for fear of accident; when Mr. Hampton
had reached this altitude, he could not resist the desire he had
of putting his parachute to the test, and accordingly severed the
rope which passed over his balloon, the two ends being held by
men stationed in the gardens for that purpose.  The astonishment of the spectators may be imagined, when they beheld the
intrepid aeronaut majestically soaring towards the clouds. When
about two miles from the earth, he determined upon descending;
but, unlike Garnerin, who depended upon the atmospheric pressure, Mr. Hampton opened his parachute before he separated it
from the balloon. The wind was very high. It appeared, when
viewed from below, to be driven along at a great rate; and was,
perhaps, the most boisterous Mr. H. ever experienced, the wind
carrying him over the Leckhampton hills with great violence. He
was not up more than twenty minutes, and descended at Cobberley. This ascent was in May, 1839.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PARACHUTE.
"The engraving shows the admirable construction of the parachute: the upper part is in the form of an umbrella, and about
fifteen feet in diameter, with an ornamented border. The ribs
are eight feet long, and expand from the top of the parachute to
its extremities; they are formed of very thick whale-bone,
strongly fastened by brass clamps; the ribs are connected to the




BALLOON VOYAGE ACROSS THE ALPS.              143
copper tube by stretchers, made of bamboo. At the ends of the
ribs curtains are suspended, two and a half feet deep; and, by
an admirable contrivance, Mr. Hampton, when in his seat in the
parachute, can, by a rope which runs from the car to the curtains, either contract or enlarge them, in the same manner as the
sailor furls his sails. In order to guard against every possible
accident, the car of the parachute is strongly guarded by iron
hoops, to prevent the possibility of its receiving injury on its
reaching the earth. Mr. Hampton, while in the car, can, by a
pulley which runs through a copper tube (connecting the balloon
to the parachute), open a small valve in the balloon, by which
means he can let as much gas escape as he may think necessary
immediately previous to his descending. When Mr. H. imagines
enough gas is let off, he severs the rope which holds the parachute to the balloon (this rope also is conveyed to the balloon
through the tube, which is eleven feet high, the altitude of the
parachute); and he descends.
"The engraving represents the manner of Mr. Hampton's ascending, with the top of the parachute closed, and also as it
appears when expanded; with the mode the gas escapes from
the balloon; and his mode of descending, as also that of his
balloon; and his reaching the earth at Cobberley.
"The ascent at Cremorne House on Thursday last, was a
pleasing sight, not so repulsive to the feelings as that of the
ascent of Mons. Garnerin, some years since.
" Shortly before the ascent, the rain impeded the progress of
making the necessary preparation; indeed, for some time it
was imagined no ascent would take place. At length, between
eight and nine o'clock in the evening, the car was affixed to the
balloon, and everything being ready, the undaunted aeronaut
gently ascended, amidst the cheers of the assembled company.
When he had been up a short time, he severed the rope which
connected the parachute with the balloon, and descended in fine
style, alighting on the Fulham-road in perfect safety.
"He was conducted back to the Gardens, accompanied by an
immense concourse of people, who were not sparing of their approbation of his daring exploit."
AERIAL NOCTURNAL EXCURSION FROM MARSEILLES
TO TURIN.
Mr. Arban, the aeronaut, ascended in his balloon from the
Chateau de Fleurs (the Vauxhall of Marseilles) at half past six
in the evening of the 2d of September, 1849, and alighted at the
village of Pion Forte, near Turin, the following morning, at half




144        BALLOON VOYAGE ACROSS THE ALPS.
past two, having accomplished the distance, about four hundred
miles, in eight hours.  The particulars of this interesting voyage,
as related by Mr. Arban himself, are as follows: "I ascended
from the Chateau de Fleurs, on Sunday evening, the 2d instant,
at half past six. At eight I was over the wood of Esteret, where
I ascertained I was at the height of 4000 metres. The temperature of the air was cold, but dry; my Centigrade thermometer
marked four degrees below zero. The wind was south-west and
sent me over Nice.  For nearly two hours I was surrounded by
very dense clouds, my cloak no longer sufficed to keep me warm;
I suffered much from  cold feet.  I nevertheless determined to
proceed and traverse the Alps, from which I knew I was not far
distant.' My provision of ballast was enough to raise me above the
highest peaks. The cold gradually increased, the wind became
steady, and the moon lighted me like the sun. I was at the foot
of the Alps; the snows, cascades, rivers, all were sparkling; the
ravines and rocks produced masses of darkness which served as
shadows to the gigantic picture.  The wind now interrupted the
regularity of my course; I was occasionally obliged to ascend,
in order to pass over the peaks.  I reached the summit of the
Alps at eleven o'clock, and as the horizon became clear, and my
course regular, I began to think of supping.  I was now at an
elevation of 4600 metres. It was indispensably necessary for me
to pursue my journey and reach Piedmont.  Chaos only was
under me, and to alight in these regions was impossible.  After
supper, I threw my empty bottle into the snow beneath, where
possibly some adventurous traveler will one day find it, and will
be led to conclude that another before him had explored the
same desert regions.
"At half past one in the morning I was over Mount Misso,
which I knew, having explored it in my first journey to Piedmont.  There the Durance and the Po take their source.  I reconnoitred their position, and discovered the magnificent plains
of the mountain.  Before this certainty, a singular optical delusion, occasioned by the shining of the moon upon the snow, made
me at first think myself over the open sea.  But as the southwest wind had not ceased to blow, I was convinced by this fact,
as well as by others I had noticed, that I could not be over the
sea. The stars confirmed the accuracy of my compass, and the
appearance of Mont Blanc satisfied me that I must be approaching Turin.  Mout Blanc to my left, on a level with the top of
which I was, being far above the clouds, resembled an immense
block of crystal sparkling with a thousand fires.
"At a quarter to three, Mount Vise, which was behind me,
proved to me that I was in the neighborhood of Turin.  I deter



BALLOON VOYAGE ACROSS THE ALPS.                145
mined to alight, which I did without much difficulty, having ballast enough to go much farther. I alighted near a large farmyard, where I was surrounded by several watch-dogs, from whose
caresses I was protected by my cloak.  Their barking awakened
the peasants, who were more surprised than frightened at seeing
me.  They admitted me to their house; informed me that it was
half past two, and that I was in the village of Pion Forte, near
Stubini, six kilometres from Turin. I passed the remainder of
the night in the farm house, and in the morning the peasants accompanied me to the mayor, who delivered me a certificate,
attesting my arrival, &c. After packing up my balloon and car,
I set out for Turin, where I arrived at nine in the morning."
In this voyage the aeronaut sailed from west to east, from Marseilles to Nice, a distance of about a hundred miles.  Crossing
the mountains at a point where the Cottian Alps meet and form
an angle with the MIaritime Alps, he was swept along their eastern
side in nearly a northern direction.  Had he ascended higher,
he would no doubt have been carried towards Genoa.
10




PART II.
COMPRISING A BRIEF IISTORY OF THE AUTHOR'S FIFTEEN
YEARS' PRACTICE IN THE ART OF AERONAUTICS.
CHAPTER I.
Introduction of the subject-First American aeronauts.
As this part of the work is more especially intended to direct
the student of aeronautics in his researches, and to enable him to
attain that degree of perfection and consequent success in its
practice which the art at present affords, it will be necessary to
detail such of the hundred aerial voyages of the author as will
throw the most light in that direction.  Another science, so intimately connected with this as to be necessarily inseparable, may
also be noticed in this connection, as far as the author's observations have extended, without being considered digressive. It is the
science of meteorology.   Everything which is calculated to improve the art, and afford facilities for its vigorous prosecution,
becomes auxiliary to it, and should not remain unnoticed.  The
want of such information and assistance is known to no one better than to the author; therefore, its due appreciation, he trusts,
will enable him to make this part of the book what he ardently
desires it to be-a usefully instructive forerunner, bringing
into the field of aeronautics a numerous and effective army of
experimentalists, through whom  the art will rapidly attain a
practical position which will place it in advance of all other contrivances for transporting passengers to and from  all places on
the globe.  The very easy manner in which any ordinarily
skilful person will be enabled to build a balloon, and ascend
with it, by the rules and instructions which will be given,
will convince him  that such expectations of its prosperity are
founded upon plain and comprehensive principles.  It will be
discovered that ballooning is not that mysterious, hap-hazard,
and dangerous art, which it is so universally believed to be, and
which has no foundation in fact.  And it will not be sufficient to




INTRODUCTION.                       147
make the subject merely plain enough to be acquired by any ordinary mind, but the reasons why so many more fail in minor
experiments, than succeed, will also be given.  Failures in the
incipient prosecutions of experiments very often deter the student
from trying to go further, while success in such cases is sure to
fire the mind and genius of the operator with a spirit of encouragement and progressiveness.  For this reason, particular instructions will also be given in the art of making and sending up
toy balloons. This will be useful, because the same laws and
principles govern these operations, as apply to those on a larger
scale.  Indeed, the toy experiments require a nicer perception of
discrimination and calculation to make them terminate successfully, than do the larger operations.  This very difficulty was the
cause of retardation in discovering the means of elevating bodies
in the air by atmospheric buoyancy.  This same difficulty has,
since the discovery made by the Montgolfiers, made many a disappointed investigator abandon the subject, from the belief that
it was extremely precarious, and deficient in common principles,
when but a slight hint in the right quarter would have enabled
him to have gone on rejoicing.
None but an ardent laborer in the art can feel and appreciate
the want of correct information, and its ready means of acquirement.  What few receipts were extant, when the author commenced his first operations, for making elastic varnishes, and
preparing the muslin or silk of which the balloon was composed,
did more to retard his progress than if he had never seen them,
because they were not from practical hands.  This difficulty was
only overcome by close application and a gradual research of
seven years' practice.  In this part of the construction of balloons, an important discovery-the making of an elastic varnish
-will be laid before the reader.  Its great merit consists in having no affinity for oxygen, and yet a quickly drying property,
retaining its elasticity under great changes of temperature, and
being free from the danger of spontaneous combustion, thereby
giving great durability to the balloon, and also relieving the aeronaut from the trouble and perplexity caused by the adhesiveness
so common to balloon varnishes.  Indeed, everything pertaining
to the construction of balloons and their requisite paraphernalia,
shall be laid down in a plain, practically comprehensive manner,
in its proper order, so that any one who can read may be able to
understand it.




148        FIRST BALLOON ASCENT IN AMERICA.
CHAPTER  II.
First balloon ascension in the United States-Durant, the first American
aeronaut-The author's first ascent-Details of the trip-Conclusions.
THE first aerial voyage in the United States was made by M.
Blanchard, a Frenchman, in January, 1793, from Philadelphia,
at which Gen. Washington was a spectator. Gilleo and Robertson, also Frenchmen, were the next after Blanchard.  No Americans were engaged in the business until Mr. Durant, an ingenious citizen of New York, took it up after Robertson. He made
a number of aerial voyages, which were shortly followed by
others made by new adventurers in the art.
When I first conceived the idea of making a balloon, I had
never seen an ascension with one, nor had I any practical knowledge of its construction.  It will, therefore, be interesting, as
well as instructive, to give a particular history of my first experiment in detail.  In the spring of 1835, living at that time in the
city of Philadelphia, I resolved to build a balloon on a very economical plan; as I intended merely to gratify my desire of sailing aloft to enjoy a prospect that I had ever considered must be
grand and sublime, I did not wish to incur any more expense
in the construction of a machine, than was essentially necessary
to such a consummation.  My first step was the study of the
atmosphere-its nature and its buoyant power.  This opened a
field of speculative philosophy, which was well calculated to
cause me to rub my forehead, and strain my imagination, being,
as I was, a novice in such studies.  This naturally led me into
the study of pneumatics, and hydrostatics, and I was, indeed,
amazed at the immense power the atmosphere possessed in elevating bodies or vessels which were exhausted of air, and filled
with a substance easily to be made, that would be from twelve
to fourteen times lighter than air.  This capability of the atmosphere in elevating bodies seemed to me of such enormous
extent, that I was almost led to the belief that the very earth
upon which we live was floating in an immense elastic medium,
on the principle of a balloon.   The very moderate size of four
hundred feet diameter of a balloon would make it capable of
raising two million and ninety thousand pounds, when inflated




BALLOON MAKING.                       149
with hydrogen gas.  This would raise up and carry off thirteen
thousand men of one hundred and fifty pounds each.
No wonder that the citizens of London became alarmed during
the French consular war, when they mistook the appearance of a
vast flock of birds coming towards the metropolis, for Napoleon's
army, apparently coming down upon them with this (then new)
contrivance.
After I had made myself tolerably well acquainted with the
science that governs the art of ballooning, I next sought information upon the probability of success, should I undertake the experiment.  My first step in this matter was to consult a number of
scientific gentlemen, by which means I might learn whether my
deductions and conclusions squared with those whom I knew to
possess the proper information.  The result of this determined
me to go on.  Accordingly, the material for the balloon was procured, which consisted of fine domestic muslin, such as is used
for shirting, commonly denominated "long cloth."  It was requisite that this should be made air-tight, or as nearly so as possible, with a varnish  that should neither crack, nor become
adhesive, when dried.  Having a practical knowledge of the
composition and nature of varnishes, I saw in this no inconsiderable difficulty to be overcome.  Although the receipt books
abounded with prescriptions of elastic varnishes, and even a few
specially for coating balloons, it was evident to my mind on
perusing them, that they were mostly the productions of theoretical minds, or at least were not written by practical operators.
The varnish most likely to answer of all that came under my
notice, seemed to be that of "bird lime."  Of this article I procured eight pounds, which, together with the requisite quantity of
linseed oil, and the common metallic driers used in oil varnishes,
composed the varnish for the balloon.  The muslin was hung up
in the same manner as it is hung up about factories-that is, by
its one edge on hooks, hanging loosely down. It was thus coated
over and dried in the sun, and then coated a second time. After
the second coat had dried, which took nearly a week, it being in
winter, it was cut into properly shaped segments and sewed
together.  This being done, it was now taken into a large room
and filled with common air, and coated a third time.  This
stopped up the needle holes and to some extent perfected the
coating of the whole machine, for, upon trial of its capability to
hold air or gas, it seemed impermeable enough to answer the purpose of a mere aerial pleasure ride.  This method of trying its
quality consists in merely filling it with common air, and suffering
it to remain for a day or two in this condition, to see what amount
it loses.  This machine being twenty-eight feet in diameter, and
when half filled with common air, would lose about twenty per




150                 FIRST EXPERIMENT.
cent. of it in twenty-four hours, so that its real loss when filled
was equal to ten per cent. in twenty-four hours, and this was far
from what a good balloon ought to be.
The balloon thus finished, the next step was to procure a network for its rigging, by which the car and other paraphernalia
were to be attached. This was composed of cotton seine twine,
and knit by a woman who was accustomed to knit fish-nets, and
was the best part of the whole machinery. The car consisted of
a basket about two and a half feet in diameter at the bottom,
gradually expanding to its top, and was about three feet eight
inches deep, by the by a very awkward shape, as the sequel proved
it to be.
Thus provided, the next arrangement was the procurement of
an inflating apparatus, and materials for generating hydrogen gas.
Fifteen casks of a hundred and thirty gallons capacity each were
used as retorts. These were arranged in a semi-circular form
around a gas receiver and made to communicate with it by the
gas bubbling up through a head of fifteen inches of water through
recurved tin tubes, which connected each retort with the receiver.
This being got in readiness, nothing remained but to put the
machinery in operation and make the experiment. Having now
been at considerable expense, although the strictest economy had
been observed, my financial condition did not allow me to undertake the additional expense of materials for inflation, unless it
should be based upon some remunerating arrangement.  It was
suggested by some friends, that a public exhibition of the conternplated ascension, at fifty cents admission, would meet the
expenditures of inflation. This all appeared very reasonable to
me in itself; but from the intimations that had already come to
my knowledge, of a want of confidence in the public as to my
ability of making a successfll experiment, it somewhat discouraged me in such an undertaking. Not that I really doubted
a successful termination of the affair under a fair trial; but because balloon ascensions, from repeated failures in their attempts,
and mobs, had become synonymous ideas with a great portion of
the people who were attracted by them.  Even many of my intimate acquaintances shook their heads in doubt as to its feasibility;
indeed, as to its possibility, looking on it, as the mass of the
people did, as a precarious, mysterious, and not easily to be
accomplished experiment.  The simplicity of the science itself,
together with the confidence of those of my scientific friends
whom I had consulted, and who seemed to have as little doubt of its
possibility as they had of that of running a steamboat or locomotive engine, was enough to outweigh the forebodings of the timid
and skeptical, in my mind; but still, this did not answer to allay




FIRST EXPERIMENT.                    151
popular excitement, which must certainly accompany a public
balloon ascension at even that (ay.
However, all things considered, I decided upon the plan of a
publicly advertised ascension, and as a first experiment too, to
take place at the corner of Ninth and Green streets in Philadelphia, on the 30th day of April, 1835.  This announcement
brought down upon me from many of my friends, all the forebodings that timid minds could predict on the anticipation of a
balloon riot. You are going right in amongst the butchers, said
some, and they are a very determined, rough class of people, besides many other imaginative terrors, of which, had I believed
the one-tenth of them, I should have been appalled and driven
from my determination.  But I reasoned in this way, that if the
butchers were so formidable a people, they would be equally
effective in protecting me in any lawful calling in which I might
be engaged.  And so I found it to be the case, too, while fixing
up my apparatus, which occupied me several days, during which
time I became acquainted with many citizens of the district in
which I had announced to ascend, and among them were a number of the victuallers of the place, who tendered me the warmest
assistance and encouragement, believing, as they did, that I was
at least serious and honest in my intentions, if not capable to
accomplish them.
The 30th of April turned out to be a blustery stormy day, and
these very people who were accounted as not willing to take any
excuse for a postponement or delay of a balloon ascension, were
the first to advise me to put it off until the 2d day of May, which
was accordingly done.  This turned out to be a day in every
respect favorable to the experiment.  The balloon was brought
upon the ground, which, with the car and net-work, weighed
186 pounds.  The inflation was commenced, and everything
wvent on steadily for three hours, when the time for the ascension
arrived, it being announced for four o'clock in the afternoon.
The balloon was little more than half full, which caused many
to think it would not be able to carry its freight; but, as the
balloon was twenty-eight feet in diameter, half its capacity filled
with hydrogen would make an ascensive power of 375 pounds,
so that the question with me was, whether it was half full. Upon
consulting Professor J. K. Mitchell, who was present, and who
was my friend and adviser in this matter, he concluded it was
sufficiently inflated to carry me up.  By the time the car was
harnessed on the balloon rigging, another half hour passed away,
without the least manifestation of discontent by those who were
inside the arena, but with no inconsiderable tumult among the
dense crowd that had assembled round the outside, and even
they seemed to be more moved by anxiety to learn the result, than




152              AUTHOR'S FIRST VOYAGE.
a desire to mob the balloon, for, as I mentioned before, they too,
had come to the conclusion that " he will go up if he can."
Everything being apparently in readiness now, I stepped into
the car of the balloon, took in about fifteen pounds of sand in
two small sacks, a barometer and thermometer, and then attempted to ascertain the precise ascensive power the balloon possessed. But, as everybody around me knew it was my first experiment, and as none of the most considerate could get near
enough to the machine to enable me to poise it properly for starting, and those who had hold of the ropes and car seemed to
labor under the belief that I was not over-anxious to leave the
earth, because they could not understand my intentions when
desiring them to hold on to the machine until I had it properly
graduated, I was of course bound to submit to their proceedings.
Thus, before I could even properly arrange my instruments or
make the least calculation of the balloon's upward power, as I
could not get them to let it swing by a cord which I had attached
to the car for that purpose, some crying " send him  up," with
powerful efforts on their part to suit the action to the word, while
others were equally determined to hold it down, which struggle,
however, terminated in a few minutes in favor of the ascendant
party; with a considerable projectile force added to the balloon,
I was in a few moments grazing the chimneys of the neighboring
buildings.  My first act upon this was to get rid of the two small
sacks of sand, which relieved the balloon sufficiently, in addition
to a rebounding force it got by the car striking the top of a chimney, to send it over a vacant lot in which it descended.  An individual who happened to be on the spot took hold of the car
at my request, and held it steady until I handed out the instruments to another who immediately appeared, and in a few
moments an immense crowd assembled round the balloon, it
being but three or four hundred yards from where it had started.
The scene here presented a mixture of excitement and confusion,
without the least disposition of violence towards the balloon, and
yet of such a nature as to make it morally impossible to do anything with system or order, that it required an almost superhuman effort to make oneself heard in any words to that effect.
After having handed out my instruments, as also my boots and
coat, which, together with the sand, amounted to at least eighteen pounds, I roared at the top of my voice, " For God's sake,
gentlemen, will you give me a chance to make the ascension?"
This seemed to have the desired effect, and a number of voices
responded to it in a desire to learn my wants.  I told them  it
was necessary to give me a free space for the car to float in with
but one person to hold it, and if it would not show a tendency to
ascend without being pushed up, as it had been in the arena, it




AUTHOR'S FIRST VOYAGE.                    153
was impossible to make the ascension without putting more gas
in the balloon.  A circle was immediately formed; the car was
clear; the person in question had his hand on it; it showed unmistakeable symptoms to rise, as it required considerable effort
to hold it down-; and without further delay I ordered him to let
go, and before I could fairly say good-by, gentlemen, the aerial
ship was speeding me rapidly above the reach of obstructions.
Now followed a scene worthy the pen of a poet.. The first second
or two of the balloon's ascent caused a stillness in the inrmense
mass of people below that seemed as though they were fixed immovably to the spot, when all of a sudden, the very air began
to reverberate with the shouts that followed.  The multitude
appeared to be as much rejoiced at the result as I possibly could
be myself; and I must confess it was one of the happiest moments
I ever experienced in my life, for, but a few minutes before,
from the circumstances attendant, the success of'the experiment
for the time seemed to rest upon a very doubtful contingencythat of getting back to the inflating apparatus.  Up, up I soared,
almost perpendicularly, to the distance of several thousand feet,
when a gentle breeze wafted the machine in a south-westerly
direction-the balloon still rising-until it reached a point at the
intersection of Market street and the Schuylkill River, which is
about one mile and a half from where it started.  Here it became stationary, or nearly so, and just at a point where the balloon had reached an altitude equal to its ascensive power, where
was also a point of two currents of air traversing each other;
the one from the north-east, which wafted the machine thither,
was here traversed above it by a current from the west.
Having now lost sight of the great throng of people that surrounded me at starting, and standing over a large city, at least a
mile above it, solitary and alone, with a low melancholy murmuring noise rising up from it; the balloon slowly writhing and
twisting, as it were, between two contending currents, causing a
fluttering breeze around me, while I was standing in the car
without hat, coat, or boots, looking around, below, above, and in
every direction, strange emotions pervaded my mind.  Grandeur
had ever been a delightful theme to me, but this was more than
grandeur. All the higher faculties of the human mind became
gradually aroused; I was gently awakening from  a magnificent
dream, casting my eyes upon a scene of reality that appeared far
more grand and magnificent than the dream itself; strange feelings were passing through my mind; I felt composed in body,
but there was an indescribable commotion agitating the inner
man, and it was some time before I reasoned the soul and body
into their natural state of equilibrium.  Although the atmosphere
at this height was cold, the perspiration now began to roll from my




154             SUBLIMITY OF THE VOYAGE.
forehead in large drops. By a comparison of the previous few
hours with the present position then occupied, I became enabled
to look and reflect in a more natural spirit, but still, the vastness,
grandeur, and sublimity of the scene around me kept me in a
mood far different from  what I had ever before experienced.
The mind appeared to expand itself commensurately with the
magnitude of the scene that surrounded it.  Here was an immense community of human beings swarming underneath my
feet, sending up a humming buzz from  their apparently condensed cells; there, the ample folds of the Delaware were rolling
themselves into the heaven-curtained clouds of the distant horizon; above me stood the huge distended balloon, swelled, as it
were, in pompous pride of its exalted position, floating like an
independent sphere, with its single inhabitant, in the great ethereal ocean of the universe.  It was a soul-inspiring scene, and
one that will never be erased from my mind as long as its faculties shall live.
The balloon was retained in the eddy it had reached for several minutes, and until it was lightened sufficiently to rise above
it, which was done by cutting off and throwing overboard a
heavy flower-wreath which had been twined around the car.
These flowers, as they fell from the car, were taken for birds
by those who watched the progress of the balloon with telescopes,
as I was afterwards informed. Besides this, the car was hanging so near the balloon, that I was enabled to detach the tin tube
which was in the neck of it, and which, in this instance, was
unnecessarily heavy, but, as the disposal of the wreath had lightened the machine sufficiently to enable it to rise above the eddy,
I did not throw it overboard at that point, and upon consideration found it would not be safe to do so until I should get over a
place where no human beings would be endangered by its descent.
After the balloon had risen above the lower current, and the eddy,
which invariably exists between two currents, it took off in a
direction eastward, nearly on a line with Arch street.  This I
was enabled to tell by the map-like appearance of the city, the
market-houses being in the next street south of it, which made a
good mark to distinguish the streets by.  As I passed slowly
over the city, its murmuring noise rose up in modulations of variable intensity, giving it a melancholy musical effect, in some
measure resembling the sound of an Z/Eolian harp.  The current
from the west being very gentle, it required full twelve minutes
to carry the machine from the Schuylkill to the Delaware, during
which time I feasted my eyes upon the panoramic scenery of the
city and its precincts, occasionally running the eye along the
serpentine folds of the Delaware to where it was lost in the clouds
which skirted the horizon all round.   The Schuylkill seemed of




AUTHOR'S FIRST VOYAGE.                    155
too little interest, when viewed from  that height, in comparison
with its larger neighbor. When I reached the Delaware I threw
overboard the neck-pipe of the balloon, which made a rushing
sound in its descent until it splashed into the water, which I
heard distinctly, although I was over a mile above its surface.
As I crossed the Delaware, the view up and down for a distance of
twenty or thirty miles each way, was picturesque and grand beyond conception, and yet more natural in appearance than land
scenery.  This effect of the river scenery caused a degree of
composure in my mind, which, until now, had been strained far
beyond a normal condition, that enabled me to investigate and
observe in a more ratiocinative manner. Before this, amazement
was the only resultant of all observation on this magnificent planisphere.  Although the boats and ships on the river looked very
diminutive, still, the scene had the miniature appearance of a natural reality.  This was not the case in taking a grand  and
general view over the whole visible plain beneath; for, in such
an observation, a regularity and exactness developed itself in the
scene, which gave it more of an artificial than a natural aspect.
A perfectly formed circle encompassed the visible planisphere
beneath, or rather the concavo-sphere it might now be called, for
I had attained a height from which the surface of the earth assumed a regularly hollowed, or concave appearance, an optical
delusion which increases as you recede from it.  At the greatest
elevation I attained, which was about a mile and a half, the appearance of the world around me assumed a shape or form like
that which is made by placing two watch crystals together by
their edges, the balloon apparently in the central cavity all the
time of its flight at that elevation; the river each way, cut off
at the intersection of the upper and lower concavo-spheres.  At
one time this crevice, if I may so term it, was apparently filled
in with clouds all around, while at the close of the voyage the
visible horizon was clear of them, which gave it, as I before
stated, a very artificial appearance.  I could not help but think
at the time that, had the Roman Inquisition which made Vincent
Galileo recant his doctrine of the rotundity of the earth, in favor
of the planispheric theory, occupied my position, they would
have insisted to his swearing that our earth was hollowed or concave on its outer surface, instead of flat, as they made the philosopher swear it was.
After I had crossed the Delaware and reached a point five or
six miles on the Jersey side of it, I made preparations to descend,
as I discovered the balloon was now gradually sinking from the
loss of gas through its imperfection, which made me feel as sorrowful as Adam when he was expelled from the garden of Eden.
After being in the upper regions of the atmosphere one hour and




156                       DESCENT.
a quarter, I made a safe descent near Haddonfield, a village
about nine miles distant from  Philadelphia, and returned home
that evening, where I received the congratulations of many
friends.
Now that I had really enjoyed the pleasures of an aerial voyage; viewed the earth from a point in space which was isolated
and unobstructed; feasted my eyes upon one of the most interesting
and richest scenes that mortal man could imagine, and had acquitted myself in an experiment publicly announced in a creditable manner, it might have been supposed that my desires and
ambition in this matter had been fully satisfied.  But, such was
not the case.  I had now visited the shrine of intellectual grandeur, and its attractions were seductive.  I had dreamed a magnificent dream, which, I felt convinced, could be realized.  Such
were my reflections, when recurring to this event.  Although
many of my friends desired me, in the most persuasive manner,
to give up the idea of repeating the experiment, looking upon it
as an extremely dangerous business, I resolved in my own mind
to pursue it as long as it afforded me the same enjoyment which
I experienced in my first essay. Besides, I formed an opinion
that aerial navigation was destined to move with the progressive
order of the day; and I felt it a duty devolved upon me not to
let it sleep for the want of active investigation, however slow its
improvement might be.  Such considerations induced me to go
on, and on I did go, as the sequel will show, for fifteen years
already, with, at least, well-founded hopes of its approaching
general usefulness, if not with considerable improvement in the
way of having simplified the art, so as to bring it within the
reach of experimenters at a reasonable cost and a certainty of
success, that must ere long give it a valuable feature.
CHAPTER III.
American aeronauts-Death of James Mills-Difficulty in the construction of balloons-Author's second experiment-Failure, and its cause
-lints to aeronauts in such predicaments.
ABOUT this period (1835), a considerable number of experimentalists in ballooning made their appearance in various parts
of the United States; but, unfortunately for the progress of the art,
the most of them were not philosophically acquainted with the subject. For this reason so many failed in the simple process of a bal



AMERICAN AERONAUTS.                      157
loon ascension.  This had a tendency to confirm  the opinion
which previously existed, that to make a balloon ascension was a
very mysterious and difficult matter. The most successful of this
numerous corps of aeronauts, were Mr. James Mills, of Baltimore, Mr. Richard Clayton, of Cincinnati, and Mr. William
Paullin, of Philadelphia. These gentlemen made a great number of ascensions in various parts of the Union, and Mr. Paullin
extended his operations into South America and the West Indies.
Mr. Mills died at York, Pa., while having announced his eleventh
ascension, and it was generally reported that he had come to his
death by suffocation from gas.  This opinion originated from the
fact that he was found dead in the room where he had his balloon, and where he died from apoplexy while in the act of repairing it.
All these aeronauts labored under the same difficulty which
gave me so much trouble and perplexity during the first five or
six years of my operations-the want of an elastic varnish, which
should at once combine the qualities of impermeability, elasticity,
and non-adhesiveness.  From  this difficulty I did not suffer so
much with the first balloon I made, because it was composed of
domestic muslin, a fabric which is more capable of absorbing
varnish than silk is; but it gave a disadvantage in the immense
weight of the machine, being four times that of one of silk of the
same dimensions.  Cumbersome and imperfect as this first machine was, I used it in six experiments before I abandoned it.
My second trial with it was from  the same spot where I had
made the first, but I failed in getting the balloon sufficiently inflated, from an accident that occurred while filling it, from the
breaking of a carboy of vitriol, which splashed some acid over
the balloon and damaged it so much, that it could not be repaired sufficiently on the ground to make it answer for the ascension then to be made.  This would not have occurred had the
balloon been further from the inflating apparatus, which is easily
done by using a longer conducting hose to pass the hydrogen
from the receiver to the balloon, a precaution which I afterwards
invariably adopted. Upon this accident, when all efforts on my
part had failed in overcoming the difficulty, I candidly stated to
the audience assembled what the reality of the case was, and
when they saw that my heart was as full of sorrow as the balloon should have been fill of hydrogen, they not only sympathized with me, but unanimously resolved not to take back the
fee of admission which I proffered them, and, moreover, cheered
me up by requesting me to repair the balloon and try it again on
some other occasion.
This was all done in the arena in a spontaneous, but systematic manner, and I mention it as an instance to show, that, at




158                 SECOND EXPERIMENT.
even a great gathering of people to witness a balloon ascension,
they are not unreasonable nor evil disposed towards the aeronaut,
when they are convinced that he is guiltless of any intention to
deceive them.  And when the aeronaut is in such a predicament
it is an easy matter for himself, or any friend of his, to explain
things satisfactorily, which is always better than to look upon the
public as an uncivilized and vicious throng, and under such delusion attempt to skulk from anticipated vengeance which has no
real existence.  The very act of attempting to sneak from  such
responsibility carries with it a degree of suspicion calculated to
inspire mistrust, and has caused the destruction of more than one
aeronaut's property, when a little common sense would have saved
it, and his credit too.
Having devoted this short chapter mainly to an unsuccessful experiment which had been attempted as a public balloon ascension,
it may be very properly concluded, by advising all experimentalists
in ballooning, and it pertains equally strong to all progressive experiments, whether for public amusement, or pioneering trials, to
never promise more than they really intend to accomplish. The
observance of this rule has saved me a good deal of trouble.
CHAPTER IV.
Author's third experiment-Perilous situation-Balloon bursting-Descent and its incidents-Woman more presence of mind than man-Two
more experiments-Sixth and last experiment with muslin balloon-Unfortunate result-Near proving fatal.
THE third experiment I made is one full of interest as well as
instruction to the student'of aeronautics. And as the main object
of this part of the work is to lead the practitioner into the fullest
knowledge of the art, a detailed account of the experiment and
its circumstances should be related.  On this occasion I attained
the greatest elevation in the whole course of my practice; and it
must be borne in mind that it was the largest balloon used in my
whole fifteen years' experience. Upon the size of the balloon
depends the altitude to be attained, and this machine, requiring
to be but half filled in order to carry its passenger with considerable ballast, was capable of attaining a height in the atmosphere
where the air is but half the density of that on the surface of
the earth.  Such a height was attained on this occasion, and,
although the ascension was a most complete and satisfactory one




THIRD EXPERIMENT.                      159
to all who witnessed it, there were defects in the rigging of the
balloon which developed themselves in the high and rarefied regions of the atmosphere, that placed me for a while in a very
perilous situation.  The ascension was made from the town of
Lebanon, Pa., on the 4th of July, 1835, and the weather was extremely warm.
At three o'clock P. M. I left the earth with a breeze from  the
north-west.  In a few minutes after, a panoramic view of innumerable villages, with the broad dazzling sheet of water of the
Susquehanna, was unfolded to the view. I crossed the Reading
and Harrisburg turnpike at the first gate below the town, and although I started off with an ascending power that raised me more
swiftly than was the horizontal velocity of the wind, I was induced to part with a bag of sand of about six pounds weight, as a
proffer to the toll-gate keeper, who very humorously hailed me to
pay toll as the balloon passed over his gate.  This caused the
balloon to rise with amazing rapidity, rushing up through the
strong horizontal wind, which was blowing with a speed of at
least thirty miles per hour, and giving the occasion much the
appearance and spirit of that in which a fiery charger is dashing along in mettled pride, heeding no restraint.  This soon
brought me in contact with a thick hazy mist, which was entered,
and in a few moments passed.  Above this were a clear sky
and brilliant sunshine, but, so cold now, that my hands became
numb, and a painful earache seized me.  The balloon was still
ascending rapidly, and my next impression was to discharge gas
and lower into a more congenial climate, but in this I was foiled,
and up boomed the buoyant courser with unabated career.  The
cord by which the valve was worked was sufficiently strong to
perform that office, but no allowance was made in its appropriation to unforeseen necessities-such as slight entanglements with
other parts of the balloon rigging-getting into folds of the flaccid
part of the balloon-which latter liability occurred on this occasion, and deprived me of the use of that all-important regulator.
Having now got far above the mist, and not less than three
miles above the earth, in a temperature of 430, having been within
twenty-five minutes transferred from a warmth of 940, which the
thermometer indicated when I left the earth-the world below
scarcely visible from the intervening discolored stratum of air;
my ears buzzing like a bee-hive, which for a while I took to be a
commotion of the gas in the balloon endeavoring to escape
through its tightly distended envelope; the valve rope broken off
inside the machine; the aerial ship still bounding and gyrating
upwards, I felt a degree of excitement that can be better imagined
than described.
All this difficulty arose from a want of practical knowledge in




160            PERIL OF THIRD EXPERIMENT.
the art which must be acquired in this, as in any other business,
before we can avoid consequences arising from  such deficiency.
In the first place, the valve rope was too frail in this machine.
Instead of a substantial cord (cod-fish line I find the best) this
was only common seine twine.  The car was also rigged too near
the balloon; this may have been observed already by the intelligent reader, where it is mentioned in the account of the first
voyage, that the car was so near the balloon that I was enabled
to untie the neck-pipe in the lower orifice of it.  On this occasion I had it hanging at least three feet lower from the balloon
than before; but when I got to a height in the atmosphere where
the gas sustained but half the pressure it did at the time of leaving the earth, it naturally dilated accordingly, and all the part of
the balloon that was flaccid when it started was now required for
its increase of bulk. For this increase the space within the cords
and net-work between the equator of the balloon and the concentrating hoop above my head to which the car was hanging, was
insufficient. Having no way to let off gas, even the lower orifice
of the balloon containing the neck-pipe, which answers for a
safety valve when properly rigged, was doubled up between the
concentrating hoop and the lower side of the balloon, which was
now swollen to its utmost tension.  I endeavored to reach the
lower part of the balloon with a knife, but by straddling across
with my feet in the open-work of the basket, it could not be
reached by at least two feet.  From the hissing noise of the gas
which was making its way through the small channels of the
compressed neck of the balloon, I knew that something must
give way soon.  As I did not know at that time that so large a
surface of fabric as is contained in a machine of that size, would
inevitably meet with friction enough, in falling through the atmosphere, to bring it to a velocity where an acceleration must
cease, and that at a point where its speed will not cause serious
consequences from contact with the earth, I was apprehensive
that it might be my last voyage.
In another moment a report like that of suddenly bursting an
inflated paper bag, such as boys frequently amuse themselves
with, informed me that the balloon had rent, and at the same time
some of the cords-two of them-separated from  the concentrating hoop; and that side of the balloon at which this took place,
as quickly bulged out, and immediately the atmosphere round the
machine got filled with a whitish filmy vapor. This was the
consequence of a mixture of warm  hydrogen with cold atmosphere.  The hydrogen in a balloon is always warmer than the
surrounding air, when the sun is shining on its globular surface.
The explosion was caused by the neck-pipe being pressed between
the concentrating hoop and the lower surface of the balloon, and




BALLOON BURSTING.                      161
this pipe being tin and pressing also against two of the net-cords
which were brought to an angle by being forced out a little by the
muzzle of it, caused them to break at the same time.  Although
the breaking of two cords next to each other out of the twentyfour-which was the number in this machine-did not seem to endanger my situation much, but seemed rather to have relieved
me to some extent from the very precarious condition in which
I had been a few  moments previously, it still destroyed that
mathematical strength existing in its complete state, which iade
me feel anxious to return to terra-firma.  I looked at my watch
and found the time to be five minutes past four.
After the explosion of the lower part of the balloon, it commenced a tolerably rapid descent, and as the atmosphere had got
considerably clearer than it had been when I started, I could
more easily distinguish the face of the country beneath.  On observation, I found the balloon was gradually descending on the
village of Womelsdorf.  Here I received a salute from  a volley
of musketry, by a company of volunteers who were celebrating
the National Republican birth-day at that place. Although I had
determined to let the balloon sink fo the ground as soon as it possibly would from its own gravitation occasioned by the loss of the
gas through the rent, for I had no control of the valve, this salute
of firing and shouting inspired me to rise again, and accordingly
papers and ballast were thrown overboard, sufficient to send the
machine up at least two miles high.  No sooner was this height
attained, than it again commenced to descend very gradually,
which brought me to the earth about four miles west of Reading.
Here an incident occurred which was as amusing to me as it was
terrifying to the individual who was a party thereto. Being likely
to descend in a cluster of trees, I threw out some ballast to cross
them-at the same time the grappling hooks took hold in a
branch of one of the trees, which was broken off and dragged
along.  At this moment I perceived a countryman mounting the
top rail of a worm-fence about a hundred paces ahead of the balloon, to which point the wind was driving it.  I hailed him to assist, for the balloon was floating the length of the grapple rope
above and dragging the limb of the tree along below. He looked
in every direction but upwards, and in another moment the limb
and grapple came square up against the panel of fence upon
which he was sitting, and threw it down, pitching the man head
foremost into the meadow before him, from which he sprang terrorstricken, if fleetness of foot is any evidence of such feeling, for
he was soon out of sight, leaving me to manage the best way I
could, which was by being driven up against a woods. Here I
got the assistance of two women who had been working in the
hay-field, and who promptly came to my assistance when I called
11




162            ASCENSION AT LANCASTER.
them, although they were much excited, having never seen such
a contrivance before, as they informed me. Had it not been for
these Amazonian ladies, I should inevitably have gotten into the
woods, for a brisk gale was just passing over at the time.
Thus ended a voyage, after having been in the atmosphere one
and a half hours, full of interest, excitement, and a great deal of
instruction. So far were these difficulties from discouraging me,
that they, upon the other hand, dictated me to go on and perfect
the deficiencies in my apparatus.
In the following August, I made two ascensions with this same
balloon from Reading, Pa., neither of which would be calculated
in its description, to throw much instruction upon the subject to
the learner. The first was cut short from a want of excess of
ascending power, making the duration of the flight short in time,
and but four or five miles in distance. The second was similar
to the first. This balloon, being a very inferior one from the
beginning, had now become even worse. Its repairs and its recoating made it very cumbersome, and rendered it impossible to
give the satisfaction due the citizens of Reading, for the very
liberal encouragement they extended to me on the occasion.
Having realized money enough from these ascensions to build a
silk balloon with, in the coming winter, I determined to make
the last experiment with the muslin machine on the 1st of October following, from the city of Lancaster. It now weighed over
two hundred pounds without the net-work and car, and from this
it will be perceived that it required as much gas to raise it with
an individual, as would a silk balloon of the same size require to
carry two individuals; or, it took as many cubic feet of gas to
raise this machine from the ground alone, as it would take to raise
a silk one with a passenger. A silk one of the same power weighs
from forty-five to sixty pounds. Thus, it will be seen that the
expense of inflating this cumbersome machine was almost double
that of a silk one, to say nothing of the advantages in easy management, a silk one possesses over a muslin one.
Having announced a public ascension from the city of Lancaster, for the 1st of October, I took the precaution of having an
abundant supply of material for generating a large quantity of
gas; being desirous that nothing should occur to prevent the
occasion from being satisfactory in every respect. But in this I
was doomed to disappointment; and a relation of the cause will
be useful to those who may become engaged in similar experiments. The day for the ascension turned out to be a fine clear
one, with a strong wind from  the north-west; and everything
connected with the inflation and preparatory arrangements went
off in a satisfactory manner, and when the time had arrived for
the ascension, the balloon was filled to an extent which gave it




PERILOUS EXPERIMENT.                   163
an ascensive power of a hundred pounds more than the whole
weight it was required to raise, which enabled me to carry a
quantity of ballast that would secure me in choosing a place of
descent, that might require a dozen of ups and downs during the
voyage.  Thus provided, everything was got in readiness for a
start, and when the machine was released from its moorings it
required the strength of four men to hold it from being dragged
along by the force of the wind.  The arena being on one side of
the street, and a range of two story buildings on the other, it was
necessary that the balloon should rise with a motion equal in
velocity to that of the wind, in order to clear the tops of the
buildings. And it was also necessary, in order to accomplish
this, that the balloon should be detached at the right moment, for
the wind would press the balloon down, so that it would stand
at an angle of 450 with the car, and if the car should be released
at such a moment it would swing like a pendulum, and before
the balloon could attain a sufficient elevation to clear obstructions, it would be dashed against the buildings. All this I was
well aware of, and mentioned it to some of the persons to whom I
confided the charge of the car when about to start; but, as the
sequel will show, they were very near having me "killed with
kindness."  The chafing, tossing, and plunging gambols of the
balloon, when it was only restrained by the holding of the car,
soon produced the like, or at least, corresponding actions and
emotions in a great portion of the audience and those who had
charge of the car, and several times the machine dragged all
those who had hold of it half way across the arena, when they as
often took it back again to the place from where I desired to
start. Seeing now that the excitement increased with the wind,
I found the sooner I should start the better, and I struck upon this
plan: two strong cords were tied to the basket at a quarter of its
circumference apart; each of these cords was six feet long, and
held by two men; by these the whole machine was restrained,
and the order for starting was this-when I cut the one cord it
was the signal to let the other go, as I could not cut them both
at one time.
I now watched the moment when the balloon was rising in her
vibrations caused by the gale, and at that moment cut the cord,
but the other two, instead of being punctual in letting go theirs,
clung on to it until the machine dragged them along with several
more who quickly seized hold of it on seeing its furious career,
until they were all brought up against the side of the enclosure
next the houses, where they all let go just at the moment when
the balloon was most depressed by the gale, and the consequence
was, the car was dashed with a tremendous swing against the
eaves of a two-story house (I was on my one knee at the time, or




164     ABANDONMENT OF THE MUSLIN BALLOON.
I should most certainly have been pitched to the ground), severing
the cords on the side of the basket which struck, letting that side
down and spilling me out on the very apex of the house, stunned
by the concussion.
In a few moments I recovered my senses; my first impressions
were like those of awakening from a dream; but, on getting up on
my feet over the apex of the house, the shouts of the vast concourse
of people below soon woke me into stern reality again. Looking
up in a south-easterly direction, I beheld the balloon plunging
furiously into a chasm  of dense, black clouds, and so ended the
experiments with a machine that had given me much more trouble
than reputation as a skilful aeronaut.
CHAPTER V.
Abandonment of the old, and construction of a silk balloon-Spontaneous
combustion of oiled silk-Strange coincidences-Their causes-Ascent
from Lancaster with new balloon-Comments on it-Effects of the sun
above the clouds-Experiments on echo-Rising and falling through the
cloud stratum-Final descent at night-Balloon moored to Mr. Stump's
house-Terrific explosion of balloon-Persons injured by it-Accident
to the aeronaut-His return home.
HAVING now abandoned the muslin balloon as an aerial ship,
I procured a lot of silk to build a new one with. But as it is not
stated in the previous chapter what became of the old machine,
having left her at a point in the clouds, it will be no more than
justice to her history to give her final exit. Having risen to such
a height in the atmosphere that the dilatation of the gas filled
the whole cavity of the balloon, and its ascending power being
capable of carrying it up much beyond that point, the expansive
power of the gas of course burst it.  From  the appearance of
some green foliage of trees that was in the carwhen it started,
having turned black, it must have attained an immense height in
the atmosphere; for having a six inch neck-tube in it which was
open when it ascended, it rose to a'much greater altitude than
that at which it became completely filled by diminution of atmospheric pressure.  It descended near Bordentown, a point north
of east from Lancaster, about seventy-five miles distant.
During the winter of 1835 and 1836, I constructed a new one
of twenty-four feet diameter, and of a pear shape.  The silk was
of a kind termed India sarcenet; it was white, and in sixty yard




SILK BALLOON.                      165
pieces. This silk was coated with a varnish composed of linseed
oil and gum-elastic (caoutchouc). The gum-elastic was dissolved
in spirits of turpentine, which was afterwards boiled up in drying
oil.  After I had the silk coated twice, and it had become seemingly very dry, the segments or gores for the balloon were cut
out in readiness for sewing them together. A dozen of these
were cut out, rolled up, and laid on a pile in a dry loft, where
they had remained from one morning to the next, during which
time spontaneous combustion had so far progressed, that in a few
hours more from the time I discovered it, the pile would have
been in a blaze, and no doubt, would have set the building on
fire. A portion of the gores had already become a putrescent
mass emitting heat and smoke, and were rendered useless. This
liability has proved fatal to many an aeronaut's balloon, and it is
one which I have entirely overcome, as will be seen under that
part of this work which will treat upon the construction of balloons.
This machine was finished in the spring of 1836, and was
named the "Meteor," and, lest the coincidence of its fate with
its name, and that which occurred during its manufacture, should
be construed by superstitious reasonings, as it was attempted at
the time, it is well enough to state here, that the very circumstance of spontaneous combustion in the silk, suggested the name
which the balloon received.  The sequel will show that this
machine ended its career in a globe of consuming fire.  Besides
this, two members of my family dreamed that this machine took fire
while sailing aloft, and even advised me to abandon its use while
finishing it, for some of the silk which was in the damaged lot
was used in its construction. - Now I looked upon it that these
dreams and forebodings were suggested, or rather took their origin
from the same cause, as did the name of the balloon; the spontaneous combustion of the silk in question. The smell and smoke
that arose from it filled them with alarm and apprehension of fire
in connection with balloons, which naturally engendered such
dreams.
The "Meteor" being completed, was found upon trial to be
very air-tight-an essential quality in a balloon.  The citizens of
Lancaster, desirous of having an aerial experiment on a most
liberal scale, contributed an amount of money so as to have the
ascension free, from the common. Accordingly, an invitation was
extended to the people of the county, to witness the spectacle on
the 7th day of May, 1836.
Everything for the occasion being got in readiness, the day
arrived.  I will now  quote from  the newspapers of the day
the account of the operations as far as stated by them, considering them impartial historians of facts that transpired under their
conductors' eyes.  " On the afternoon of Saturday last, a most




166             ASCENT FROM LANCASTER.
brilliant balloon ascension was achieved by our townsman, Mr. J.
Wise, from  the common near the head of West Orange and
Chestnut streets.  The circumstances under which this truly
splendid  ascension was accomplished, entitle it to honorable
mention and particular commendation.
" The day was extremely disagreeable; a succession of showers,
ushered in by the morning's dawn, and continuing with intervals
of most undesirable brevity, left but little reason to induce the
belief that an attempt would be hazarded-much less that, if
made, it would be successful. Occasional glimpses of sunshine
only served, like hope deferred, to make the heart sick; for they
were invariably and rapidly succeeded by pelting rains.  Notwithstanding all these apparently insurmountable obstacles, Mr.
Wise persisted in his determination to attempt an ascension; and
at the meridian hour his intentions having been announced to the
public, and spread like wildfire through the city, the crowd began
to assemble. By three o'clock the ground was pressed by the feet
of many thousands; and amid the war of the elements, the process
of inflation was commenced.  From  the state of the atmosphere
this necessarily proceeded but slowly; but the impatience of the
vast assemblage was properly restrained, and their curiosity
gratified from time to time, by the letting off of a number of
small untenanted balloons-one of them of most fantastic shape
(Flying Dutchman); and whose aerial gambols were productive
of infinite diversion.
" Soon after five o'clock, the rain having ceased, and the balloon being properly inflated, the intrepid adventurer calmly took
possession of the frail vehicle prepared for his reception; the
glittering ball rose slowly and majestically above the ocean of
heads; the cords which bound it to the earth were severed; and,
amid the waving of hands, and the shouts of the multitude,
winged its way to the regions above.
" As it rose, Mr. Wise was discovered standing very composedly
in his little car, and acknowledging the salutations which accompanied his departure.  The balloon rose steadily upward for a
few minutes, then shaped its course in a direction nearly south
of east (in nautical phrase), and, in something less than a quarter of an hour, slowly entered the yawning chasm  of a huge
black cloud, at an immense height, and apparently hovering over
a surface of the earth many miles distant from the starting point.
After this, the good people of Lancaster beheld him no more.
" Mr. Wise has not yet been heard from; nor can it be satisfactorily ascertained that he has been even heard of.  As might
be expected, rumors are rife; serious apprehensions are entertained for his safety, as his course was nearly direct for the
Chesapeake; but we hope for the best, and trust that next week,




INFLATION AND WEATHER.                    167
we shall have the pleasing intelligence to announce that he has
returned to the warm welcome of his many friends.
" Since the above was in type, we have received the Philadelphia Public Ledger of yesterday, which says that Mr. Wise arrived in that city on Tuesday. At half-past eight o'clock in the
evening of Saturday last, he let off the gas, and descended near
Port Deposite (Md.). The anxiety manifested by the citizens to
give him assistance, placed the lights brought by them in contact
with the escaping gas, which immediately exploded, causing the
entire destruction of his splendid balloon, instruments, clothes,
&c., and so severely burnt and injured Mr. Wise, that he is now
confined to his room in Philadelphia."
The following is an extract from another of the Lancaster
papers, concerning this ascension: " The balloon ascension on
Saturday last, unfavorable as were the circumstances under
which it was accomplished, was one of the best we have ever
seen.  The heavens were overhung with clouds from'morn till
dewy eve;' there was a continued succession of drizzling showers
during the whole day, and the air was so saturated with moisture, and (apparently) so'heavy,' that there were few, we imagine, who did not feel strong doubts of the ability of the aeronaut
to accomplish his object.  The interest excited in behalf of Mr.
Wise, however, was deep and general.  He was surrounded,
during the whole process of inflation, with a friendly and sympathizing crowd, among whom were many of our most respectable
citizens.  The hostility of the elements, and the gloom of the day
were, in a measure, counteracted (to the aeronaut) by the kind
assistance of some, by the good feeling and forbearance of all.
" The atmosphere being really lighter, and less favorable to the
evolution of gas than in clear weather, and a greater quantity
of hydrogen being required, for the same reason the inflation of
the balloon necessarily required a longer time than was anticipated.  It was, therefore, half past five before the process was
completed.  Without further loss of time, and with the coolness
and self-possession of a veteran in his dangerous vocation, Mr.
Wise stepped firmly into his car, quickly adjusted and regulated
his ballast and appliances, cut the cord, and was rapidly borne
upward, amid the loud'god speeds,' of an immense and gratified assemblage.  The course of the balloon was directly south,
the aeronaut standing up and'waving his hat as long as he continued in sight. His'vessel,' however, soon plunged into the
clouds and disappeared.  Above, we have no doubt, a kinder
sky, and a bright and genial sun threw light and warmth over
his aerial path, and compensated him, by the splendors with
which he was suddenly surrounded, for the gloom which attended
his departure.




168           ASCENT THROUGH THE CLOUDS.
"P. S.-No certain tidings have yet been received of the
aeronaut.  Rumor has landed him  near Belle Air, Maryland,
about forty miles distant, but such does not appear to be the
fact."
Having now given the disinterested testimony of the journals
of the day, of this experiment, as far as their immediate observation enabled them to do so, leaving me as it were entering into a
world, which was divided from the one I left, nine minutes before,
by a thick barrier of clouds, the balance will be related from the
notes kept by the way.
In about two minutes after I entered the cloud stratum, the
balloon emerged from the top.  Just as it was penetrating the
upper surface of the stratum, I found the cloudy vapor quite
warm, and immediately, on emerging from  it, this warmth was
increased to a degree of temperature above that of comfortable
feeling.  A pungently stinging sensation was also produced upon
those parts of my person which were exposed to the sun's rays.
This I attributed to the hydrogen, which was let off while passing
through the clouds, some of which hung to me in passing through
it.  Having started with considerable ascensive power, and having nearly one hundred pounds of ballast in the car, a considerable quantity of gas was discharged while passing through the
clouds, which was intended to counteract, in a measure, the increased ascending velocity the balloon would attain, as soon as
she would get under the direct influence of the sun's rays, above
the stratum.  Notwithstanding this precaution, as soon as the
barrier was passed, the balloon, in a few moments after, sped up
at a furious rate, until it reached a height at which the barometer
stood at nineteen inches, and the clouds appeared at an immense
depth below me.  Not experiencing much warmth by the reflection of heat from the clouds at this distance above them, and the
balloon, now moving in an angular direction to that of the clouds,
their upper surface lit up in a brilliant white light, gave it the
appearance of a vast circular ocean of snow, rolling along in a
wave-like motion, in the most majestic grandeur, and the cold
frosty state of the atmosphere, from which it was beheld, rendered
this snow scene most impressive.
I next discharged gas until the barometer stood at twenty-three
inches. At this height, it being but a short distance above the cloud
surface, I found the temperature very congenial, and continued the
rest of the voyage, varying by barometer from  twenty-three to
twenty-two inches. In the rise and fall of the balloon above the
clouds which occupied twenty minutes, it described a spiral
circle; and, on coming near to the surface of the clouds, I recognized a familiar tune of martial music, which I afterwards
learned was the very tune played by the musicians of the city




EFFECTS OF ECHO.                    169
battalion of volunteers, who on this occasion formed a cordon
around the ascension ground, they being invited to attend and
participate in the enjoyment of the spectacle.  An opening in
the clouds which occurred for a moment, also developed to me
a watercourse below, which I took for the Conestogo.  My course
now lay, as near as I could judge, towards the south; but in
order to be more certain concerning my whereabouts and direction,
discharged gas and darted down through the clouds; but when
below them, the country appeared so rough with forest hills, and
the space between the hills and the lower cloud surface so shallow,
I quickly threw out some ballast which sent me up again partly
into the clouds.  Hearing a cowbell and the sounds of a woodchopper's axe, I hailed in the following manner: "Halloo," to
which I heard the reply, "Halloo." I next inquired, "How far is
this from Lancaster?" which in a few moments was returned by
"HowJar is thisfrom  Lancaster?"  Believing this to come in
response as an inquiry-to know whether I wished to learn that
fact, "the distance to Lancaster," I repeated it again in very
measured accent.  This was again responded to in like measured
accent, apparently to my mind as an intent of mockery.   Being
in the clouds, and not able to see things either above or below, I
felt somewhat nettled at such clownish display of wit, and in a
very audible tone of voice, while the foregoing was still reverberating on my ear, sung out, "Your are a fool," which in a very few
seconds was answered in an equally distinct and measured tone
of, "You are a fool," when it suddenly flashed upon my mind
that it was the echo of my own voice, which opinion was ratified
by the dying reverberations of "you are a fool," which had now
become as numerous.as though a whole regiment had caught the
watchword and were passing it in quick succession through the
whole line.  Involuntarily I exclaimed to myself, "Fooled, sure
enough." Being determined to find out my whereabouts, I let off
sufficient gas to get below the clouds, when I observed through a.
spy-glass a little clearing in which was a cottage, and before it a
man.  His face was turned upwards, apparently drawn in that
direction by the dialogue I had with myself, and which no doubt
he had heard. I inquired of him whether he saw me, for I was
then standing up in the car and waving a flag to draw his attention.  He answered, "Yes; who are you?" I replied, "An angel
of light."  Upon which he cried out, "Is your name Wise?"
To this I responded, "Yes; how far is this from Lancaster?" to
which he answered, "Sixteen miles," upon which I bid him
"good by," threw out some ballast, and went up through the
clouds again. As I was passing up I heard him say, "God bless
you, man."
Having now become interested in this singular phenomenon of




170                CROSSING THE FALLS.
echo, I continued making experiments in it. I found when sailing some hundred feet above the cloud stratum, that the echoing
sound was short, not near so sonorous or musical to the ear as
when in the clouds or immediately beneath them.  Still I could
hear the reverberations until they became blended into mere
undulatory sounds.  When at a considerable elevation above the
clouds, one or two thousand feet, I could discern no echo, and
the report of a rifle was short and sharp; so also the sound of a
bell, and the chopping of an axe.  From  these experiments, I
think one loud clap of thunder, occurring when a dense stratum
of clouds is extended over a great portion of surface, is sufficient
to cause that long continued rumbling thunder which we often
hear, one echo inducing another, until by multiplication they become so numerous as to blend into a mere rumbling vibration in
which it is neutralized and lost, as are the waves which are
caused by throwing a stone into water.
The wind just.above the cloud region appeared to be vibrating
from various points of the compass, causing the balloon to describe
a kind of zig-zag course in a southerly direction, necessarily making
the progress in that direction somewhat slow for aerial traveling.
Knowing my course would carry me on to the bay shore, and
having been aloft nearly two hours, it was evident that I must be
nearing the Chesapeake unless the balloon was making a different
course from that of her first sixteen miles. Consequently another
gradual descent through the cloud stratum, which was still very
dense, was made, which brought the machine over Conewingo
Falls in the Susquehanna River. The roaring noise as it met my
ears, while yet in the clouds, gave me some foreboding that I had
reached the bay shore, taking the noise of the falls for that of the
bay surf.  My anxiety was relieved from this, and increased in
another quarter; for, in coming through the clouds, the falls were
immediately underneath me, the balloon descending very rapidly,
and the opposite side of the river lined with highlands and trees,
and it was not until a great quantity of ballast was discharged
that the balloon overcame the obstacles.  I hailed some individuals living at the falls, who invited me to descend and partake
of their hospitality, which, however, the position I was placed in
compelled me to decline. Before I made this reconnoissance, the
sun was near the horizon above the clouds, and when my vessel
got below them I found the earth shrouded in a gloomy twilight.
The Chesapeake lay some miles to the south, and the direction
the balloon was making would carry it along its western border.
The large quantity of ballast discharged in crossing the falls,
caused the balloon to rise to a great height above the clouds,
bringing, as it were, the sun above the horizon also, which but a
few minutes before was sinking behind a bank of clouds, and had




DESCENT AT NIGHT.                    171
now become elevated twelve to fifteen degrees.  This phenomenon interested me more than it deceived me, but was still the
cause of keeping me aloft until it had got dark below, which
circumstance cost me my balloon and a most terrific accident.
Seeing now, at even that height, that the day god was fast
sinking in the cloud horizon, I commenced a gradual descent,
and before I reached the upper surface of the clouds the sun was
lost behind their western bound.  The descent through this
vaulted ceiling of the earth was dark and gloomy in the extreme.
A deathly silence, equaled only by the impenetrable darkness
that surrounded me on all sides, made the descent awful, and
yet grand and imposing. As soon as the clouds were cleared, a
few scattered lights were visible, which apprised me that I was
coming on land, and in a few moments after I felt my drag-rope,
which was four hundred feet long, glide gently over tree tops,
and in a few moments more I felt, by its motion, that it was
dragging apparently over smooth ground, and hearing at the
same time human voices not far off. The grapple-iron was immediately thrown out, which as quickly brought up the vessel
near a fence. Having hallooed considerably while descending
from the clouds to the earth, and hearing no-response, I next betook myself to loading my car with stones which were within my
reach.  Having accomplished this in a manner sufficient to keep
the balloon anchored by the car in case the grapple-iron should
slip its hold, I commenced hallooing again, which was immediately answered by a colored man, as I judged from his dialedt.
He cried, "Where are you?"  I answered, "Here, with a balloon."  He replied, "I know dat."  This surprised me, and I
cried out, " How do you know it?" He answered, " I smell de
balloon." This surprised me still more, but he having in the
meantime come up to me, informed me, upon inquiry, that he had
helped to fill a balloon at Baltimore the fall previous, and that as
soon as I told him I was there with a balloon, he concluded I had
come from Baltimore with one, having no doubt of what I told him,
because he smelled the hydrogen. Uneducated man as he was, I
found him one of remarkably quick perceptive faculties, and just
such an one as an aeronaut is glad to meet with on his descent. He
informed me that I had landed between Belle-Air and Port Deposite, on the plantation of Mr. Stump, in Harford county, Md.
By his assistance the balloon was moored near the house of Mr.
Stump, when we roused the family, they having retired to bed at
an early hour. Here we found plenty of assistance, Mr. Stump
giving me a very cordial reception, at the same time ordering his
colored men to render me all the assistance necessary.  As it was
drizzling, and the grass was wet, I determined to discharge the
gas from the upper valve of the balloon, and thus be enabled to




172         TERRIFIC EXPLOSION OF BALLOON.
fold the whole machine into the car beneath it, as it gradually
collapsed. This process being necessarily slow, and the atmosphere very humid, it became impregnated with the hydrogen for
some distance around the balloon.  Being some distance from
the house, and having a lantern standing at least fifty feet from
the balloon, I apprehended no danger from the escaping gas.
Things went on in this way until the balloon was emptied to
within a thousand cubic feet of gas, her upper end being now
drawn down and one of the men with his hand pressing open the
upper valve, while I was standing at the other end carefully folding the loose silk into the car. While thus engaged, Mr. Stump
standing about thirty feet behind me, and some half dozen more
persons near and round the machine, either the lantern, or some
other light which had in the meantime been brought to the scene,
ignited the explosive mixed atmosphere that was hovering around
the balloon, making a report like a park of artillery, throwing
me violently back at least ten feet from the place I was standing, setting fire to the clothes of some, and severely scorching the
faces and hands of others, and even Mr. Stunp d(id not entirely
escape the effects of it, although a considerable distance from the
machine.
I quickly sprang upon my feet again, and jumped on to the
remainder of the balloon which was burning in the car, and which
was thuis extinguished by tramping it out-the gas that had by
the sudden explosion been liberated from the balloon, in the mean
time rose rapidly into the air "like a consuming fire," with a
rushing noise, until, at a considerable height, it was totally consumed like a dying meteor.
There I stood in deep reverie, scarcely able to realize the events
of the last few hours, with feelings like a person awakening from a
dream, in which all the magnificence-sublimity-solemnity-terror-consciousness of approaching death, that the human mind is
capable of conceiving, agitating my thoughts.  For, at the moment of the explosion, the death pang flitted through my mind.
In a few moments I was aroused from my fixed position by an
agonizing pain through my whole body, which soon concentrated
itself in my hands and face. I felt as though the very heart's blood
was oozing through the skin, and I was soon made sensible that
I was wofully scorched in those parts-the watery fluid of the
system was oozing out in profuse drops, and some of the poor
negroes had fared no better than myself in this respect, which
their agonizing screams too plainly told. Mr. Stump, who was
more of a spectator than an immediate sufferer in this terrific
affair, being a very considerate gentleman of advanced years,
came up to me and desired me to accompany him to the dwelling,
for, by this time I had become almost t6tally blind, and moreover




EFFECTS OF EXPLOSION.                     173
began to feel very sick from the excruciating pain caused by
the burns.  It also pained me that I had been the cause of Mr.
Stump's men being burned, but he, on learning this, begged me
not to trouble my mind about that.  He also extended me all
the care and comfort my condition required, and the following
morning, at my earnest request, I was furnished with a vehicle
to take me to Port Deposite.  Here I had my burns dressed, and
on the following Tuesday morning left for Philadelphia, much
against the advice of the physician who attended to me at Port
Deposite, and reached Philadelphia on Tuesday evening, where
my family resided at the time, with my hands and face very much
swollen and inflamed. By dint of blood-letting, wholesome diet,
and the constant application of cooling cataplasms, I was out in
ten days afterwards with a new skin on my hands and face, determined to make a new  balloon, feeling satisfied in my own.
mind, that all my sufferings were overpaid by the learning I had
received in the adventure.
On my arrival in Lancaster, I met with a most honorable and
hospitable reception, as well as with the means, supplied me by
a voluntary contribution of the citizens, to procure a new balloon.  Thus ended an experiment which had taken me through
an ordeal that was well calculated to make impressions on my
mind that will never be erased while living, and to which I invariably recur with the most vivid sensations of satisfaction,
painful as were some of the exciting incidents connected with it.
CHAPTER VI.
Promptings of the author's profession-Spirit of development-Construction of a new balloon-Its failure-Abandonment of the art for a yearMr. Cocking's fatal experiment-Report of it in the United StatesCauses the author to make another ascent-Account of same-Balloon
inflated with coal gas-Newspaper extracts of the occasion-Particulars
of the experiment-Successful termination.
HAVING now completely recovered from  the accident that had
befell me in the last experiment, and feeling as though I had been
fully initiated into a most fascinating art, I firmly resolved to make
it my future profession.  The scanty knowledge that was in existence at the time, leaving the few persons who were engaged
in the art to grope their way through an unexplored region without a guide-even without well-directed theoretical instructions



174              SPIRIT OF PROGRESSION.
als6 had a tendency to bring me to such a resolution.  How
could it be otherwise to an observing and investigating mind? A
vast field of science lay open to the investigation of man! It
required him but to lay his hand upon the lever of the atmosphere,
and elevate himself into and above the region of clouds, where a
new life-a new spirit-a new world of science and art developed
itself to his searching imagination!  Geography, topography,
natural philosophy, atmospheric phenomena, meteorology, astronomy, all assume a new feature. The ability to explore the surface of the bottom of the ocean would no doubt be a grand privilege.  The ability to make a supra-mundane voyage-to sail
above and below the cloud-vaulted canopy of the sky-to glide
through nature's rain and snow-making laboratory while in full
tide of operation-lit up with electric lights-the facility of soaring above these scenes, while the harmless thunder rattles beneath
you, and the zig-zag coruscations of electricity look like sparkling diamonds shooting athwart snow banks-your vessel all the
while moving with a smooth, apparently motionless, but grand
and majestic pace-twenty, forty, and not unfrequently eighty
miles per hour, is even a greater privilege. But it is not yet
properly-nay, it has not yet begun, to be appreciated; the
human family has not yet been initiated in this grand prerogative.
The day of steam-power transition must attain its acme; then the
new-born art will be seized upon and be made to run a career
that will leave railroad and steamboat transition as far in the
background, as they have left the stage coach and horse boat.
This epoch is fast approaching.  The ultimatum of steam transition is approximating; the introduction of a more facile mode is
becoming the theme of the age, the pole star of genius; the present century will enjoy its great advantages-its world's civilizing effects.  Such is the spirit of this unexplored subject.
With such a field in view, it was a sufficient apology-a sufficient
stimulant, for even an humble searcher in progressive science
and art to take upon himself a voluntary pioneership in the exploration of a new and promising estate which has been opened
to the human family.
Had I been content with the mere knowledge of constructing
a machine by which we can attain an elevation and flight in the
atmosphere, my labor on the subject would have ceased with the
knowledge I had now acquired.  But there it did not, could not
rest.  That simple part of it wanted improvement.  A balloon
capable of remaining in the atmosphere three or four hours was
but an imperfect machine, compared to what it ought to be, in
order to make experiments that would give the subject a consideration worthy of its magnitude.  I might have gone on well
enough in merely making balloons and balloon ascensions as a




BALLOON EXPERIMENT.                     175
matter of novelty and amusement, but the mind in its progressive
spirit yearned for a more extended and useful application of the
art. And yet to undertake this in a professional way, depending
upon public forbearance while prosecuting the subject under public patronage as a source of amusement for them, had before it
many difficulties. A failure in what should be announced as a
public exhibition was almost a certain signal for the demolition
of the unfortunate aeronaut's property, with no small degree of
condemnation on his head as an impostor. And yet, under these
foreboding auspices, I launched out into the world with the new
business, determined to experiment in the way of improvement
as I went along, let the consequences be what they might; and,
although this determination frequently brought me into most embarrassing predicaments-often into feelings of intense chagrinstill, through an experience of fifteen years in this profession, I
never met with any attempt to violate my property or person,
but, on the other hand, with encouragement and praise when I
succeeded; with sympathy, kindness, and forbearance, when I
failed.  This obligates me to give to my countrymen and the
world, all the knowledge I have acquired in the practice of the
art.
As the last used balloon had been coated with a solution of
gum elastic, which had made it very impermeable to the hydrogen, I determined to coat the next one with the same substance,
prepared in a different manner. I dissolved the gum by heat
alone, not knowing at the time that under such a process it loses
all its elastic property, which it never regains after being melted.
It even loses its elasticity to a great extent when dissolved in
spirits of turpentine. And thus far, there is but one solvent for
it known, under which it resumes its elastic property when used
as a varnish, which will be treated on under the head of balloon
construction in this work.
Accordingly, I finished a twenty-five feet diameter balloon,
coated with this new kind of varnish, which seemingly promised
to answer a very good purpose, although on completion it showed
a want of elasticity, such as is necessary to overcome the effect
of folding up the machine. She was named the "Experiment,"
and an unfortunate experiment she proved to be. When folded
up and packed away for a few days it acquired heat (affinity for
oxygen) until it became a putrescent mass.  From  this I attempted to restore it by the application of drying oils, and under
this, as well as other ineffectual applications, I failed three successive times in getting it sufficiently inflated to carry out the
object announced-a balloon ascension. These experiments were
made in Lebanon and Dauphin Counties, Pa., and served to
make me pecuniarily bankrupt in the business, and almost so in




176             PARACHUTES AND OPINIONS.
reputation as an aeronaut.  The third trial I let the balloon off
by itself, determined to get rid of so unprofitable a machine.
I now returned to Philadelphia, and got employment at philosophical instrument making, which afforded me a pleasure, as
well as a gradual acquirement of means with which to resume
the balloon business again. While thus engaged, a good opportunity was afforded me of studying and practicing in the science of
electricity-a subject that mingles with the minutest details of
all human operations.  The profession of ballooning had given
me an uncontrollable desire to study such subjects. These things,
in the meantime, were preparing me better than I had been before, to engage in my favorite avocation again, as soon as opportunity should offer.
While thus engaged, and during the latter part of the summer
of 1837, the London newspapers brought us over an account of
a most melancholy accident which had befallen Mr. Cocking, an
aged and scientific gentleman of the city of London, while attempting a descent with a newly invented parachute. The old
plan or form of the parachute being concave, or rather hemispherical, made it liable to violent oscillations while descending
through the air, being considered very objectionable and unpleasant.  Mr. Cocking proposed to construct one which should
not be liable to such action, but should descend with a uniform
and steady motion.  This was to descend on the principle of
cleaving or wedging through the air, instead of, as in the old
plan, compressing the atmosphere.  Its form was that of an inverted cone, or we might say funnel-shaped.  The upper part, or
large opening of it, was forty feet in diameter; the lower opening
was four feet in diameter. It had hoops in the upper and lower
openings to keep it distended. Around the lower hoop the cords
were attached, to which the car or basket containing the aeronaut,
was fastened.  The lower orifice also served to let a column of air
pass through which would act the part of a centre pole-rushing
through it from bottom to top, and steadying it in its descent.  The
upper hoop was composed of two inch tin tubing, the lower one
of wood.
With this machine attached to Mr. Green's large balloon, he
ascended, in company with Mr. Green and another person, from
the city of London, to an altitude of about 8000 feet.  This
parachute was fastened to the bottom of the car in which Mr.
Green and his partner were stationed, and was so contrived that
Mr. Cocking could detach it without the assistance of those in the
balloon car.
According to the account given, Mr. Cocking betrayed considerable excitement while ascending, as related by Mr. Green.
When at the altitude above mentioned, he requested Mr. Green




PARACHUTES AND OPINIONS.                   177
to detach the parachute, but the veteran aeronaut not having
sufficient confidence in the structure of the new invention, refused to do so, and desired Mr. Cocking to do it himself if he
was determined to try the experiment, of the successful result
of which Mr. Green expressed some doubts.  Upon this, Mr.
Cocking gave notice that he would detach himself, which he instantly did.   The parachute did not fall far before the upper
hoop kinked and finally broke, causing the parachute to collapse.
The unfortunate experiment resulted in death.  The balloon,
when released from this weight, sped upwards at a furious rate,
the aeronauts with it betaking themselves to some air-bags carried along for the emergency, from which to inhale pure air
while passing through the escaping hydrogen that was now being
let off as fast as possible, to overcome the balloon's rapid ascending motion.
The account of this catastrophe was severely commented upon,
both by the foreign and American newspapers, almost universally condemned by them as a fool-hardy attempt, with no possible chance of success in its trial or practice. And, although Mr.
Cocking was represented as a man of no inconsiderable scientific
attainments, still, he was denounced as being supremely visionary
and unscientific in this particular instance.
Looking at this contrivance of Mr. Cocking's with an unprejudiced eye, it struck me as remarkably ingenious, embracing none
but true principles, adaptive to the end for which it was intended; and so confirmed was I in this conclusion (and am yet),
that I would not have hesitated to repeat the experiment with a
similar machine, with no other alteration than a tough wooden
hoop in the top of it instead of a tin one as was in his machine. I ventured this opinion in a Philadelphia newspaper at
the time, and promised to demonstrate its truth before the summer should pass by, by experiment with a true model of this new
invention in leaving down, from a great height, a living animal.
Having a short time before this received a letter from Mr. Geo.
Diehl, of Lebanon county, informing me that he had recovered
the balloon " Experiment," which I had the summer before sent
adrift as good for nothing, and which, he told me, was at my
service if I wanted it.  I at once determined to send for it and
endeavor to repair and enlarge it, so that it might answer for a
single ascension by being inflated with carburetted hydrogen gas,
which was now being extensively manufactured by the Philadelphia "City Gas-works."  Accordingly, this machine was procured, but it was in a very damaged and mellow condition; it
had, however, lost much of its adhesiveness.  With this I determined to make the experiment.  To make it large enough to
carry the required weight when filled with coal gas, it had to be
12




178          ASCENT WITH AN OLD BALLOON.
enlarged so as to hold several thousand cubic feet more than was
its present capacity. This was done by cutting it apart at its
equator and inserting a belt, which was soon accomplished by
merely pasting in the band by the adhesiveness of the old varnish,
lapping the edges about one inch and pressing them together
with a warm  sad-iron.  The belt was composed of black silk,
varnished with bird-lime varnish, which was all very good; but
the old part of the balloon was so mellow as to be scarcely able
to bear its own weight when lifted up by any part of it. However, I knew that if it would bear the test of inflation, it would
have less force.to bear when freed in the air with its burden.
This is a mathematical principle in ballooning that very few
people believe in, and much less willing to test its truth.
Thus provided, an announcement was made to the Philadelphia public, that a balloon ascension would be made from the
corner of Filbert and Broad streets, with a balloon inflated with
carburetted hydrogen, on Monday morning at 10 o'clock, September 18th, 1837, in which I would show that Mr. Cocking's
plan of a parachute embraced the true principles of safe and
pleasant descent from great altitudes, which would on this occasion be shown, in comparison with the old fashioned parachute
with which living animals should be let down from the height of
a mile, and which should land on th.e earth in perfect safety.
Before giving my own description of this experiment, an extract from one of the newspapers of the day will be given.
THE BALLOON ASCENSION AND DESCENSION.
"The ascension of Mr. Wise of yesterday, was truly an imposing and pleasing sight; and from  the unbounded applause
that greeted the intrepid aeronaut, both in and out of the enclosure,
we should suppose that the gratification of Mr. Wise and his
auditory was mutual. At about half past eight o'clock, the hum
and bustle of the various pedestrians that were wending their way
westward, bespoke the citizens alive to the amusement of the
morn; and at about half past nine the streets, trees, fences, and
tops of houses in the vicinity of the arena were completely studded with men, women, and children, and naughty boys. About
ten o'clock Mr. Wise prepared to depart; the aerostadt was harnessed to the car, and all the paraphernalia for the perilous voyage
properly arranged.  Poor Tabby and Tray were by no means
disposed to become encaged without some show of resistance, and
our canine friend, especially, seemed to dispute for his liberty
with a growl; pussy, by her looks and gestures seemed fully
aware of the cat(astrophe) that awaited her feline dignity, but




PARACHUTE EXPERIMENTS.                   179
nolens volens, was forced to submit. At length the cords were
cut, and the pilgrim of the air gave us his adieu, amid hearty
cheers.  The balloon ascended in nearly a perpendicular line
with the yard, and then gently glided to the east; when he attained a height of about two thousand feet, poor Tray was curtailed of higher honors, and was made to descend to a level with
his fellow animals of this lower sphere. He descended in the
parachute of Mr. Wise's construction, which seemed to oscillate
rapidly to and fro; be descended, however, we believe, in perfect
plight.  Now came poor Tabitha's turn, in imitation of the unfortunate Cocking; she, however, escaped his melancholy fate,
and seemed to descend in a more regular and steadyposition than
her canine companion.  We believe the plan of Mr. Cocking to
be more free from oscillation than the common one; both, however, we believe to be a presumptuous and hazardous experiment,
without any beneficial results. We gazed upon the balloon until
it was lost to our sight."
The above humorously written account is a fair sketch of what
it relates.  As regards the parachutes, which were both exhibited
in the arena with their occupants, many comments were passed
upon their respective capacities of resistance to the air in falling
through it, and the Cocking parachute was almost universally
condemned; a few scientific persons only agreeing that it would
answer the purpose for which it was designed.  And I would
here remind the reader, that, although public opinion is generally
correct upon matters of common import, it is not always so upon
matters peculiarly scientific. In this case, the public mind seemed
mainly influenced by the accident which had befallen the unfortunate inventor of the machine; had the accident happened with
the old-fashioned concave parachute, and the newly invented one
now brought in competition with it, the latter no doubt would
have received the most confidence, as regarded safety and utility.
This dread of consequences and accidents sometimes influences
the minds of scientific men, upon new experiments, as was the
case in my first announcement of exploding the balloon at great
heights, letting the gas rush out instantly, and depending upon
the friction of the balloon through the atmosphere for a safe descent. The sequel, however, in both the cases just mentioned,
proved that science was correct, and public opinion wrong.
The day of the 18th of September was clear and calm, and
well for me it was so, for the old machine was extremely mellow,
and would not have stood much of a blast.  When the inflation
had been nearly completed, a stone which had been thrown at
one of the small pioneer balloons by a lad, fell against the large
balloon, and cut a hole of about seven inches length through it.
This, with much difficulty, was repaired by pulling the machine




180              RELEASE OF PARACHUTES.
to one side so as to reach the spot from the top of a cask, and
putting over the hole, by slipping under the net-work, a piece of
oiled silk coated with adhesive varnish.  This accomplished, I
started off, ascending perpendicularly to the height of over half a
mile.
When but a few hundred yards east of this point, the concave
parachute was dropped, which, in two seconds afterwards commenced to oscillate with great violence, to which the dog, its occupant, gave the most ample testimony, by 1 yelp corresponding
to each vibration, as far as I could hear him. Seeing it safely in
the hands of some individuals below, the Cocking parachute was
next put to the test. I made particular preparations to watch its
whole descent, with a spy-glass for the occasion.  When it was
dropped it oscillated a little for a few moments, and then commenced describing spiral circles of perhaps a hundred feet diameter (this is a mere guess calculation however), the parachute all
the while revolving on its own vertical axis, which motion was
in the same direction as its spiral motion, and thus it continued
gyrating with a double motion, but apparently very smoothly and
gracefully, until it reached the top of a dwelling in Eleventh
street, where it lodged safely, and was taken in from the dormant
window.
Upon the release of these parachutes, the balloon commenced
a rapid ascending motion, which, together with the expansion of
its gas, and the friction of the net-work, by some means displaced the patch from the rent the balloon had received while
being inflated, which soon caused it to gravitate as fast, as it had
but a few moments before inclined to an opposite direction. Being
at this time at a point over Green street near the Delaware, and
the balloon going north-east, it was inevitable that it must descend in the river. Determined, if possible, to cross it and reach
the Jersey shore, I threw everything disposable-sand, ropes,
grapples, newspapers, instruments, hat, coat, boots-overboard, in
order to check the rapid descent of the balloon.  But it was
scarcely checked before it commenced sinking again, even more
rapidly than before. Although it had reached a point near midway the Delaware, the under current of the air drove it near the
shore, and almost in contact with some shipping lying at Coates
street wharf, from which it was immediately rescued by persons
who had assembled to witness its descent. Thus ended an experiment which fully vindicated the scientific character of an individual who had been much condemned for his temerity in an
experiment that proved fatal to him, from the cause of a mechanical defect in his machine (the upper hoop being tin, instead of
tough wood). Even with this defect in the upper hoop, causing
his parachute to collapse, he would have descended without very




NEW EXPERIMENT.                       181
serious consequences, by the friction of this vast surface through
the atmosphere in a collapsed state, had he not lost his presence
of mind, which caused him to receive the shock all at once.
I will not forget to mention that on this occasion sixteen hundred pay auditors honored me with their presence inside the
arena, notwithstanding the ascension was made in the morning,
a part of the day which many thought would be unpropitious to
a pecuniary success of the experiment.
CHAPTER VII.
Construction of a new balloon-First experiment with it-Had to be
sewed-Incident showing how balloon could easily be filled with airSecond experiment with it-Made privately-Philosophical experiments
for Professors J. K. Mitchell and Espy-Indian Chiefs present-Keokuk's scrutiny of the affair-Black Hawk's remarks-Newspaper notices
of it-Account of the voyage-Transparent appearance of Delaware
River when viewed from balloon-Encounter of whirlwind-Nearly descending in the fiery pines of Jersey-Final descent.
HAVING succeeded so well in the last experiment, and that, too,
with a machine once before totally condemned, and now enlarged
by the insertion of a belt, without a stitch of sewing in it, and the
whole affair ending in the most satisfactory manner to the public,
as well as with a replenishment of funds sufficient to enable me
once more to engage in my favorite avocation, I now determined
to build an entirely new machine. The white India sarcenet silk
was again used in the construction of this machine, and this time
the varnish was composed of a composition of India rubber
(caoutchouc), well boiled drying linseed oil, and bird-lime. This
varnish dried very well in the sun, in about two days for each
coating, of which the silk got three before it was cut in gores to
shape the balloon with. This silk, thus prepared, when its edges
were overlapped, and then pressed together with a hot iron, seemingly cemented in a very solid manner.  As the belt in the balloon I had just used, was cemented in this way, and answered
the purpose so well, the whole new machine was cemented together by the same process.  When it was completed and tested,
as to its impermeability to common air, it proved to be the most
air-tight machine of any I had yet made.
With this, I proposed an ascension from the same place where
the former one had been made from, also to take place in the




182           RESULTS OF NEW EXPERIMENT.
forenoon, and inflated with carburetted hydrogen, or, as it is comr
monly called, coal gas.
The day turned out to be a cloudy one, with slight sprinkles of
rain, and by the time the balloon was nearly filled, being about
one hour before the time announced for the ascension, it was discovered to have an opening near its top, of several inches in
length, which, upon close examination, turned out to be an opening of one of the cemented seams.  Seeing there was no time to
be lost, and as it was impossible to make any successful repairs
to it at the time, I concluded to make a short trip with it out of
town, and at least save the credit of having made the ascension,
brief as it might be. Accordingly, the car was hitched to it, and
off I started, but with all I could do, throwing out all the ballast,
the first few squares of its flight, it attained but an inconsiderable
height, for the opening in the seam increased, upon its ascent,
and the machine came down very suddenly, in Chestnut street
near Schuylkill Seventh street, dashing the car against the third
story of a house, while the balloon swung over its top, bringing
the cords of the rigging to an angle over the eve of the building,
keeping the whole machine in that position for some time.
An immense crowd of people soon assembled around the place,
where the balloon was thus stationed, for it was only three squares
from the place it first started.  As a great tumult was going on
below, and as I had not exactly accomplished what was designed
in the announcement, I beckoned to the crowd below to be heard,
which was immediately granted by a momentary silence, when I
asked them what they wished me to do. To this I got a thousand
or more replies, all tending to the same end, of saving myself and
the balloon, by all their various plans and suggestions. By this
time, a gentleman in the house came to the window and offered
me his assistance.  Upon this, I fastened a rope to the car, and
threw the other end down in the crowd, requesting them to take
charge of the balloon, while I would get into the third story
window of the house, which was accordingly done.  When I got
down, this immense crowd showed the most manly regard to me
and my property; the balloon was towed back to the arena
with care and order, where it was emptied of the gas, and carefully folded and sent to my dwelling. These kindnesses made
me feel more chagrined at the discomfiture of this experiment,
than if violent demonstrations had been exercised towards me for
my non-fulfilment of the announcement, which was almost universally the case towards my unfortunate predecessors in this
vocation.
I determined now, that hereafter, my experiments should be
more in a way that would at least insure a greater certainty of




PRIVATE ASCENT.                      183
success in the mere novel part of the business, that of making a
handsome ascension.
This balloon was immediately put under the needle, and a
substantial seam put through each joining. While this part of
the work was going on, an incident occurred, from the effect of
one of the lady's fans, who were sewing at the balloon, which led
to a discovery of inflating these machines with common air, that
did away with the tedious and troublesome method, heretofore
practiced by American aeronauts, of filling with a large pair of
bellows.  It was simply this:  By holding open the neck of the
balloon, and fanning into it, with a common feather or palm-leaf
fan, the machine could be filled in less time than an hour, while
the old method took a day, to say nothing of the trouble it took to
rig up a smith's bellows.
Now, although this method of cementing the seams did not
answer the purpose in this case, it is not wholly to be condemned.
There may be a cement made to answer the joining of the seams
without sewing them, though both these principles combined make
the surest and best finish.
After this balloon had been overhauled by a thorough repair
and improvement, she promised to do more service than any I
had yet made. It so happening that about this time several important Indian delegations were in Philadelphia; it was proposed
by Mr. John Cash, and several other gentlemen of the city, particular friends to the progress of the art, that a private ascension
be got up, and that these Indians, as also a company of " Florida
Volunteers," be invited to attend the experiment.  The whole
expense was defrayed by the first named persons, and I cheerfully volunteered my services and the balloon. Professor J. K.
Mitchell also took an assisting and scientific interest in the experiment, and provided me with several air-bottles, made expressly
for such purpose; and I was further provided with a " wet-bulb"
and common thermometer to make some experiments with for
Professor Espy.
In October, 1837, every arrangement being completed, the
Indians, with the celebrated chiefs, Black Hawk and Keokuk,
the Prophet, and Black Hawk's son at their head, and the Florida
soldiers, together with a numerous company of invited guests,
being assembled for the occasion, at a few minutes after one
o'clock, preparations for a start were made. Just at this moment
the chief Keokuk, with the characteristic sagacity of the red
man, requested me, through his interpreter, to allow him to make
an examination of the whole machinery and apparatus. To this
I cheerfully assented, offering at the same time to give him such
explanations as he desired. It was evident from the manner of
his procedure that he had some doubts as to the fairness and




184       INDIAN CHIEFS AND BALLOON ASCENT.
reality of what was to be done, apparently thinking that it was a
sort of a juggle to be played upon them by a "pale-faced medicine man." Everything in the car was observed and scrutinized
by him with a keenness that would have done credit to a philosopher. (Indeed, I looked upon him as a great natural philosopher.)  A large brass speaking trumpet that lay in my car elicited
from him particular inquiry.  Having just before told him that I
would sail above the clouds, he asked me who I intended to talk
to there, with this instrument.  I told him it was intended to talk
down, not up.  He also inquired the particular use of the grappling iron, and the philosophical instruments, contained in the
car; the use of the latter he could not satisfactorily comprehend.
He next asked permission to make a test of the upward power of
the balloon, which was promptly granted him; several of the
cords by which the machine was held down were brought together and placed in his hands.  Upon these he gradually brought
his weight, at the same time scrutinizing the others that were fast
to weights, whereupon he nodded assent and belief in its powers,
and at once acknowledged an abandonment of his skepticism
upon the affair. Black Hawk, who until then had maintained a
sullen silence and apparent unconcern of the whole affair, called
me to him and informed me that this affair was very interesting
to his companions, but that he had seen such things before.  This
was the truth; for some years before he witnessed, in company
with General Jackson, who was then President of the United
States, an ascension from the Battery in New York. The Prophet and young Black Hawk listened and observed very attentively to all that passed, but made no inquiries, being apparently
satisfied with what they heard.
This investigation being got through with, I shook hands as a
farewell, with the chiefs, and started off. At the moment of detaching the balloon, the Indians all simultaneously sprang on
their feet and gave a wave of the hand with a faint but shrill
shriek, which I took as a parting salute, and responded to it in a
similar manner as nearly as I could.
The following is an extract frQm a Philadelphia newspaper,
concerning this experiment:THE BALLOON:-SEE THE BALLOON!
"At about the hour of two, yesterday afternoon, these words
were issuing from the mouth of every little urchin in the streets,
which caused older heads to cast their eyes upwards in order to
discover the cause, which was soon perceived in the rapid movement of a balloon towards our sister State, New Jersey, to which
there appeared to be attached a somebody, or something that gave




CONJECTURES OF THE BALLOON ASCENT.               185
evidences of living flesh and blood. Various were the conjectures
as to the occupant of the car attached-some supposed it to be
Clayton of the'far West,' others, that Paullin was taking a ride
to himself for the benefit of his health, made rather precarious
since his fall at Trenton- and some intimated that it was a man
from Lancaster, Baltimore, or somewhere else.
" Yet such was the fact;-Mr. Wise had undertaken this ascension in a private manner, and the way it was done has hardly
been surpassed by any ascension heretofore witnessed in this
city.  The place of departure was at the corner of Green and
Ninth streets; and although no public notice was given, yet the
street was crowded to excess, and the inclosure selected for filling
the balloon occupied by the aeronaut's friends, and the deputation
of Indian chiefs now in the city, among whom were Black Hawk,
Keokuk, &c.  He ascended almost perpendicularly for several
hundred feet, when a light westerly breeze wafted him towards
the Jerseys, and in less than twenty minutes he was lost to our
vision in the blue ethereal sky.  The balloon ascended to about
the height of one mile, and when last seen was traveling a southeasterly course.
"The Indians appeared to be much delighted with the scene
before them, and Keokuk, in particular, seemed to view it with
great astonishment, it being the first he had ever witnessed.  On
being informed by the interpreter that the balloon was going up
with a man attached to it, he appeared to doubt its power to accomplish it, and to satisfy himself, went forward and took hold of
several cords and bore his weight upon them; then nodding his
head as assenting to the correctness of the interpreter's statement,
took his seat.
"We had not heard of Mr. Wise's place of descension when
our paper went to press."
On this occasion the inflation was effected by the decomposition
of water under the iron and vitriolic process. The voyage was a
pleasant and interesting one, although some incidents occurred
that were calculated to inspire apprehension; but these served-in
a measure to enhance the interest, as well as to destroy the monotony of a mere aerial excursion.  The atmosphere being very
clear, prevented the possibility of making the particular experiments desired by Professor Espy, they being based upon a cloudy
atmosphere.  One of the air-bottles provided by Professor J. K.
Mitchell, had to be parted with in the emergency of one of the
incidents above referred to.
I noticed on this occasion, while crossing the Delaware River
at the height of a mile, that the water appeared much more transparent when viewed from that height, than when viewed from a
boat, or from its banks. And so remarkable was this phenomenon




186             DESCENT ON FIERY WOODS.
that, notwithstanding the constantly muddled condition of that
river in the vicinity of the place where it was crossed, I could
trace the geological structure of its bottom for some distance above
and below the point of crossing. After I had crossed the river,
the balloon moving south of east, sufficient ballast was discharged
to raise her 9000 feet high, when her course became due'east,
with a speed so moderate, that it was only by the change of topographical scenery that I could discern its onward progress. The
day was a remarkably pleasant one for the lateness of the season,
and at this immense height the thermometer ranged at 42 degrees.
It must, however, be observed, that the thermometer was not
screened from the reflected heat of the sun by the balloon, which
I afterwards discovered made a great difference in the indications
of this instrument when carried aloft.
I enjoyed a range of vision from ninety to one hundred miles
in diameter.  Seeing that Philadelphia was now verging into the
western horizon, and that Mount Holly and Vincent Town were
passing beneath me in the same direction, and knowing that towards the east scarcely anything but forest and sea could now
be expected, I commenced a rapid descent at half-past three
o'clock, some distance to the east of Vincent town.  The first
thing that obstructed me in this design was the contact of a whirlwind, which enveloped the whole machine in a cloud of dust,
sand, and dry vegetable matter.  This so tossed about the aerial
ship that I was obliged to take refuge in the bottom of the car,
the better to maintain my centre of gravity. After being thus
swung about for a minute or two, aixd carried up and south-eastward for a considerable distance, for so short a time, the whirlwind dispersed, and the balloon began to descend again. Having
before this seen clouds of smoke ascending from the pines to the
south-east of me, which I then took for collieries, I now found it to
be the pines on fire, and the balloon fast descending right into it.
Knowing the consequences of such a catastrophe from sad experience, the ballast yet remaining in the car was quickly disposed
of, Finding this not to check the balloon sufficiently from falling
into the fiery desert below, the speaking trumpet and air-bottles
had to follow, which fortunately enabled me to cross the conflagration. The balloon now rose again to the elevation of 3000
feet, and rapidly traversed the pines towards Barnegat Bay, and
for a moment I thought of continuing the voyage to the beach;
but when the heaving ocean showed itself in the eastern horizon,
swelling its bosom, as it were, up into the blue vaulted heaven,
it looked to me like too much risk for the advantage likely to be
gained by a landing on the beach sand.  Consequently I determined to make a descent in the pines, which was accomplished
at half-past four o'clock.  The descent was made with consider



BALLOONING AT EASTON, PA.                  187
able force, but the trees were so close to each other that the
balloon did not slide down through them, until she was half discharged of her gas. Having before the descent kept an eye to
the necessity of finding my way out of the pines, I rolled up the
balloon, stowed' it in the car, and then struck to the north for a
road I had observed, which was soon reached, as well as meeting
some huntsmen, who assisted me in conveying my machinery to
Burr's saw mill, which is thirty-eight miles from Camden, and
about forty from where I started.
CHAPTER VIII.
Experiment at Easton, Pa.-Failure and its consequences-Ascent from
the public square at Easton-End of cause of failures-Decomposition
of balloon-Prospects of future operations-Simplicity of the art-Success of pupils.
ALTHOUGH this last constructed machine seemed to be a very
good one, and answered the purpose of an ascension admirably
in its last trial, still it was defective in a part that only develops
itself after the lapse of time (affinity for oxygen), and which
doomed me to the chagrin of one more failure, and the last, happily, that I had the mortification to endure, except in one case
where the voyage was incomplete, though not essentially a failure
of ascent.
In the spring of 1838, I went to Easton, Pa., to gratify the
citizens of that beautiful town with a " balloon ascension."  The
balloon having now lain over winter, had become harsh and fragile-a property that gum-elastic varnish is subject to, rendered
drying by metallic dryers, which also under increase of temperature is extremely liable to spontaneous combustion. This caused
me to fail in getting the balloon sufficiently inflated the first time
I tried it in Easton, and although thousands of people from all
parts of the surrounding country had assembled to witness the
sight, no evil consequences, except my extreme mortification,
ensued from the disappointment.
To make a brief account of this part of the affair, and to show
the character of the Eastonians under such circumstances, I will
here make one extract from  an Easton newspaper, consequent
upon the occasion, to wit: " Wise's Balloon Jlscension.-On
Tuesday evening last, a meeting of the friends of Mr. Wise was
held in the court house, when it was decided that the ascension




188            BALLOONING AT EASTON, PA.
should take place on Saturday the 26th of May, inst., between
the hours of eleven and one o'clock on said day (from the centre
square).  The same collecting committee for the different blocks,
will take up a collection on the day of the ascension.  Their
names are: Joseph Barnet, L. A. Buckley, Edward J. Seip,
Thomas Sletor, John Finley, H. Hamman, John A. Shouse, John
A. Innes, H. S. Heckman, Doctor J. P. B. Sloan, W. Green,
Geo. W. Barnet."
Such was the result upon the failure at Easton. Though an
entire stranger in the place, the first intimation from the people to
me upon the unfortunate experiment I had just attempted, was
that I should try it again at the expense of the citizens, which
was cheerfully complied with, and accomplished to their utmost
satisfaction and a handsome remuneration to myself.
Of this voyage I published an account in the Easton newspapers.  It was a magnificent and interesting one; but, as the
details embrace no peculiarities nor phenomena but what have
occurred in those already given, the newspaper notice of the
occasion will suffice.  "On Saturday last, 26th of May, 1838,
according  to  advertisement, Mr. Wise  made  his promised
balloon ascension from this borough.  The arrangements for inflating the balloon were. simple but effectual, and shortly after
11 o'clock A. M. all was ready for a ride in the clouds.  At
about fifteen minutes before 12 o'clock Mr. Wise placed himself
in his car, and cutting the cord which restrained the aerial vessel,
at once rose majestically into the heavens.  Many thousands
were spectators, and we believe that not one but acknowledged
the perfect beauty and sublimity of the ascension. Mr. W. repeatedly waved his flag and hat in return to the cheerings of his
friends below, until at length his buoyant vehicle penetrated a
dense cloud at some two thousand feet elevation.  Here he was
lost sight of by the spectators, and although occasional glimpses
were had of the voyager at different places, nothing definite as to
his whereabouts was known until the arrival of the Morristown
stage with the aeronaut, balloon, &c., at about 10 o'clock P. M."
This voyage was ended at the foot of Schooley's Mountain, a
distance of about twenty miles, from Easton eastward, in one hour
and a half from the time of starting.  The thermometer stood at
740 at the moment of ascension, and fell as low as 360 during
the flight of the balloon.  Two ascensions had now been made
with the machine.  Before its last trial it had to be recoated with
a purely linseed oil preparation, in order to make it pliable and
impervious to the gas. Upon this it answered the purpose very
well; but as the weather grew warmer, the balloon being packed
up, it commenced its attraction for heat, and when in the early
part of July following, I returned to Easton to make preparations




BALLOONING AT EASTON, PA.                 189
for another ascension, the people having determined for one in
the following August, I found the balloon in a state of decomposition. It had been packed up in a box, which upon being opened
did not develop that characteristic inclination of ignition, as had
been observed by me in oiled silks before. This time it had
commenced going into ashes by forming holes in various parts of
its central mass, and it was not until the box had been opened,
the balloon unfolded with its decomposed parts exposed, and then
folded up again and left lay in that way for several hours, that it
gave symptoms of ignition. And these symptoms were so intense
that the whole mass was thrown into a trough of water to prevent
its inflammation.
With the destruction of this machine by spontaneous combustion, also ended the mode of preparation which caused it, and
which heretofore had been the most perplexing and obstructive
hinderance to my progress in practical ballooning. During the
past winter I had instituted various experiments upon elastic
varnishes, and in the end discovered that linseed oil alone contained the elements necessary to a pliant, fast drying, and nonadhesive varnish, and was not only free from the property of
acquiring heat or oxygen spontaneously, but possessed the other
property of being a non-conductor of these elements.
After this discovery, my career as a practical aeronaut became
easier and more successful.  This had the good tendency of
establishing in the common public mind, that it was governed by
principles as comprehensive and systematic as were those of sailing a boat, or running a steam engine; and the dissemination of
these principles it is now my object to bring to the understanding
of every mind that is capable of conceiving the single rule of
three in arithmetic, so that we shall soon see the atmosphere as
full of balloons as are the rivers and bays now of pleasure yachts.
But its danger, exclaims a hundred voices!  But my hundred
ascensions under disadvantageous circumstances is the reply!
And if that is not satisfactory, then I can say that already half a
dozen persons have taken my balloons with no other knowledge
than the simple instructions given them on a sheet of paper, who
have made balloon ascensions as successful as myself.  Some of
these have since constructed their own balloons.




190             CAMBRIC MUSLIN BALLOON.
CHAPTER IX.
Construction of cambric muslin balloon-New principle involved in itSecond ascent from Easton-Thunder storm-Parachutes-Explosion of
balloon above the clouds-Descent with it collapsed-Letter from an
unknown friend about it-Ascent from Allentown, Pa.
JULY having already numbered a third of its days-my second
ascension from Easton advertised to come off on the 11th day of
August following-my balloon totally ruined and unfit for use,
placed me in a predicament which required all my energy and
knowledge in the business, in order to make the affair terminate
in a satisfactory manner.  The people of Easton and its neighborhood having treated me so generously before, I was determined,
if possible, not to forfeit a continuance of such treatment by any
delinquency of mine thereafter-not even by a postponement of
the time of the contemplated ascension. Consequently, the construction of a cambric muslin balloon was determined on, as in
this material facilities were afforded that did not exist in silk.
The muslin being much wider, required less sewing.  Its preparation with varnish could also be effected quicker than that of
silk, as it could be soaked in varnish for the first coating, and
would require but one more coat, put on with the brush, while
silk required three coats at least, and all put on with the brush.
Under these auspices the new balloon was commenced, and as it
was to be coated with the newly invented varnish, it was also
determined that it should become the test of a new principle of
descent.  Having, however, always met with so much opposition
to every new proposition in aeronautics that I suggested, I determined to keep the new idea to myself, until it should have
passed the ordeal of actual experiment. It was the explosion of
balloons at great heights, depending upon their friction through,
and resistance of, the atmosphere, for a safe descent.  The idea
of such an experiment-bursting one's balloon a mile or two
above the earth, and permitting, inevitably, the gas to rush out
of it instantly, may startle the reader, even the student of the
science; nevertheless, it was made, repeated, and can be made
again, with a certainty as great, and principles as comprehensive,
as that a pocket handkerchief will not fall as rapidly to the ground
when thrown out of a third story window, as will a brick.




BALLOONING AT EASTON, PA.                 191
The cambric muslin machine was completed in due time, being
of a globular shape, twenty-four feet in diameter, and different
from all former ones made by me, only in not having a double top
for several yards across, immediately around the valve.  This
precaution in the construction of balloons arises from the greater
strain falling upon that part of the machine in consequence of the
network being slightly fastened to it at that point, to keep it to
its proper place while the balloon is inflating, as also the valve
being inserted there, which must undergo some stress in working
it. Although I had not announced that I would attempt the explosion of the balloon when up in the atmosphere with it, neither
had I positively determined to make the experiment on that occasion, but everything necessary to such an experiment was observed in the construction of this machine.
The fixtures necessary to this are simply contrived in the following manner.  The top of the balloon is of the single material, muslin or silk, as the case may be, and at three different
points round the valve are small holes the size of a five cent
piece; through these holes strong twine cords are passed, coming
down over the outside of the balloon four or five feet, where they
are firmly sewed to corresponding seams.  In the inside of the
balloon they are brought together in one common joining, from
which proceeds a single cord down through the neck of the machine into the aeronaut's car, where it can be used for the purpose of its design.  Where these cords pass through the envelop
of the balloon around the valve, suitable pieces of oiled silk are
cemented over the holes to make it air-tight.
Thus prepared, and the 11th of August, the day for the ascension, being at hand, nothing remained but to go on with the experiment.  The day was fine in the morning, but at noon the
heavens indicated an approaching thunder storm, which, by ten
minutes before two o'clock, passed over with no other injury than
the wetting of the network of the balloon, and the dispersalof a
portion of the audience, who, for a brief space of time, were
driven to places of shelter.
At a few minutes before two o'clock, the balloon was detached
from terra-firma. I had with me two parachutes containing animals, one a cat, the other a dog; and as the balloon approached
a dense body of black thunder clouds, some vivid flashes of lightning, accompanied by violent peals of thunder, greeted my upward passage.  This gave the first part of my voyage a terrific,
but grand and imposing appearance. It seemed to me as though
heaven's artillery was celebrating the occasion as a progress of
the new-born science, and it inspired me with a determination to
try the new experiment of atmospheric resistance as a means of
safe descent in the event of explosion of the balloon at great




192      EXPLOSION OF BALLOON AT EASTON, PA.
heights. As soon as an altitude of about 2000 feet was attained,
the conical parachute with its occupant (this was one on Cocking's plan) was detached, which landed in safety near Lafayette
College, at the head of the town. Soon after this the balloon
attained an altitude of about 4000 feet, at which point the oiled
silk parachute with its occupant was detached.  This was to
foreshadow the effect of the experiment of exploding the balloon,
and was so contrived as to have an apparent disadvantage compared with that of the large machine. This small one was nothing more than a balloon in a collapsed state. When thrown
overboard, it fell some distance before it expanded completely,
and after it had expanded, it fell with a very irregular vibratory
motion, which was not the case with the other one. Upon this,
I concluded, however, that the experiment would not be hazardous, if not disagreeable.  I was also assured, from my experience,
that a balloon in a flaccid state, or only partly so, would invert,
that is, the lower part cave into the upper part, and assume a
hemispherical shape in a rapid descent.
When an altitude of about 13,000 feet was attained, the balloon became fearfully expanded-to its utmost tension; and, having but an inch diameter-tube in the neck, the gas began to issue
through this orifice with considerable noise. I would here observe, however, that any slight sound, occurring in so perfectly
quiet a place as is that of a balloon a mile or two above the earth,
makes apparently a great noise.  At this period of the voyage it
was evident, that unless gas was speedily let off, the balloon must
burst from expansion; for she was still rising, and the explosive
cord, being tied rather short, had also become tense, and must
evidently be tending towards a rupture at the points it passed
through the balloon.
At this critical moment I became somewhat excited, and as I
looked over the side of my car, I observed the sparkling coruscations of lightning springing from cloud to cloud a mile beneath
me, as the thunder storm was passing its last remnants below.
The storm was moving from S. W. to N. E. and the balloon was
sailing from N. W. to S. E., passing New Village and Asbury,
and I could now see the earth in that direction.  I took out my
watch-noted on my log book the time-twenty minutes past two,
and as I was about returning it to my pocket, thinking at the
time whether it were not best to relieve the explosion rope-discharge ballast, and abandon, for the present, the idea of this experiment, the balloon exploded! Although my confidence in the
success of the contrivance never for a momentforsook me, I must
admit, that it was a moment of awful suspense.  The gas rushed
from the rupture in the top of the balloon with a tempestuous
noise, and in less than ten seconds, not a particle of hydrogen




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LETTER FROM AN UNKNOWN FRIEND.                  193
remained in it. The descent at first was rapid, and accompanied
with a fearfully moaning noise, caused by the air rushing through
the network, and the gas escaping above.  In another moment I
felt a slight shock. Looking up to see what caused it, I discovered that the balloon was canting over, being nicely doubled in,
the lower half into the upper; it had fallen, condensing the column
of air upon which it was falling, until it had arrived at a point
where it was so dense that the force of the whole weight pressing
down on it was arrested, which caused the parachute to tilt over.
The weight of the car, however, countervailed the tilting tendency,
giving it an oscillating motion, which it retained until it reached
the earth.  The velocities of these zig-zag descents were marked
by corresponding notes of the wind, as it whistled through the
rigging of the balloon. On reaching the point where the lower
current of air traversed the upper, another and more violent
shock than the first, was the result.  From this point the oscillations became more severe, each one causing a sensation in me
similar to that a person experiences when dreaming they fall.
The wind from the S. W. drifted the machine several miles in
its direction before it fell to the earth. As I neared terra-firma,
all the ballast was thrown overboard, but when I struck, it was
with a violent concussion, for the machine was just then at its
maximum velocity of descent.  The car struck the earth obliquely,
and I was thrown about ten feet forward from it.  The balloon
had fallen alongside of me, and so complete was the collapse
where the lower part had doubled into the upper, that it was with
difficulty separated again.  The car had turned bottom upwards,
and there I stood congratulating myself on the result of this exciting experiment-the perspiration rolling down my forehead in
profusion, for the atmosphere below felt oppressive.  The landing
was made on the farm of Mr. Elijah Warne, about ten miles from
Easton.  Before many minutes had elapsed after this descent, I
had resolved to repeat the experiment, in Philadelphia, at the
first opportunity.
On my return to -Easton, the day after the ascension I received
the following letter:" New Village, August 11th, 1838.
" MR. WISE, Master of the Aerial:
"I hereby certify, that my first sight of your air ship was
north of Henry Snyder's; it then apparently passed not far from
William Kinney's, then directly between the inhabitants of New
Village and the sun; we saw the gas rushing from the balloon
like the steam from a boiler; it created between us and the sun
the colors of a rainbow, and it was some time before we got a
second sight, when you appeared to be lowering. As the size of
13




194           ASCENT FROM ALLENTOWN, PA.
the balloon became larger, we could discover a black spot underneath, about twenty feet. I pursued on foot until I saw you
alight near Thomas Thatcher's.
"From your most affectionate,
"but not acquainted, friend,
"WILLIAM  SHARPS.
"N. B. And others."
From this it appears that spectators on the earth could not see
the balloon at the time it was falling during the collapse. Its descent for the first few seconds must have been faster than at any
other period of its fall, and during that time it affected me more,
too, for the sensation caused a dimness of sight, and I closed my
eyes momentarily from the effect.
On the 8th of September following, I made an ascension from
Allentown, Pa.  I had resolved that after this one was accomplished, to go to Philadelphia and repeat the experiment of exploding the balloon at a great height in the air. The Allentown
ascension was a very complete one; the following extract from
the journal, always kept during my ascensions, embraces the
most interesting features connected with that trip.
The balloon was now  perfectly stationary over the outskirt
of the town.  I next concluded on starting a fresh interest to the
spectators below. Having all the ballast bags filled with dust,
several of them were emptied overboard, which, for a moment,
enveloped the balloon in an artificial cloud, which presented a
very interesting phenomenon to the lookers-on.  This sent the
balloon up about two thousand feet more, approaching at the
same time a solitary cloud. As I passed the angle of reflection
of this cloud, a very sensible heat was felt, showing clouds to be
good reflectors of heat, as they are of light. When the balloon
got in proximity to the cloud, it became somewhat agitated, making rotations one way, then another, at the same time the cloud
apparently receded from  the balloon, as by repulsion.  Here
several more bags of dust were discharged, which clung much
more to the balloon than did the former; even the heavier particles were now attracted to the surface of it and remained there
some moments.   When the machine had risen considerably
above this point, the dust fell from it in a cloud. This was a
very interesting part of the voyage, and convinced me that the
science of electricity and meteorology would be much improved
by the aid of balloons.




ASCENT FROM PHILADELPHIA.                 195
CHAPTER X.
Consultation upon exploding balloon again-Announcement to do so in
Philadelphia-Newspaper comments on it-Explosive contrivanceBalloon bursted from top to bottom-Its descent, and motion-Place of
descent-Explosion of balloon while aloft not fatal to the aeronaut-Atmospheric resistance not fully appreciated by theorists.
HAVING arrived in Philadelphia in the month of September immediately following my experiments at Easton and Allentown, I
consulted several scientific gentlemen upon my intention to announce that I would make an ascension, and explode the balloon
when over a mile high. Although they did not seem to doubt the
philosophy of atmospheric resistance, nor the theory of converting
the balloon into a parachute, still, they most earnestly attempted
to dissuade me from my intentions, as they considered it a risk
of life. Could they have persuaded me with half the philosophy
against it, that I had contemplated for it, it would never have
been attempted by me.
Feeling convinced that all was right, an announcement was
made that such an experiment would be made on the 1st of October, 1838, from the corner of Seventh and Callowhill streets.
The day was a remarkably fine one, and the balloon moved in
five different directions during her flight.  The editorial notices
of five principal newspapers of Philadelphia will be first given,
before I shall give my own account of it.
1st. "Mr. Wise ascended yesterday afternoon, at half past four
o'clock with his balloon. The sky was perfectly clear, and the
balloon passed slowly to the northwest; in about twenty minutes,
the rich blue of the heavens was marked with a thin, filmy white,
which was the gas escaping from the top of the balloon. At five
o'clock, and for half an hour, we watched at a distance from the
city, the balloon, far to the west, which resembled some large
planet pouring out a flood of light. This was caused by the rays
of the sun. The reflection was exceedingly brilliant, and the
whole balloon seemed a ball of fire, while the hoop in the centre
looked like a dark belt (it had no hoop in the centre). This was
one of the most beautiful sights we have ever seen of the kind."
2d. "Mr. Wise yesterday afternoon, as per notice, made an
ascension in his parachute balloon in the handsomest possible




196  CONVERSION OF BALLOON INTO A PARACHUTE.
style.  There was scarcely a breath of air stirring, and he rose
almost perpendicularly to a great height, and was out of view at
the writing of this paragraph, having been up about an hour. He
went up without any difficulty-how he gets down we'll tell tomorrow." 
3d. "Mr. Wise, the aeronaut, made a successful ascension on
Monday.  The balloon passed over the Schuylkill, and Mr. Wise
eventually descended, according to his promise, by letting off the
gas gradually at an extreme height; by means of a cord and pulley, he converted the balloon into a parachute, and thus came
down.  It was a most fearful undertaking, and was anticipated
by competent scientific authority as calculated to carry with it
destruction of life."
4th. "Mr. Wise made yesterday afternoon one of the most
beautiful ascensions that Philadelphia ever witnessed. About
half past four he left'old mother earth,' and like an arrow from
a well strung bow, reached the welkin, cheered in his upward
flight by the shouts of the dense mass which filled the neighboring
streets. At six o'clock he was yet in sight, there being no breeze,
and apparently in the statu quo of ten minutes after his departure.
The explosion, which was to make of his aerial vessel a parachute, did not take place, owing, we suppose, to the fact that he
could not get beyond the precincts of dangerous obstructions to
such a daring attempt. At one time the appearance of the balloon was beautiful; the gas issuing from it seemed like smoke,
and the sun shining upon the lower part of the balloon, which
was considerably depressed and exhibited a tremulous motion,
gave it the appearance of being on fire. We did not learn where
he descended."
5th. " Mr. Wise's ascension yesterday afternoon from the enclosure, corner of Seventh and Callowhill streets, was one of the
most beautiful we ever saw.  We did not witness the process of
inflation, as at the time of our entering the enclosure, half past
four o'clock, the pipes communicating the gas to the balloon had
been withdrawn, and the aeronaut having entered the car, was
arranging his cords and other fixtures. This was speedily accomplished, and at twenty-two minutes before five o'clock, the
cord which confined the voyager to the earth was cut by Mr.
Wise, and bidding the assembled thousands'good-by,' he soared
aloft almost perpendicularly, though bearing a little south for some
twenty minutes, after which, at a height of some several thousand
feet, a different current of air wafted him to the north, until he was
brought to a position almost directly perpendicular to the place
of starting.  At this altitude he encountered another current of
air, by which he was rapidly carried in a west by north direction
for several minutes, when a small cloud of gas was suddenly dis







.-.';l~~~~~~~~r- — ~.Rva'sSea lt. res
-DE SiE      NEAR  PHILADEL..PHIA..
~    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-....~:I.~....
1._:;::~~~~~~~~~~~~~~i.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~''-,:.i:~ii''i
-2 5Ikxva!'s Stea~ ]irk ]~ress.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:
DESETiER  HLDLHA




CONVERSION OF BALLOON INTO A PARACHUTE. 197
covered to have issued from the balloon, and soon after another
of about the same quantity, after which the object of attention
seemed gradually to descend for a short time, until it had arrived
at an atmosphere of sufficient density to exactly weigh it. It now
pursued the even tenor of its way in a direct course, W.N.W.,
until nearly out of sight from the enclosure, when at about half past
five o'clock, the balloon seemed suddenly converted into a parachute, and commenced a rapid descent. We watched its descent
with a spyglass, until so low that the buildings hid it from our
view, say at an angle of some ten or twelve degrees from the
horizon.  We know not at what distance from the starting point
the descent was made, but should judge it to have been several
miles.  We hope, at least, that the intrepid voyager reached the
earth in safety, though we had some fears from the apparent
rapidity of his descent."
Such were the notices of some of the public journals of the day.
They all but one agree as to the conversion of the balloon into a
parachute, and that one saw it at the time it was forming into
such a shape, when he perceived the depression in its lower part.
In this last arrangement I had a pulley fixed into the valve disk,
on the inside of the balloon, through which a cord passed, whose
one end was fastened to the lower part of the balloon, by which
that part might be drawn up into the upper, as the gas rushed
from the top.  I found this part of the contrivance utterly useless.
When the balloon was exploded, the lower part did not immediately invert, as in the former experiment of this nature, for, on
this occasion, it bursted open from top to bottom, and caved in
sidewise. I was, at the first discovery of this, somewhat alarmed,
fearing that it might come down with a continuous accelerated
velocity, from which anxiety I was, however, soon relieved. It
caught the wind like the main sail of a ship, and slid down upon
the atmosphere, in a spiral course, with a uniform velocity. The
descent was made a mile or two on the west side of the Schuylkill, and not less than several hundred persons had followed from
the city, and were on the ground, where and when it was made.
The concussion was not near so violent, as the apparent rapidity
of the descent would seem to have warranted, and was not harder
than that which would follow the jumping from  an elevation of
ten feet to the ground.
As the machine was descending, the lower part, one third the
length of the whole balloon, hung loosely in the net-work, swinging to and fro, and occasionally pressed upwards, slightly, by the
current of the air.  The resistance of the machine against the
atmosphere acted on the principle of the inclined plane, sliding
obliquely down over it, describing spiral circles, until it struck
the earth.




198      SECOND ASCENT FROM ALLENTOWN, PA.
Since this experiment, balloons have exploded for aeronauts
while aloft with them, and in no instance have their persons been
seriously injured; but every newspaper and periodical account of
them, setting them down as miraculous escapes. And the miracle is always in the height from which the machine falls to the
earth, the resistance that the atmosphere must present to it never
hardly taken into account. We might as well call the descent of
the flying squirrel, from the high forest tree to the earth, without
sustaining any bodily injury, a miracle, for its surface, compared
to its weight, is not in a greater ratio than is the weight of a man
compared to the surface of a common sized balloon, whatever
shape the latter can assume.
This is a principle in aeronautics which has never yet been
duly considered, although a very ingenious mathematical deduction upon the descent of parachutes has been given in this work.
MIeteorological and astronomical deductions are yet much to be
facilitated by the science and practice of aeronautics.  There are
things in its philosophy that men have not yet dreamed of. There
are sublimities in its practice that the world has not yet been fully
prepared to realize.
Although the principle of atmospheric resistance is a self-evident thing, and its application to a safe descent from great heights
has been demonstrated, there are yet very few persons who are
willing to believe it so well established as to entitle it to be practiced with impunity.
CHAPTER XI.
Second ascent from Allentown, Pa.-Electrical phenomenon-Descent and
collapse of balloon-Third ascent from Allentown-Neglect at startingDescent of small parachute-Predicament from neglect-ThundergustPhenomenon attending it-Reflections in a critical case-Paradoxical
descent-Appearance of the gas when released at great heights-Peril
overcome-" Misfortunes never come single-handed"-Descent and its
consternation-Danger of being shot-Went up again-Final descentNext experiment-Novel ascent-An amateur-His opinion of aerial
voyages-Its healthfulness.
IN the spring of 1839 I was invited to make another ascension
from Allentown, Pa., which was readily accepted. The ascension was made on the 27th of April, at about two o'clock in the
afternoon, and the following extracts from the log-book of the




THIRD ASCENT FROM ALLENTOWN, PA.               199
trip will be found interesting.  At twenty-five minutes past two
o'clock my vessel stood over the town of Bethlehem, and had
also reached the clouds, and the course changing from E. to S.
S. E., the thermometer standing at 36~. This temperature felt
unpleasantly cold; my ears began to ache violently, accompanied
by a crackling, noisy sensation; my nose began to bleed, and I
felt very much distressed for a few minutes. The balloon became rapidly distended, and'highly electrified, and an open sack
of sand lying in the car showed strong electrical effects by a portion of it being drawn up against the balloon, from which it would
drop down again, keeping up this motion for over a minute.
When the balloon left the earth the gas in it was of a milky
color, but now, when it had risen to a height where the machine
had become fully distended by diminution of atmospheric pressure so that I could look in through the neck of it, the gas had
become perfectly transparent.  While this change of color in the
gas was going on, it gave out water, which dropped freely from
the lower orifice of the balloon, and it also emitted a strong sulphurous odor.  Some powerful electrical effect must have produced these phenomena, and I always found strong electrical
effects when passing from one current of air into another.
On this occasion, the wind was very strong when I descended,
which was forty-two miles from Allentown, and having the explosive apparatus in the balloon, and failing in the first landing
to get a hold with the grappling-iron, I found it very convenient
to explode the machine the second time it touched the earth.
On my return to Allentown, the citizens of that place expressed
a desire to have a third ascension.  This was made on the last
Saturday of May, 1839, and, as it was attended by circumstances
for a while placing my life in jeopardy, as well as bringing
into use a mode of causing the balloon to descend which would
seem paradoxical, an account of it will be here given. At the
time it happened, no particular account of the circumstances alluded to were given in the papers relating the voyage, for the reason that I was fearful it might increase the belief that ballooning
was extremely dangerous.
At half-past 2 o'clock in the afternoon, everything being in
readiness to detach the balloon from the inflating apparatus and
prepare for the ascent, and just at the time this was all accomplished, and nothing more remained to be done but to draw the
valve cord out of the neck of the balloon, where it generally
remains during the inflation, a gentleman from the South was
introduced to me, who commenced a conversation which drew
my attention from the preparation of the valve rope, and while
conversing with him, I being in the car at the time, the balloon
was let up the length of the restraining rope, where, after a few




200         STORM SCENE ABOVE THE CLOUDS.
minutes of adjustment of things in the car, I bid him and all
others a good-by and cut off the rope.  The last fibre of the cord
which held me to the earth had scarcely been severed before the
thought flashed on my mind that the valve rope had not been secured. But it was too late, now, to remedy the mistake-the balloon was mounting rapidly-for a moment I began to despondand I would have given everything possessed by me in the world
to be down on the earth but one minute-it was an intensely
painful moment-but I rallied my spirits quickly-took off my
hat and swung it around, which was vociferously responded to
from below.
I had with me a parachute containing an animal, and knowing
that the disposal of this would send me higher from the earth,
I at first felt an inclination not to part with it; but upon reflection
of its being announced to be done, and the people of course waiting for its descent, it was at once thrown overboard.  I watched
its progress until it reached the earth, when it was picked up by
some men, and oh! how I wished myself there too.  However,
having over a hundred miles between me and the Atlantic Ocean,
I felt hopes that something might be done in the interval that
would enable me to get down.  My first observation in view of
this was to ascertain the velocity of the balloon in her eastward
course. This was found to be alout fifty miles per hour, and'
convinced me that the Atlantic was likely to be reached before
the ascending power would give out so as to let me down. I
could not persuade myself that the balloon was in a bad enough
condition to meet such a hope, for it had just undergone a thorough
repair, and was in good condition, a quality, in this instance, not
very desirable. While thus meditating upon the best means of
effecting a descent, I found that already a great portion of Jersey
had been traversed, as Princeton was not far ahead of me. The
current of wind below, just in the cloud region, was moving from
the southwest, and the one the balloon was sailing in was from
the northwest.  To the north the atmosphere was clear, to the
south it was charged with clouds. The lower current was carrying in it a thundergust which presented a beautiful phenomenon.
As I was over a mile above it, and four or five miles off, it gave
me an opportunity to scrutinize its operations sidewise and above.
The storm and the balloon were also moving towards the same
point, so that I was continually nearing it, but so high above it
that no danger was to be apprehended from its effects. The rain
was pouring down from it and made a noise like a mill-dam.
The clouds were rolling over and against each other; the lightning flashing in zig-zag flashes through them as long as their
side view was open to my sight. Presently, it was all overcast
below me, the thunder rattling like small arms without any of the




PERILOUS SITUATION.                   201
rolling reverberations that are heard below.  The most splendid
part of this scene appeared just where the storm was passing
some dense clouds that were moving in the upper current, that
had recently made their appearance.  Several times the surface
of the lower stratum swelled up suddenly like a boiling cauldron,
which was immediately followed by the most brilliant ebullition
of sparkling coruscations. Twice it swelled up, or rather shot
up like an immense pyramid, which was also quickly followed by
an evolution of promiscuous flashes, and then quickly disappeared
again, as though it had dissolved. It was a magnificent sight;
but, in recurring to my critical situation, its charms passed from
my mind with its departure to the north of me.
As soon as the storm had passed off, which was in about fifteen
minutes, the sky became clear to the south and east.  Princeton
was some distance to the north of me, and I was moving nearly
due east.  Less than an hour would now take me on to the Atlantic; it was already in sight to the northeast and the east.  The
balloon, seemingly, had not yet lost any of her altitude of the last
hour. I had plenty of ballast to go up, but no control of the valve
to get down.  It was an embarrassing moment.  First, I looked
at my stock of provisions, which consisted of about a half pound
of water crackers and as much cheese, together with a bottle of
porter, which was handed me by a friend at the time of starting.
This all seemed well enough to hold out with, even to cross the
ocean, for, at the rate I had been moving, less than three days
would take me across. But the balloon, good as she was, it could
not be reasonably expected that she would hold out, although between forty and fifty pounds of ballast were to be depended on.
The neck of the balloon, as is usual in common aerial voyages,
was left open, and the natural affinity of gases for atmosphere
must, in less than three days, so deteriorate the hydrogen in it,
as to bring it down.  This hope now fled.  What was to be done!
A thousand things were running through my brain-even that of
jumping overboard when on the confines of land, and plunging
in the ocean-faint hope-it were worse than sticking to the
ship.
The proud and boundless Atlantic was now distinctly seen
swelling its mighty crest to the arched roof of heaven, in the east,
dashing its angry foam into the face of the clouds.  This aroused
all my energy, all my fertility of mind. I had been endeavoring
to split my little flag-staff, in order to splice it and tie a penknife to the end of it, with which to cut the balloon; but it would
not answer.  My next effort was to burst the balloon by violent
jerking of the car-the explosive rope was not in the machine
now-but this also failed, and only went to show how immensely
strong a network and balloon really were.  Now a new idea




202        MISFORTUNES NEVER COME SINGLY.
flashed on my mind-1 can get down by going up-and in another
moment one bag of sand after the other went overboard, until half
the ballast was gone; the balloon was mounting rapidly-the visible
horizon was fast contracting —the yawning Atlantic was thus shut
out of view.  The atmosphere grew extremely cold at the height
I had now attained; but the excitement of the occasion kept me
warm enough. The balloon was now completely distended, the gas
was copiously discharging itself at the neck; which, having no
tube in it, was now open in a circle of eighteen inches diameter.
As the gas mingled with the outer air it had the appearance of a
white cloud.  By violent jerks in the car, impulsive volumes
were discharged from the neck, the balloon still rising. In ten
minutes after I had commenced this, the balloon had attained her
maximum  height, and immediately after began to sink rapidly.
The valve-rope in the meantime partly rolled out of the neck, so
that I could reach it with the flag-staff; my peril was at an; end,
and I felt as happy as Archimedes, when he cried out Eureka,
and I really did cry out "Victory! victory!" as the threatening
Atlantic came to view by the rapid descent.. The immense discharge of gas, and the rapid admixture of atmosphere and
hydrogen within the balloon, consequent to the free connection
by the large opening of the neck, and a rapid descent, brought
the machine down to the earth fast enough without the use of the
valve-rope, which had now been brought within my reach. Although the peril of perishing on the ocean was now ended, and I
was almost in contact with terra-firma, the old proverb of " misfortunes never come single-handed" was yet to be realized.
On reaching the earth, my grappling iron took effect in a Jersey farmer's peach orchard, which so alarmed a negro who was
ploughing in the next field, as soon to infect his horses, two boys,
and two dogs near him, and to create a perfect bedlam  amongst
them. The horses ran away with the plough, snuffing the air like
war steeds-the boys screamed-the dogs barked-the horses
snorted and reared up in the fence-corner-the negro lay on his
back looking up in terror-the balloon was serging up and down,
ripping the grappling iron from one peach tree to another; and
now the contagion had spread to the house and the barnyard, the
poultry were in a clatter-the matron of the domicil standing
before the door of the house, clapping her hands together in anguish for the safety of the boys, who were still screaming-the old
man next made his appearance with gun in hand, and in a gruff
voice exclaimed, "Where is it, where is the d    d thing?"
Terror next beset me, for a shot from the old man's blunderbuss
was more than suspicious, the moment his eye should catch the
balloon, to which his back was yet turned, and I made no delay
in cutting in twain the grapple-rope. As the balloon rose, the




A NOVEL ASCENT.                    203
old man cried out in a satisfactory manner, as he stood in a halfstooped position, " There, there it goes." And I did go, although
the country for two or three miles around was alive to the descent
of the balloon, with footmen and horsemen wending their way
towards it. I went five miles further, and landed finally on the
ground of John Dye, Esq., on a spot called the "Devil's Half
Acre," six or eight miles from Hightstown, in Middlesex County,
New Jersey.
The length of this voyage, as made by the course of the balloon,
was about a hundred miles, and occupied two hours and a half,
it being five o'clock when I landed. After this a number of ascensions were made by me in various parts of Pennsylvania, but,
as many of them in their accounts would embrace only a repetition of what has been said, such only as will afford new peculiarities and instruction to the student will be related.
While getting ready for a second ascent from the village of
Kutztown, in Berks county, Pa., in the summer of 1839, it began
to rain very hard, and continued the remainder of the day. A
young man, who had attended as a spectator, expressed a great
desire to accompany me in the voyage, and as the weather turned
out to be very unpleasant, I offered to let him occupy my place,
which he accepted.  As the newspaper account gives the substantial particulars of it, it may be properly quoted.
"A NOVEL ASCENSION.-Mr. Wise was to have made a balloon ascension at Kutztown on Saturday, the 20th inst., and was
to have been accompanied on his voyage by Mr. Wellington
Dunlap, a young man of Berks county.  In consequence of the
rain that afternoon, the balloon and net had become so wet and
heavy that it would not carry two persons, and, at the earnest
solicitation of Mr. Dunlap, Mr. Wise consented to Mr. D.'s
making the voyage alone, and gave him  the necessary instruction for the management of the balloon. He ascended through a
heavy shower of rain, as was estimated, about a mile, and, after
remaining in the air about thirty-five minutes, descended within
three miles of the place whence he started, highly delighted with
his voyage, and the result of his experiment.  Mr. Dunlap is
under the impression that his trip was a greater benefit to his
health than all the medicine he has taken for ten years past.
The novelty of the voyage, the pure air which he breathed, and
the freedom with which all the circulating fluids of the system
are allowed to act in so rare an atmosphere, all combine to produce a salutary effect. There is some philosophy in his idea,
and if we were sure, as we often heard Mr. Wise say it was the
case, of there being no danger in the experiment, we should be
half inclined to recommend it."
Now this young man had never witnessed an ascension before




204              DOUBLE BALLOON ASCENT.
this, and had I not been confident that there was no particular
danger in the experiment, he should never have gone up by my
consent. The only risk that I incurred was the loss of the balloon, by his getting disconcerted in the descent, of which he was
cautioned before he started.
CHAPTER XII.
Double balloon ascents from Philadelphia-Conversation while aloftSingular air-current-Subject for meteorologists-Electricity and aircurrents-Descents of the rivals.
ON the fourth of July, 1840, it was announced that Mr. Paullin and myself would ascend, each in his own balloon, but in
company with each other, from the Pennsylvania Farmer Hotel
yard, in Philadelphia. The ascensions were to be made at meridian day, and the balloons were to be inflated with carburetted
hydrogen gas, procured from  the Northern Liberty Gas Company's pipes. I had now abandoned the cambric muslin balloon,
which had served me well for a dozen ascensions, and was then
sold to an amateur aeronaut, and had a silk one in use, prepared
with the newly discovered varnish, and it was of a size sufficiently large to carry a passenger and ballast when filled with
pure hydrogen, being twenty-three feet in diameter, but too small
in capacity to carry a passenger and ballast in the car when inflated with the carburetted hydrogen.  This latter gas could
raise up only forty pounds where the pure hydrogen could raise
up sixty pounds, so that it was one-third less in power.  By dispensing with the car, and substituting for it a light board to
which the cords of the net-work were fastened, it would be relieved of some weight. In order to make this gas answer the
purpose for this occasion, this had to be done, or the balloon
would have to be enlarged, and as the former seemed the least
trouble, I determined to make the ascension without a car.  Mr.
Paullin's balloon was large enough to carry him with the car,
and all its rigging.
Everything being ready and the balloon filled, at half past
twelve o'clock, I proposed to Mr. Paullin that we should start and
detach from the earth at the same time. Accordingly, the signal
for the start was given, upon which I cut loose and ascended five
or six hundred feet before Mr. Paullin's balloon followed.  It




MEETING OF THE TWO BALLOONS.                  205
seems he was apprehensive of the balloons coming in contact if
started at the same moment, an event which I had anticipated
also, but had no fears of its consequence, on account of the
elasticity of such bodies as balloons. When about a mile above
the earth, Mr. Paullin's balloon approached so near to mine, being
about fifty feet below and twenty or thirty feet to the west of me,
that we could easily converse with each other.  At the start I
was standing on the board which served me for a car, but now
I was sitting on it with my feet hanging down.  Mr. Paullin
hailed me, and said he was afraid his balloon would strike against
my feet if he should suffer it to rise higher.  It had been announced in the advertisement of the occasion, that the aeronauts
would contest which should "stand highest in the estimation of
the public." Mr. Paullin was of course desirous to mount above
me, and his balloon being larger than mine gave him  some
advantage in that respect. I told him he should not get above me
if I could get hold of his balloon, as I was determined to hold it
down.  It had now got very near my feet, and I was ready to
seize it with one hand; the other was required to steady myself
with, when it apparently glanced to one side and rose up by mine
thirty or forty feet off. As Paullin passed, he cried out "Wise,
it looks dangerous to see you sitting on that board."  I replied,
"Never mind the danger, I'll be after you presently."   His
balloon now stood about two hundred feet from mine and a little
above me. He said, "What do you think of the sight?" I replied,
"It is a magnificent one; do you see the Liliputianson the Delaware?"  Paullin said, "I feel a breeze coming."  His balloon
now went up several hundred feet above the height of mine, and
as I was intently watching its motion, I observed it suddenly
agitated, so much that Paullin lowered himself in his car, for he
had been standing up until then. His balloon shrugged up in
the net-work, wrinkling it a little above where the net-work
diverges from the silk, as though it had been drawn up under the
net; and in another moment it shot off southward, immediately
over the Delaware, at a velocity of a mile a minute, for a distance
of five or six miles down the river. This phenomenon was the
more remarkable, because my balloon was not in the least affected
by it, though not three hundred feet from Paullin's. It could not
have been a general layer or current just above the place occupied
by my machine, as I threw off some ballast, and my vessel rose
up at least two thousand feet higher, without being affected by it.
This circumstance showed that a rapid current of atmosphere
existed which was neither wide nor deep, as my machine was
not far off in a horizontal direction, and crossed the path of
Paullin's balloon at a right angle, but a few hundred feet above
it, without falling into the rapid current. This is a meteorological




206          ASCENSION FROM LANCASTER, PA.
fact that is not alluded to, if it is known by, the theorists of that
science.  There is an inseparable connection between electrical
and atmospherical currents. All my experience in passing through
these currents traversing each other, has developed this fact.
While I remained almost stationary over the city for half an
hour after Paullin's balloon had been drifted off, I perceived that
he made several efforts to land; but as often struck the surface of
the river, until, by going up again to a considerable height, he
was drifted some distance over the river into Jersey, where he
effected a dry landing some distance below Woodbury.  Half an
hour afterwards my descent was made near Red Bank, not much
over half the distance from the place of departure, that Paullin's
was.
CHAPTER XIII.
Ascension from Lancaster, Pa. —Effect of rough workmanship in balloon
machinery-Breaking of valve-spring-Sudden descent-Ascension from
Chambersburg, Pa.-Scenery-Singular appearance of South Mountain
-Descent-Its magic effect on a cripple-Second ascent from Chambersburg —Rainy day-Sombre appearance of the earth —Passage
through the rain clouds-Grand spectacle above the clouds-Harbor in
the distance-Illusion-Second stratum of clouds-A heavenly mansion
between the two-Its sublimity.
ON the 5th of August, 1840, I made an ascension from  the
county prison yard, in the city of Lancaster.  It was a remarkably fine day for an aerial voyage, and a very trifling defect in
part of the machinery made it a very brief one, much to my disappointment.  As regards the satisfaction of the spectators on
this occasion, the following extract from  one of the Lancaster
newspapers may be considered as a fair exposition:" Everything was in complete order, and ready at the time fixed
for his departure.  He went up in splendid style to an immense
height, the balloon moving rapidly upwards in a westerly direction.  When about a mile and a half high, the parachutes, each
containing a cat, were detached, and both landed safely; the balloon still continuing to ascend.
" At this period of his flight, the aerial vessel floating towards
the east, MIr. Wise began to make preparations for a descent,
intending to come down within speaking distance of the earth,




BALLOONING A FINE ART.                   207
and then to resume his onward course.  The valve at the top of
his balloon was opened to permit the gas to escape, and could
not be shut again, the spring having broke. His descent was, fbr
this reason, extremely rapid, but he landed in safety near Dillerville, a mile or more from the starting point, having been, we
should judge, about twenty minutes in the air.  There was still
in the balloon a sufficient quantity of gas to have re-ascended,
could the valve have been closed, but this was not in the power
of the aeronaut, as the valve is on the inside of the balloon; and
under these circumstances it was inexpedient to attempt the further prosecution of the voyage.
" We have heard but one opinion expressed in relation to this
ascension.  All concur in saying it was the most gratifying exhibition of the kind which has yet been witnessed by the citizens
of Lancaster."
Here then, an aerial voyage was abridged to the distance of a
mile or two in length, and a space of time less than twenty
minutes, for which the most ample arrangements had been made
to have it of long duration and interest, in the way of coming
down, holding up a few moments for refreshments, then go up
again, and thus make it interesting along the way, as well as at
the points of departure and final termination.
Now the practice of this art is a fine one, indeed it may be very
properly termed one of the " Fine Arts;" and though its science
is not intricate, the mechanical workmanship connected with its
practice, requires skill, mathematical exactness, and the highest
degree of finish, in order to prosecute it with success.  The valve
in my balloon requiring some repairs before the occasion just referred to, and thinking that a watchmaker would coil and finish
me a wire spring much neater than I had made them myself, I
preferred, on this occasion, to have one made by such a mechanic.
Accordingly, one was made and inserted in the valve, but the
mechanic who made it not observing the precaution of applying
a wooden clamp or piece of leather around the wire when screwing it in his vice, thus bruised and weakened it, from which
damage the valve-spring broke when worked in the cold region
of the atmosphere.
When this happened, the balloon was a mile and a half high,
and the force of the air against its lower surface, caused by a
rapid descent, made the gas escape with considerable violence
from the aperture at the top. Persons who witnessed it from an
oblique position, remarked that it threw out a " stream of vapor
embellished with the colors of the rainbow." The balloon came
down with a rolling, surging motion; and my descent, when near
the earth, would have been as hard as when the descents were
made by parachute, had not a large quantity of ballast been




208                 PECULIAR SCENERY.
thrown out when within a few hundred feet of the earth, which
checked its velocity to a moderate degree.
During the latter part of the same month I made an ascension
from Chambersburg, Pa., of which the most interesting incidents,
as related in the journal kept at the time, will be here given:
Here the balloon shifted from a northerly to an easterly direction, the atmosphere becoming extremely cold.  At this time the
scene presented a sublime appearance.  Around and beneath me
the clouds rolled in majestic grandeur, occasionally rising into
peaked summits, like volcanoes, and then dissolving down again
into the mass below.  The valley beneath, where it could be
seen, presented the most gorgeous landscape scenery that I ever
beheld.  After rising about a mile and a half above the clouds,
a most magnificent prospect of the country on either side of the
mountains that enclose the Cumberland valley, presented itself to
my view.  Looking over the North Mountain, the eye was greeted
by a succession of valleys, rising up out of the earth as it were
by magic, to the view, as the balloon rose higher, beautifully
variegating the scene.  The valleys had a lively color, and appeared like circular pea-green bands laid down between darkgreen plats of verdure" Like olive bound with laurels fast,
Whose verdure must forever last."
Looking over the South Mountain, the scene was entirely different. Here an extensive landscape was presented, circumscribed
by rugged and massive clouds, interspersed with numerous roads
which looked like so many white lines tortuously spread over its
surface, and one which meandered from the base of the mountain
upwards, until its further extremity was lost apparently in the
clouds above, which formed the horizon of my view, giving to it a
magic appearance.  This mountain had a very different aspect
from  the others which were in view.  Its dark foliage, interspersed with innumerable whitish looking tortuous lines, being
roads and paths, gave it a very unique but beautiful appearance.
All this time I continued ascending by a gradual discharge of
ballast, until the clouds had sunk so apparently low, as to hover
immediately over the surface of the earth. The cold had now
become intense, and yet the rays of the sun coming in contact
with my person, caused a piercing sensation, like that from needle
points, on those parts where it shone: I also suffered a violent
pain in the ears, and joints of the jaws, followed by a slight
dimness of sight.
At ten minutes before four o'clock, I descended on the farm of
Joshua Kanagy.  This old gentleman was so crippled with rheumatism that he was obliged to walk on crutches, and on these he




BALLOONING AT CHAMBERSBURG, PA.                 209
hobbled towards the place of descent, where the balloon was
fastened to an apple tree by the grappling iron, chafing and surging under a brisk breeze that was blowing at the time, and the
old gentleman seeing this, and also observing me at the same
time in the car, and thinking that his assistance was necessary
in the emergency, becoming more excited every jump he made
with his crutches, until at length he became so impatient from
his slow progress, that he dashed his crutches aside, and ran the
balance of the distance between him and the balloon, with as
much nimbleness as a hale young man.        -
When I returned  to Chambersburg, which was the same
evening of the day the ascension was made, having landed only
about twelve miles off, the citizens had already determined to
induce me to a repetition of the experiment, being so highly
pleased with the one I had just made for them.  This came off
a few weeks afterwards, the day appointed for it bringing with it
rain, which gave an entire new feature to the voyage.
At twenty minutes after three o'clock, the balloon was freed
from her moorings, and described a semicircle in her upward
course, making a half tour round the town.  The borough had
a very sombre appearance, caused by the' dark shadow which
covered the earth-objects, however, were more distinctly visible
than in clear weather, and this is always the case when looking
down upon the earth from a balloon; where the sun shines on the
earth there is more of a quivering haze covering it, than where it
is in shadow.  The scene below had a melancholy aspect-all
nature seemed to be in a state of mourning.
Before I passed the limits of the borough, a parachute containing an animal was dropped, which descended fast and steady,
and just as it reached the earth, my aerial ship entered a dense
black body of clouds.  Ten minutes were consumed in penetrating this dismal ocean of rainy vapor, occasionally meeting with
great chasms, ravines and defiles, of different shades of light and
darkness.  When I emerged from this ocean of clouds a new and
wonderfully magnificent scene greeted my eyes.  A faint sunshine shed its warmth and lustre over the surface of this vast
cloud sea.  The balloon rose more rapidly after it got above it.
Viewing it from an elevation above the surface I discovered it to
present the same shape of the earth beneath; developing mountains and valley, corresponding to those on the earth's surface.
The profile of the cloud surface was more depressed than that on
the earth, and in the distance of the cloud valley a magnificent
sight presented itself.  Pyramids and castles, rocks and reefs,
icebergs and ships, towers and domes; everything belonging to
the grand and magnificent could be seen in this distant harbor;
the half obscured sun shedding his mellow light upon it gave it a
14




210        AN AERIAL CITY ABOVE THE CLOUDS.
rich and dazzling lustre.  They were really " castles in the air,"
formed of the clouds. Casting my eyes upwards, I was astonished
in beholding another cloud stratum, far above the lower one; it was
what is commonly termed a " mackerel sky,"the sun faintly shining
through it.  The balloon seemed to be stationary; the clouds
above and below appeared to be quiescent; the air castles in the
distance stood to their places; silence reigned supreme; it was
solemnly sublime; solitary and alone in a mansion of the skies,
my very soul swelled with emotion; I had no companion to pour
out my feelings to. Great God, what a scene of grandeur! Such
were my thoughts; a reverence for the works of nature; an
admiration indescribable.  The solemn grandeur-the very stillness that surrounded me seemed to make a sound of praise.
This was a scene such that I never beheld one before or after
exactly like it. Two perfect layers of clouds, one not a mile above
the earth; the other, about a mile higher; and, between the two,
a clear atmosphere, in the midst of which the balloon stood quietly
in space.  It was, indeed, a strange sight; a meteorological fact
which we cannot possibly see or make ourselves acquainted with,
without soaring above the surface of the earth.  Why is it that the
cloud surface corresponded to the earth's surface?  What causes
two distinct cloud strata, one a mile above the other, in the
sky at the same time?  The elevated towers or projections that
appeared in the distance on the surface of the lower stratum are
common to the cumulus cloud, and on this occasion was beautified by the peculiar light cast through the upper stratum. But
the distinct regions or vaults of clouds, and the lower one presenting in its upper surface the same irregularities as the earth,
are questions for science yet to explain.
I remained in this magnificent heavenly mansion for an hour,
and during that time did not move two miles in a horizontal direction, as it was perfectly calm and serene.  The day was of a
murky character; warm and rainy, and at the time the balloon
entered the cloud region it was raining slightly, otherwise it had
no peculiar characteristic.  The lower stratum of clouds I judged
to have been from two to three thousand feet in thickness, as it
took seven minutes in passing through.  During the descent, and
while in the cloud ocean, the sound of my voice produced a very
distinct echo.
I made a final descent about five miles from Chambersburg, at
thirty-five minutes past four o'clock.




ASCENT FROM DANVILLE, PA.                   211
CHAPTER XIV.
Ascent from Danville, Pa.-Appearance of the clouds-Passing over Pottsville-Orwigsburg-Schuylkill Haven-Atmosphere cold over mountainous regions-Appearance of a bread-basket thrown overboard-Its
descent seen by persons below-Crossing Reading, its aspect-Pulsatory
motion of balloon-Experiments on it-Descent-Warmth when sailing
over valleys, &c.
THE next ascension, worthy of note, of which a description
will now follow, took place at Danville, Pa., in June, 1841. By
reference to my aerial log book of the ascension in question, I
find that, at two o'clock thirty-five minutes, I lost sight of Danville, and in a few moments afterwards passed into the clear sunshine above, in which the gas began to expand and cause the
balloon to ascend with an increased rapidity.  The Susquehanna
was now lost to my view by the intervention of clouds, and the
country beneath presented one vast wilderness as far as the eye
could reach; the atmosphere was extremely cold for the height,
over this extensive coal region.  The clouds beneath me were
sufficiently broken to afford me constantly occurring glimpses of
things below; and I never before found them so extremely diversified in their upper surface.  On this occasion there were two
strata, but not of that distinctive character which were met with
in a former voyage.  The lower bed was cumulostratus, resembling uneven and rugged precipices; the upper was more of a
cirrostratus, and consisted only of patches here and there, but
very high above the lower layer.
At two o'clock forty-five minutes, I crossed the Pottsville road
between the Bear Gap and Northumberland road, traveling at the
rate of about fifty-five miles per hour. At three o'clock, I crossed
Pottsville, and again brought to view the cultivated fields of the
husbandman.  My altitude was so great that I could not recognize the town until crossing Schuylkill Haven and coming in
sight of Orwigsburg.  The cold atmosphere became so uncomfortable that it impelled me to descend, but after lowering some
distance, I found the valley in which it had been my intention to
descend, had been passed, and the chain of Blue Mountains already reached, which required me to seek refuge in the clouds
again.




212           BALLOONING AT DANVILLE, PA.
At three o'clock forty minutes, the clouds began to thicken beneath me, so that I could at intervals only see the face of the
earth. Perceiving a village which the balloon was about crossing,
I threw from the car a new bread basket, which had been placed
in it at the time of starting, intended to serve me as a temporary
seat should I prolong my voyage.  As it fell towards the earth it
presented a beautiful appearance to my view; it had not gone
far before it assumed a rapid rotary motion, bottom  downwards,
its upper being the concave side, looking like a beautiful rosette
set into a circular motion on its centre.  Its descent on the earth,
as I was afterwards informed, caused considerable astonishment
to several persons who saw it coming down; they not knowing
anything of the balloon above them at the time. At 4 o'clock,
I passed the town of Reading a little to the west of it.  This
place had a handsome aspect; the white streets crossing at right
angles, and the beautiful spires and domes, white as snow, with
their glittering balls and vanes, made the prospect highly interesting.
I found the atmosphere much colder in crossing this mountainous region than it usually is in crossing over a level and cultivated
country, at the same height.  During this voyage I observed a
peculiar motion in the balloon, which had on former occasions
drawn some attention from me, but which had not been closely
investigated. It is this: When a balloon is sailing along with a
steady current, while in equilibrium with the atmosphere, it revolves slowly on its vertical axis.  This rotation is not at all times
a smoothly continued  circulation, but is pulsatory, like the
notched wheel in a clock which is actuated by the pendulum. At
first I attributed this motion to my breathing, believing the vibration of the lungs sufficient to give a corresponding motion to so
delicately balanced a thing as a balloon is when suspended in
space.   I held my breath as long as I could, and this was done
several times; but the pulsations of the balloon were not interrupted by it; on the other hand, they seemed more audible during
these experiments.  Upon timing these pulsations I found them
to be every two and a half seconds, and this seemed to be regular
as far as my observations indicated.  This left me at a loss to
account for this motion, as it seemed not to be caused by my
breathing, and did not correspond to the beat of my pulse.
At twenty-five minutes past four o'clock, I descended near the
house of Mr. Wm. Mcllvain, near Morgantown, about seventy
miles from where I started, in a straight line, where I was cordially
received by this gentleman and his hospitable lady.
My landing here was caused by mistaking the Downingtown
turnpike road for the Pennsylvania railway, which was some
eight or ten miles farther to the south. During this voyage I also




BALLOONING AT LEWISTOWN, PA.                    213
distinctly felt the difference of temperature in crossing large
valleys, where a degree of warmth rose up quite congenial to
one's feelings while in a frosty region.  This, I presume, arises
from a greater quantity of the sun's rays being reflected upward
from a valley than from  level ground.  I forgot to mention that
the pulsatory motion of the balloon was not perceptible when it
was rising or falling, and is only to be detected when the machine
sails a considerable length of time at a great altitude in a steady
horizontal direction. Fluctuations of the balloon by rising and
falling from any cause soon neutralize this delicate motion.
CHAPTER XV.
Ascent from Lewistown, Pennsylvania-Figure of the town-Mountains
and valleys-Their appearance-Juniata river-The narrows-Opinions
of their formation-Viewing objects from  high isolated positionsRegular order of nature-Ascent from Bellefonte, Pennsylvania-Black
balloon-Effect of its color-Current from west to east-Ascent from
Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania-Unfavorable weather-Novel way of going
up-Reference to second ascent from Danville-Letting persons up by
a rope-Lady went up first-A mania ensued for going up-Profitable
business.
A NUMBER of aerial voyages will now be passed over, with extracts only from the journal of some, and details of such when
they are new, interesting, and instructive; and such as afford
nothing but a repetition of what has been given, will not be noticed at all.
In April, 1842, I made an ascension from  Lewistown, Pa.
After rising to a considerable altitude, my journal says: At
this point, as usual, symptoms of excited electricity were powerfully exhibited by the attractive force of the upper part of the
balloon as it passed slowly through the eddy between the upper
and lower currents of air.  Rising above this point by a circuitous ascent, the country for many miles round became visible.
The borough of Lewistown represented a figure like the letter Y.
While still ascending, mountain after valley, and valley after
mountain sprung up out of the body of the earth as by magic.
The sublime workmanship of Him  that made the heavens and
the earth, burst upon the vision with amazing grandeur, and
smiling nature, clad in her vernal garb, looked up toward heaven
with a pleasing countenance.  For an hour or more, new and




214          CONTEMPLATIONS WHILE ALOFT.
beautiful scenes were continually developing themselves.  The
mountains appeared to range in astonishingly exact parallel
semicircles, alternated by the gayer colored valleys between
them.
The Juniata River, meandering through the mountains, added
much to the beauty of the scene; and my attention was particularly drawn to that portion of the river which passes through the
narrows just below Lewistown.  The probability of the impression which has obtained with many persons, that the river has, by a
sapping, percolating process, worked its way through the mountain, is entirely destroyed when the place is viewed from the
point where I passed it.  From there it has the appearance of an
original formation coeval with the earth's adaptation to water
courses; and were it otherwise, it might have worked its way
through some distance above, by a shorter, and apparently easier
route, or continued seven or eight miles further in the upper valley to where it blends with the one on the other side, into which
the river runs.
A calm and deliberate contemplation of the workmanship of
the earth, when viewed from a high, isolated position, bringing
it in view as a whole, leads the mind to very different suppositions and conclusions, to what it would arrive at when viewing
it from its own surface. It may be properly illustrated by the
comparison of looking at a rivulet, or the great river that rises
from a number of them; or, in viewing a single house, or the
whole city.  The earth, viewed from  a great height, assumes a
regularity of order, skill, and arrangement, which cannot fail to
strike the mind of an observer with force and admiration.
In May following, I made an ascension from Bellefonte, Pa.
The last paragraph of the log-book of that voyage says: I have at
present in use a black balloon, which creates a congenial atmosphere around itself in the cold upper regions of the air, from the
radiating superiority of that color over a lighter one.  It is now
beyond a doubt, in my mind established, that a current from
west to east in the atmosphere is constantly in motion within the
height of 12,000 feet above the ocean.  Nearly all my trips are
strong proofs of this.
Soon after this, one was made from Wilkesbarre, on a very
unpropitious day.  As it was a novel mode of going up, the
account given by the " Wilkesbarre Farmer" may be quoted:
"The day was unfavorable; the rain fell in torrents a short
time before the aeronaut started, saturating the netting and silk of
the balloon, and rendering it, therefore, necessary to dispense
with the car.  But the storm did not trouble the operator.  He
said he meant to go up, and he did go.  A board about twelve
by seven inches, notched at the ends, was attached to the cords,




LETTING PERSONS UP BY ROPE.               215
and astride of this Mr. Wise went up most beautifully, cheered
by the shouts of the people assembled.  He made but a short
trip, landing at the foot of the Kingston Mountain, west side of
the river, on the farm of Mr. Joshua Pettebone, where every assistance was rendered, and especially by our friend Mr. Seaman,
who, having a horse and buggy ready, put off the moment Mr.
Wise did, and brought him and his balloon safely back in two
hours from the start."
A number of ascensions of which the accounts have been
omitted, had nothing interestingly new or instructive connected
with them, excepting, perhaps, the second one made from Danville, on which occasion I landed near to that place, and after
coming down, offered to let some persons go up the length of a
rope, which the bystanders every one of them refused to accept.
At this time a rustic looking young country girl came along from
town, where she had been at the balloon ascension, and was invited
by me to take a seat in the car, which she did, and was soon let up
two or three hundred feet, much to the satisfaction of herself and
amusement of the bystanders. After hauling the machine down
again and handing the young lady out of the car, I prevailed on
a trumpeter, who was now standing by with his instrument, to
make a similar adventure, which he did, and when up gave a few
blasts with his trumpet, which acted like magic in bringing the
people across the Susquehanna bridge, which was between the
place where the balloon now was and the town.  Upon this a
perfect mania ensued among them to get into the car and ascend
the length of the rope, which was four hundred feet long; some
going the whole length, others not aspiring to more than half,
and some even less. Having first charged nothing, the business
got too pressing, upon which a quarter of a dollar a trip was
levied, and this not abating the pressure of business, it was
raised to half a dollar per ride, at which it was kept up until I
had realized eighty dollars, and was then only compelled to close
the " fun" on account of the immense throng which had surrounded the balloon making further operations in this way impracticable. Some paid for two and even three trips up before
they left the car.




216              BALLOONING AT YORK, PA.
CHAPTER XVI.
Ascension from York, Pa.-Two failures had been made there by Mr. Parker-Its effect on the people-The day for mine was unfavorable-The
populace would not have it put off-My predicament-Reason, and
compromise-Decision-People reasonable —"York Gazette" account
of it-The start-Scenery, and clouds-Tore the balloon in the clouds
-Consequences-Scene above the clouds-Phenomenon-Thunderstorm
-Brilliant image on clouds-Sensations-Reflections-Balloon speed
-Descent-Another ascent provided for on my return-Extracts from
" York Gazette."
WHILE I was remaining at Vilkesbarre, a very flattering invitation from  Messrs. Glossbrenner and Morris, of York, Pa., who
were then on a visit to the Wyoming Valley, was tendered me,
to come to their borough and make an ascension, which I cheerfully accepted.  The late Mr. Mills, a very successful aeronaut,
had made a very satisfactory ascension from York the summer
previous, and died there while making preparations for a second.
A Mr. Parker, who professed to be an aeronaut, volunteered to
make the ascension which Mr. Mills had made preparations for,
but he failed in getting up with the balloon; and shortly afterwards tried and failed again, which exasperated the populace to
such a degree that it became necessary for Mr. Parker's safety,
to put him in the hands of the sheriff of the county.  This double
failure had a tendency to make the people of that county rather
suspiciously inclined towards balloon experiments. Many of the
country people believed it to be a plotting humbug in order to
delude them  into the town; others doubted the sincerity of
balloonist's intentions of going up, looking at it as a dangerous
business.  These circumstances made it a delicate matter for me,
in case I should be so unfortunate as to fail in getting up, and
although I had now acquired a reputation as a "successful aeronaut," it only made it worse for me, in the event of any accident
that might foil me in making the ascension according to announcement.  The balloon which I had then in use was not throughout
of strong material, being made of black silk, a part of which
being of a different texture from the other, was very mellow. However, an ascension was determined on, let the consequences come
as they would. The last Saturday in August, 1842, was appointed




PREDICAMENT AND CIRCUMSTANCES AT YORK.  217
for the experiment; and as it was one fraught with interest on
various accounts, a detailed description of it will be interesting.
As fate would have it, the day turned out with boisterous and
stormy weather.  The atmosphere was continually charged with
black thunder clouds, and incessant squalls of wind alternated
the strong gale from the west which blew all day. The people,
no ways daunted from the last summer's failures, poured into
town in a continuous stream. Twelve o'clock came, the time for
commencing the inflation, but it brought no hopes of success in
case it should be attempted. The people began to gather round
the enclosed arena, which occupied a large open common on the
outskirt of the town, and frequent and determined were the threats
from their lips of what would be done in case they should be
"humbugged again." As the time passed on, my friends also became uneasy, they thinking I was rather timid. Thus things went
on until near two o'clock, the time announced for starting on the
voyage, and things were coming to a crisis; already from eight to
ten thousand persons had assembled on the common, and more
than threat had already commenced to develop itself in some
angry countenances. The last consolatory words from my particular friends were, "You are in danger of violence."  I had remonstrated against their advice of going on, as I contended that
a failure would be more fatal to all concerned than a postponement to a better day. But they told me a postponement was out
of the question under the circumstances.  Now, as I had no confidence in the strength of my balloon holding out under such
squalls, and as a postponement would not be tolerated, I determined
to reason with the people, and at once went to the outside of the
arena, mounted a table, beckoned the immense crowd to listen to
me for a minute, which, after one very refractory individual had
been quieted, was granted.
I made a brief statement of facts and circumstances, as connected with the occasion, and mentioned to them that God made
the weather while I professed only to make ascensions, and then
put the question to them whether I should go on under the circumstances, or postpone it to a better day, with the proviso, however, that they would buy tickets under the risk of a failure, and
that they were not to mob me, nor suffer me to be mobbed, nor
ask their money back if I should fail on account of the weather.
It was unanimously agreed that I should go on, with a loud promise, "We will stand by you through thick and thin."  Just at
this moment a gentleman stepped up, who I learned was Doctor
Ness, and in a proper and terse manner substantiated my explanations.
In another moment the gas retorts were in active operation, as
no time was to be lost in getting the balloon inflated.  This pro



218        ASCENT FROM YORK SATISFACTORY.
cess had not gone on long before every one present began to
realize the truth of my remarks.
The balloon stood the blast, and at four o'clock was sufficiently
inflated to prepare her for the flight.  As the inflation and start
are sensibly-and graphically described by the "York Gazette,"
its article relative to this occasion may be properly quoted: "Mr.
John Wise, the celebrated American aeronaut, made from an enclosure at this place on Saturday last, one of the most beautiful
balloon ascensions ever witnessed in Pennsylvania, or probably in
the- nion.  An immense crowd was assembled to witness the
ascension; the number is variously estimated at from six to ten
thousand persons.
"There was quite a strong breeze early in the morning, and
it continued to blow up to, and beyond the hour at which the inflation was to have commenced.  This occasioned some delay,
as it is exceedingly difficult to inflate a balloon in a strong wind,
and in four cases out of five, when it is attempted, the balloon is
torn during the process.  At about two o'clock, though the wind
had not entirely ceased, Mr. Wise, anxious to gratify the thousands who had assembled, many of them  from  a considerable
distance, to witness an ascension, determined, at the risk of
destroying his new and costly balloon, to commence the inflation.  Then the danger became evident to all; for, although the
wind was very slight, yet as soon as the balloon had been swelled
by the gas to a height of six or eight feet so as to present any
surface to the wind, it became as fractious as a drunken Mohawk.
Mr. Wise found it necessary to have the assistance of about a
dozen of his friends, who were all kept quite busy in preventing
it from tearing itself to pieces.
" The excellent preparatory arrangements, however, of Mr.
Wise, and his unruffled temper and systematic method of conducting the process, overcame all the difficulties; and at about
four o'clock he attached his car to its aerial steed, entered it as
coolly as though about to seat himself for a ride upon an " ambling pad pony," and was launched, amid the cheers and shouts
of congregated thousands, into the air.
" He cleared the enclosure by about ten feet, and sank a few
feet immediately on the outside, but by throwing out a portion of his ballast he was enabled to rise sufficiently as he moved
off beautifully in an easterly direction. He seemed, to those
who saw him from the point at which he started, to rise as he
receded, keeping on in one direction until lost to their view behind a cloud about five miles distant.
" We never saw a more gratified multitude than were assembled on this occasion.  All seemed delighted, and to be at a loss
for words to express their admiration of the sight presented by




BALLOON AND LOCOMOTIVE SPEED.                  219
the daring aeronaut as he replied from his seemingly perilous
height by a graceful wave of his hat to the cheers that continued
to greet him as long as his features could be distinguished."
Narrative of the journal:
At fifteen minutes past four o'clock, the aerial ship United
States was released from her moorings under a heavy blow from
the south-west, gliding swiftly near the surface of the earth until
her ascending power was increased by a discharge of about forty
pounds of ballast; when at a distance of several miles from the
common, the ascent became very rapid.  At eight minutes after
the start I passed through some filmy clouds, going nearly parallel with the railroad all the time, and in a few minutes overtook
the locomotive, which had started about fifteen minutes before the
balloon did. At four o'clock thirty minutes, I commenced penetrating a dense stratum of clouds, after having enjoyed a magnificent view of the country for thirty miles round, bringing into
view over fifty towns and villages, innumerable streams of water,
with the beautiful Susquehanna in their midst.  On entering the
clouds the atmosphere grew cold; but after passing through the
lower stratum, and getting into the shadow of cloud patches far
above the lower layer, the cold became so intense as to convert
my breath freely into hoar-frost.  I did not suffer much from this
cold atmosphere, as the excitement of the day had supplied me
with a fervor that lasted through the whole voyage, and it would
be a senseless being indeed that could pass through such scenes
without excitement. While passing through the clouds, the balloon rising at a furious rate, I attempted to open the valve to discharge gas, but was prevented by the lower part of the balloon
having so closely taken the valve rope into a fold, it being flaccid, that it became impossible to work the rope through. This
would of course become relieved by the expansion of the gas,
which would unfold it as it would rise into a rarer region of the
atmosphere; but as the balloon was mounting so rapidly, and the
air quite cold enough already, I was determined to arrest its upward progress by a violent tug of the valve rope, which succeeded in releasing it, and bringing with it a strip of the balloon five
feet long and seven inches wide at one end, tapering to a point at
the other. This piece came clear out of the balloon and dropped
down by the car, so hear that I reached for it as it fell past. Being from the lower side of the balloon, it would cause no serious
consequences, unless in case of a rapid descent it might by the
rush of air against it cause it to slit upwards, and open the whole
side of the balloon, an accident which would not endanger my life.
After having risen some distance above the clouds into a clear
sunshine, the temperature became more congenial, and a most
brilliant cloud scene lay beneath me; a spacious snow-white




220          PASSING OVER A THUNDERSTORM.
concavity, with here and there a pyramidical projection jutting
from the common surface. To the south-east a violent ebullition
in the cloud ocean indicated the formation of a thunder storm,
which soon developed itself in uprising cloud columns discharging electric flashes and rattling thunder.  The shadow of the
balloon was visible on the surface of the clouds below, and after
getting so high that it became completely distended, I discharged
gas from thevalve, while it was at the same time copiously discharging from the hole which had been made in tearing out the
piece with the valve rope.  The gas escaping from the rent below assumed a white milky color. Looking down upon the clouds
at this time, a most beautiful phenomenon presented itself, like
that on the disk of a camera-obscura. Around the dark shadow
of the balloon there appeared a bright blue ring, and on the outside of this ring surrounding it, there blazed out a brilliant halo
of fiery red. This splendid image increased and diminished in
size as the balloon was lowered or elevated above the cloud
stratum. I gazed on it until my eyes became dazzled and painfully affected by its brilliancy, and I could not refrain from ejaculating over the transcendent privilege of viewing such celestial
grandeur; for, at this time, a combination of scenes and circumstances never before witnessed at one time, conspired to make
the scene grand beyond the power of description.
When my aerial ship had passed over the thunderstorm and
got some distance ahead of it, I gradually descended, reaching the
cloud ocean in five or six minutes; and when in this cold misty
sea, my feelings became painfully depressed; the transition from
so beautiful a haven assisted in no small degree, in producing the
gloomy and morbid sensations that followed.  I really felt like an
expelled intruder, who had been driven from a usurpation.  As
soon as I got through this gloomy abode of the clouds, and in
view of as beautiful a prospect as the eye ever gazed on, the fertile
landscape of Lancaster county, my spirits became somewhat revived, besides, I was now viewing the place of my birth, the
town, the street, the pleasure grounds of my youthful days, dreams,
enchantments, realities, doubts, all seemed to have held their sway
within the last hour.  Such voyages are strange and exciting
things.
After sailing over the city of Lancaster, my course wasparallel
with the Pennsylvania rail-road, down which a locomotive was plying with a train of cars, which was soon overtaken and passed,
showing that steam cannot compete with balloon speed, when they
both move in the same direction.  At thirteen minutes past five
o'clock, I landed on the farm of Wm. Hiester, Esq., near the village
of Newholland, about thirty-nine miles from the starting point,
being at the rate of fifty miles per hour in the horizontal direction.




CURIOUS APPEARANCE OF THE EARTH.                221
When I returned to York, the citizens had already contributed
an amount considerably over and above the sum demanded by
me as an inducement to make a balloon ascension, for another
balloon voyage from their place.
This ascension took place on the twentieth of August following,
on which occasion the day turned out to be of fine clear weather,
and a very calm atmosphere.  The "York Gazette," in noticing
this voyage, indulges in the following remarks: " We considered
his thirty-sixth ascension the ne plus ultra in grandeur, but it was
far exceeded by the last.  Mr. Wise, on this occasion, was favored
by almost a perfect calm; and having cut his cord, he ascended
almost perpendicularly to a height of four or five thousand feet.
He receded from  the spectators so slowly that they could distinguish his features for about three minutes, and his form five
or six minutes, after his departure.  In all this time he was
receiving and gracefully acknowledging the reiterated and thundering peals of applause from delighted thousands.  We never
witnessed a crowd so completely carried away by their feeling of
unmixed gratification.  They did not seem to be able to find words
commensurate with their enjoyment; but every moment, shouts,
spontaneous and simultaneous, would be sent up to the car of
the aeronaut from countless throats, and the calm and collected
occupant of the apparently frail vessel could be seen, with his head
uncovered, returning the salutations as they reached him, from
a height so tremendous, that his form appeared to be reduced to
the proportions only heard of in fairy tales.
"It is safe to predict, that not one of all the vast crowd assembled on Saturday, will ever again witness on earth a spectacle so unutterably grand and sublime as that presented by Mr.
Wise, in leaving the earth on his thirty-seventh aerial voyage."
In lieu of the account from my log-book, the above has been
quoted.  The voyage being over nearly the same course as the
one preceding it, and nothing of a new  character having occurred in its progress, it would consist of a mere repetition of what
has been said.  The remarks of the "Gazette," however, go to
show what enthusiasm prevailed at these exhibitions, when they
were conducted with system  and decorum.  The editor of the
"Gazette" is a close observer of the progress of the age, and at
this time paid particular attention to the practice and philosophy
of aeronautics. The following is taken from his paper of that
period:"CURIOUS APPEARANCE OF THE EARTH.-Clayton recently made
a successful ascension in a balloon from Columbus, Ohio.  Among
the remarks in his journal of the aerial trip, we were struck by
the following:



222               VERTIGO AND ISOLATION.
" From the questions that I am frequently asked, an idea seems
to exist with many that aeronauts lose sight of the earth when
at a great height.  This is a mistake; they never do, except
when clouds intervene or night appears.  On the contrary, the
earth is always like an immense concave map, painted different
colors, which designate not the different townships or counties,
as maps generally do, but the various products of the soil.
"' That the earth, which, in reality is convex, should appear to
the aeronaut to be concave, may at first seem strange to many,
but a moment's reflection will render it clear.  His horizon is
frequently upwards of a hundred miles from him. Draw a right
angled triangle, and make the base line fifty or sixty times as
long as the perpendicular, the hypothenuse and base will then be
nearly in the same line.  The horizon appears to the aeronaut to
be on a level with the car of the balloon; but the part of the
earth directly underneath him seems at a great distance from him,
consequently the whole surface of his scene appears concave.'
"Mr. Wise, in a very interesting lecture on the subject of
aerostation delivered by him  in York, on Wednesday evening
last, also mentioned the apparent concavity of the earth, when
seen by the aeronaut from  his car at great altitudes.  He also
spoke of the entire absence of vertigo or giddiness when at the
loftiest point in the air he has yet reached in his car.  He states
that he is as susceptible as others, perhaps peculiarly so, of the
giddiness experienced so generally on ascending any considerable
height; and we chanced to see him under the influence of this unpleasant sensation, a few months ago, as we sat together upon the
highest point of' Prospect Rock,' near Wilkesbarre, a point from
which we could look down upon the lovely valley of Wyoming in
its whole length and breadth. On that occasion we expressed surprise that he, accustomed as he was to ascend for miles into the
air, should be rendered giddy by a situation that affected us so
but slightly.  He then made a remark which we recollected on
hearing it, to have seen published somewhere, that the sensation
is lost to the aeronaut as soon as he becomes entirely separated
from  the earth.  While a single cord remains to attach him  to
the earth, his steadiness may be seriously affected; but when the
last connection is severed he is not disturbed by a height that
would under ordinary circumstances stagger the most daring, and
send an iron nerved man reeling from his elevation."




ASCENT FROM GETTYSBURG, PA.                  223
CHAPTER XVII.
Ascent from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania-Experiments on the spiral ascent
of bodies-Refraction of light-Parhelion-Its effects-Waving motion
like aurora borealis-Experiments on it-Peculiar brilliancy of a mountain scene-Peculiarity of atmosphere and clouds-Descent-Second
ascent from Gettysburg-Made by an amateur-Iistorical description of
it-Humorously but graphically written-Perilous descent of the
amateur.
IN September of 1842, I made an ascension from Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania, of which the following account was written at
the time.  During the preparatory arrangements for my thirtyeighth aerial voyage, made from Gettysburg on the 10th inst.,
it was suggested by Professor Jacobs, of Pennsylvania College,
in company with several other scientific gentlemen, to make some
experiments upon the spiral ascent of the small balloons that were
to be sent off as pilots.  Having noticed that they revolved on
their vertical axes when ascending, in a direction opposite to that
of the revolutions of the hands of a clock lying with its face upwards, Professor Jacobs proposed that the remaining two pilots
should be started with a rotary motion, opposite to that which
they assumed when let off uninfluenced. Accordingly, they were
started with considerable impetus in that way, but that motion subsided in a very short time, and the other, or contrary motion, took
effect, and continued as long as they could be seen, which was
until they passed into the clouds. The large balloon also revolved
in the same way on this occasion; and in pursuing these experiments, by throwing down when above the clouds, substances of
different kinds and shapes, they all fell with the same rotary
motion.  The atmosphere at the time of starting on my voyage,
twelve minutes before 4 o'clock, was perfectly calm, and the
upper heaven was completely partitioned off from the earth by a
thin layer of clouds.  The height from the earth to the clouds
was 3900 feet by measurement. The atmosphere became slightly
colder as I ascended higher until entering the clouds, where it
was somewhat warmer than just beneath them; and when entirely
above them the sun's rays had a powerful effect upon my body
and upon the balloon, as its accelerated upward motion quickly
told.




224          BALLOONING AT GETTYSBURG, PA.
The phenomenon of refracted light which had so much interested me on a former voyage, made its appearance again upon the
thin layer of clouds beneath, and my particular attention was
now directed to its operation.  The parhelion was this time more
perfectly formed in regular prismatic rings, the cloud stratum
being thin on which it was refracted, and consequently did not
reflect so much dazzling light as before, when it was thicker. It
appeared too on this occasion that the cause assigned to its production on a former voyage, was not altogether essential, being
a profuse escape of gas, as on this it originated from  the mere
diffusion of gas round the balloon. The air being very calm,
suffered the balloon to remain a longer time in the same spot, and
consequently a rarer and more refractory medium would be formed
around it, enhanced by the radiating power of its color (black).
The shadow of the balloon was well defined on the clouds, and
the prismatic colors forming rings around it were brilliant; there
appeared also another, but dim shadow, immediately opposite the
main one, much narrower and fainter, and they each crossed or
rather laid on the prismatic rings, as represented in the engraving,
reaching from near the centre to some distance over the outer
ring.
The smaller shadow was continually expanding and contracting, sometimes getting nearly as wide as the main one, and then
contracting into a mere line again, resembling in its action the
waving motion of the aurora borealis.  This motion I thought
might have been caused by the different degrees of thickness of
the cloud stratum on which it was formed, as also the difference
of distance between the balloon and the surface on which it acted,
as the clouds were moving along, while the air ship was apparently becalmed; this would continually change the condition of
space between the object and itsshadow, as it would the density of
the substance that formed its screen.  The parhelion and shadows
varied in size as the balloon ascended or descended, which I caused
it to do several times to a degree of not less than six to eight hundred feet.  What appeared most remarkable to me, was the appearance of this phenomenon after the balloon had descended between the clouds and the earth.  While coming down over an
open space in the clouds, I noticed the parhelion disappear in it,
and in another moment discovered it on the green surface below,
being a woods, not with its regular rings, but in a red fiery halo
blending all the colors in it, and when it passed from  the woods
it was still perceptible on the green fields, but more diffuse than
when on the woods.  When I got below the cloud stratum  the
balloon moved slowly in a horizontal direction, at the rate of
about a mile in eight minutes, and whenever it would pass an
opening in the clouds, so that it fell in the sun's rays, the fiery




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p".
]P.~v[sSteam ~ith.hPIess.
t~AIHELIOX.








AN AMATEUR AERONAUT.                      225
halo made its appearance at the corresponding point on the surface of the earth.  The appearance of the phenomenon on the
earth's surface was much like the reflected glare in the sky, of a
night, during a conflagration.
During the early part of the voyage, there appeared a magnificent sight in the west.  No clouds being in that direction, at a
point some miles off, a portion of the mountain region was receiving a flood of light from the sun, which gave it a peculiar
lustre, such as I had never seen before, though it has often happened that the sun was shining only in spots upon the earth which
were visible to me. While in the clouds I noticed them to have a
more milky looking aspect than is usually the case; and it was
noticed by the spectators below, who informed me of it afterwards,
and they further remarked, that " the balloon looked white," the
moment of its submersion in the clouds, until it vanished from their
sight. After I had been above the clouds for more than half an
hour, I came down once so low that the spectators from the town
saw it for a moment, and they informed me that it was not far
from the point where it had entered them at the start, making it
evident that the balloon was almost totally becalmed while above
the cloud stratum.  It was a peculiar state of the atmosphere
throughout.
After remaining in the atmosphere eight minutes less than one
hour, the greatest part of the time above the clouds, I came down
to terra-firma, two and a half miles from the point where I had
started.
These interesting facts were observed and noted with as much
precision and deliberation as if they had been observed from my
private chamber, and they were submitted to my friend, Professor Jacobs, who had been with me during the inflation, engaged
in observing the experiments made before the start, and it was
he that took the altitude of the clouds.
The people of Gettysburg were so much pleased and interested
with this ascension, that they determined to have the experiment
repeated in a few weeks afterwards. In the mean time, by their
particular request, I entertained them with a public lecture on the
subject of aeronautics, in the court house.  Touching strongly
upon the simplicity of the science during this lecture, and portraying the magnificent grandeur of its developments to the practitioner of aeronautics, it inspired some of the hearers with an indescribable desire of its enjoyments, but only one of them was
willing to believe implicitly what I had said of its non danger
as practiced by me. This individual was Colonel John M'Clellan,
of Gettysburg. On the following day he made me a proposition to
take him along on the contemplated voyage to be made in a few
days from that place.  The time being too short to make the extra
15




226              AN AMATEUR AERONAUT.
arrangements necessary to carry another individual besides myself, I mentioned it to the colonel, and at the same time informed
him  that if he did not wish to wait for another opportunity, he
might take my place on the Saturday following for half the price
of what I had asked to take him with me, which would make it but
fify dollars instead of a hundred.  He answered that he thought
he would take me up at that. I did not believe, however, that he
would go by himself, inasmuch as we had already spoken of
making it suit to take him up at Emmetsburgh.  When the day
came for the ascension, the colonel made his appearance about
half an hour before the time announced for starting, gave me
the fifty dollars, security for the safe return of the balloon, and
took some hasty instructions for the management of the machine
while aloft, and also to effect a systematic descent. These were as
promptly given him, and after this no persuasion, neither from his
brothers and sisters, nor from me, would induce him to relinquish
his desire for the present; and so I sent him up, confident that
he would come down safe if he did not give up the ship, and my last
injunction to him was, "Stick to the ship."  He went up in gallant style, throwing out ballast until he mounted to an altitude
of about two miles, and then passed out of sight.  He went about
twenty-five miles, landing a few miles west of York, Pa., and
was from thence escorted into York by some dozen acquaintances,
who saw the balloon descending, and finding with it to their great
astonishment, Colonel John M'Clellan, of Gettysburg, instead of
the individual with whom they had an understanding to meet, if
he would come down near York.  Indeed, I regretted that I had
to forego the pleasure of paying my York friends a visit via the
clouds, when I saw the favorableness of the breeze, and the pertinacity of the colonel's intentions.
When arrived at York and surrounded by a host of friends,
the colonel was requested to give a detailed verbal description
of his adventure, which he did, and with a great deal of accuracy, showing, that before he commenced coming down, he had
been a deliberate observer.  Mr. Glossbrenner, editor of the
" York Gazette," being present, took notes and made a publication of it in his next paper.  It is written with some humor, but,
nevertheless, with a graphicness and accuracy in regard to the
appearance of things, that could only come through the suggestions of an actual observer.  This description has already become a historical fact, and is as follows:"BALLOONING EXTRAORDINARY.
A daring feat was accomplished on Saturday last, by a citizen of our neighboring town of Gettysburg. Mr. John Wise, the




BALLOONING EXTRAORDINARY.                    227
American aeronaut, par excellence, had announced his intention
to make his thirty-ninth balloon ascension on that day, from an
enclosure in Gettysburg; and with his usual punctuality, was
ready on the day and hour promised. His balloon was inflated;
his ballast, grappling-iron, &c., duly stowed, and he was about
to step into the basket.  At that moment, Mr. John M'Clellan, a
young gentleman of Gettysburg, inquired of Mr. Wise whether it
would not be possible for two persons to ascend with the power
then in the balloon.  On receiving a negative reply, Mr. M'Clellan seemed much disappointed; said he was determined to have
a ride, and inquired the price at which Mr. Wise would permit
him  to make the voyage alone.' One hundred dollars, sir,'
said Mr. Wise, who did not appear to consider the inquirer to be
in earnest.'I will give you fifty dollars!''Agreed-fork
over!'  The joke was'carried on,' and the cream  of it was
soon transferred to the pocket of the aeronaut, and his substitute
was snugly seated in the car, vociferating his direction to' cut
loose!'   Mr. Wise thought that matters had now  gone far
enough, and requested his customer to get out, as the time had
arrived at which he had promised to be off.  But he refused to
do so, and insisted that he had regularly hired and paid for a
passage * in this boat,' and go he would.  As Barney O'Reardon said to the man in the moon, when the latter respectable
personage told him to'lave his hould;''the more he bid him,
the more he wouldn't!'
" Mr. Wise then let up the balloon a short distance by a rope,
thinking, probably, that as there was considerable wind, and the
air horse consequently turbulent, that his substitute would have
his courage cooled, and'give in.'  But this was no go; and
thinking that he had as good a start as ever he would have, Mr.
M'Clellan cut the rope, and was of!  After he found that it was
the determination of Mr. M'Clellan to go, Mr. Wise had but time
to give him  a few hasty and imperfect instructions in regard to
the management of the balloon, and in a few minutes the daring
amateur aeronaut had ascended to a height of about two miles.
Here he struck a current of air which bore directly towards York.
He says that the earth receded from  him very rapidly after he
had thrown a bag or two of sand upon it; that Gettysburg passed
off towards Hagerstown, and that he saw Carlisle, Hanover, Abbottstown, Oxford, and Berlin strolling about; and that soon
after, just ahead of him, he saw old York coming full tilt up the
turnpike toward him, apparently taking an afternoon walk to
Gettysburg.  Having determined to stop at York, and fearing,
from the remarkable speed -at which our usually staid and sober
town was traveling, that she would soon pass under his balloon,
and give him the slip, he pulled the string attached to the safety




228           BALLOONING EXTRAORDINARY.
valve, in order to let off a portion of gas. This valve is so constructed, that when a rope attached to it is pulled, the valve
opens to the interior and again closes by the force of a spring
when the rope is let go. Unfortunately, however, the inexperienced aeronaut pulled too violently at the valve rope, tore the
valve door completely off its hinges, and brought it down into the
car.  When this occurred he was more than a mile high, and he
immediately, and with fearful rapidity descended, or rather fell
to the earth. When the valve door came off, the gas, of course,
escaped rapidly, but the balloon caught sufficient air to form a
parachute, by which the fall was moderated, and we are happy
to say that the voyager reached the earth about five miles from
York entirely uninjured.  He says that as soon as the valve door
came down upon him, he knew that something had'broke loose;'
and just then remembering that Mr. Wise had told him to be on
his guard when he descended and throw out his grappling-iron,
he was preparing to get at it among the numerous things in the
basket,'when the earth bounced up against the bottom of the
car!'
" When first seen from York, the balloon was about thirteen
miles off, nearly due west.  It appeared to be approaching directly toward our town, until the valve was pulled and it had
fallen considerably.  As it fell, it seemed to find a current that
bore it rapidly toward the north.  The spot at which it landed
is about north-west of our borough.
"The escape of the gas was distinctly seen from  York; and
as the balloon neared the earth it had lost its rotundity, and
appeared to the gazers here to come down heavily, like a wet
sheet."
This was another proof of the efficacy of atmospheric resistance
in bringing large surfaces falling through it, down with a moderate velocity.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Balloon campaign of 1843-Transatlantic project-Ascent from Carlisle,
Pa.-Rev. Mr. Thorn's communication-Account from aerial log-book
-"Beautiful and interesting spectacle"-Mr. Forney's descriptionLanding at Lancaster-Entry in the city-Reascension from Centre
Square-Descent, &c.
IN the spring of 1843, the inhabitants of Carlisle, Pa., invited
me to make an ascension from their borough. During the winter




BALLOONING AT CARLISLE, PA.                229
which had just passed, I had consulted some gentlemen of the city
of Philadelphia, upon getting up a project of crossing the Atlantic
with a balloon.  From the facts and deductions laid before them,
they were willing to promote the enterprise in case I would undertake it.  This stimulated my exertions to a furtherance of
this project, and I had determined to spend all my time and
talent to its consummation. But as soon as these gentlemen saw
that my whole energy was directed in that way, they began to
evince conscientious scruples as to the responsibility that would
fall on them, in case of my being " sacrificed to my too ardent
convictions" of success, and so my fond hope was doomed to
wait a while longer.  I determined, however, to try Congress at
its next session, thinking that I could give them facts sufficient to
induce them to appropriate so trifling a sum as it would require,
to consummate this first step, in an art that promised so much
benefit to the human family.  As I could now do no better, I
concluded to make a summer's campaign of aerial voyages, and
accordingly went on to Carlisle to begin; intending at the same
time to keep in view, and embrace every opportunity, that would
tend to enable me to carry out this desirable project.
The ascension from Carlisle was announced to come off the
third Saturday in IMay, 1843.  It turned out to be a very interesting one, as I had promised my friends in Lancaster city to
visit them via the atmospheric current that always blows from
west to east in the higher regions of the air.
Rev. Mr. Thorn, of Carlisle, a gentleman of the highest
integrity, and well trained scientific mind, took a lively interest
in the experiment, and is the author of the following eloquent
description of the first balloon ascension made from that place.
" The balloon ascension advertised by Mr. Wise, the celebrated aeronaut of forty aerostations, took place in this borough on
Saturday last.  The day was preceded by clouds and gusts of
wind, ensued by rain, accompanied with the most vivid flashes of
lightning and heaviest peals of thunder -with which we have been
visited for a length of time; and indeed, so marked, according
to human calculation, was the appearance of a continuance of
such weather, so subversive to successful exhibitions of this kind,
that many persons imagined the feat would be abandoned or deferred.  At about nine o'clock in the forenoon, however, the clouds
began to disperse, and the sun, that bright orb of day, displayed
his Creator's power, by dispelling the mists and density of the
atmosphere in which we had been enveloped, and substituted in
its stead, the most clear and effulgent sky we ever beheld.  At
ten o'clock, hundreds of persons from various parts of the adjoining country, began to rush into our town, and to collect in various
groups in our principal streets, which, together with the appear



230            REV. MR. THORN'S REMARKS.
ance and drill of Captain Washington's superior company of U. S.
mounted Artillery with their cannon and accoutrements, gave an
enlivening and imposing scene to our borough.  Soon after twelve
o'clock, the process of inflation of the balloon was commenced;
at two o'clock, preparatory arrangements were made by Mr. Wise
for his ascent, which, in half an hour, were ready.  Previous to
it, however, he with great politeness came forward, and in a very
respectful manner, gave an invitation to the ladies composing
the assemblage within the inclosure, to approach within the limits
prescribed for them, that they might have a more clear and distinct view of the interesting scene they had, convened to witness
-which they accepted.  He then proceeded to an interchange
of salutations with the friends and acquaintances he observed
around him-bade Mrs. Wise and his son, a promising lad of six
years of age, an affectionate farewell; but with the entire confidence that the separation would be temporary-an absence of a
few hours only.  After which, making a general obeisance to all
around, he stepped into, what appeared to us, a little brittle and
insecure basket, with a fearless, unfaltering and dignified mien.
He then examined with composure, the various articles which
had been deposited therein, apparently with a view to adjust their
balance, and to ascertain whether anything, which might be
required on his voyage, had by any omission been left behind.Perceiving, to use a familiar phrase,' that all was right,' and that
the most intense interest was depicted in the countenance of every
beholder, he gradually, but beautifully and majestically ascended,
amid the cheers, plaudits and acclamations of the surrounding
multitude, and the transporting strains of a fine band of music,
discoursing an inspiring tune.  Thus did the successful aeriel
navigator depart from the scenes of terra firma, to indulge from
his cloud skirt height in fancy's visions on the baseless fabrics
of the world's ideal,' and of the skies unknown.
" The balloon arose, diverging but little from the direct line
with which it set out; and the aeronaut continued several hundred
yards above the spectators for a considerable time, waving his
hat in recognition of the cheers which were complimenting him
from  below.  The atmosphere calm  and the sky serene, he
remained in sight nearly an hour; some viewing him  with telescopes, while he could no longer be seen with the naked eye.
The following memorandum, being a description of the voyage,
and written by Mr. Wise during his voyage, will doubtless be
read with absorbing interest by every one.  An incident related
by him, relative to his descent at Lancaster, tends to increase the
confidence that is already reposed in him as a scientific aeronaut,
an(t of the management and direction he is capable of giving Jo
his balloon. He had informed his friends and acquaintances at




REV. MR. THORN'S REMARKS.                 231
Lancaster, that it was his intention to land there on this occasion,
as it lay east from Carlisle-a direction, he says, he can always
attain-and visit his domicil.  The citizens being thus apprised
of his design, were awaiting his arrival, and when he came
within a distance of being heard, they called aloud to him  and
said,' Wise, you have redeemed your pledge "'
"Such being the favorable circumstances under which this
experiment was made and ended, permit me to observe, that the
remark is occasionally made in opposition to the science of aeronautics, that inventions of this kind are not to be encouraged or
witnessed, because, through the perversion of men, they occasionally lead to vain and pernicious amusements. Admitting
this to be the case, is this a reason why it should be decried
and condemned any more than many other useful arts?  But the
objection usually, if not invariably, arises from persons of narrow
minds and contracted views, relative to the progress of the human
mind in the enlightening and renovation of mankind. Air balloons are destined ere long to be brought to such a state of perfection, and be made capable of raising and carrying so much
weight, as to be applied to highly useful and important purposes.
Let encouragement be given to these experiments; let'the
soul of fire, the invention ever new,' the'lively cheer of vigor
born,' and the incitement to continual exertion, both mental and
bodily, by the emulation of ingenious men, be patronized sufficient
to enable them  to conduct their operations on an extensive
scale, and time and experience will make them subservient to
numerous philosophical uses, and bring to light many things
which pass in the atmosphere; such as the formation of rain,
of thunderstorms, of vapors, hail, snow, comets, meteors in
general; and which, for the want of a method of ascending into
it, cannot be known with precision.
"They may tend also to the general improvement and amelioration of mankind, in effecting the designs of a beneficent Providence, to a lost and ruined world. Is it not possible, nay, is it
not probable, that ere long, if suitable inducements be held out
to the promoters of this science, a contrivance or means of conducting expeditions through the atmosphere in a horizontal direction will be discovered, by making these machines subject to the
helm of the aeronaut? And if so, may they not be converted to
purposes of mercy; by exploring countries hitherto inaccessible;
bringing together parts of the earth which are now estranged to
each other, and spreading knowledge to all mankind? Many are
the good and sensible men, who are of the opinion that every part
of the habitable globe must yet be explored, and its inhabitants
visited with the salvation of God. And who knows, but that by
balloons, this may be effected?  Who will have the presumption




232             BALLOONING vs. MILLERISM.
to say that such a consumation will never be realized? And if
realized, will it not present a literal fulfilment of' Angels flying
through the midst of the (aerial) heavens, having the everlasting
gospel to preach to them that dwell upon the earth, and to every
kindred and nation?
"To  these high and beneficent purposes we may add the
gratification of curiosity and pleasure, as a very strong inducement to an encouragement to the practice of the art, in which
with any tolerable degree of caution and information, there appears
very little of real danger.  We have heard from Mr. Wise, and
all who have tried the experiment testify to the same, that the
beauty and grandeur of the prospect afforded by an aerial excursion cannot be exceeded, much less described. Nor do aeronauts ever experience the least of that giddiness consequent upon
looking from great heights connected with the earth; nor have
they any of that sickness arising from the motion of a vessel at
sea.  Many have been carried by balloons at the rate of thirty,
forty and fifty miles per hour, without feeling the least inconvenience or even agitation of the wind, for the reason that the
machine moves with the wind and its velocity."
The following is an extract of the most important part of the
journal kept on the occasion: Left the earth at two o'clock thirtyfive minutes; the lower current of wind from southwest moving
moderately. At three o'clock, I passed on the south sideofMechanicsburg, at an altitude of about a mile, and still ascending.
When at a considerable height above the clouds, another current
blowing from  northwest was encountered.  This gave me an
opportunity of making north or south latitude while pursuing my
voyage eastward, as the occasion required, by sailing with one or
the other of these currents.  While nearing the Susquehanna
River, a magnificent view was opened; York, Carlisle, Harrisburg,
and even Lancaster, were embraced in this grand panoramic view,
with all its innumerable villages and variety of splendid scenery.
Upon its beauty I will not attempt to descant; it must be witnessed
to be appreciated. Although the Creator has allowed me to enjoy this sublime privilege, he has not endowed my humble capacity with language adequate to express its grandeur. In viewing
this scene of earthly glory, I was forcibly struck with the idea,
that we are not of near so much importance in the eyes of
Deity as man presumes himself to be; and not more so to the
Creator than the minutest animalcule is to man.  And now, in
reference to the puerile fanaticism of "Millerism," I would remark
that the world, clothed in her verdant summer garb, looked so
young and so beautiful, and so far from  having the slightest
appearance of decay, or an intention of committing suicide by
elementary self-destruction, that she reminded me of a gay




BEAUTIFUL AND INTERESTING SPECTACLE.    233
and blooming maiden just emerging from the days of her innocence into sober womanhood.  If any of the deluded followers
of Miller doubt this, let them  go aloft of a fine summer's day,
and view the earth, and if they then don't abandon their nonsensical views, nor feel ashamed of their narrow-minded conceptions of the goodness and greatness of the Creator, they must
indeed, be weak in the spirit, as well as in the flesh.
[The Miller fanaticism was raging at that time in that neighborhood.]
At three o'clock twenty minutes, I passed over a vast body of
clouds, which reflected a powerful heat against the balloon,
causing it to rise to a great height while in the field of reflected
rays, and, therefore, obscuring from my view Harrisburg, and to
the south, as far as York, the whole of the country. The current
below, however, being nearly at right angles in its direction to
that above, consequently, soon cleared the space beneath me.
My course now lay down the west side of the river.  Seeing the
necessity of making more south latitude in order to reach my
port, until a point was reached nearly over the mouth of Codorus
Creek, I soon after descended into the lower current, coming from
the southwest, by which I could reach a point near the city of
Lancaster, which was now in full view. This took me over the
town of Marietta a little after four o'clock, and almost in a direct
line for Lancaster. At fifteen minutes before five o'clock I reached
a point within a few hundred yards of the city bounds, where I
came down.  Seeing the people rushing out of the city, a-foot
and a-horse, old and young, great and small, rich and poor, intermingled with strains of music and the ringing of bells, I was soon
encircled by my fellow citizens of Lancaster, into whose custody I
most cheerfully submitted myself, and will now let the balance
of this interesting experiment be detailed by my old and esteemed
friend, John W. Forney, Esq., of the "Lancaster Intelligencer and
Journal," who was an eye witness of the scene.
BEAUTIFUL AND INTERESTING SPECTACLE.
" About a quarter before four o'clock on Saturday last, a black
speck, no bigger than a man's hand, was seen a little north-west
of this city.  Some pronounced it one of Miller's' signs'-some
declared it to be a new and unrecorded phenomenon-and while
all were thus arguing as to its character, the speck grew larger
and larger, until, at last, the impression began to prevail that it
was no less a personage than the great aeronaut, our townsman,
Wise, who had started that afternoon from Carlisle, a distance of
some fifty-four miles by rail-road; and, with a precision equal to




234     BEAUTIFUL AND INTERESTING SPECTACLE.
that of the recent discoverer of aerial navigation, in England,
he had directed his chariot with such admirable generalship
through the regions of space, as to hang suspended, a little more
than two hours after his departure from Carlisle, over his native
city! The day was one in which all the clearness and moderation of May were combined, and the whole of the town had an
opportunity to enjoy the rare and interesting sight.  As the aeronaut gradually approached our ancient city-his balloon slowly
increasing its dimensions-every man, woman and child was out
to watch its movements.  At last, after having hung for nearly
an hour in full view, he calmly and gracefully descended in his
chariot of the clouds, a short distance south-west of the city,
where he was followed' by crowds of horse and footmen.
"Supposing all to be over, the curious spectators retired; when,
about five o'clock, the whole town was again astir, to witness
the aeronaut's triumphal entry into his native city.  This was a
singularly novel and interesting sight.  Standing in the car of his
balloon, the huge globe above still distended, almost touching the
sides of the houses, and apparently eager for flight, he'sailed
through the streets at a slight elevation from the ground; his airy
chariot drawn, or rather guided, by a number of young men and
boys who had attached themselves to the rope which led from his
car. In this way, with hat in hand, and amid the cheers of his
fellow-citizens, Mr. Wise passed through West King Street, and
halted in Centre Square, immediately fronting North Queen Street.
Here he was again greeted with the cheers of the people; but the
sport was not yet over.  After a rest of about fifteen minutes, it
soon became evident that Mr. Wise was about to attempt an
ascension from Centre Square!-a rather contracted area, by-theway, and too much walled in with houses, we should suppose, to
make a balloon ascent either safe or pleasant.  But Mr. Wise is
not one of your holiday soldiers  his whole demeanor on Saturday
proved him to be cool, collected and intrepid, even to a fault.
Having divested himself of nearly all his clothing but his pantaloons, even to his shoes, and detached the car from the balloon
(the gas having been expended so much as to render the balloon
incapable of carrying a heavy load), Mr. Wise took his seat on
a narrow board attached to the cords of the balloon, and giving
the signal to'let go,' away he shot like an arrow from a well
strung bow, and nearly in a straight line, leaving behind him
hundreds who were amazed at the singular boldness of the daring
feat. He ascended, we should suppose, nearly a mile, and was
fast fading from sight, when he began to descend, and actually
alighted about two squares from the place of starting! This unparalleled performance was accomplished with great ease and
rapidity, and proves Mr. Wise to be an able and experienced




TRANSATLANTIC PROJECT.                     235
aeronaut.  When he reached terra firma, he was again taken in
charge, and escorted or rather sailed to his residence through
North Queen and East King Streets, where he was congratulated
by the hearty cheers of his fellow-citizens.
"Taken altogether, last Saturday evening will long be remembered with pleasure by our citizens.  It was no less gratifying to
Mr. Wise to make so grand a triumphal entry into his native city,
than it was to his friends and fellow-citizens to see the skill and
ability he displayed in managing his steed of the air.  We are
pleased to learn that a handsome collection was taken on the spot,
as an earnest of the public gratification, and paid over to Mr.
Wise.
CHAPTER XIX.
Determination to cross the Atlantic by balloon-Intention of proclamation-Publicity of it-Comments on it-"Ballooning extraordinary"Another extract-Volunteers for the project-Officers of the navy-Their
letter.
AFTER my Carlisle ascension, I again appealed to my friends for
their assistance to enable me to carry out the transatlantic project,
but got no further with them than a promise to promote my petition which I had determined to lay before the next Congress.
Believing that something would certainly come out of that, and
always looking ahead in matters of this kind, I deemed it advisable
to make a sort of a world's proclamation of the contemplated
enterprise, which was done for the following reasons.  Although
I believed, and do still, that the solar current which I have invariably found above, blows clear around the earth, still, a voyage
across the Atlantic might subject the navigators to local currents
and storms, and at best, to all the omissions, imperfections and
unforeseen necessities attendant upon all first trials of this nature;
consequently, there should be a general knowledge abroad, before
the experiment would be made, so that in case of the balloon
giving out from-any cause, while over the ocean, any ship at sea,
being in sight of it, would come to its assistance.
I prepared the proclamation and handed it to Mr. Forney, of
the "Lancaster Intelligencer," who prefaced it with his own
remarks; and a number of speculative commentaries were written
by other persons concerning it, as it passed through the newspapers.  Some of these will be related, and it will be observed




236             TRANSATLANTIC PROJECT.
how difficult it is, in looking at new projects, to separate the ideal
from the real merits of the case.  However, the proclamation has
gone forth in the world, and the substance of it will follow, just
as certain as steamn followed horse-power.
AERIAL VOYAGE ACROSS THE OCEAN.
"The following announcement of Mr. Wise, the distinguished
aeronaut, is one that cannot fail to excite public attention in a
very great degree.  Though the scheme may look somewhat
Quixotic, we have no doubt Mr. Wise possesses the nerve to
attempt, and, we believe, has the ability to carry it out! Our
New York friends therefore, must not be astonished to see our
intelligent and scientific aeronaut arrive in their city, next year,
with his' large balloon,' and take his departure thence for the
regions of the Old World.-Would it not create a stir that would
far exceed the reception, of a hundred Presidents, though every
man was a Tyler? And, then, what a sensation he would produce
in England, as, coming along the channel, he made preparations
to settle down his aerial chariot in the heart of the great London
world-or, missing this, suppose him  dropping in upon the
Frenchmen, at Paris, or Calais, or Bordeaux-or, going further
still, suppose him wafted into Constantinople, dashing down
unceremoniously, and without notice to the Sublime Porte! Why,
our townsman would become more justly renowned than did
Captain Ross in his voyage to the North Pole, or Lewis and
Clarke in steering up the Mississippi-or the ambitious searcher
after the still mysterious source of the Nile! [Not at all, for it
is too easy a thing to accomplish.]
"Mr. Wise speaks for himself, however, in a tone of easy
confidence that will surprise no one who knows his courage and
resolution: "
" J. W. FORNEY, Esq.-You will confer a favor to the enterprise in contemplation, by giving the following proclamation
publicity, for general notice to the civilized world.
TO ALL PUBLISHERS OF NEWSPAPERS ON THE GLOBE.
"As it is my intention to make a trip across the Atlantic
Ocean with a balloon, in the summer of 1844, and as the descent
or landing of balloons, in my experience, has almost universally
created unnecessary alarm and consternation to the people near
by, I therefore give this general notice to the sea-faring community, of all climes, that should they, during any time hence



TRANSATLANTIC PROJECT.                     237
forth, chanrie to be in the vicinity of a balloon, either on the
ocean or in the atmosphere, they need not be under any fearful
apprehensions, but endeavor to give aid to its adventurers.
"It must not be inferred from this, that its success is considered
improbable, but merely to be prepared for all emergencies.
"Having, from a long experience in aeronautics, been convinced
that a constant and regular current of air is blowing at all times
from west to east, with a velocity of from twenty to forty, and even
sixty miles per hour, according to its height from the earth; and having discovered a composition which renders silk or muslin impervious to hydrogen gas, so that a balloon may be kept afloat for
many weeks, I feel confident, with these advantages, that a trip
across the Atlantic will not be attended with as much real danger
as by the common mode of transition.
"The balloon is to be one hundred feet in diameter, which will
give it a net ascending power of twenty-five thousand poundsbeing amply sufficient to make everything safe and comfortable.
A  sea-worthy boat is to be used for the car, which is to be
depended on, in case the balloon should fail to accomplish the
voyage.  The boat is also calculated on, in case the regular current of wind should be diverted from its course by the influence
of the ocean, or through other causes.  The crew  to consist of
three persons, viz.:  an aeronaut, a sea navigator, and a scientific landsman.
" Therefore, the people of Europe, Africa, Asia, and all other
parts, on the ocean or elsewhere, who have never seen a balloon,
will bear in mind, that it is a large globe made of cloth,
ensconced in a net-work, with a sloop hanging underneath it,
containing the latest news from  the United States, and crew
of the world's obedient servant."
"Lancaster, June, 1843."
This announcement was generally published throughout the
Union, and throughout civilized Europe, and although its substance has not yet been accomplished, its postponement is attributable to a single cause-want of pecuniary means to do it
right. If Congress will not give the small appropriation necessary-ten or fifteen thousand dollars-to give it effect (I will not
say to make an attempt, because its consummation is as certain
as that a sail-ship can do it), our wealthy merchants of Philadelphia and New York cities should take it in hands, since it would
enhance their facilities so much.
The following is another among the many commentaries that
were elicited by the announcement, and, although it breathes a
progressive and well tempered spirit, it is nevertheless strongly
tinctured with that inseparable sentiment so common to human




238              TRANSATLANTIC PROJECT.
nature, which undervalues projects that emanate from persons
whom it is intimately acquainted with, and who have never yet
accomplished great undertakings.  However, the article contains
so much good sound sense, along with its humor and irony, that I
will cheerfilly bear the latter, in consideration of the former, and
publish it for what it is worth.
BALLOONING EXTRAORDINARY.
"That daring and (as the phrase goes) intrepid aeronaut, Mr.
John Wise, of Lancaster, has issued a formal proclamation to the
world, announcing that in the summer of 1844 he contemplates
making a balloon voyage across the Atlantic, having from long
experience in aeronautics become persuaded, that such a mode
of transition is not only feasible, but attended with fewer risks
than those in ordinary use.  He deems this timely notice due the
sea-faring community, who, in looking aloft may chance to descry
him  in the clouds, and who might otherwise be induced to class
his' coming' among the many mysterious' signs and wonders'
of the age.
" But pray, why should not a trip across the Atlantic, in one of
these silken cloud-coaches, be entirely practicable?  To us, it is
true, the project may look like the effervescense of a disordered
intellect, and we may decry the undertaking as part and parcel
of the impossible-but how many years is it, since the man who
first threatened to cross the ocean in a simple steam-carriage, with
no sails but a kettle filled with boiling water, was laughed at as a
creature fit only for the friendly ministrations of the keeper of a
mad-house?  A shaved head and a strait waistcoat were the promised rewards of the original projector of that most noble enterprise.
-And yet the foaming billows of the great deep are at this day
hourly plied by the rushing steam-ship, bounding and puffing
recklessly along, as though it were itself the victim of the madness ascribed to its projector, but landing, nevertheless, its precious freight unharmed upon the distant shores?  Now, if such
stupendous and astonishing results have been realized, what may
not man, under the irresistible dominion of the great master-spirit
of the age, Progress-what may he not accomplish?  If the one
event has been taken out of the narrow bounds which encircle
the diminished catalogue of impossibilities, and has only, like the
rising and setting of the sun, ceased to astonish because of its
familiarity, why may not the exercise. of human effort also consummate the other?  And then, after Mr. Wise shall have once
successfully pioneered the perilous pathway, and demonstrated
that fewer- lives are lost by traveling in balloons than by steam
and canvass, why should it not ultimately become the universal




PUBLIC COMMENTS.                       239
means of locomotion?  Why not, under the guidance of skilful
and experienced air-navigators, also adapt balloons to the uses of
commerce, as a means of import and export? If men, women,
and children, can be suspended for weeks over land and sea, in
vessels of silk, upheld by gas, and ultimately reach in safety their
places of destination, why not also thus convey the chosen
product of every land and clime?  Why not balloon a load of
cotton at Charleston, and in a few days receive the vessel'bock
agen,' freighted with British cloths or a cargo of teas from  the'Celestial Empire.'  And then, too, such  a'reform' would
spare to our trusty and well-beloved benefactor, Uncle Sam, the
necessity of maintaining at such a heavy expense the JV'avy, there
being no longer any use for ships and the like, although it might,
in turn, subject him to the almost constant tricks of smugglers,
owing to the uncertainty of the landing-places. If, therefore, we
have not ourselves been all this time engaged in building' air
castles,' Mr. Wise may yet be destined to soar above the fame of
such common men as Robert Fulton and Oliver Evans."
Another writer says: "We publish below an announcement of
the enterprising and intrepid aerial voyager, Mr. Wise, proclaiming his intention of crossing the Atlantic in a balloon! We are
not prepared to express an opinion as to the feasibility of this project, but we do not doubt that Mr. W. is ready to attempt it."
Such were some of the numerous commentaries and opinions
upon this contemplated expedition, which is yet to give the art
an impulse that will waken it to its real merits. The following
letter, received by due course of mail, post marked New Castle,
Delaware, June 28th, shows that there were not wanting proper
persons necessary to fit out the expedition under skilful management.
Philadelphia, June 27th, 1843.
MR. WISE:
SIR.-Perceiving by the newspapers that you meditate an attempt to cross the Altantic Ocean in a balloon next year, and
that it is your intention to have with you a scientific person, and
a navigator, and as we heartily enter into the spirit of your enterprise, and at the same time place every confidence in your ability
to complete the undertaking,,we cheerfully offer you our services
in the latter capacity (that is as navigators).
If you should conclude on accepting of our company, we are in
hopes you will inform us at as early a period as possible, so that we
may signify our wishes to, and obtain the necessary permission
from the Navy Department.
Very respectfully, your obedient servants,
ARCH. M'RAE,
SILAS BENI',
Passed Midshipmen U. S. NKavy.




240          SECOND ASCENT FROM CARLISLE.
CHAPTER XX.
Second ascent from Carlisle-Editorial note of it-Narrative-Entering a
storm cloud-Hoar-frost in it-Hail and snow forming in it-Could not
get out of it-Terrific predicament-Remained in it twenty minutesAn age of time it seemed-Escape from it and descent-Professor Espy's
interrogatories concerning it-Petition to Congress for an aerial project.
ON my return to Carlisle, it was determined that I should be requested to repeat the experiment, as the first had only enhanced
the desire for a second, in those that witnessed it, and many
people from the surrounding country who had not seen it, were now
very anxious for an opportunity of witnessing such an achievement.  Consequently, the 17th of June was appointed for the occasion.
One of the newspapers prefaced the narrative of this voyage in
the following terms: "Our own thoughts were a good deal bent
toward Bunker Hill on Saturday, but nevertheless, we had on the
same day in our own town a spectacle of an elevated character
and of a thrilling and exciting interest.  As upon the former occasion, Mr. Wise's forty-first ascension with his balloon, drew
together an immense concourse of the'beauty and chivalry' of
Cumberland and Perry counties. It is not necessary to say more
than that it went off with the greatest eclat and seemed to have
given the highest gratification to all who witnessed it.
"We are indebted to Mr. Wise for the narrative of his aerial
voyage, which is subjoined.  It will be seen that he encountered
insuperable difficulties, and not a little danger, which brought
him back to earth again after a trip of a few miles. Mr. Wise
is to be congratulated on his safe and fortunate escape from the
dangers of that'long low black' cloud, which from  his description one might judge to be the very dominions of the evil'prince
of the powers of the air.' The narrative possesses much interest."
NARRATIVE.
According to announcement, I started on Saturday last on my
forty-first aerial excursion, from the Centre Square of Carlisle, at
precisely fifteen minutes past two o'clock in the afternoon, it




CAUGHT IN A STORM CLOUD.                    241
being the 17th of June, 1843.  A  slight breeze from  the west
wafted me a short distance in its direction horizontally, after
which the ascent became nearly perpendicular until the height
attained was about 2500 feet, when the balloon moved off towards
the east with a velocity much greater than that of its ascent.
The first thing that drew my attention, was the immense ocean
of heads that was presented in the square below. There appeared
to be infinitely more people on the immediate ground than was
usually the case, and the whole scene was rendered highly animated and imposing by the fine appearance of the military, and
their repeated salutes of thundering artillery, at the departure of
the "Comnet."  When I had reached a point about two miles east
of the town, there appeared,,a little distance beyond and above
me, a huge black cloud.  Seeing that the horizontal velocity of
the balloon would carry it underneath and beyond the cloud,
rising slowly as it did, and being desirous to gratify the spectators
with the novelty of seeing a balloon pass through a cloud, preparations were at once made to effect it by throwing out some
ballast as soon as its border should be reached.  Harrisburg was
now distinctly in view, and the balloon moving directly for it; I
was hesitating, with the bag of ballast in my hand, whether I
should throw it out for the purpose designed, or continue straight
on as I was then going, to the place just mentioned.  At this
time I had reached a point underneath the cloud, which was expanding, and immediately felt an agitation in the machinery, and
presently an upward tendency of the balloon, which also commenced to rotate rapidly on its vertical axis. I might now have
discharged gas and probably passed underneath it; but, thinking
that it would soon be penetrated, and then might be passed above,
as it appeared not to be moving along itself, I made no hesitation
in letting the balloon go on its own way. This part of the feat,
however, I had reason to regret soon afterwards; although at the
present time, it gives more real pleasure in contemplating its
terrific grandeur and reality, than anything that has ever transpired in my aerial adventures.  The details that shall here be
given of this terrible scene may be relied on, as I was sufficiently
composed to appreciate its grandeur and observe its physical
operations.  The cloud, to the best of my judgment, covered an
area of from four to six miles in diameter; it appeared of a circular form as I entered it, considerably depressed in its lower
surface presenting a great concavity towards the earth, with its
lower edges very ragged and falling downwards with an agitated
motion; and it was of a dark smoke color.  Just before entering
this cloud, I noticed, at some distance off, a storm cloud, from
which there was apparently a heavy rain descending. The first
sensations that I experienced when entering this cloud, were ex16




242                TERRIBLE SITUATION.
tremely unpleasant. A suffocating sensation immediately ensued
its entrance, which was shortly followed by a sickness at the
stomach, arising from the gyrating, swinging motion of my car,
causing me to vomit severa. times in quick succession most
violently, which, however, soon abated and gave way to sensations that were truly calculated to neutralize more violent symptoms than a momentary squeamishness.  The cold had now'become intense, and everything around me of a fibrous nature
became thickly covered with hoar frost; my whiskers jutting out
with it far beyond my face, and the cords running up from my
car looking like glass rods, these being glazed with ice and snow,
and hail was indiscriminately pelting all around me.  The cloud
at this point, which I presumed to be about the midst of it, from
the terrible ebullition going on, had not that black appearance I
observed on entering it, but was of a light milky color, and so dense
just at this time, that I could hardly see the balloon which was
sixteen feet above the car.  From the intensity of the cold in this
cloud, I supposed that the gas would rapidly condense, and the
balloon consequently descend and take me out of it. In this,
however, I was doomed to disappointment, for I soon found myself whirling upward with a fearful rapidity, the balloon gyrating
and the car describing a large circle in the cloud. A noise resembling the rushing of a thousand mill-dams, intermingled with
a dismal moaning sound of wind, surrounded me in this terrible
flight. Whether this noise was occasioned by the hail and snow
which were so fearfully pelting the balloon, I am unable to tell,
as the moaning sound must evidently have had another source.
I was in hopes, when being hurled rapidly upward, that I should
escape from the top of the cloud; but, as in the former expectations of an opposite release from this terrible place, disappointment was again my lot, and the congenial sunshine invariably
above, which had already been anticipated'by its faint glimmer
through the top of the clouds, soon vanished with a violent downward surge of the balloon, as it appeared to me, of some hundred
feet.  This only subsided to be hurled upward again, when,
having attained its maximum, it would again sink down with a
swinging and fearful velocity, to be carried up again and let fall,
which happened eight or ten times; all this time the storm raging
with unabated fury, while the discharge' of ballast would not let
me out at the top of the cloud, nor the discharge of gas out of
the bottom of it, though I had expended at least thirty pounds of
the former in the first attempt, and not less than a thousand cubic
feet of the latter, for the balloon had also become perforated with
holes by the isicles that were formed where the melted snow ran
on the cords at the point where they diverged from the balloon,
and would by the surging and swinging motion pierce it through.




LETTER FROM PROFESSOR ESPY.                  243
I experienced all this time an almost irresistible inclination to
sleep, notwithstanding a nauseating feeling of the stomach, causing
me to vomit several times, and the terrible predicament I was
placed in, until after eating some snow and hail mixed, of which
a considerable quantity had lodged on some canvass and paper
lying in the bottom of the car. After this, I felt somewhat easier
in mind and in body (for it is no use to say that I cannot be
agitated and alarmed), and I grasped a firm hold of the sides of
the car, determined to abide the result with as much composure
and observation as the nature of the case would admit; for I
felt satisfied it could not last much longer, seeing that the balloon
had become very much weakened by a great loss of gas.  Once
I saw the earth through a chasm in the cloud, but was hurled up
once more after that, when, to my great joy, I fell clear out of it,
after having been belched up and swallowed down repeatedly,
by this huge and terrific monster of the air, for a space of twenty
minutes, which seemed like an age, for I thought my watch had
been stopped while in it, till a comparison of it with another
afterward proved the contrary. I landed in the midst of a pouring
rain, on the farm of Mr. Goodyear, five miles from Carlisle, in
a fallow field, where the dashing rain bespattered me with mud
from head to foot, as I stood in my car looking up at the fearful
element which had just disgorged me.
The density of this cloud did not appear alike all through it, as
I could at times see the balloon very distinctly above me, also,
occasionally, pieces of paper, and whole newspapers, of which a
considerable quantity were blown out of my car. I also noticed
a violent convolutionary motion, or action, of the vapor of the
cloud going on, and a promiscuous scattering of the hail and
snow, as though it were projected from every point of the compass.
Such is the history of this short but magnificent trip, and I
can assure my readers, that when I again meet clouds of this
character (which I shall name the cloud of terror), I will endeavor with all my skill, to avoid them.
After this account had been published and found its way in
the newspapers, I received the following letter from Professor
Espy, at Washington City, which was promptly answered.
Washington'City, July 5th, 1843.
DEAR SIR: I was much interested with the account you gave
in the public papers of your balloon ascension on the 17th of last
month from Carlisle.
You will confer a great favor on me if you will answer the following questions: Was there any rain or hail at the surface of
the earth under the cloud which you entered? Did you descend




244               PETITION TO CONGRESS.
through the base or lower part of the cloud, or did you get out of
the cloud and descend in -the clear air?  Was the cloud into
which you ascended surrounded by clear sky, or was the whole
sky covered with clouds? Have you any reason to think there
was an upmoving current of air going up into the base of the
cloud and continuing in the cloud itself, or did the velocity of
your upward motion merely correspond with the buoyant power
of the balloon? What was the cause of your ascending and descending eight or ten times, and how did you judge that this ascending and descending really occurred?  Had you a barometer?
Do you suppose the cloud was colder than it was on the outside
of the cloud at the same height? Or not so cold? Are you
sure your balloon was torn by the hail? Or might not you have
ascended much higher by a very rapid motion, than you supposed,
and your gas have escaped by expansion through the bottom of
the balloon?
If there was a strong current of air under the cloud and in
the cloud upwards-might you not in the time have gone so high as
to diminish the pressure on your body so rapidly that part of the
noise which you heard was the ringing of your ears? And might
not the sickness have been from the same cause?
If you find time to answer any of these questions, I will be much
obliged to you.                Yours, very respectfully,
JAMES P. ESPY.
When Congress had assembled at Washington, the following
petition was submitted to their consideration, and when we take
in view the small amount ($15,000) it would have taken to
prepare the experimental outfit, backed as it was by competent
authority, it seems little encouragement is to be expected from
that quarter, in any new enterprise, no matter how plausible,
unless it carries with it some partisan force and object, calculated to promote aspiring and factious individual interests in
some political fortune.
TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES.
To the Honorable, the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of Jmerica in Congress assembled:
The petition of the subscriber, citizen of Lancaster, Pa., most
respectfully showeth, that, from  an experience of a number of
years in the practice of aeronautics by the subscriber, it has
been fully demonstrated that there exists in the atmosphere a
constant current of wind, moving from west to east, with a velocity of from twenty, forty, and even sixty miles per hour, according to its height from the earth.




PETITION TO CONGRESS.                   245
This current is moving in that direction, while the local currents may be, and are, moving in various other directions:  This
eastward current is governed by a great general cause, blowing
at all times-making it feasible to travel the globe in that direction by aerial machinery, with great facility.
Your petitioner would further state that the art of making
aeronautic machines has been so far improved that they may be
kept afloat for any reasonable length of time, even for years, and
as long as a ship can be made to endure the sea for common
purposes.
The main object of your petitioner is, to bring into useful
requisition, for the purposes of speedy and safe transition of persons
and merchandise, that great natural and unoccupied element, the
atmosphere.
Your petitioner does not pretend to have discovered or solved
any great new-fangled problem; but would most earnestly press
upon your consideration known facts, which must be explored,
before any great benefits can be derived therefrom.
From the improved state to which aeronautic machinery can
be perfected, and the advantages continually at hand from the
local currents of air, it is even now feasible to travel eastward
with a velocity that will circumnavigate the globe in from thirty
to forty days, with an ability to vary from a straight course
thirty or forty degrees from the latitude of departure, which
would enable us to leave dispatches in Europe and China, and
return by way of Oregon Territory to Washington City.
This has been demonstrated by experiments made by your
petitioner, in reaching points sixty and ninety miles distant from the
place of departure, with a precision not surpassed by ship sailing,
aided by the local currents in varying from the great eastward
current.
From these considerations, your petitioner is induced to ask
your honorable bodies to make a naval appropriation to carry this
project into practical operation.  Its practicability having already
received the confidence of scientific men, and an earnest and
voluntary offer by several officers of our navy, to accompany
the first experimental adventure.
Your petitioner, therefore, prays you to make an appropriation
for an outfit to this effect, viz.: The construction of an aerostadt
of 100 feet in diameter, of substantial domestic cotton drilling;
a sea-boat capable of enduring the ocean, for a car, and so constructed that the masts and rigging may be stowed away, ready
for erection into sea-service at any time that emergency might
require.  The sea-boat to be of 10 or 12,000 pounds weight; an
aerostadt of 100 feet diameter, having an ascending power of




246           ASCENT FROM HOLLIDAYSBURG.
over 25,000 pounds, which will be sufficient to carry the outfit
and crew.
Should this meet with your congressional approbation, your
petitioner will readily submit a plan in detail, and will cheerfully
superintend the construction of the machinery at his own expense,
asking nothing more than the command or directorship of the
first experimental aerial voyage round the globe.
The whole cost of the experiment will not be more than a
fraction of that of the late " Exploring Expedition;" and promises,
at least, greater results.
For a favorable decision of your honorable bodies, your petitioner feels in duty bound to pray.
JOHN WISE.
Lancaster City, Dec. 20, 1843.
This petition was received, read, and referred to the Committee
of Naval Affairs, where it sleeps, soon to be awakened up again
by the unconquerable force of human destiny.
CHAPTER XXI.
Ascent from  Hollidaysburg, Pa.-Balloon "Vesperus"-Hollidaysburg
papers-Narrative-Difficulty of inflation-Net broke-Ascent-Atmosphere squally a mile up-Net giving way-Fearful apprehensions-Expedient-Descent-Went up again, hanging outside of the car-Dashed
into a tree-Escape of balloon-Came down in Catskill Mountains,
N.Y.-Alarmed the people-Recovery of balloon, &c.
A NUMBER of voyages were made during the summer of 1843,
from Lancaster, York, Pa., Winchester, Va., and the next summer from Fredericksburg, Va., none of which elicited anything
remarkably new or extraordinary, from  what has been already
related. But the next one, which was made from Hollidaysburg,
Pa., is one full of interest and instruction.  This was made with
a balloon composed of a new kind of material-Tassore silk, a
fabric made by the natives of China from the cocoon of the wild
silk-worm which browses upon the wild shrubbery.- The Comet
was sold to Mr. Crever, a pupil of mine, who made several very
splendid ascensions with her. The following extracts are taken
from the "Beacon Light" and "Register," of Hollidaysburg,
which go to show the nature of the preparatory circumstances, as
viewed by disinterested spectators.  The "Beacon Light" says:




ASCENT FROM HOLLIDAYSBURG.                  247
"The projected ascension of Mr. Wise, on Saturday (May the
4th, 1844), attracted general attention in Hollidaysburg and its
vicinity, and public expectation was on tiptoe to behold a spectacle, sublime in itself, and possessing, in addition, to a large
majority of our population, all the charm of entire novelty, no
other attempt to visit the upper air ever having been made in
these parts."
*  *  *  *  *  " The preparations were made, the basket
secured, the intrepid aeronaut took his stand in his frail car of
wicker-work, and, having received letters for Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Philadelphia, and risen nearly to the top of the enclosure with a rope attached,'cut the connection' with mother
earth, and moved off to the north-east, immediately over the town.
The balloon rose slowly until the disposal of a few bags of ballast
relieved her of a portion of her burden, when she arose beautifully
to a great height, her daring tenant waving his hat to the crowd
below, who, with upturned faces, and hats waving, cheered him
on his venturous way. After attaining this elevation, the balloon
encountered a current of airflowing to the east, in which direction
it moved off like a thing of life, and in a few minutes was entirely
lost to view."    *      *      *      *     *      *
lost to view."
The " Register" has the following: " The ascension of Mr.
Wise, in his new and beautiful balloon' Vesperus,' took place on
Saturday last, according to notice given.  The day was entirely
too stormy for an undertaking of the kind, and, in the opinion of
every reasonable man, would have justified Mr. Wise in postponing
the adventure; but, trusting in the excellence of his vessel and
his skill as an aeronaut, he determined to make good his appointment and to satisfy every individual of his numerous audience.
He accordingly, after a most laborious and oftentimes discouraging effort, succeeded in sufficiently inflating his balloon, and
getting ready for the voyage, and at the hour appointed cut loose.
" The ascent, although evidently hazardous, from the rupture
in the network by which he was attached to the balloon, and
from the unsteady and squally state of the atmosphere, was sublime beyond description.  When the cord was cut, he rose slowly
from the arena, barely clearing the top of the enclosure, and
taking a northern direction he swept across the town, just escaping the house tops; but, discharging a couple of sacks of ballast,
he soon mounted high into the aerial regions to mingle with, as
we supposed, the less angry elements above.  But in this we
were mistaken, for, long before the' Vesperus' was out of sight,
she was observed to be rocking strangely, as if the elements were
no more friendly with her in her elevated position than when
bound to earth. The account subjoined, by Mr. Wise, gives a
full history of this part of the adventure.




248           ASCENT FROM HOLLIDAYSBURG.
" The ascent of a balloon is a spectacle that to be realized
must be witnessed.  No description can convey a just idea of its
sublimity and beauty, as, like some creature of life, it smoothly
and silently, and steadily mounts upwards, with its golden sides
glittering in the rays of the sun, and its tiny basket and wellarranged cordage swinging gracefully beneath. And then as the
intrepid aeronaut waves his hat at a fearful altitude and sends
down a faint response to the loud huzzas below, and every breast
heaves deeply with the conflicting emotions of admiration, fear,
sympathy, and desire for like adventure, a thrill runs through the
soul that no description can produce, however true and vivid.
" We need only add here, as the evidence will be given again,
that Mr. Wise's conduct on the occasion was highly satisfactory
to all concerned, and must greatly increase his reputation as an
aeronaut; for we venture to say no other individual ever attempted
an ascension under like unfavorable circumstances.
" At about eight o'clock in the evening we heard of his return,
and, repairing to the U. S. Hotel, we found Mr. Wise, somewhat
disheartened about the loss of his. balloon, and looking rather worse
for the trip-his outer man having suffered considerably from his
adventure among the branches of the tree on which he lodged."
NARRATIVE.
The process of inflation was commenced at eleven o'clock
A.M., under very disparaging circumstances, as the elements
had combined from all points of the compass to a general and
boisterous storm.  Nothing, in short, but the most indefatigable energy and perseverance on the part of Mr. Downy and
Mr. Woods, who had taken a most important charge under their
hands, that of keeping the "Vesperus" to her place, could have
enabled me to have made an ascension under such a war of the elements.  During the process of inflation in the beginning, the
reaction of the gas from the balloon, caused by a sudden flaw of
wind, blew off the gasometer, which was soon replaced by my
energetic friend Mr. Hinkle, and the inflation resumed, but under
so much violence of the apparently frantic gamboling of the
"Vesperus," surging to and fro the persons who were holding on
to it, that I began to fear of their ability to endure the rough
usage they were laboring under all the time, sometimes being
partly raised up and then dashed to the ground, as by a maddened steed.  However, after getting the assurance of those
gentlemen that they would hold on, to use their own words, " to
the last ribbon," I retained my confidence in accomplishing the
ascension, until I received the heart-sickening information from




UNDUE APPREHENSION OF DANGER.                249
my friends that the network was fast giving way about the top of
the balloon. I now began to give up hopes of getting up, and
even feared that the balloon would break through her trammels
and escape; but Providence sent a gleam of sunshine, with a short
abatement of the storm, during which time a good supply of gas
was worked into the " Vesperus," sufficient for a long voyage.
At precisely three minutes past two o'clock, I mounted the car,
and having ballasted the vessel while-it was restrained by a cord,
feeling, as I supposed, the rupture in the network increasing
at every surge, which by this time had got so large, that a bulb
as big as a hogshead was protruding through it, my preparations
were speedily completed.  Knowing now that time was precious,
I cut the r6pe and gave my friends below a parting salute, which
was heartily responded to by a thousand voices.
When afloat, I began to congratulate myself upon the victory
that was gained over such formidable obstacles below, and felt a
composure that the network would stand it safely now, as the
balloon was free in the air.  She took a northerly direction,
ascending rapidly all the while, until an altitude of about a mile
was attained, where a violent gale was encountered which made
the balloon surge off in an easterly direction, swinging the car to
and fro, and making the network crack at every surge, which
alarmed me about my personal safety. Looking over the edge of
my car at the immense depth to the surface of the earth, my heart
began to sicken at the idea of falling that immense distance with
nothing but the network and car to rely on; and my sensations
were rendered still more gloomy by the lowering appearance
of the heavens in every direction, as around and beneath the
clouds could be seen discharging torrents of rain and wind, with,
as I supposed, the moral certainty of the balloon's escaping from
the network in a very few more surges.  I could see the valleys
west of the Alleghany Mountain, on which the sun was shedding
its beams of light and life.
I looked up at the balloon, and it appeared to me that the car
was receding from it gradually, by the giving way of the network, and at this crisis an expedient flashed across my mindthe valve rope would bear the weight of a hundred pounds, and
the top of the balloon was equally strong-my weight was thrown
upon it at once.  This necessarily opened the valve to its full extent, and must soon bring the machine down to the ground.
The velocity of the wind was about fifty or sixty miles per hour, and,
between this and a rapid descent, terra firma was reached about
sixteen miles east of Hollidaysburg. As soon as practicable, an
anchor was thrown out, which grappled in a fence and capsized
it, when the machine bounded across the field, where it caught in
the next fence but broke it, carrying with it a fence rail, causing




250            LANDING ON TOP OF A TREE.
the car to bound and rebound from the earth and dashing headlong into a very rugged piece of mountain woodland. At this
juncture, I clasped several of the net cords in my one arm and
made a spring overboard for a fence that was intercepting my
path, and unfortunately for me, at the same time the rail was
loosened from the anchor, when the balloon rose with a sudden
bound-my body outside of the car-one foot fast in the rigging,
and my arm clasping several of the net cords.  My right hand
was still free, with which I quickly grasped the valve rope which
had been tied to the rim of the car, and secured it in my teeth,
holding the valve open, when in another moment I found myself
dashed into the top of a high tree, where I quickly grasped
the limbs, still clasping the cords in my left arm. This brought
the balloon to for a moment, when with my right hand a hitch
round one of the limbs was taken with the anchor rope. This
was followed by a squall of wind which warned me to release my
arm hold of the cords, one foot still in the car, when, to my
utmost dismay, I found my foot tangled in the rigging. There I
was, holding on to the top of the tree with a death grip-head
down and feet up, the balloon surging and drawing the top of the
tree which I was holding to in the direction of the squall, only
abating momentarily for a more violent surge, and I could no
longer keep the valve open with my teeth, the rope had become
too long, and I could riot take a shorter hold, in the dilemma,
without incurring another risk-that of letting one hand loose
from the tree top; but things were growing desperate, and I made
a violent but successful effort to loose my foot, at the same time
grasped the valve rope in my hand, and in another moment a
terrible crash indicated the balloon was off-having broken the
anchor rope, and jerked through my hand the valve cord, burning
it as though a hot wire had passed through it, and I left hanging
in the top forks of the tree where I had fallen.
As soon as I had recovered a reasoning position, I looked
upward and just saw  the balloon dashing furiously off  and
upward into a dense black cloud, some distance to the northeast.
In referring to my machinery, I found that I had taken unnecessary alarm; the cracking noise of the network must have arisen
from the surging motion of the balloon, for the network had gone
through double the force since landing, and not torn off yet,
proving that it was all-sufficient to have borne its load to its destination, which greatly enhanced my chagrin, since the wind and
weather were so favorable to have reached Philadelphia before
dark.  I began to reproach myself with unnecessary fear, until I
saw my hat, map, newspapers, canvass, handkerchief, &c., scattered about below, when I began to think it might have been
worse, though I should never see the "Vesperus" again.




BALLOON ESCAPED.                    251
After soliloquizing in the tree top awhile upon the day's adventure, I thought it time to come down, for I was near a hundred
feet from the ground, leaving part of the anchor rope dangling in
its top, as a port of entry for the next aerial traveler who may
chance to land there.
Within a few weeks afterwards, I learned that the " Vesperus"
had landed, the same day of her departure from Hollidaysburg, at
half past six o'clock, on Mr. Van Valkenburg's field in the
Catskill Mountains in the State of New York. I repaired thither
and recovered the balloon.  The persons in the neighborhood
were much astonished at its arrival, and it was under considerable apprehension they were induced to examine it. Mr. Van
Valkenburg's son was out in the field ploughing round the
hemlock stumps when the balloon was coming down, and upon
seeing it in the air thought it was an immense bird of prey
pouncing down upon him, which alarmed him to a degree that
after he had fled to the house he was affected with violent spasms.
-The balloon was suffered to roll and toss about the hemlock
stumps for some time before it was secured. The next wonder
to the persons that secured it was, the newspapers that had
remained in the car, they bearing the date of the day on which
they found it, and Hollidaysburg was a place they knew nothing
of, until they looked over their geographies; and then its being
several hundred miles off over the mountains and rivers, puzzled
them still more. The balloon was cut in six sections when I got
it, Mr. Van Valkenburg informing me that an individual who had
come along that way, and who professed to be well informed in
such matters, cut it up in that manner for them.  The shrubbery
which had been twined around the car before it started, had
turned entirely black, showing that it had been in a high frosty
atmosphere.  The alloon had no doubt bursted from the expansion of the gas, which caused it to come down so soon.
Before I took it away all these wonderments of the people were
explained to them, and they expressed a great desire to have an
exhibition of such a novel kind in their neighborhood. This
machine was fixed up again, and after making a number of trips
with it, two from the city of Columbia in South Carolina, I sold it
to a gentleman of that State.




252         ASCENT FROM WEST CHESTER, PA.
CHAPTER XXII.
Ascent from West Chester,,Pa.-Extracts from aerial log-book-Descent
in a thunder storm-Car struck with lightning-Alarm of it-No serious
consequences-Another ascent from West Chester-Next ascent was
made from Utica, N. Y.-First ever made from that city-" Daily
Gazette's" account of it-Another from  Utica-Project of war
balloon to reduce the castle of San Juan de Ulloa at Vera Cruz-Offer
to government-Comments on it-Letter to the war department concerning it.
A NUMBER of ascensions were made which will be passed over
silently on account of them not comprising anything that would
sufficiently vary from those already recounted.  The next one
worthy of note was made from  West Chester, Pa.  On this
occasion, it was my intention to sail as near the surface of the earth
as practicable, with a balloon of limited size, and the log-book of the
voyage will show how far I succeeded in that respect. A balloon
of twenty-one feet diameter is very liable to fluctuate in height,
compared to that which a fifty or hundred feet diameter one
would be.  There also occurred an electrical discharge in the
ending of this voyage that is worthy of note.
A West Chester newspaper notices it in the following language: " Mr. Wise, the aeronaut, made a voyage to the clouds
from  this borough, on Saturday last.  A  dense concourse of
witnesses were present, assembled from hill and valley, and town
and country-of the young, the old, the gay, the beautifulsturdy manhood and sweet and blooming maidenhood-it was a
great day. Hundreds were there, all agog, with eager curiosity,
to see the last wonder of the world-the navigation of the air!
The day was damp, which detained the ascension for an hour or
so; but it did not stop it-for a little after four o'clock, the
balloon was filled-the car attached, and the daring adventurer
mounted his impatient courser-the cords were cut; and now he
rose from the earth, gradually, easily at first, but majestically,
amid a thousand cheers which welcome,d him  to the skies;
upwards he went-and onward-onward, with the winds, until
he dwindled to a speck and was lost in the clouds.  So ended
the grand sight.  All was joy and exhilaration, and many a
youth will, fifty years hence, relate the vision of that day.




INTERESTING VOYAGE-CONVERSATION.                253
Nothing occurred to mar the harmony of the day except the
accidental bursting of one of the sand bags as the aeronaut
ascended from the enclosure, on the outside. The following is
from his log-book."
AERIAL LOG-BOOK OF FIFTY-FOURTH ATMOSPHERIC VOYAGE.
BALLOON ROUGH AND READY.
West Chester, Pa., August 8th, 1846.
Four o'clock fifteen minutes, started with a southerly breeze,
at the rate of twenty-five miles per hour.
Four o'clock twenty minutes, atmosphere to the south and
east perfectly clear.  Can see Philadelphia as distinctly now as
it has been seen at other times when not more than three miles
off.  The rain in that direction has cleared the atmosphere.  See
some sails on the Delaware-sun shining against them  gives
them a golden hue-vessels as distinct to my view as though I
were on the river bank.  Four o'clock thirty-five  minutes,
rumbling thunder to the far north.  Four o'clock forty-five
minutes, crossed Pennsylvania railroad.
[It may be here observed that the balloon was sailing towards
the north-east, and a thundergust was moving from the northwest, about fifty or sixty miles to the north-west of me-thus moving at right angles with each other, and the remarkable result of
the balloon meeting the storm at the point of intersection.]
Five o'clock, lost sight of West Chester.  Came down now
within good speaking distance of the earth, and so low that the
Delaware vanished from view.  Thunder pealing louder now,
but no lightning perceptible. Talking to the people below as I
passed along.  Dogs barking at the balloon, and poultry dismayed in the barn-yards, keeping an alarming clatter.  Distributing newspapers to persons below who run and pick them
up. Balloon moving rapidly. A man on horseback in hot pursuit.
"Come on, come on, I'll give you the latest news from West
Chester."  Several papers were dropped now. There, he grasps
at one from his horse. " Have you got it?" " Yes, sir." " Goodby, sir," said I.  " Come down," says he.
Five o'clock ten minutes, crossed Schuylkill above Norristown-threw out ballast and ascended very high.  Can see all
around to a great distance.  Phcenixville, a little up the river.
Going too much east to reach Reading.  Come down again to
within good speaking distance of the earth.
Five o'clock twenty minutes, near the Trappe, and over the
Reading and Philadelphia pike.  Invitations from all around me
to "come down;" threw over some newspapers to the people



254        BALLOON STRUCK WITH LIGHTNING.
inquired if I could get supper there. " Yes, anything you want."
To cap the climax, one of them  sang out-" Come down, and I
will give you a bottle of brandy."  "Thank you, sir; spirited
enough; I believe I'll go a little further."
Five o'clock thirty-five minutes, thundergust approaching the
track of the balloon. Low enough to hear the wind rustling in
the trees. A great many persons following the balloon. Some
give up the chase; others strike in with fresh vigor.
Five o'clock forty-five minutes, moving parallel with the Norristown and Sumanytown road.  Storm  and balloon converging
to the same point-vivid flashes of lightning were now occasionally to be seen in the north.
Five o'clock fifty-five minutes, a man on a black horse in hot
pursuit up the road-horse's head and tail in a straight line. The
race is beautiful and exciting. He is losing ground every jump.
Now he holds up a mile behind.
Six o'clock, and moving over a thick wood. Here I ceased
taking notes-the car was\near the tree tops-thick woods underneath, and a roaring thunder storm just ahead. Already its commotion was acting on the balloon, and it would not do to seek
shelter among the trees below, and yet the alternative was to do
that or sail right into the teeth of the storm, for there was not
ballast enough-left to ensure an ascent above it before getting into
its midst. Indeed, it required all my ballast to keep above the tree
tops until the woods were passed, and this brought me right into
the thundergust.  A number of persons were following me from
the woods afoot, but they could not keep pace with the balloon,
falling back three quarters in the mile.  As soon as a clear spot
was attained, the anchor was thrown out, and the moment it
struck the ground a vivid flash of lightning hurled the balloon
against a tall oak tree. What appeared to me remarkable in this,
was the absence of a report, but the fire flashed from my car and
flag, the latter hurled out of the basket where it had been stuck in
the wicker-work. This flash reminded me of the sparks that fly off
from a piece of white-hot iron just taken from the forge on the
anvil, and struck with the blacksmith's hammer; and the noise
was very similar to that also. Just at this moment, a young man
was running to my assistance, intending to catch hold of a drag
rope which I had thrown out and requested him to take and make
a hitch to a tree with, of which there were plenty around.  But the
flash brought him up suddenly, and made him stand aghast, and
immediately retire. The balloon was now tangled in the oak tree,
and the smoke I had observed at the time of the flash, which,
with the sulphurous smell, had alarmed me, was the gas issuing
from the breaks it received against the scraggy branches of the
tree. Fortunate it was, that there was no escape of gas at the




ASCENT FROM UTICA, N. Y.                 255
time of the electrical flash, or an explosion might, and would, in
all probability, have been the result.
The. persons who had followed me from the woods, now came
up, and before we could roll up the balloon, the gas having
escaped readily from the breaches in it, we were enveloped in a
terrible storm of thunder, lightning, and pouring rain.
When I returned to West Chester, arrangements were made
for another ascension from that place, on the 24th of the same
month, but nothing of importance was elicited in its adventure.
In the beginning of the following September, I made an ascension from the city of Utica, in the State of New York, having
received an invitation from there.  It was the first ascension ever
made from Utica.  The "Daily Gazette" of that place spoke of
it in the following tone: "All who witnessed this ascension,
agree to its being one of the most beautiful, interesting, and sublime sights that can be seen. Its peculiar attractiveness, however,
cannot be described.  There is something in the rise of any inanimate body in the air, that always singularly interests us; witness the kite and ordinary paper balloon. The philosophy of this
feeling we do not profess to understand; perhaps it is the satisfaction of overcoming the usual course of nature.  Be that as it
may, this feeling is immeasurably heightened on beholding a
body of the size of Mr. Wise's balloon, some twenty feet in
diameter, cleaving its way through the air to the skies. Even
without the additional interest of a person ascending with it,
the ascension of so large a body would at any time fix the attention of a whole population for hours.  But when there is con- 
nected with it the idea of a human being carried by its resistless
power thousands of feet into mid air, and suspended over the
earth at this dizzy height, with nothing but a slender willow
basket between him  and inevitable destruction, the excitement
and interest become almost painful by their intensity.  No one
will forget the sight till his dying day.
" The ascension of Mr. Wise was an unusually beautiful one.
He rose from the garden at an angle, moving off north-westwardly,
and at the same time rapidly ascending, so that before he had
passed the city limits he was greatly above our highest steeples.
Having gone perhaps a couple of miles in that direction, continually increasing his distance from the earth, the balloon, taken
by another current of air, was borne more northwardly, and for
a short time seemed bound for Trenton Falls, till an eastwardly
current took it and passed it, hovering over the Deerfield hills,
in review of the city. In less than thirty minutes, this great
fabric, which had gone out of the garden with such a rush, having gradually diminished to a mere speck against the clouds,
went down out of sight beyond the hills.




256        VOYAGE DESCRIBED BY A SPECTATOR.
" Mr. Wise says that, immediately on rising, the whole country
around was visible to him; the villages, the streams of water,
the fields and forests; the whole appearing as if scattered upon
a vast plain, and like an immense  garden of indescribable
beauty.  He was so, much elated by the richness and beauty of
the prospect, that he could not forbear. crying out with enthusiasm,' Hurrah for old Oneida.' His field of vision extended about
thirty miles each way.  The south was everywhere full of the
evidences of a fertile and thickly settled country, the distant villages appearing like dots on the surrounding verdure, the roads
traceable for miles like yellow threads, the water in a thousand
places flashing in the sunlight.  To use his own expression,'if
the felicity of heaven is comparable to the pleasurable enjoyment
experienced when thus viewing the earth beneath one, it is worth
a lifetime's devotion for its attainment.'  He says he was surprised at the appearance of Utica, which from his ground view
he had taken to be a very regular place, but from his elevation,
it was the most singular place he had ever seen.  The streets
were a perfect snarl, the plan of the city exhibiting entire irregularity and its boundaries presenting several sharp points.  To
the west he could see part of a lake (Oneida), and along the
north-east, for an immense extent, lay an unbroken wilderness
('John Brown's tract').  The fear of getting into this region,
and being thus unable to fulfil his engagement at the garden, at
eight o'clock the same evening, kept him  from  going above the
clouds, which he reached at one portion of his voyage.
" The course of his voyage he describes as being something like
the letter S.  When he appeared to us, sailing along this side of
the summit of the Deerfield hills, he was, in fact, three or four
miles the other side, and the descent we witnessed was made at
about that distance beyond the top of the hill where he appeared
to land.  His highest point was made as he was coming from
the north, eastward towards the railroad.  He then attained a
height of about five thousand feet, or nearly a mile. As he passed
along he could hear the shouts from the farm houses below, but
could not distinguish persons.  At the easternmost point of his
trip, seeing a village (Russia), with a convenient steeple for him
to descend upon, he discharged some of the gas and commenced
descending, but as he thought probable, he came again into the
westerly current of air which he took on first ascending, and by
which he was carried three or four miles, at the height of a few
hundred feet only from the earth.  In this way he passed over a
large forest, and coming to a suitable field, he threw out his line
and drew his balloon towards the ground, and finally catching
hold of a stake in the fence, made fast, forty-five minutes from
the time he left the garden, ten miles from the city. He employed




CAPTURING VERA CRUZ WITH BALLOON.                257
a couple of men to tow him back to Utica, intending to make
his first landing in the City Garden, but a storm coming on when
he had got within sight of the town, he discharged the gas and
packed up his balloon."
In two weeks, another ascension was made from Utica with
about the same success and details.
Our government being now at war with the Mexican nation,
and hostility between the two countries growing stronger every
day, it was determined by our war department that the formidable
Castle of San Juan de Ulloa should be reduced. Various projects
were under consultation at Washington designed to such an end,
upon which I thought it proper to submit the following to our
government:EASY METHOD OF CAPTURING THE CASTLE OF VERA
CRUZ.
The present condition of the war with Mexico will require our
forces to reduce Vera Cruz. And it is acknowledged on all sides
to be an extraordinarily well fortified point of defence, almost impregnable to the common mode of warfare, and at best cannot be
taken in that way without a great sacrifice of life and ammunition. I will, therefore, suggest a plan to our war department,
which will render the capture of the Castle of San Juan de Ulloa
as feasible and easy as the launching of a frigate.
Although the plan I shall propose may seem novel to many,
still a brief detail of it, I think, will satisfy the most incredulous of
its efficiency. In the first place, it will require a balloon of common twilled muslin, of about a hundred feet in diameter. This
machine, properly coated with varnish, will retain its buoyancy
for many days or weeks.  It will be capable, when inflated, to
raise over 30,000 pounds. Say 20,000 independent of its own
weight, network, car and cable. It can be inflated in a day, or
less time if necessary. The process of inflation may be accomplished on land, or on board a man-of-war at sea, as circumstances
may require.  The car to be ladened with percussioned bomb
shells and torpedoes to the amount of 18,000 pounds, which will
leave two thousand pounds for ballast and men.  Thus it will be
ready to be placed in a position for deadly action, in a very short
time.  The cable by which it is to be manceuvred may be at
least five miles long, so that the balloon at a mile of elevation
would leave the vessel, or land position, which act as the
retaining point, out of the reach of the castle guns, and under the
cover of our own batteries. The man-of-war balloon hovering a
mile above the castle like a cloud of destruction, would be en17




258             PROPOSITION CONSIDERED.
tirely out of danger of the enemy's guns, since they could not be
made to bear on an object immediately above them. The position
of the balloon as to height, and distance from the retaining point,
could be maintained by keeping a proper eye to its ballasting.
As it would become lightened by the discharging of shells and
torpedoes, an adequate quantity of gas can also be discharged.
If a gun from the castle could be ever made to bear upon the war
balloon, it would soon be silenced by the rapidity, precision and
certainty with which the deadly missiles could be showered down
upon them.
With this aerial war ship hanging a mile above the fort, supplied with a thousand percussioned bomb shells, the Castle of
Vera Cruz could be taken without the loss of a single life to our
army, and at an expense that would be comparatively nothing to
what it will be to take it by the common mode of attack.
Through the medium of your journal I would most respectfully
suggest this plan to our government, and will tender my services
for its construction, and when constructed, will, if necessary,
most cheerfully undertake its directorship into actual service, at
a moment's warning.
Yours, respectfully,
JOHN WISE.
Lancaster, Oct. 22d, 1846.
The proposition drew out a great many opinions and commentaries upon the plan, one of which we will state, taken from the
"Philadelphia Public Ledger."  " The public have been amused
by the many comments upon Mr. Wise's plan of taking San
Juan de Ulloa by balloons, lading them with men and explosive
bombs, raise them over the devoted castle, and let the bombs fall
upon it and blow up by concussion. This new method of besieging
a fortress has been discussed in every vein of seriousness, wit or
contumely, as the idea seemed feasible, funny or absurd to various
minds. At a recent party in Frankfort, Ky., the subject became
a topic of conversation. After a number of persons had said their
say, pro and con, a distinguished wit-an ex-governor of the
State-was called upon for his views touching the same. With
great dignity he pronounced the plan an admirable one, and the
inventor a man of military genius; but, he added,'I think it
will be a very troublesome matter to enlist volunteers for that
service. "
Soon after this, the following note was addressed to the War
Department:



LETTER TO WAR DEPARTMENT.                    259
Lancaster, Dec. 10th, 1846.
Ex- Governor Marcy, Secretary of War of the United States.
SIR: —You have no doubt seen, and perhaps somewhat considered over the plan and proposition I suggested through the
public prints, for the reduction of the Castle of San Juan de
Ulloa by balloon.  Were it not for the incredulity and prejudice
that invariably meet new ideas and projects, I should from the
commencement have submitted it to the War Department, for
scrutiny.  But believing that it would best be tested by " public
opinion" in bringing out serious objections to its feasibility, I
chose the course of having it first analyzed in the popular
crucible. By this course I would be enabled to discover, what
in my first conceptions of the plan might have been overlooked,
and thereby save myself the trouble of further urging its merits
towards action, as also any formal application for its consideration by the War Department.
So far from  any well-founded objections having as yet been
urged against its practicableness, I have some of the best minds
in the country to sustain the project. And upon a mature and
deliberate review of the whole subject, in its minutest details,
I write to you with a most unwavering conviction, of not only
its practicability, but my ability to give it the desired effect.  It
will be unnecessary for me at present to enter into any detailed
account of the necessary requisites to its consummation, but I will
state, that the cost of outfit, independent of the war projectiles,
would be but a trifling matter, compared with the magnitude of
the work it would be capable of accomplishing.  As to the objections that may, or can be urged against its feasibility, I am
ready to rebut them with mathematical and philosophical demonstrations.  Should the war department desire to have further
explanations of its character, or to have any objections to its
practicability refuted, they will be explained and met by me
upon the first intimation of such a request.  The novelty, or
chimericalness of its character, will, I trust, have but little
weight upon the minds of the intellect composing our government in deterring them from a fair and impartial scrutiny of a
subject so pregnant with national welfare.
It has been hinted that it would be difficult to get men that
would act in such an enterprise.-This belief is as unfounded as
any other Ihave yet urged against it. It would require but nine
assistants in the bomb-car, and that number I will guarantee to
secure from our own city.
With an earnest solicitude for its early consideration, I remain
your fellow citizen,
JOHN WISE.




260           ATTRACTION OF GRAVITATION.
CHAPTER XXIII.
Career of 1847-Philosophers should go up with balloons-Earth's attraction-Ballooning only ahead of the age-Letter from Professor Ienry,
Secretary of " Smithsonian Institution"-Hollowness of the globe demonstrable by the laws of atmospheric pressure-Matter and its lawsAnother ascent from Utica-Next from Syracuse, N. Y.-Narrative of
it.
IN the summer of 1847 I commenced the season's ballooning
campaign in the city of Lancaster. Having sold the old Rough
and Ready to Mr. Smith, of Utica, a gentleman of high scientific
attainments, a new one was made during the winter, which also
was named "Rough and Ready."  The following extracts are
from the journal of this first ascension with the new balloon,
which was made on the 7th of June: to wit-I will not on this
occasion rehearse the beauties of the Conestogo Valley; but, that
the magnificence of the scenery, and natural inspiration of the
observer arising from  a combination of causes while sailing
through the ethereal heaven over such a specially blessed land,
must approximate the state of heaven's bliss, I am justified to
assume.
It seems to me remarkable that a subject which is theoretically
so well understood and so practically safe, as is ballooning, and
which holds out such extraordinary inducements to the scientific
world, and such grand mental exaltations and developments of
nature's poetry, should be so sparingly enjoyed by the philosopher
and poet.  The United States has never yet been honored with
an ascent of one of its notable men with a balloon, while France
and Italy each have the credit of one of these rare instances.
Now whatever may be the force and condition of the earth's
attraction near any part of its surface, I find that at the height of
a mile or two from it, light bodies show a remarkably diminished
degree of attraction of gravitation. From a series of experiments
made with sand, pith balls, slips of paper, and ribbons, it seems
that the balloon and its appendages, attracted them more than
the earth did, when they came in close proximity to any part of
the machine, or, I might say, when within its individual atmosphere.  Frequently, the ribbon, or slip of paper, as the case
happened to be, would vibrate between the car and the body of




ATTRACTION OF GRAVITATION.                    261
the balloon, falling up and down agreeably to the jarrings and
motions incident to it.  Whether this is attributable to the power
of the balloon's attraction, from its being at the time a perfectly
isolated body, or from a diminution of gravitation agreeably to the
distance from the earth, I had not at the time the means of testing.  On a future occasion I will test it with a delicate spring
balance, in weighing a body at the earth's surface, and weighing
it again at a great height. If the earth is hollow, as the economy
of nature indicates it to be, and the law of gravitation arises from
the actual weight or quantity of matter, a height of three miles
from the earth would, no doubt, show  an appreciable difference
in the weight of bodies. There is a connection between an inflated and duly ballasted balloon and the earth, so extraordinary,
which I have for a long time observed, which makes me think that
the law of attraction of gravitation is governed by the actual
weight of bodies, and not by their surfaces. This has been indicated to me in the practice of ballooning, too strongly, to go unobserved, and yet there are so many causes affecting the position
of a balloon when near the earth, that I would rather seek its
solution by the actual trial of weighing a given body at the two
remotest attainable points, than to depend on hypothetical statics alone, which do not sufficiently explain this phenomenon of
a balloon's labor when near the surface of the earth.
There are so many influencing causes to be taken into consideration in connection with the effects here mentioned, that
nothing short of repeatedly varied experiments will be sufficient
to determine definite conclusions.  We have now  systems and
sciences, connected with this subject, which are based so much
on hypothesis alone, that we should be very cautious in conclusions upon experiments, whether they may, or may not, be
fully corroborative of received theories.
In concluding this account I would remark, that ballooning is
about half a century ahead of the age, but if the spirit of mechanical progress, necessarily requisite to a high attainment of
scientific principles, keeps pace with the onward march of intellect, our children will travel to any part of the globe without the
inconvenience of smoke, sparks, and sea-sickness, and at the rate
of one hundred miles per hour.
While on the subject of attraction of gravitation, it will not be
out of place here to state that I addressed a letter to Professor
Joseph Henry, on that question, and also regarding the atmospherical currents, and here is his reply:




262          LETTER FROM PROFESSOR HENRY.
Smithsonian Institution, May 8th, 1849.
MY DEAR SIR:
The inquiry with regard to the hollowness of the interior of the
earth could not be solved by any variation of gravity above the exterior surface, for it can be mathematically demonstrated, that the
attraction of a solid globe, and also of a hollow sphere, are the same,
as if all the matter of each were concentrated in its centre. The law
of diminution of gravitation, as measured above the earth, would
be the same in both cases. A spring balance, if sufficiently delicate, would indicate a difference in the weight of a body suspended from it at different elevations.  But this, as I have said
before, would give no information as to the hollowness of the earth.
I have no doubt that there are great currents in the upper
regions of the atmosphere, and particularly the return currents of
the trade winds, which should blow continually from south-west
to north-east.  Should you conclude to make another aerial
voyage, I should be pleased to suggest some observations.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
JOSEPH HENRY,
Secretary to Smithsonian Institution.
JOHN WISE, ESQ.
It is proper to state that I made the particular inquiry of Professor Henry, whether there was a difference between the laws of
electrical attraction and attraction of gravitation, as laid down in
received hypothetical science. My own hypothesis is, that as the
atmosphere finds its minimum  density at about forty-five miles
above the surface of the earth, it must necessarily find its maximum  density forty-five miles under the surface of the earth,
which, according to the law of atmospheric pressure, would bring
the air to about the density of water, at that -depth below the
earth's outer surface, which I presumed to be the thickness of its
crust, or shell.  According to this law  of atmospheric density,
and the equally well known law of water's slowly increasing density at great depths-that is, its incompressibility, these two
elements could not exist as different or distinct bodies forty-five
miles below the earth's surface, but must mingle into one body
or one mass from their equal densities or specific gravities, and
their equally well established fluidities, and therefore, the relation
of distinction in these substances, so important on the earth's
surface, must there cease, and the reasonable presumption follow, that a new order of things exists from this point inward.
From  these established laws of pressure and density, and the
fact that water and air are found in the depths of the earth, and
the reasonable hypothesis of the earth's hollowness, and its inner
cavity being necessarily filled with an atmosphere or fluid of some




ATTRACTION CONSIDERED.                   263
kind as dense as water, many of the phenomena which we now
only know by their actual existence, may be solved by these
laws and principles: particularly those of tides, spouting springs,
aurora-borealis and volcanic eruptions.
In thus following out these inductive reasonings, I perceived
that the weight of the earth would not be much, if any, less, by
being hollow, than if it were composed of clay, rock and water all
through, which, however, cannot be the case under the known
law of atmospheric pressure and density, as, at the very moderate
depth of fifty or sixty miles under the earth's surface, air would
be vastly denser and heavier than water, clay or rock. Therefore, whether we assume the earth to be hollow, or solid all
through, judging from matter and its laws as existing, there could
be no solution as to the certainty of the one or the other by the
test of weighing a body at the points mentioned with a delicate
spring balance.
Pursuing the investigation of matter, and its conditions, under
the well-known laws which govern it, we cannot conclude, that
at the outer borders of our atmosphere a vacuum commences;
but we must rationally conclude, that a new order of matter commences, different from a merely highly rarefied condition of air.
Caloric, or what we know by imponderable matter, may at that
point assume a character of substantiality sufficiently dense to
keep the earth afloat in it. An atmosphere of high pressure steam,
seems to be nothing more than water minutely divided and highly
charged with calorific atoms, a condition which may be inductively attributed to the medium existing between the planets, and
which commences where our atmosphere ceases to exist.
Having in the beginning of this work stated that meteorology
should not pass upnoticed, the remarks just made concerning the
internal condition of the earth having naturally grown out of it,
will not be considered impertinent to the subject.
During the summer of'47, a third ascension was made from
Utica on the 5th of July, in which a distance of five miles was
made before the descent. No particular journal being kept of the
trip, the following notice from the Daily Gazette, of that place,
will suffice:-" In about an hour, or an hour and a half; the
aeronaut returned with his balloon still inflated, himself in the car,
which hung a few feet above the ground, the whole drawn forward by a barouche and accompanied by a crowd of the curious,
by whom it was escorted in triumph through the streets to the
place from which it ascended. Here a cord was attached to the
balloon, and a number of ladies tried a short aerial voyage.
None of them have, as yet, however, sent us any account of their
discoveries."
The next trip was made from Syracuse, N.Y., July 17th. Part




264            BALLOONING IN YORK STATE.
of the journal will be quoted:-Onondaga Lake looked like a
tiny fish pond, and the salt sheds around the northwestern part of
the town had the appearance of so many market houses strung in
parallel rows at different places. Salina, Geddes and Liverpool
looked like elongations of the Vena Porta of Syracuse.  To the
east of me, and apparently not far off, lay two considerable villages, which I cannot name. The great Erie canal also seemed
awakened to the scene of the day-the numberless craft on its
water held up to see the balloon, the crews of which sent loud
and repeated cheers for miles each way.  The town appeared
like a perfect beehive, and the arena, graced with a tremendous
throng-yes, a tremendous throng of Onondaga's fair daughters,
had all the appearance, when looked upon from so great a height,
of one of Aladdin's enchanted scenes. All nature sang in one
harmonious strain of music-softly and sweetly faded the shouts,
the murmurs, the seolian-like concert of nature's revelry upon my
ears, as the last boundary of hearing was passing by.
And now I was far, far above the sphere of human recreationno sounds, no cheering longer greeted my ears-the fair town of
Syracuse, like her ancient prototype, was fast fading away in
the distant mist-nature with her sweetened voice and fairy
green was dying away in the evanescent vapor of a doubtful
reality-the cold, chilly atmosphere of a two miles' height, made
me shudder involuntarily; in spite of all my efforts to the contrary my teeth chattered with all the fervor of a cold ague. How
changed! in a few moments, from the arena of nature's most
gorgeous scenery, I was transferred as it were, into the icy
chamber of death. Oneida Lake appeared to be gaping eagerly
to receive me in its cold embrace.
Suddenly, I awoke from  my revery; I looked around once
more, above, below, to earth; I caught hold of the valve ropesoon the vapor was shooting upwards by me; I was falling rapidly
into a more congenial climate, and in a few moments more was
down in a hemlock clearing, tearing up fences, limbs of trees, &c.,
until the grapple iron finally took substantial effect in a hemlock
stump, about six miles from Syracuse.




SPLENDID SCENES IN THE LAKE COUNTRY.    265
CHAPTER XXIV.
Ascent from Auburn, N.Y.-Narrative of its extraordinary magnificence
and grandeur-" A speck in the horizon"-Ascent from Buffalo City,
N.Y.-Windy weather-View of Niagara Falls from balloon-Disappointment of expectations-Looked like a frothy bubble-Another
ascent from Buffalo-Driven out on Lake Erie-Rescued by "brig
Eureka," Captain Burnell —"Buffalo Courier" notice of it-Ascents
from Rochester-Oswego- One from Washington City, D. C.
ON the 24th of July, 1847, I made an ascension from Auburn,
a flourishing and beautiful town, situated about twenty-five miles
west and a little south of Syracuse, making it a favorable point to
reach Syracuse from, by the upper current which always blows
from west to east.  It was a magnificent voyage, and the main
part of the journal is worth a perusal here, to wit:-Up, up Il
soared, almost perpendicularly, until an altitude of at least a mile
and a half was reached, when I began to look around me, and
then, great God!-yes, I made the exclamation again as I
was sitting with my pencil and log-book in hand riveted to the
sight-great God! what a scene of grandeur! Oft have I enjoyed
and reveled in the intellectual indulgences of nature's luxuries.
Many, many beautiful and magnificent scenes have I witnessed,
but this surpasses all. Such were my involuntary exclamations.
I looked around again and again, still the reality seemed like a
splendid dream-an enchantment-it was too rich a scene to be
deprived of, by a short trip. After I had viewed, and reviewed
the vast panoramic plain, and wondered at, and admired the
handiwork of the Creator-its amplitude and order, I would try
to settle my mind down to a cool and descriptive standard, but
admiration and amazement had enchained my thoughts alone for
nearly one hour, and ejaculations flowed over the glorious spectacle beneath me.  The vastness of the scene, extending nearly
a hundred miles each way (the atmosphere was very transparent),
beautifully interspersed with lakes; the innumerable villages,
many of them glittering with silvery domes and spires; the tiny
and tastefully decorated prison-house at Auburn; the thousands
of variegated grass-plats; the golden tinge of the waving grain
fields; the glossy surfaces of the lakes dazzling in the sunbeams; the lights and shadows over the general surface caused




266             A SPECK IN THE HORIZON.
by a partly clouded sky; the huge precipices of clouds lying to
the east and partly beneath me; the wide mirror-like surface of
Lake Ontario, with its fringed southern border; the cities in the
evanescent distance decorated with brilliant specks, with a thousand other things, so completely absorbed my mind, that when I
looked at my watch I found that I had been aloft one hour and
ten minutes.
Looking up at the balloon, I found her discharging gas at the
safety valve. Although but half filled when she left the garden
at Auburn, the immense machine was now full and distended to
the utmost tension, showing that my altitude was over two miles.
A cluster of detached clouds was hanging between me and Syracuse some distance off. Here I took another observation of the
lakes, and counted thirteen in view-Lake Ontario looked like an
immense sea, its northern boundary lost in the distant heavens.
After being aloft one hour and a half I found myself crossing
Onondaga Lake, having northed too much for Syracuse, and
making direct for Liverpool, a village five or six miles above the
latter place, near which I made a landing, breaking the Oswego
telegraph wires with the grappling iron.
The balance of the account is best told by the Syracuse
Journal.
A SPECK IN THE HORIZON.
"When Mr. Wise had determined upon making an ascension
from Auburn on Saturday, he assured several of his Syracuse
friends that should the weather prove favorable, he would endeavor to pay them a flying visit, and possibly take tea with them
on Saturday evening. This was thought a very good joke.
"A  few minutes before five o'clock Saturday afternoon, as a
number of the more credulous were on the " look out," they
thought they espied something far at the southwest that might be
a balloon. It was no bigger than a man's hand, to be sure, but
it moved'like a thing of life' through vast expanse, guiding
itself majestically like some proud'Lord of the boundless realm,'
and gradually increasing in size as it approached. Ere long, all
doubt was at an end.  The balloon and its voyager were now
fairly in view. It was a glorious, a beautiful sight! and thousands in all directions were wrapped up in its admiration.  The
course of the balloon was to the northeast, and it passed directly
over Geddes, thence over Onondaga Lake to Salina, when Mr.
Wise began to descend.  In lowering his ship, a sub-current of
air carried him toward Liverpool, and at thirty-five minutes past




ASCENT FROM BUFFALO, AND NIAGARA FALLS.  267
five o'clock, he landed on Mr. Waterbury's farm, about six miles
from this village. There he was soon met by numerous friends,
in carriages, from Syracuse, who had followed his course.
"In making his descension, Mr. Wise still kept the balloon
inflated, and soon made his appearance in our streets, seated
comfortably in his car, ready for another trip to the'ether blue.'
A farmer's wagon piloted the aeronaut and his apparatus through
Salina street to the Syracuse House.  Here, as may readily be
supposed, a large crowd;gathered.  Mr. Wise was evidently
much pleased with the success of his journey, and the welcome
he had received.  To gratify curiosity, and at the request of
many, he prepared and made an ascension from in front of the
Syracuse House about seven and a half, amid the shouts of the
crowd.  He traveled a short distance west, landing somewhere
in the vicinity of Geddes. At half-past eight o'clock he returned
to Syracuse, and redeemed the promise to take tea with his friends.'
My next ascension was made from  Buffalo, and the first
successful one that had ever been made from that place, as I was
informed.
AERIAL LOG-BOOK OF SIXTY-SECOND VOYAGE.
MEMORANDA.
Buffalo City, Morris' Garden, July 31st, 1847.
Four P. M. precisely, started with aerial ship " Rough and
Ready" under ballast and brisk gale from the S. S. W., wind
moving at the rate of a mile per minute.  Started with considerable ascending power, but the current was so strong, that in order
to make a more perpendicular rise thirty pounds of ballast were
thrown overboard, which having lightened the vessel, and a<
strong gale blowing against it as it rose, caused it to pitch and
gyrate with a desperate motion, which turned the balloon about
one third round in the network, and made the valve partly
unmanageable.
My first observation was the place I had left, which was five
minutes afterwards. The city, although covering much territory,
seemed compressed into an area of a hundred yards square.
Lake Erie appeared tapered off to a narrow ragged pond on its
eastern extremity, then it diverged into two narrow  silvery
threads, which re-united again around  a small green  plat.
Upon refiectin I concluded this must be Grand Island, and.
immediately iny attention was drawn to a search for Niagara
Falls, as I heard a slightly rushing noise of waterfall. My eye
soon rested upon it, and after scanning it for a few moments I
involuntarily cried out " Is that the falls?"  And no wonder, for




268            COMING DOWN ON LAKE ERIE.
it looked like a cascade, such as we see in pleasure gardens. I
was disappointed, for my mind had been bent upon a soliloquy on
Niagara's raging grandeur, but it was a bubble; it looked too
small.
The scenery of the great panorama surrounding it could only
absorb my mind.  The little frothy bubble had too much the
appearance of a foaming glass of London brown stout, and it
was insufficient of itself to excite an idea beyond that.  It looks
like a little humbug when viewed from the clouds. The scenery
around was not so pleasing as that presented around Auburn, and
Syracuse, and Utica   Here the country appeared dry when
viewed away from Lake Erie.  A vast plain well wooded, with
few roads and less villages, it was altogether of a barren cast.
I made a landing at Williamsville, and was within a few feet
of grappling into their church steeple, which might have caused
serious consequences to it at the rate the balloon was moving, had
it caught into it.  This is distant from Buffalo twelve miles.
The Buffalo " Express" says of this experiment:-" The
ascension was made under disadvantageous circumstances,but so
perfect and so beautiful was it, as to settle in the minds of the
people of Buffalo-a large concourse of whom honored the occasion with their presence on the outside of the Garden-the fact
that this aeronaut never fails."
A week after this another ascension was made from this place.
AERIAL LOG-BOOK OF SIXTY-THIRD VOYAGE.
Buffalo City, August 6th, 1847.
Left Morris' Garden at precisely six minutes past four o'clock
with the aerial ship " Rough and Ready." Wind from the north,
balloon rising slowly. Threw over some ballast-men, women
and children scrambling out of the way.  Ascent became more
rapid.  Rising, and moving along parallel with Main streeta little east of it. As I rose, the current bore for the lake; began
to feel chilly upon the thoughts of a ducking. One mile out on
the lake, threw out more ballast to reach the great eastward
current.  Got up a mile and struck a current at the rate of
twenty miles per hour up the lake.  This won't do, I shall get
out ten or twelve miles before I can reach it, and then probably
be blown into Canada, where I would stand a chance of arrest for
contraband.  Opened valve and came down within speaking distance, just over a brig going into Buffalo. "Ahoy, what vessel?"
"Brig Eureka, Captain Burnell."   "Will you lower a boat,
captain, if I come down?"  "Certainly, sir," answered Captain
Burnell.  " Then I'll be down presently."   Came down with all




RESCUED BY BRIG EUREKA.                   269
dispatch-the brig laid too, but I got astern of her several miles
before her boat was lowered, and by that time my car struck the
water.
The balloon first rebounded and glanced over the water in a
ricochet manner, until sufficient gas was discharged to sink the
car some depth in the water.  This retarded its progress up the
lake and I found the yawl, sent from the brig, was gaining on
me. In a half hour longer the boat was alongside and took me
in tow. The gas was soon all discharged, and in another half
hour I was safely aboard of the brig Eureka, in company with the
generous Captain Burnell, who took me into port that evening. 
The Buffalo Daily Courier made the following notice of the
ascension:-"Yesterday afternoon, according to previous announcemeut, Mr. Wise made his sixty-third ascension, from
Morris' Garden, corner of Main and Tupper streets.  Great interest was evinced throughout the length and breadth of the city,
to see it. All sorts, sizes and conditions of people were assembled to witness his flight. We were glad to see a good number on the inside of the Garden.  The outside, and indeed the
adjacent streets and lanes, were filled with carriages, and a mass
of human beings, all anxious to see what they could. After there
had been several pioneer balloons sent up, and the curiosity of
such as chose to examine the principal one had been satisfied,
Mr. Wise prepared himself in the car for his lofty voyage.  About
four o'clock, after some preliminary trials, he gave the word'let
go,' and amid the cheers and hurrahs of the enthusiastic assemblage, he floated off most grandly.  The ease and self-possession which he evinced; the confident air he assumed, showed to
our mind conclusively that he was master of his profession.
After he was up, he went immediately over the city, in the direction of the lake, thus affording an excellent view of the ascension
to the thousands on the housetops, etc."
Ascensions were made from Rochester and Oswego, N. Y., the
same summer; both of these trips were of short duration, owing
to the proximity of the lakes.  In the account of the one from
Rochester, the following, in relation to sounds, occurs:-There
is but one point of peculiarity in the circumstances of my voyage
made on Saturday the 14th of August, which is worthy of particular notice. I have always noticed that certain sounds, produced at the surface of the earth, have a remarkably peculiar effect
upon the ear of the aeronaut when immediately over them. Waterfalls are of this kind in their noise. Even a common mill-dam
produces a wonderful noise to one's ears when a mile above it.
The Genesee Falls made a noise to my ears when above them
over a mile, an hundred times louder than did Niagara when I
stood upon its brink.




270                 SCIENTIFIC FACTS.
I noticed the same peculiarity, particularly in the returning echo
of my own voice, when over Lake Erie.  There, the sounds of
voice from the persons on board the brig Eureka were remarkably
clear and distinct to my ears when immediately over them, but
still not so much so, as was the echo sound of my own words.
This appeared even louder than the original utterance, and the
enunciation quite as distinct.  In the case of the words spoken
from the brig they became fainter and very indistinct after I got
at an angular position from them. From this it appears that the
occasional sounds which greet my ears so distinctly when sailing
along at great heights, must arise from points immediately underneath me.  The same peculiarity holds good in vision.  Immediately below one, objects appear very distinct but very diminished from their real size, while at a great angular distance they
appear diffused.
In my voyage from Auburn there appeared a very striking
phenomenon regarding vision. I noticed in the account of it the
lucidness of the atmosphere. But there appeared also a looming
up of objects in the distance.  Lake Erie, which was over a
hundred miles off, seemed elevated ten or twelve degrees above
the horizon and yet composed part of the visible horizon.
Sound and vision are propagated distinctly in perpendicular
lines from the earth's surface;-when heard and viewed in angular directions the resulting effects are diffused in both cases.
This I have also noticed in the music when ascending. The tune
played by a band of music as I ascended perpendicularly above
them was distinct and clear, and when moving off in a rapid
horizontal direction, it became very diffuse in a short distance.
The firing of cannon, when it is done immediately underneath
the balloon, agitates it violently, often with considerable depression in its lower side, but when the firing is at an angular distance, though much nearer than the perpendicular position just
mentioned, it is not near so perceptible.
In 1848 I made but one ascension, which took place from
Washington City on the 3d of May, of which the "National
Intelligencer" makes the following notice:-"In the presence of
an immense multitude of spectators, who assembled within the
arena and in the grounds and streets contiguous to the City Hall,
Mr. Wise, the intrepid and skillful aeronaut, ascended with his
splendid balloon about a quarter past five o'clock yesterday
afternoon. The aeronaut took a south-easterly direction, and was
visible to the naked eye for nearly an hour after the ascension.
As he soared aloft, the spectators greeted him with repeated
cheers, which he returned by the waving of his hands and handkerchief. It was a beautiful and gratifying spectacle."




PART III.
INSTRUCTIONS IN THE ART OF MAKING BALLOONS, PARACHUTES, AND ALL KINDS OF AERONAUTIC MACHINERY.
ALSO,
DIRECTIONS IN THE PROCESSES OF INFLATION AND PRACTICE OF
AIR SAILING.
CHAPTER I.
Introduction-Atmosphere considered as a balloon medium-Cause of
failures in small experiments-Table of surfaces, capacities, and powers
of balloons-Metal balloons-Materials for experimental balloonsHints for varnishing silk or muslin for balloons.
WHEN we are about to construct a thing, it is always necessary,
in order to be the more perfect therein, that we should know what
it is for, and in what manner it is to be used. Then, as balloons
are intended to sail in the air, and must therefore be adapted to
that element, it will be proper first to learn the nature and
buoyancy of the atmosphere.  This element surrounds our globe
as one vast ocean of about forty miles in depth, as is theoretically
assumed.  Its pressure on the surface of the earth is equal to
about fifteen pounds for every square inch, which will balance
a column of quicksilver of two and a half feet in height, and a
column of water of thirty-four feet in height, at the level of the
sea. Its specific gravity is one ounce and two-tenths per cubic
foot, and thus, if we make a body of any material, of the size of
a cubic foot, which shall weigh less than one ounce and twotenths, it will float in the air and rise up in it, but it will not, as
in the case of water, rise to the surface, for the reason that the
atmosphere grows gradually thinner, and of course specifically
lighter, as you ascend in it, therefore, the body, which was
lighter than an equal bulk of air at the surface of the earth,
will just rise to the height in the air where it becomes equal
to it in specific gravity. The atmosphere being an elastic body,




272              ATMOSPHERE CONSIDERED.
differing in this respect from water as a resisting medium, may
be properly illustrated by layers of wool piled upon each other,
in which case the lower layer would, of course, be most compressed, while each succeeding layer above would be less and
less compressed, as is the case with the layers of atmosphere.
And every elastic substance on the earth partakes of this same
property as it happens to be placed in the different regions of the
atmosphere.  Even the human body expands when elevated in
the air, and an old wrinkled man will grow full and plump as a
youth, if he ascends two or three miles high with a balloon.
By observation and calculation it has been ascertained that at
the height of three and a half miles the air is but one-half as
dense as at the level of the earth, at seven miles only a fourth, at
ten and a half only an eighth, at fourteen only a sixteenth, and
at seventeen and a half miles only one-thirty-second of the density it is at the level of the earth.  From this it will be seen that
we must be kept within the reasonable range of about three miles
from the surface of the earth, in aerial navigation.
If the great ocean bed of the sea were to be emptied, and we
were to operate with balloons from its bottom level, they would
be required of only one-half the size we have them here, to do
the same amount of lifting up, computing the depth of the ocean
at three and a half miles.
But computing the atmosphere at what it really is where we
enter it with balloons, at one and two-tenth ounces per cubic foot,
and it does not vary much from this for the first mile of height, it
will be seen that we may make our machines of very substantial
material, if we make them  but large enough, since the cubic
contents of globular bodies, or those approaching that form, increase much faster than their superficies.  In estimating the
ascensive power of balloons, which are to be inflated with hydrogen gas, we may safely calculate upon one ounce of ascensive
power for every cubic foot of capacity. With but ordinary care,
in generating hydrogen gas, we get more, but it is always best to
keep on the safe side of the exact estimates.  And here I would
remark, that there is nothing connected with aerostatics, that has
so much discouraged experimentalists who were trying, it on a
small scale, as the difficulty in succeeding with the ascension of
small balloons, where, if they had tried it with some of a larger
size, they would, in all probability, have gone on rejoicing. The
most of these experiments have been attempted with balloons of
from two, three, to five feet capacity, and of course requiring
them to be not more than so many ounces in weight when the
fuel was in them, and then requiring at that a high degree of
rarefaction to enable them to rise, so that in most cases these ends
were not attained, on account of the machine being heavier than




TABLE OF BALLOON SURFACES AND POWERS.   273
the air it displaced, and the consequence was a failure of the
desired result, and an abandonment of its further investigation,
all for the want of properly understanding its first principles,
which are so plain and simple that a child may understand them.
A chapter to the construction and sending up of toy balloons will
be specially given in another part of this work.
The following table exhibits the diameters, surfaces, capacities,
and ascensive powers of balloons computed at one ounce of power
for every foot capacity, so that, if carburetted hydrogen, or coal
gas is used, allowance must be made accordingly. The minute
fractions of feet and ounces will not be noticed, as they are of no
consequence in the mere practice of the art. The surfaces may
be converted into square yards by dividing them by 9.
Feet diameter.  Surfaces in     Capacities in    Pounds ascensive
square feet.    cubic feet.      power.
1              3-1~            Oi 01
2             12               4               0
3             28              14               1
4             50              33               2
5             78              65               4
6            113             113               7
7            154             179              11
8            201             268              17
9            254             381              24
10            314             523              33
11            380             697              44
12            452             905              57
13            531            1,150             72
14            616            1,437             90
15            707            1,767            110
16            804            2,145            134
17            908            2,572            161
18          1,018           3,054             191
19          1,134           3,591             224
20          1,257            4,189            261
21          1,385            4,849            302
22          1,520            5,575            348
23          1,662            6,371            398
24          1,810            7,238            452
25          1,963            8,181            511
26          2,124           9,203             575
27          2,290           10,306            644
28          2,463           11,494            718
29          2,642           12,770            798
* Nearly a pounds
18




274                 LARGE BALLOONS.
Feet diameter.    Surfaces in  Capacities in    Pounds ascensive
square feet.   cubic feet.       power.
30          2,827           14,137            884
31          3,019           15,598            975
32          3,217           17,157          1,072
33          3,421           18,817          1,176
34          3,632           20,580          1,286
35          3,848           22,449          1,403
36          4,072           24,429          1,527
37          4,301           26,522           1,658
38          4,536           28,731          1,796
39          4,778           31,060           1,942
40          5,026           33,510          2,094
45          6,362           47,713          2,982
50          7,854           65,450          4,091
55          9,503           87,114          5,445
60         11,310          113,098          7,069
65         13,273          143,794          8,987
70         15,394          179,595         11,225
75         17,671          220,804         13,800
80         20,106          268,083         16,755
85         22,698          321,556         20,097
90         25,447          381,704         23,856
95         28,353         448,922          28,058
100         31,416          523,599         32,725
200        125,664        4,188,792        261,800
400        502,656       33,510,336      2,094,400
800      2,010,624      268,082,688     16,755,200
The great advantage in enlarging balloons arises from the
fact that their powers increase faster than their surfaces. When
you double the diameter of one, you require four times as much
silk to make it, but you get eight times as much capacity, and
consequently eight times as much power; therefore, whenever
you double the capacity of a balloon you save fifty per cent. in
its construction, compared with the ratio of its power. And there
is another advantage in the enlargement of balloons-we need
not confine ourselves to frail fabric for their construction, for, at
a very moderate size, we can use copper or iron, to make them of.
If we use copper in the construction of a balloon of two hundred
feet diameter, which weighs one pound per square foot, and deduct this from its ascensive power, we shall have remaining
sixty-eight tons of lifting power; and if we allow room for expansion of gas for an altitude of about two miles, and allow five
or six tons for the car and its fastenings, we will have left a lifting and carrying power of about forty-five tons. To inflate a
metal balloon, if it were made not to be susceptible of collapsing,




MATERIAL FOR MAKING BALLOONS.                  275
it would be necessary to insert a muslin balloon in it, filled with
atmospheric air, and the hydrogen gas passed in between the
muslin and copper surfaces, which would exclude the inner balloon as the copper one would fill up. A copper balloon's ascent
and descent would have to be regulated by a drag rope, on Mr.
Green's plan, and the expansion and contraction of the gas in it
would have to be provided for by an elastic diaphragm, and an
opening in the bottom of the machine to communicate between
the diaphragm and the atmosphere.
But our object for the present must be to instruct in the art as
it is, and those plans of a larger scale will soon follow in the
wake, when the genius of our country is once properly awakened
to its importance.
We can easily operate with balloons of one hundred feet
diameter, made of silk or twilled muslin, and one of suchi
capacity has a power of about ten tons, independent of appendages, and room for expansion of gas.
Having now before us the calculations of size and powers of
balloons, the next consideration will be the material of which
they may be made.  For balloons, for experimental purposes,
to make ascensions with, and under a capacity of thirty feet
diameter, silk or cambric muslin is generally used. Although
cambric muslin makes a very good machine, and costs a trifle
less per square yard than Indian silk, still, silk is the cheapest in.
the long run.  Any pliable silk will answer the purpose; but the
India silks are the most economical and durable for balloons.
India sarcenet makes a very light machine; but the India tassore
is the kind I have preferred when not wishing to use the pongee,
which is dearer.  The tassore is made from the product of the
wild silkworm, which browses on the shrubbery in the fields, and
is the strongest article I have ever found for balloons, in proportion to its weight; and it is the cheapest silk per square yard
of any that comes to our market. I have never yet had any difficulty on account of durableness, in strength, or in the imperviousness of the machine, while using one made of this kind of silk.
It is imported in twelve yard pieces, and varies in width from
thirty-four inches wide to forty. Sometimes it is strongly stiffened
or dressed with a starch made of rice and urine, which it is best
to take out by rubbing the silk between the hands, when it will
fall out in a fine dust resembling flour.
Thus prepared, the silk is next to be coated with varnish. The
first coating may be put on by soaking the silk in warm varnish,
and leveling it nicely over with a palate knife or smooth spatula
after it is stretched out on frames, or hung up by its edge.  I
have always, however, preferred the brush to lay the varnish on
with, and the thinner the coatings were put on, the better it




276                PUTTING ON VARNISH.
turned out in the end.  I find that the same weight or quantity
of varnish put on in four layers, that is, in four coatings, will
make the silk a great deal more air-tight, than when put on in
only two layers or coatings. This is easily accounted for. Varnish membranes or coats, like all other membranaceous substances, are vascular and porous, and, by dividing the quantity
spread over any surface into many layers, you obstruct the pores
of the one by the laying on of the next. The pores of the second
coat not coming exactly over the pores of the first, and so with
the third coating in regard to the second, and so on. This holds
good in silk or muslin.
CHAPTER II.
Of oils-Tests —Table of specific gravity of oils-Preparation of author's
invented balloon varnish-Varnish for recoating balloons-Bird-lime
varnish-To make bird-lime-Caoutchouc, or gum-elastic-Caoutchoucine.
THE greatest difficulty I had to overcome in the practice of
ballooning, was the invention of a good varnish for coating the
material of the balloon. I have before stated the vexations and
dangers that attended the use of gum-elastic varnish, and, although
I shall not recommend it as a substance well adapted to balloon
varnish, I will not condemn it.  I have my doubts, however,
whether it contains in any form or preparation as used for a varnish, the unchangeably elastic property which is found to exist in
linseed oil when properly prepared. At all events, I have never
found gum-elastic varnish to attain a drying property without the
addition of metallic oxides in its composition. These oxides have
a strong affinity for heat (oxygen), thereby being liable to fermentation and spontaneous combustion-the very plague-spots in
aeronautics.  There is perhaps nothing so commonly used as
linseed oil, about which there is, chemically or experimentally,
so little known.  Even the oil itself is not very well known by
those who use it. Other oils are frequently sold for linseed oil,
and as often used for it, by those who are in the habit of its daily
use.
It will, therefore, be well to lay down the tests for the various
kinds of oil first. By this the student will know how to avoid,
in the beginning, that which might cause him  perplexity and
failure in the end.




OILS AND TESTS.                     277
OIL TEST.
Doctor Ure says: M. Heidenreich has found, in the application
of a few drops of sulphuric acid to a film of oil, upon a glass
plate, a means of ascertaining its purity. The glass plate should
be laid upon a sheet of white paper, and a drop of the acid let
fall on the middle of ten drops of the oil to be tried.
With the oil of rape-seed and turnip-seed, a greenish-blue ring
is gradually formed at a certain distance from the acid, and some
yellowish-brown bands proceed from the centre.
With the oil of black mustard, in double the above quantity,
also a bluish-green color.
With whale and cod oil, a peculiar centrifugal motion, then a
red color, increasing gradually in intensity; and after some time,
it becomes violet on the edges.
With oil of cameline, a red color, passing into bright yellow.
Olive oil, pale yellow, into yellowish green.
Oil of poppies and sweet almonds, canary yellow, passing into
an opaque yellow.
Oil of linseed, a brown magna, becoming black.
Of tallow or oleine, a brown color.
In testing oils, a sample of the oil imagined to be present
should be placed alongside of the actual oil, and both be compared in their reaction with the acid. A good way of approximating to the knowledge of an oil is by heating it, when its
peculiar odor becomes more sensible.
Specific gravity is also a good criterion.  The following table
is given by M. Heidenreich:Sp. gr.
Oleine, or tallow oil...    0.9003
Oil of turnip-seed...    0.9128
Rape oil.....    0.9136
Olive oil.....    0.9176
Purified whale oil...    0.9231
Oil of poppies....    0.9243
Oil of camelina....    0.9252
Linseed oil...0.9347
Castor oil...    0.9611
It will be seen that linseed oil is the heaviest in the list except
the castor oil.




278                  BALLOON VARNISH.
PREPARATION OF BALLOON VARNISH.
Take pure linseed oil, as much as will fill half the vessel, and
not over, and put it over a fire.  Let it heat gradually up to a
degree at which it will char wood. Before it arrives at that heat,
it will show symptoms of boiling, which is, however, nothing
more than the boiling of the small quantity of water that is generally in solution with the oil. Before the oil begins to boil, it must
be brought to a much greater heat, and, as before stated, to that
degree at which a piece of wood immersed in it will be quickly
carbonized. At this point, it will have to be closely watched, for
soon it will commence an intensely heated reaction, beginning to
foam  and emit dense vapor, when, if not well secured from
the air, it will soon burst out in a flame. By using a boiler with
a close cover, which has a very small air-hole in it, the operation
may be continued briskly for at least an hour, and if not kept up
so briskly, for two hours or more. The best-way to tell when it
is boiled enough, is to take out a little with a spatula occasionally,
and putting it on a piece of glass or tin to cool, when it will be
found thick and very stringy, when sufficiently done. It will
also be of a deep reddish color when done. If the oil is of a good
quality and well boiled, or we might rather say decomposed in
this way, it gets very thick when cooled, and in appearance very
much resembles Indian rubber, and in elasticity superior to it.
Its nature becomes entirely changed, as the fatty adhesive property of it seems to be destroyed in it. After being prepared in
this way, it should be stood in the light for a while, when it will
settle, separating the pure portion by its floating above the black
carbonaceous matter at the bottom.  Before using it, it must be
thinned with spirits of turpentine, and this should be highly rectified in order to make the varnish dry readily. This varnish will
dry in the sun in five or six hours, and requires no driers of
metallic oxides to facilitate its progress.
Silk or muslin, when coated with this valuable preparation,
possesses the peculiar property of being a non-conductor of heat,
instead of the dangerous property pertaining to most oil varnishes,
of contracting heat (affinity for oxygen). Balloons prepared with
this varnish have been suffered to remain packed up in a chest
for months without the slightest development of heat or adhesiveness-a difficulty which cost me more perplexity the first five
years of ballooning than all other obstacles put together.
This varnish improves by keeping, and if kept in a glass
vessel it will improve and become clear faster than when kept in
a vessel where the light is shut from it. By keeping it for three
or four hours in an intense heat when preparing it in the boiler, it




BIRD LIME VARNISH.                   279
will upon cooling get almost as solid as Indian rubber. It may
be diluted with turpentine as soon as sufficiently cooled down
to bear it when first prepared, or it may be partly warmed, when
it has been suffered to cool and settle after being prepared
without having been thinned at the time.
This varnish does not dry so well in the shade, and, as it
becomes necessary to varnish a balloon sometimes after it is made,
which is generally done in a room, the following preparation will
be found to answer the purpose very well:Take umber made fine two ounces, common yellow ochre four
ounces, and litharge one ounce, to half a gallon of the abovementioned varnish, and boil them well together for half an hour.
This will dry very rapidly in the shade or the sun, and should be
used very thin for re-coating. A half gallon of it can be diluted
with turpentine so as to be sufficient to coat over a balloon of
twenty-five feet diameter, if made of silk. Cotton ones take a
little more.
Having now given what I deem to be the best composition for
coating hydrogen balloons, it will not be improper to mention such
others as may be used.
BIRD-LIME VARNISH.
This makes a very good balloon varnish, and is composed
in the following manner:  Take bird-lime four pounds; boiled
oil four pounds.  Boil these together until they are perfectly
incorporated, then add six pounds more of boiled oil, and one
pound of litharge (oxide of lead); boil again until the whole
mass becomes well intermixed and stringy; this can be ascertained by occasionally taking a little out with a spatula and
putting it on glass or tin and trying it. When done and partly
cooled off, add to this quantity about three quarts of turpentine
and let it settle, when it is ready for use.  This varnish dries
very readily in the sun, and should be applied lukewarm.
As bird-limeis an article rarely found in this country, it will be
proper to state how it is made:  Take the middle bark of the
white holly in any quantity; boil it for seven or eight hours
in water, or until it gets soft; then drain off the water and place
it in a pit three or four feet deep in the ground, and surround
it with stones; let it remain in this place until it passes by
fermentation into a mucilaginous state; then take it out and
pound it, or run it through a crushing mill; after this wash it in
several waters, then take it out and let it ferment four or five
days to purify itself.
As gum-elastic has been recommended for balloon varnish,




280      CAOUTCHOUC, OR GUM-ELASTIC VARNISH.
as well as the first hydrogen balloon having been coated with a
solution of it, we will here give what knowledge we have of it.
CAOUTCHOUC, OR GUM-ELASTIC.
This substance exudes from certain plants when incisions are
made into them, in a milky-like fluid state, and congeals when
left exposed long to the atmosphere, and when hardened in this
manner is of a lightish-yellow color. It is generally imported
from South America, and that which we get in the shape of shoes
and bottles is of a blackish-brown color, which it acquires from
being dried in smoky places.  It is remarkable for its elasticity,
from whence proceeds its popular name.  It is soluble in various
oils, such as cajeput, sassafras, and naphtha, but its most common
solvent is spirits of turpentine. When dissolved in any of these
substances and used as a varnish, it never regains its former
elasticity, but it is said to recover its elasticity when precipitated
from cajeput oil by alcohol.
I believe it would dissolve in very high pressure steam, as it has
been so softened by steam of four atmospheres, as readily to yield
under the palate knife. By proper distillation it yields a volatile
liquid of the specific gravity of 0.64, which is extremely light!
To this substance chemistry has assigned the name of caoutchoucine. It is perfectly limpid, and it is said to be a perfect
solvent for the gum  it is made of.  And it is also stated, that
Indian rubber, or as it is also called, gum-elastic, dissolved in this
liquid and applied as a varnish, will recover its original elasticity.
With this I have not yet tried experiments in coating balloons,
because the linseed oil preparation answers the purpose so well,
but I have no doubt this caoutchoucine preparation would be very
good, if it would not be too expensive.
There are many other preparations recommended in receipt
books for coating balloons with, but none that I would recommend the experimentalist in aerial machinery to have anything
to do with. The application of metal leaf, such as Prince's metal,
Dutch gold, and others, I have found to do very well in making
aerial vessels tight, when applied before the varnish has been
quite dry; but these are too expensive for large balloons.  They
answer an admirable purpose for small ornamental balloons, or
any kind of aerostatic figures.








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SHAPE OF BALLOONS.                     281
CHAPTER III.
Scale to shape balloons-How to make a pattern —How to cut material economically-Pear-shape-Diameter to circumference-Seams, how joined
-Filling it with common air-Neck of balloon-Test of balloon-Valve,
how made-Net, how made-Rigging and car.
BALLOONS are generally made of a globular shape, or approximating to it. The following scale will answer to form the segments for a balloon of globular shape, no matter what the width
of the material is of which it is to be made. The piece intended
for a pattern segment has a line drawn through its middle in
length, and one across the middle. This will divide it into four
quarters.  One quarter is divided by seventeen cross lines at
equal distances apart, making eighteen parts of the quarter section.
Now whatever the breadth of this half segment may be, it is to be
multiplied by the logarithms in the scale, which will give the
length of the line of each division, where the curve line is to intersect it. These points once secured, it is easy to draw the curve
line with a steady hand. I have generally made a board pattern,
as I could by it cut one or more segments at a time, by running
a sharp knife round the edge of it.
In making my scale for a pattern, I merely use a strip of wood
which in length is equal to the half breadth of the segment, being
the length of the lower line from the centre to the edge.  This I
divide into ten parts, each part into ten more, thus making tenths
and hundredths, which answers all practical purposes. Now for
the length of the first line it will take eighty-seven-hundredths
full, for the second line, one-tenth, seventy-three-hundredths a little
full, for the third line, two-tenths, fifty-hundredths full, and so on.
Such a scale can be made very easily with common dividers.
To cut and use the material the most economically, the balloon
should be made pear shaped, which is a very good form.  In
doing so, the pieces which are cut from the sides of a piece that
is two-thirds the length of a segment, will make the lower third
of it by sewing their straight edges together and butting it on
the other.  This will make the central, or equatorial part of the
balloon, cylindrical for six or eight feet. For a common experimental balloon, capable of carrying a man and all necessary ap



282                       SEWING.
pendages I have preferred the shape made by cutting the segments from a scale calculated for twenty-four feet diameter, and
putting in as many segments as would make the machine only
twenty-one feet in its transverse diameter, and twenty-two yards,
or sixty-six feet round its equator, since the circumference to the
diameter is as twenty-two to twenty-one, gaining one foot in the
circumference for every seven feet diameter, over and above
three times the diameter.  This is a mathematical truth balloon
makers must not overlook. Making them on this scale elongates
the balloons from top to bottom somewhat, and makes them of a
longish pear shape-a form I have found very favorable to manage
in merely experimental operations.
After the varnished material has been properly prepared and
cut out, the next process will be to sew it together. This can
be done by any seamstress who possesses ordinary ingenuity;
but at first will come a little awkward on account of its being an
unusual kind of material to sew at.  The edges are made to
overlap each other about three-eights or a half an inch, and sewed
with a common running stitch, as represented in the cut.
SEAM.
After the seam or seams are sewed they must be coated over on
both sides with a drying varnish. One part of drying copal varnish
and one part balloon varnish mixed make a very good composition for this purpose. This stops up the needle holes and insinuates itself between the lap of the seam and consolidates it,
which also gives the balloon strength, by forming a sort of rib
work in it. Many seams in a balloon, made in this manner, are
beneficial to it, because it gives it superior strength; and when
they are neatly done, without puckering, they add to its beauty.
In joining the segments, care must be taken to bring them out in
equal length, as any material variation from this would destroy
its mathematical figure, and impair its symmetry and strength.
In cutting out the segments, allowance must be made in their
lower ends, so that when the balloon is sewed together it will have
an open neck of eighteen inches diameter, which will admit a
man's body, as it is necessary to go inside of the balloon in
arranging the valve and its cord, as also to examine the perfection of the machine. By using the strips which are cut from the
sides of the upper half of the segment for the lower part of the
balloon, the neck will be handsomely shaped from them. When
the balloon is completely sewed together it should be blown up,
which is easily done by placing a hoop in the neck to keep it
open, and then driving air into it with a common palm leaf fan, or




VALVE.                         283
a good feather fan, and left for a day or two to see how it holds
the air. As it holds common air, so it will hold hydrogen, with
the odds in favor of hydrogen. About the diffusion and affinity of
gases, something will be said hereafter. If the balloon seems not
tight enough upon such trial, the application of a very thin coat of
varnish, as prescribed in the article of balloon varnish, will be
found to produce a very beneficial effect. I have generally coated
the material three times before sewing it together, and after being
joined, coated the seams well, and then used the balloon for one
voyage, after which I gave it a complete coat of varnish, when it
could be used for eight or ten voyages before it wanted recoating.
The heaviest glazed side should be inwards, as there may by
carelessness in the process of inflation some fumes of the heated
acid pass into the balloon.
When the balloon is formed, it wants a valve placed in its
top, and if it is desired to have more than one, others may
be placed in its side, about or above the centre. In common
balloons I have found one amply sufficient, as it can be made
large or small to suit the fancy of the aeronaut. Indeed, I never
used a balloon with more than one valve in it; but Mr. Green of
London has several in his large Nassau Balloon, as I have been
informed. In so large a machine it may be highly necessary.
In balloons of from twenty to twenty-five feet diameter, I have
used valves of the following dimensions and construction:-Two
disks of wood one foot in diameter, and each three eighths of an
inch in thickness, are smoothly leveled off. On their inside surfaces are glued a layer of sheep-skin leather, so that the leather
projects half an inch over the outer edge of the disk: this is
to protect the silk or muslin of the balloon from the more harsh
edge of wood.  When the disks are thus prepared, they should be
screwed together with five-eighths inch wood screws. Then a
hole four inches square is cut through the centre of it.
VALVE.
The clapper, which is four and a half inches square, so that it
overlaps the opening a quarter of an inch all around, is covered
with strong pliable sheep-skin leather, which should project about
half an inch at the hinder edge to answer for the hinge of
the clapper, and by which it is tacked down to the disk. In place
of this, however, light brass hinges may be used, just as the mechanic fancies.  In the rear of the clapper is inserted a wire coil
spring which curves over and on the clapper, touching it a little
behind its middle, and pressing on it to an extent of several




284                    BALLOON NET.
pounds at least, making it self-shutting, since the pressure of the
gas against it means nothing, as is otherwise supposed it does.
This kind of spring is used in the common spring mouse-trap, as
also in locomotive engine pipes at their joints to let them down
by, from which the idea of it will be properly presented. I have
used various other kinds of springs, but none answered so well as
the kind here described.
When the valve is made, one disk is placed inside the balloon
at its top centre, and the other disk on the corresponding outside,
and thus screwed together, clasping the silk, which ought to
be doubled for a yard or so at the top, between. The piece in the
opening part of the valve is then cut out, so that when the clapper is drawn open a free communication is opened for the gas to
escape.  On the inside of the valve clapper a wire ring is
screwed or clinched, from which the valve rope proceeds down
through the neck of the balloon into the aeronaut's car.
On the outside of the valve disk several small rings may
be screwed to which the net may be fastened with slight twine to
keep it to its place while the balloon is being inflated. This fastening should not be too strong, as the net would bring an
unequal stress upon that point of the machine in case it should
have slipped from its centre, if they were too strong to resist its
accommodating itself to the weight below which regulates its disposition over the surface of the balloon.
Spanish cedar I found to be the best wood for valve disks and
clappers. It is light, substantial, and unchangeable, when properly seasoned; and it is a wood that is easily worked. On the
inner side of the disk two ledges, each three-eighths of an inch
thick and three-fourths of an inch wide, should be screwed on, a
little on each side of the clapper. This will keep the disk from
warping, and the surfaces level and gas tight between the
clapper and disk.
NET-WORK OF BALLOON.
When the balloon is made and its valve properly inserted, it
wants a net-work to cover it over for the purpose of distributing
the power it is to produce over its surface equally. This may be
composed of any sort of twine.  Silk makes the lightest and best;
but I have always used a cotton twine as being in every way
well adapted to the purpose. It is soft and elastic, and can be
procured from the rope and twine sellers of any required strength.
The weight, or strength of the twine governs the size of the
meshes of the net. If a light.twine is used the meshes should be
smaller than for a heavier kind. The last two nets I made were




BALLOON RIGGING.                    285
of cotton twine, having thirty-six threads in it. It was about the
tenth of an inch in thickness. The meshes were of three different sizes; commencing from the centre of the net, they were
knit over a five-inch board, which makes a mesh ten inches long
when drawn its full length, and five inches square when opened.
This size meshes were continued for one-third the distance of the
net from the centre to its lower edge; from this point the meshes
were made over a six-inch board for the next third; and from
this they were made over a seven-inch board for the balance of
its required size. The size of the net is to be so regulated that
the meshes will assume an oblong shape over the upper surface
of the balloon. They should stand twice as long as broad when
the net bears its burden. At its lower part the meshes should
become more oblong, for which the allowance must be made
accordingly.
For beginning a balloon net, a round block or board about
eight inches in diameter, with its edge slightly grooved, answers
a good purpose. Around this groove a quarter-inch cord is to be
spliced. Before this cord is put on, there should be as many
curfs cut in the edge of the block as it will require loops to begin
on.  At each of these curfs a loop is to be made for the beginning
of the net, the last loop having its end for the beginning of the
knitting process, from which it can be knit round and round to
the required size. Its increase of size is made by throwing in
half-meshes, and these must be regulated according to the mathematical increase of the balloon, which the common arithmetician
can calculate by the increased size of his pattern segment.
The net should come down some distance below the equator of
the balloon, and ought to cover two-thirds of the machine, but
half-covered may do. This embraces the fair mathematical process of construction, but a net is of such an accommodating and
elastic nature, that almost any form or shape will answer, provided it is big enough. It may be begun by simply knitting a
square piece of the size of a yard, and then commence knitting
around and increasing it according to the size of the balloon it is
to cover. I saw one knit in this way by Mr. Paullin, which answered the purpose very well, but the first directions are the best,
and will recommend themselves from their simplicity and comprehensiveness.  A much lighter twine may be used than above
stated by making the meshes smaller, but in that I have experienced a difficulty in the part of the net where the main cords
were attached to it, in landing in strong winds, by its tearing,
although more strands were fastened to the main cord; while
with the heavy twine in the net I never had a single strand of it
broken, though branches were torn from trees and fences pulled




286                    HYDROGEN GAS.
down in the progress of the balloon's landing, all of which force
came upon the netting.
From  the lower edge of the net proceeds the cords to which
the car of the aeronaut is suspended.  For a twenty-two feet
diameter balloon twenty attachments are sufficient. These attachments converge into one joining six or eight feet below the net, which
will make but ten main cords to come down to the concentrating
hoop, at which point the connection of the car to the net should
be made.  This I have always done by simply tying the ropes
together, but the aeronaut may use his own fancy for that.  The
concentrating hoop should be at least six feet below the lower
extremity of the balloon, when it is all rigged.  From  the concentrating hoop down to the balustrade hoop twenty cords proceed, and these should be worked in with the wicker work of the
car, going clear down its side, across the bottom and up the other
side, in order to make the car perfectly secure in its bottom.
The tying, splicing and joining of the various cords, may all
be done according to the operator's particular taste and fancy.
Much ingenuity and ornament may be exercised, as is the case
in the French aerial machinery.  Solidity and safety should,
however, be the main point of consideration.
CHAPTER IV.
Weight of Hydrogen-Vitriolic process of inflation-Strength of sulphuric
acid-Apparatus illustrated-Balloon, how kept under process of inflation-Pure hydrogen process of inflation-Carburetted hydrogen for
balloons-Its consideration in the future prospects of aeronautics.
AFTER the balloon is made and properly rigged, it is ready for
actual service; but in order to make it useful it must be inflated
with a substance lighter than atmospheric air.  The lightest of
all ponderable substances, that we have any knowledge of, is pure
hydrogen gas.  This gas exists as an elementary component part
of almost every substance in the world, and particularly in matter
of a combustible nature.  In most cases it is evolved, compounded
with other gases, particularly from bituminous coal, when it is
mixed with carbon-generally termed vapor of carbon.  From
this it can be separated and purified by passing it through porcelain or earthen tubes heated white hot, where it deposits its carbon.
The most ready means of procuring it pure is by the decomposition of water, of which it is a constituent. The gaseous com



INFLATION AND MATERIALS.                   287
bination of water consists of nine atoms of oxygen and one atom
of hydrogen.  The one atom of hydrogen is twice the bulk in
size of the nine atoms of oxygen when liberated in their gaseous
states. Hydrogen is sixteen times lighter than oxygen, and over
fourteen times lighter than common air. Thus, if we use pure
hydrogen for ascending power, we shall have full thirteen-fourteenths of the atmosphere's buoyancy, which would be seventy
pounds for every thousand cubic feet of gas in the balloon. But
in generating hydrogen by decomposing water with oil of vitriol
and iron or zinc, it is liable to impurities, so that we get only
from sixty to sixty-five pounds to the thousand cubic feet.  But
by decomposing water in passing its steam  or vapor through
heated iron turnings, we get the hydrogen pure, and an ascending
power of seventy pounds for every thousand feet. And so we
will by passing coal-gas (carburetted hydrogen) through heated
porcelain or earthen tubes in which it deposits its carbon, and is
consequently purified.
VITRIOLIC PROCESS OF INFLATION.
The readiest means for procuring a large quantity of hydrogen
gas in a short time, is by the vitriolic process.  With eight or
nine common rum puncheons of 130 gallons each, for retorts as
gas generators, 5,000 cubic feet of hydrogen can be evolved in
one hour.  To effect this with eight casks-air tight ones-each
one must contain seventy gallons of clear water, and 125 pounds
of iron in the shape of turnings, or borings of clean cast iron,
or card teeth, or fine particles in any shape, and if nails or other
heavy scraps are used it will require more in proportion, since
the time of oxidation is according to the surface presented by the
iron to the acid. Into each of these casks 144 pounds of oil of
vitriol of the specific gravity of 1.85, which is the common strength,
must be poured at once, which in one hour will produce 600
cubic feet, or more, of hydrogen gas. The proportions in weight
are as follows:-Water 560 pounds; oil of vitriol 144 pounds;
iron turnings 125 pounds.  In operating on a small scale, the
formula is:-Vitriol one pound; iron one pound; water four
pounds, which will produce four cubic feet of hydrogen. In the
arrangement with the eight casks they may be all put in operation at once, or only a part of them at a time, just as the operator
may prefer, or as his arrangements for cooling and washing the
gas may permit. It should be run through a head of water of
eight or ten inches, supplied with ice, and if ice can not be procured, a running stream of cool water passing through the cooling
tub will answer equally well. There should be a peck of lime




288                      INFLATION.
dissolved in the water of the cooling tub to absorb any carbonic
acid gas that may be generated, as this gas is heavier than
atmospheric air.
This process takes place under the law of chemical affinities.
The water being composed of oxygen and hydrogen in liquid
combination, these must be separated and rendered gaseousat least the hydrogen, which we want, must be rendered so.
Iron exposed to water extracts from it the oxygen without any
other agent, but this is greatly facilitated by adding sulphuric
acid, or, as it is commonly called, oil of vitriol. This acid is
formed of water highly impregnated with oxygen, and it has a
powerful effect in separating the atoms of which iron is composed, when water is present to supply oxygen to unite with the
atoms of the dissolving iron.  Now the oxygen of the water
having a stronger attraction or affinity for the atoms of iron than
it has for the hydrogen with which it is associated, it leaves the
latter and incorporates with the former, and the hydrogen is set
free, as is also the caloric of fluidity. The iron and sulphuric
acid mingle with the undecomposed water in the retort, and the
hydrogen passes off through the tubes and up through water,
into the balloon-the caloric is absorbed and diffused, the greater
portion of it neutralized in the cooling tub.
In testing sulphuric acid, it is compared in its weight to that
of water.  Good sulphuric acid is nearly twice as heavy as
water. As, for instance, a certain measure of water will weigh
100.grains, an equal measure of good sulphuric acid will weigh
185 grains-this is its officinal strength, and when weaker than
this it is not well adapted to the evolution of pure hydrogen by
decomposition of water.
The apparatus as shown in the plate is the kind I have always
used.  The casks may be arranged in'ene or two sets.  The
number of casks used as retorts, can be varied according to size.
If they hold but sixty-five gallons a piece, sixteen can be used,
and even barrels can be used, if only the number is increased
in proportion to the diminution of their capacities.  For the
larger kind of casks two inch tin tubes are sufficient to pass the
gas from the retorts to the cooling tub. The cooling tub should
hold at least 150 gallons of water, and of a shape which will receive a common sized hogshead with its under end open, into it,
with space enough between it and the inside of the tub for the
gas pipe to pass down between them, and its recurve terminate
under the inverted hogshead, or gasometer as it is called. These
gas tubes should have flanches half an inch from the end which
goes in the head of the retort, by which they may be securely
tacked down with 16 oz. tacks, with putty under the flanch to
make an air-tight joint. The tube which passes the gas from








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INFLAT ION OF BALLOO0N.




PURE HYDROGEN.                      289
the cooling tub or gasometer to the balloon is also to be made of
tin, and with a flanch, but of four inches diameter.  From this
main tube to the balloon the gas passes through a hose made of
stout muslin rendered air tight with balloon varnish, and the
connection at the entrance of the balloon is made by a short
four inch tin tube.
While the balloon is under the process of inflation, it can be
handily kept to its place by the net cords being fastened to
weights.  Although I have always commenced the inflation with
the balloon lying on the ground, I do not hesitate to recommend
the plan of hanging it up as represented in the plate, since by
such plan the net can be more easily adjusted and kept to its
proper centre, than by the other.  There should be extra ropes
proceeding from the net by which the balloon is held down during its inflation, so that the car may be harnessed to the rigging
without disturbing the weights which hold it down, and these
should only be loosened when everything is ready for a start.
PURE HYDROGEN PROCESS.
This is done by passing steam through iron turnings, heated
red hot in iron cylinders or retorts. Such an apparatus would be
more economical than the one just described, for a stationary
one, and where continuous quantities were required. The retorts
must be made of heavy cast iron, three quarters of an inch in
thickness, and of ten or twelve inch calibre, and about eight feet
long.  Three of these, set in a furnace of firebrick similar to
the retorts in gas houses, would be capable of generating fifteen
thousand cubic feet per day.  The ends of the retorts must come
a little outside of the furnace, and must be so contrived as to
receive the steam in one end, through a tube which can be regulated by a valve, and another tube from  the other end through
which the gas passes into a cooling vessel, and from thence into
the balloon.  One end of the retort must be provided with a
bolt-head which can be taken off and put on when required, for
the purpose of taking out the residuum and introducing fresh iron
turnings. Gas made by this process is pure and inodorous, and is
fourteen times lighter than common air, and will give seventy
pounds ascending power for every thousand cubic feet.
CARBURETTED HYDROGEN.
As stated in the preceding article, this also is an economical
preparation, where things in regard to inflating balloons may be
19




290                        COAL GAS.
kept at one place.  However, this kind of gas being so generally
introduced through the streets of all cities and towns, its use to
the aid of aeronautics is destined to become an important branch
of its consumption.  The companies generally have large gas
holders at their works, from  capacities of twenty thousand cubic
feet up to one hundred thousand, and some to a million.  In the
smaller works, a day or two's notice for a supply sufficient to inflate
an experimental balloon of eight or ten thousand cubic feet
capacity, would enable them  to work into their gas holder that
much more than their regular consumption, without injury or inconvenience to their works.  In the larger works, as they exist
in our principal cities, such a quantity would scarcely be noticed
in their regular operations.
This gas is evolved from bituminous coal, subjected to a red
heat in iron retorts-and of late they have commenced introducing earthen retorts for such purpose.  The process is very
simple, as heat alone evolves the gas, together with some tar
and ammoniacal liquor, which is deposited as soon as it gets to a
cool place, and the gas for purification is passed through dry
lime.  It can also be purified by passing it through wet lime, as
described in the vitriolic process.  It is composed of two atoms
of hydrogen, and one atom of carbon.  The first portions of the
gas as it is evolved from the coal, is heavier than the latter, but
its general specific gravity is about one-half that of atmospheric
air. A ton of bituminous coal will yield ten thousand cubic feet
of gas sufficiently carburetted for illuminating purposes, and will
yield considerably more of a lighter specific gravity, which would
answer admirably for balloons, but which is never extracted by
the gas-lighting companies, on account of its want of carbon, and
consequent poor illuminating power.
It may yet become a business question with the gas-lighting
companies whether they may not, profitably to themselves, erect
a gas-holder expressly to collect these lighter portions of the gas
to supply aeronautic purposes-especially in the larger works.
From the gas, as now manufactured by the baking of bituminous
coal, we can get one-half of atmospheric buoyancy, being thirtyfive pounds ascending power for one thousand cubic feet of gas.
Hence, a balloon capable of carrying an ordinary sized man
should not be of a less capacity than ten thousand cubic feet.
This would be sufficient to allow for expansion of gas where the
balloon attained a height of one and a half miles. But by a very
simple process, and by the additional cost of probably an amount
equal to first cost, it could be rendered nearly twice as powerful
in its levity, by extracting its carbon from it, in running it
through heated earthen tubes.  Indeed, the art of gas-lighting,
like the art of aeronautics, is just at the present time opening




BALLOON SAILING.                      291
itself to the uses of mankind in a tangible manner, and is, as it
were, but on the threshold of common comprehension.  Its onward progress is destined to carry on its wings the barque which
shall glide us from  clime to clime as smoothly as the vapor
cloud.
For an aeronautic establishment, a gas work could be erected
which would render the cost of inflating balloons with purified
gas a comparative trifle, compared to what it is at present. Such
an establishment in any of our large cities would soon pay a
profit equal to the best gas-lighting company's stock. The recreative effects upon invalids would soon bring it into repute far
beyond any other means that have been yet established for such
purposes; to the elucidation of which a chapter will be specially
devoted in the concluding part of this work, since the author
himself has been a case of chronic dyspepsia, and can therefore
speak from experience.
It should have been mentioned in the vitriolic process, that
zinc, in a granulated or otherwise divided state, answers quite as
well as iron for decomposing water.
CHAPTER V.
Directions in balloon sailing-Grappling irons-Guide line-Index-Instruments-Descent on woods and waters-How to manage-To collapse balloon —ow to fasten grapple ropes-Caution after descentFolding of balloon —Ieight instrument-Parachute-How made-Parachutes in the vegetable and animal kingdom-Pope's and Darwin's
ideas.
HAVING a description of the process of making and inflating
balloons, our next object will necessarily be to learn their management while using them as a means for navigating the atmosphere.  In order to be fully prepared for an experimental voyage,
the aeronaut should be provided with two grappling irons of
about two and a half pounds weight each; or they may be heavier if he is not particular in the economy of carrying weight.The ropes attached to these irons should be from two to three
hundred feet in length, and should be strong enough to bear a
strain of four or five hundred pounds. A short rope of thirty
feet, capable of bearing a strain of a thousand pounds, should be
carried along to attach to the strongest grapple instead of its
thinner rope, to be used when a landing is to be effected under a




292                  BALLOON SAILING.
strong wind.  But in such case it is better to choose a landing
place behind a hill, or a wood, which forms an excellent harbor
for the balloon, and which can as readily be attained by the
practical aeronaut, as the bay or breakwater can by the argonaut
or water sailor.  A line of six or eight hundred feet, capable
of bearing a hundred pounds strain, should also be carried along,
which answers a very good purpose when descending in calm
weather, as by this the aerial vessel may be moored to any required
place by any person who may be at the point of its descent.
This rope also answers another useful purpose. By having light
ribbons tied on it, one at its lower extremity, one a hundred
feet higher up, and a third another hundred feet above that, the
aeronaut can tell the direction of a contrary current that he may
be descending into, some time before he reaches it, a knowledge
of which may be very essential to his proper and safe landing.He should also be provided with an index of rising and falling.
This is a light ribbon a foot long, fastened to the end of a three
feet stick, which may project from the side of the car. When
the balloon rises the ribbon hangs straight down and is tremulous; when the  balloon descends the ribbon  coils upward,
and under a rapid descent it stands straight upward with a tremulous motion.  Pieces of paper thrown.overboard also indicate
the rise and fall of the machine, but not so well as the index; for,
when the vessel is sailing along in equilibrio, neither rising nor
falling, paper will still descend, but the index ribbon does then
not move, it hangs perpendicularly down and quiescent, apparently
as perfectly becalmed as though it were in an exhausted receiver;
and it makes no difference whether the balloon is at the time sailing at the rate of one mile per hour, or at the rate of one hundred
miles per hour.
When the aeronaut is sailing along with the wind, his vessel
becomes part and parcel of that element as far as velocity of
horizontal motion is concerned, and the whole machine is relatively becalmed; therefore, it is plainly seen that sails or rudder
would be of no avail under such circumstances.  The aeronaut
experiences no cutting breeze, as does the traveler on a steamboat or railroad car.
A compass and map should always be carried along to enable
the aeronaut to tell where he is going, and the nature of the
country over which he is sailing. When immediately above the
clouds, the aerial ship sails in the same direction with the clouds,
and in such  cases it is impossible to tell what direction the
balloon is making, or whether it is making any headway at all.I have sailed in the current which moved the clouds immediately
beneath the air ship, and made headway at the rate of fifty-two
miles in forty-two minutes, without at the time seeing that I was




BALLOON SAILING.                      293
going at any velocity at all.  This is easily comprehended, since
the clouds that were with me at the start, were also with me at
the end of the voyage, so that everything held the same relative
position during the whole flight. When the clouds are broken so
that the aeronaut can see the earth at places, it is otherwise, for he
can then see objects moving as it were.  But, when the air ship
is permitted to rise a considerable height above the clouds, it generally gets into another current, in which case the course of the
clouds forms an angle with the line of direction of the balloon,
which enables the aeronaut to tell his course, as well as his
speed, which he is at the time making.
After the aeronaut has sailed as far as he desired, or reached
his point of destination, his next object will be to effect a good
landing. If he is a novice in the art, some diffioulties may beset
him, since practice is the only school in which we can acquire
substantial learning, but at the same time proper directions will
be of great use to this branch of the business.  If the balloon
happens to come down when all the ballast has been expended, it
will then be impossible for the aeronaut to govern its descent to
any degree.  He may avoid coming down on an isolated object,
by exerting against the air a common fan, sufficient to diverge
from such point, so as to escape a tree, or-a house, if it should
be in the way.  But a river or forest he cannot avoid under
such circumstances, and he should not, therefore, be alarmed.
If he come down on a forest in a strong wind the car will rebound
the moment it strikes the elastic branches of the tree tops, and
the machine will thus ricochet along without any unpleasant consequences to the aeronaut, and at the first clear space he can
make his descent.  On such occasions he must remember to
keep his grappling irons inside of his car until the moment
arrives for their use.  If the balloon happens to come down on
a river or lake, there is no cause of alarm, as the car will not
sink many inches in the water, and if it is in the form of a boat
it will sail as well on the water as it did in the air, the balloon acting as a sail.  If it-be calm  weather, the car or boat
may be paddled along with very little effort.  If the weather is
calm, in coming down on a woods the aeronaut can easily guide
his bark by the tree tops to such point where the most room presents itself to let the balloon through as it gradually collapses.
The balloon may be provided with a collapsing rope, which I
would recommend to novices, since they might become unnecessarily alarmed in a first adventure when landing under a high
wind.  A  common twenty-three feet diameter balloon, upon
which all our directions are biased, will chafe very fiercely under
a gale of wind when the grapple has taken effect. In such case
the explosive cord may stand the inexperienced aeronaut in good




294                     DESCENDING.
need, as by a sudden jerk of it the balloon can be exploded instantly, when it falls to the ground powerless.  This consists
in fastening a stout line securely against the outside of the
balloon at a point a little below its equator-from this let it run
up four or five feet, or more, there enter the balloon, at which
entrance it must be secured by cementing a piece of oiled silk
over the aperture to make it air tight-from this point the line or
cord proceeds down through the neck of the machine into the
aeronaut's car. It must be marked to distinguish it from the
valve cord, as they are about of the same strength.
The anchor ropes, or more properly speaking, the grapplingiron ropes, must be fastened at the upper edge of the car, as then,
when the balloon draws one way the grapple draws the other,
and these two forces being in opposite directions and both proceeding from the same point, the car is not much disturbed by it.
To fasten the rope at the bottom of the car, as has frequently been
recommended, would, in a heavy wind, cause it to be tilted over.
When the aeronaut has made his descent and is discharging
the gas by the valve, he should not leave the car until the balloon is nearly exhausted.  Though many persons may come to
the place of his descent and become engaged in rendering him
assistance, still, if they have been unaccustomed to such operations,
they are very apt to become alarmed when a squall of wind happens to agitate the balloon, and let it go.  This happened to me
on one occasion when the balloon was more than two-thirds exhausted.  I had the top of the balloon drawn down and had
hold of the valve, when a squall of wind alarmed the persons who
held by the cords, which they let go, and, seeing this, I held
firmly to the valve disk, but the machine rolled off with a violent
surge, jerking me several feet from the ground, and leaving in
my hands the whole valve with part of the balloon remaining to
it, and from which cause it came down again after it had drifted
off nearly two miles.
After the balloon is emptied of its gas the net should be taken
off, then it may be rolled up and packed in a canvass bag, or
one made of stout twilled muslin, which the aeronaut should
always carry with him.
These are general directions and recommendations suggested
to the young practitioner of aeronautics, upon which it is desirable
he should improve as fast as the progress of the art will inspire
him to do.  As for philosophical instruments, log-books and journals, he will of course exercise his own pleasure and judgment.
The barometer is an instrument which it is very difficult to carry
along and bring down safe in rough weather.  It should be suspended from the concentrating hoop, and there it is even liable to
derangement when landing under squally weather. As an instru



PARACHUTES.                        295
ment for measuring altitudes based upon the diminution of atmospheric pressure, I have used a common porter bottle, to the neck
of which was joined a bladder of the same capacity as the bottle.
The bottle being filled with air of the density at the point of
starting, and the bladder tied on then in a collapsed state, the
expansion of the air in the bottle would gradually fill the bladder
as it rose up in the rarer regions of the atmosphere.  When the
bladder became completely distended it indicated a barometrical
height of about fifteen inches, or over three miles high from the
level of the sea. A height indicating instrument might be made
on this principle, which would tell it with as much exactness as
the barometer, and would not be so liable to derangement as an
aeronautic instrument. The one I used would only tell one point
with exactness-that at which the bladder became filled, the
intermediate points were merely calculations from guesswork of
the amount of distension in the bladder.
To explode the balloon when high in the air and convert it
into a parachute, the manner of doing it, and the fixtures necessary to its operations, have all been described.  The parachute,
as a distinct machine from the balloon, will be our next subject
of consideration.
PARACHUTE.
The concave parachute, for experimental and scientific illustrative purposes, may be considered the best.  This can be
formed of almost any kind of cloth material, but common domestic
muslin, of a substantial texture, answers the purpose very well.
One sufficient to let down an ordinary sized man in safety should
be twenty-two feet across when opened, and should be of a shape
considerably more flattened than a hemisphere. If of a hemispheric
shape, it need not be more than twenty feet across when opened,
as this form will condense a column of air more rapidly than a
flatter form will in its descent.  This calculation is for a minimum size, which may be increased by the aeronaut as he fancies,
since an increase of size will cause a corresponding retardation
of velocity in its descent. The segments of which the parachute
is to be formed may be cut by the scale for cutting balloons, and
may be so varied as to give it a more flattened form  than a half
sphere. These segments may be joined by a lap, or a welt seam,
according to fancy, since its object is merely strength.  The
parachute may be covered with a net, or with cords.  The latter
is the most simple, and answers the purpose perfectly well, when
properly arranged. The apex, or central joining of the parachute
must be formed of a block of wood with a hole through it sufficiently large for a rope to slide through.  The cords which sus



296                    PARACHUTES.
tain the car of the aeronaut are fastened to this block and proceed
down along each seam on the outside of the canvass, and should
be fastened along the seam, and at the edge of the parachute
where they pass over it.  The car is rigged to these cords as
represented in the plate of Hampton's parachute, and is supported
by the rope with which it is fastened to the balloon, and which
passes up through the hole in the block.  When the parachute is
detached from the balloon, by loosening this rope there is some
danger of the rope flying against the inside of the parachute and
injuring it.  To obviate this, it may be guided safely by passing
it through tin tubes setting upon each other from the car to the
block, which fall away as soon as the parachute is detached from
the balloon.  For the further security and certainty of the immediate opening of the parachute, a six-feet diameter hoop may be
suspended from the inside of the block, which will keep the parachute that much open, ready at once to receive a column of air
in its descent.  For safety and certainty Mr. Hampton's parachute is the best.
It has been suggested by some writers on this subject that the
parachute be made with a shutter or valve in its top, thinking
that such contrivance would answer to regulate its descent in
making it uniform, and prevent the violent oscillations which arise
from the condensation of the atmospheric column upon which the
machine acts when coming down.  This method promises very
well in theory, as a column of air rushing up through the open
shutter of the parachute as it was falling, would seem to act the
part of a guide pole, over which the machine would slide down
perpendicularly with a uniform motion. But when we consider
the elastic nature of the atmosphere, and the very exact proportions of the opening for the column of air to pass through to that
of the surface of the impinging material and the weight which
drags it along, and then its liability of falling through various air
currents which would strike it laterally, it would seem to promise but little advantage in practice. However, it would be
worth the trial, and, although parachuting seems to be of no
great practical consequence to the art of aeronautics, its science
embraces the highest mathematical considerations and properties
connected with it.
We have a beautiful illustration of this principle in various departments of nature.  The flying squirrel moves in parabolic
curves from tree to tree on the parachute principle.  The pollen
of plants is carried from one place to another by this mode; the
beautiful parachutes springing from the common thistle and the
dandelion plants have been noticed by the common observer; indeed, nature uses the atmosphere as its common highway, upon
which it has, continually, myriads of its vehicles floating for the




RAREFIED AIR BALLOONS.                    297
purpose of interchanging, interpregnating, and improving the
vegetable kingdom, upon the aeronautic parachute principle.
The phenomenon of frequent occurrence, and erroneously believed
to be a deposit of sulphur, which is frequently seen on tie surface
of our rain-water casks after thunder showers, is nothing more
than a deposit of pollen which has been caught with its parachutes
in the stormy elements, and which destroyed the little air vessels
and dashed the pollen down with the rain, and which for a long
time was viewed as a mysterious freak of nature.  In the ocean we
also have the principle naturally illustrated. The nautilus, and sea
anemone, move altogether on this principle. The former embraces
the principles of navigation and parachuting, and Pope very beautifully says of it" Learn of the little nautilus to sail,
Spread the thin oar, and catch the driving gale."
If nature works upon this principle so extensively, it is
certainly well worth our while to study it deeply, since it is well
known that our highest attainments in the arts and sciences are
but attempts to imitate nature in her more perfect works.  By so
doing we shall soon realize the prophetic expectations of Darwin,
expressed in his inspired poetry of" Soon shall thy arm, unconquered steam, afar
Drag the slow barge, or drive the rapid car;
Or, on wide waving wings expanded, bear
The flying chariot through the fields of air!"
And if not by steam power, by some power more adaptable
to the ends of aerial navigation, which the progressive spirit of
the present age is fully competent to bring out.
CHAPTER VI.
Rarefied air balloons-Laws regulating them-Their powers consideredHow to construct them-How to inflate them-Experiment illustratedAn ascent with one described.
RAREFIED AIR BALLOONS.
ALTHOUGH rarefied air balloons have almost fallen into disuse,
since the hydrogen balloon has been rendered more available as
an aeronautic machine, still, a description of the mode of manu



298               RAREFIED AIR BALLOONS.
facturing and inflating them should be imparted to the student
and experimentalist of the art.
The ascent of rarefied air balloons is governed by the same
pneumatic law which applies to hydrogen balloons. The means
by which the machines are rendered specifically lighter than
common air, are, however, very different.  In the hydrogen balloon the buoyant agent is a permanent body, unchangeable in its
nature under ordinary circumstances.  In the rarefied air balloon
this agent is not permanent, but dependent on another, which
requires a continuous application of combustible material to keep
up its buoyant property.
Common air expands by heat and' contracts by cold.  When a
body or portion of it is heated more than that by which it is surrounded, it will rise, and if it is rendered colder it will sink in it.
On this principle the rarefied air balloon depends for its buoyant
power.  Common air increases one-four-hundred-and-eightieth of
its bulk for every additional degree of heat it gets, and since its
weight is as its density, it follows that this increased bulk weighs
one-four-hundred-and-eightieth  less than an equal bulk of'air
whose temperature is one degree less.  Consequently, as we increase the temperature of the air in the balloon, so we increase
its ascending power, and so long as the temperature exists, so
long its proportionate ascending power continues, and as soon as
this temperature diminishes, so soon also diminishes this power.
Hence, in order to keep a rarefied air balloon afloat in the atmosphere any length of time, it becomes necessary to carry with it
fuel for the purpose of keeping up the heat of the air with which it
is filled. If we send them up with a heated body of air in them,
and no fire along, their flight must be necessarily brief, as an
equilibrium between the enclosed and outer air will soon follow
in the high and colder region of the atmosphere to which they
will be driven. The rarefaction of common air by this process,
seems to come justly under the principle of dilution, since from a
given body of common air a portion is expelled, and in its stead
a lighter substance (caloric) is placed. On the same principle,
that if we take a bottle full of water and force into it, while it has
vent, a portion of spirits of wine, a part of the water will be expelled, and the bottle will be filled with a compound fluid specifically lighter than water, and if the bottle were porous, as is
the case with the rarefied air balloon, and placed, or immersed
into a body of water, an equilibrium  would soon be brought
about between the inner and outer liquid, unless some contrivance attended the bottle, by which a stream of spirits of wine
was forced into it faster than the diffusion of the liquids would
compensate for.  Hence, by increasing the temperature of a
given quantity of confined air, we drive a portion of it out, and




CONSTRUCTION OF RAREFIED AIR BALLOONS.   299
put in its place an equal bulk of caloric. The latter substance is
the material cause of heat, and occupies space.
As common air is expanded by heat to the extent of one-fourhundred-and-eightieth of its bulk for every additional degree of
Fahrenheit it attains, it follows that a balloon whose capacity is one
thousand cubic feet, and filled with air one degree warmer than that
which surrounds it, must be one-four-hundred-and-eightieth lighter than the weight of an equal bulk of that which it displaces.
Now, as common airweighs one and two-tenth ouncesper cubic foot,
a thousand feet weighs twelve hundred ounces, and the one-fourhundred-and-eightieth part of that makes two and one-half ounces,
so that for every additional degree of heat put into this quantity
of air, we drive out two and one-half ounces of ponderable matter, and occupy its place with caloric or, imponderable matter.
Increase this heat to a hundred degrees above its common temperature-being that of the atmosphere at the time of making the
experiment, and we shall have gained sixteen pounds ascending
power nearly.  If the atmosphere at the time of the experiment
is fifty degrees, the heat inside the balloon will be one hundred
and fifty degrees.  If we use a balloon of ten thousand feet
capacity, we will, at this rate, gain an ascending power of one
hundred and sixty pounds nearly, and from this we see that rarefied
air balloons must be made of very large dimensions in order to
carry up aeronauts, as it is not very practicable to attain a degree
of rarefaction much beyond that which we have just mentioned.
And in order to succeed in going up with one, it should hold
from fifty to sixty thousand cubic feet.  The only one that I ever
saw used in the United States with which a person ascended on
this principle, held about sixty thousand feet, and the aeronaut
carried no fire up with him.
CONSTRUCTION OF RAREFIED AIR BALLOONS.
Common stout muslin answers the purpose very well, and in
order to make it retain the heat better it should be coated slightly
with a composition of common ochre, glue and water, made into
a consistency of what is termed size, or common water color.Before this is put on, the lower part of the balloon should be
soaked in a solution of alum, or sal ammoniac, which renders it
non-combustible, and avoids the danger of the machine taking
fire while in process of inflation.  The segments should be joined
by a lap seam  substantially sewed, which makes the machine
firm, and it must be remembered that the rarefied air balloon carries no net-work over its surface, therefore, its main strength must
depend on the material it is made of and its seams.  The form




300      INFLATION OF RAREFIED AIR BALLOONS.
of the balloon should be oblong, of such proportions as when the
machine is forty feet in its transverse diameter it should be sixty
feet in its perpendicular diameter.  This dimension is a convenient size for one to carry up an aeronaut.  To form  such
a one the segments must be cut by a pattern for a forty feet
diameter balloon-that is the upper half of them-their central
parts straight, making its shape cylindrical one-third of its height,
and the lower parts tapered off, so as to finish the machine with
an opening in its lower part of thirteen feet four inches, being
one-third of its transverse diameter.  This makes the machine
globular at the top, cylindrical along  its middle, and egg
shaped in its lower part.  In the lower orifice a hoop of tough
wood must be inserted, and as this carries the whole weight of
the aeronaut and his appendages, it is best to make the lower
part of the balloon of stronger material, for a distance of five or
six feet up from the hoop. This hoop need not be sewed in, if
the lower edge be worked full of loop holes, by which it may be
strung fast with stout twine.  From this hoop proceed the cords,
in the same manner as they are described to do from the net of
the hydrogen balloon; and the same rule and rigging from this
point apply in both cases.
The foregoing plate represents a sectional view of a rarefied air
balloon in process of inflation.  A Frenchman by the name of
Verdalle made several ascensions with a balloon of this kind from
the vicinity of the city of Philadelphia in the fall of 1849.  His
machine was about forty by sixty feet in size, and was composed
of black twilled. muslin.  When prepared for inflation it was suspended from  a rope which run across from two poles erected for
that purpose, so that just before starting he could loosen the one
end of it and draw it out of the ring at the top of the balloon.The process of inflation on the occasion where I was an eye witness, was conducted in the following manner:The balloon was suspended from a rope as represented above
-its lower part touching the ground. Inside of the balloon on
the ground stood a common sheet iron furnace surmounted with a
flue about six feet high. Near the balloon on the outside was
provided a quantity of straw, about a common cart load, tied up
in suitably sized fagots.  These were handed through under the
hoop, which was held down close to the ground by assistants, and
only raised when necessity required it.  In the inside were other
assistants who took the straw and fired it through the furnace, the
blaze striking out at the top as represented in the plate.  One of
the inside assistants was provided with a sheet iron paddle of sufficient size to cover the opening of the flue, which acted as a
damper.  This became occasionally necessary from the intensity
of the fire and discharge of flakes and sparks.  Several times




CONSIDERATIONS.                     301
these flakes did ignite the balloon in small points, but it was as
often pulled down and the fire extinguished, which burned slowly and without a blaze, owing to its being prepared with noncombustible glue-size. There was also in readiness a demijohn
full of spirits of wine with which to saturate the straw fagots at
the close of the inflation, for the purpose of raising the rarefaction in the balloon to the highest degree at the time of starting, as
Monsieur Verdalle carried no fire up with the machine to prolong
his voyage with. After the balloon was fully distended with
heated air, the rope by which it was at first suspended was withdrawn, and the car was at the same time attached, on which the
aeronaut mounted, when the huge machine was released and it
mounted quickly but gracefilly into the space above.
This ascension was made near sunset about the middle of October. The evening was calm and clear. The balloon ascended
over half a mile in height, which it attained when about a mile off
from where it started. It then commenced descending, coming
down with a gently accelerated velocity, and landed about two
miles from where it started.  When it struck the earth it fell
upon its side, which made it evident that the air then contained
in it could not be much rarefied. In descending it would of
course have a column of cold air rushing into it all the time,
which would soon bring the air it contained to the temperature of
the surrounding atmosphere, and the latter part of its descent
would be regulated by the resistance of the air to falling bodies,
which in so large a surface as presented in the machine just
mentioned, would soon stop its acceleration.
Although these kind of balloons hold no comparison to those
of the hydrogen principle in aeronautic improvements, but as a
means of demonstrating aerostatic principles they are very convenient and economical.  Such a machine as the one just described can be inflated sufficiently to carry up a man, and the
whole cost of such inflation would not exceed five dollars.  And
beyond such use they are not to be recommended, since, in order
to make long voyages with them, fire must be carried along, which
makes it very dangerous, unless some better mode than that of
carrying it along on an open brazier will be invented.
True it is, that we may discover a means by which caloric
may be retained or confined in non-conducting vessels the same
as we now retain hydrogen.  Such a method once discovered,
and a vessel invented for its use, we may easily conceive a
further discovery by which caloric might be abstracted from the
surrounding atmosphere as we traveled through it and required
it for use.  Such a principle, and its use as above described, is
as compatible with the laws of nature and progress of science,
as was the discovery of the common water pump and its applica



302                   PILOT BALLOONS.
tion to common use, by merely destroying the equilibrium of the
atmosphere between the inside and outside of the pump. In the
case of the balloon it only requires a destruction of equilibrium
of the caloric inside and outside of it.  Even the levity of hydrogen
is owing to the superior affinity of the atoms of which it is composed for caloric over those of nitrogen and oxygen, which mainly
constitute our common atmosphere. Indeed, chemical science is
opening the door to the highway of aerial travel.
CHAPTER VII.
Pilot balloons, how made-How coated with oil —How to inflate themGum-bag balloons-Devices-To soften gum-bags-To distend themSmall fire balloons, to make-Philosophical principles which govern
their ascent-To make them ascend-Things can be sent up with them.
PILOT BALLOONS.
THE small balloons which are generally sent up at balloon ascensions, to show the various directions of the upper currents of
the atmosphere, are called pilots.  They may be sent up inflated
with hydrogen gas, or with rarefied air. The former kind are
generally used as pilots, and the latter as toy balloons, made
and sent up for mere amusement, with sometimes a piece of fireworks attached to them, which produces a very brilliant effect of a
dark night. Those made to ascend with hydrogen need not be more
than eighteen or twenty inches in diameter to make them capable
of ascending, and are made in the following manner: Take good
close tissue paper (the English is the best) and cut it into segments suited to the size of the balloon to be madl.  These are
then cemented together with a solution of gum-Arabic. The segments should be cut so as to form a neck to the balloon when it
is completed.  In pasting them  together the segments should
first be folded once longitudinally, then by placing one on the
other so that its edge is a little behind the lower one, the gum
can be spread along the projecting edge of the lower one, when
it can easily be folded up and over the edge of the upper one.Then another one is placed on the top of the upper and the same
process gone through with, which is continued until all the segments intended for the balloon are put together, when the edges
of the lower and upper segments are to be joined, which completes
the machine in a regularly folded manner. Care must be taken




PILOT BALLOONS.                      303
while the joining is going on so that the folds are not pasted
together, which may be avoided by running the finger between
them  occasionally as the work is going on.  When the balloon
is done its neck should be lined around its lower edge with a
strip of muslin about a half an inch wide, so as to prevent it from
tearing when it is placed over the tube from which it is to be
inflated. Before they can be inflated and sent up they must go
through another process.  Paper of any kind is too porous of
itself to retain hydrogen gas.  Therefore, just before they are to
be used they must be coated with common linseed oil, which can
be spread on with a soft brush or tuft of raw cotton: this can be
done very handily by laying one fold out after the other, so that
when the pilot is oiled all over it is folded up again as it was
when the oiling was commenced.  The pilot unfolds itself as the
gas is introduced. A pilot of two feet diameter made in this way
and inflated with hydrogen and its neck tied up, will ascend up
to and through the clouds-the porosity of the envelop will allow
an escape of gas adequate to its expansion as it rises.
Devices of men, animals, fishes, &c., can be made in this way,
and sent up.  A  corpulent figure, representing the "Flying
Dutchman," and sent up on occasions of balloon ascensions, has
invariably produced a high degree of satisfactory merriment.
Small hydrogen balloons of two or three feet diameter, can be
made by an expert hand from  the common India rubber bottles
which are kept at almost every drug store.  These retain the gas
for a long time.  Some years ago one of this kind was made
by Professor J. K. Mitchell, of Philadelphia, and sent up from
there, which went some hundreds of miles before it descended,
and then caused quite a consternation in the neighborhood where
it came down, which, if my recollection serves me right, was at
the head-waters of the Potomac river. They are made by the following process: —the gum-bag is filled with ether and also placed
in a vessel of ether so that all its surface is exposed to the solving
liquid.  When it gets soft, which may be in a day or two,
according to the strength of the ether and the nature of the gum,
and which must be looked to from time to time, the bag may be
taken out and emptied of the ether and blowed up. This is the
most critical part of the process.  Some parts may be more
softened by the ether than others, and these will consequently
expand faster than the others, therefore, these parts must be protected, and the thicker and stubborn parts may be from time to
time dipped into some ether.  By placing the hands on the thin
parts when blowing into the bag, these parts will be relieved and
the stress exerted upon the rest of the surface.  A  few  experiments by a skillful hand will enable him to make them nicely.
Care should be taken to select the most perfect bags.  The bag




304                SMALL FIRE BALLOONS.
may be weighed, upon which it will be ascertained to what dimensions it must be expanded to make it light enough to carry
up what it is designed for when inflated with hydrogen.  When
it is sufficiently expanded it should remain a while in that form,
so as to give the membrane that set.
SMALL FIRE BALLOONS.
These are nothing more than rarefied air balloons, and get the
appellation of " fire balloons" from their always being sent up
with fire in them.  Small ones of this kind are made of the same
material and put together in the same manner as the hydrogen
pilot, of which a description has already been given, only that
the fire balloon need not be oiled.  The same proportions as set
down for the large rarefied air balloon may be observed in these
small ones.  They may also be made globular, but the most convenient shape is the egg shape, that is like an egg with its pointed
part cut off. They are generally made with long necks, which
is wrong, and is the cause of them taking fire, and so frequently
failing in getting them  off at all.  These misconceptions arise
from a want of the scientific knowledge which governs the art.
Indeed there are many mechanical geniuses who are entirely
ignorant of science, and this desideratum makes them throw
away many an hour and many a day, by which they might adorn
their characters and elevate their class, and the race of mankind,
if they had also studied philosophy with their arts.
Fire balloons should never be made of less dimensions than
three feet diameter.  Though they can be made and elevated of
even smaller size, still, it requires a good deal of care and nicety,
and delicate construction, to make one of three feet diameter
ascend handsomely.  The experimentalist, if he be a novice in
the undertaking, had better make his machine larger than three
feet, and success will then be easier attained.  By making it still
larger, say ten or twelve feet in diameter, he need no longer confine himself to tissue paper, as he may use some heavier and
cheaper, though tissue is the best.  Some few  years ago a lady
made an ascension from Padua, in Italy, with a tissue paper fire
balloon covered over with a net-work.  We may presume she
carried no fire with it.  The account of it stated that the balloon
bursted in coming down, but the lady came off with no other injury than a considerable jar.
In making small fire balloons we must not calculate on more
than one-third of an ounce of ascending power for every cubic
foot of capacity in the machine.  Thus, if we look at the table
of capacities and dimensions of balloons, we find a three feet




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SMALL FIRE BALLOONS.                    305
diameter one to contain fourteen cubic feet.  Hence, one of this
size with air highly rarefied would raise about five ounces, and
hence, if the balloon and sponge containing the alcohol weigh
more than five ounces it will not rise, at least not by raising the
temperature of air in it one hundred degrees above its surrounding
atmosphere.  Thus it will be seen that an experiment of this kind
tried on a small scale requires to be conducted with a degree of
nicety and skill, which becomes less imperative as the magnitude
of it is increased.
In the construction of small fire balloons a light wooden hoop,
or it may be of light wire, must be inserted in its mouth so as to
keep it apart.  Two cross wires must be fastened on this hoop,
and where they cross each other there may be a little wire cup or
basket formed in which to place the cotton ball, or sponge, which
contains the spirits of wine. A lug of cotton tied round and
round with thread to keep it more together answers very well,
and I have generally preferred it to sponge. To send one up
when of a small size, a quantity of alcohol, more than it is able to
carry, may be placed in the wire basket, which will inflate it and
in the mean time grow lighter, so that by the time the machine is
properly inflated and rarefied its fire burden will have become
light enough to be carried up by it, and there will at the same
time be remaining enough of fire matter to keep up the rarefaction
after the balloon has started. Besides this, the burden continues
to get lighter on its voyage as the matter in the basket consumes.
In machines of a larger size, a small furnace capped with a
stove-pipe or other kind of tube may be used, by consuming
paper or straw in it, or anything that gives out little smoke and
much heat, which will inflate it with more economy than alcohol,
and the latter substance may be applied to the basket just before
the machine is let up. Such as these may have parachutes attached to them with small animals, and regulated by a slow match
to burn off the string which connects the parachute with the
balloon.
20




306           PERMEABILITY OF HYDROGEN.
CHAPTER VIII.
General remarks on the art-Philosophy of varnish-coating to render
stuff impervious to gas-Experiments on the diffusion of hydrogen in
balloon-Escape of experimental balloon-Double envelop prepared
well, would retain gas long enough to go round the world with-Aerial
voyages are life conservative-Its philosophy considered-Its effects as
experienced.
HAVING detailed the manner of constructing and managing
balloons on the most improved methods, some general remarks
will properly conclude this part of the work.
Gold-beater's skin has been highly recommended by some
persons, as making a very impervious envelop for gas. I have
tried this and found it even inferior to varnished silk or muslin.
It seems that all animal membranes are porous and naturally
adapted to the passage of gases and liquids.  The membrane of
lungs lets the oxygen of the atmosphere pass through while it
obstructs the atoms of nitrogen with which the oxygen is diluted.
Animal membranes have a peculiar texture, adapted to the transmission of some liquids and gases, and not to others.  And
there appears to be a peculiarity of shape, size, or roughness to
each  gas, to which the porosity of any substance must be
adaptable in order to let it pass through.  The very best method
that I have yet discovered to effect this, is to coat the material
intended to retain the gas with linseed oil varnish in very thin
layers.  If put on thick in one coating it seems to get porous in
drying, and so will a thin coat, but by repeated layers each succeeding one will cover over the pores of its antecedent.
This nature of porosity applies also to membranes of gum
elastic, and when this substance is to be used for gas envelops
it makes a more impervious coating by being laid on in repeated
layers, than when put on in one heavy coat. The affinity which
gases have for each other is remarkably strong, and in some
cases, it will pervade any substance that may intervene.
I made an experiment with a silk balloon which held thirty
cubic feet, coated like the balloons commonly used by me for
ascensions. This was filled with hydrogen evolved from water
by sulphuric acid and iron turnings, and fastened to a weight in the
cellar-there being a circulation of air through the cellar as in




AERIAL VOYAGES HEALTH PRESERVATIVE.               307
common cases.  The first, second, and third days the balloon
gradually diminished its bulk, and its greatest diminution was
about one-tenth, and it also lost about one-tenth of its ascending
power.  The fourth day it seemed to be increasing its bulk, and
the fifth it was very perceptible.  On the sixth it was nearly as
full as it was when first put down, and on the seventh it showed
that it would burst if suffered to go on increasing in bulk in the
same ratio a day longer, upon which I relieved it by opening its
neck, which had been well tied up, and then it soon lost its
ascending power.  Before I opened the neck I tried its ascending
force and found it had not lost as much the three last days, as it
had the three first.
This same balloon was taken and re-coated three times more,
but the whole of these coatings did not increase its weight quite
half as much as the whole weight of its former coating amounted
to.  Upon being filled again with hydrogen, it did not lose as
much in the first ten days, as it had on the former occasion in
thirty-six hours.  After this it was used for several days in
electrical experiments, during which it got off with several hundred yards of twine, and I never heard of it afterwards.  It must,
soon after its release, have got vent sufficient to allow an escape
of gas by expansion, but may have reached the Atlantic before
it came down, as the last course it was seen sailing was due east,
and it had but one hundred and thirty miles to go in that direction to get to sea.
To make a balloon that would retain its hydrogen for months,
or a greater length of time, out of cloth material, it only requires
the substance to be coated, silk or muslin it may be, in thin
layers; and from experiments, I find that two layers of silk or
muslin, coated in this way and laid together, so as to make a
double envelop, increases its imperviousness in a remarkable
degree.
AERIAL VOYAGES ARE LIFE CONSERVATIVE.
If aerial navigation, or ballooning as it is, had not the strong
claims on our energies and encouragements from the auspicious
developments that are now so rapidly succeeding each other in
the arts and sciences, it would of itself, in its present simplicity,
command an attention and desire to seek its use, as we seek
life itself, were it only generally and properly comprehended in
its health-promoting, life-saving, and soul and body invigorating
capabilities.  Human beings will seek distant climes under all
the tortures and enervating vicissitudes of long and perilous sea
voyages, for the purpose of relieving their constitutions from the
devouring effects of chronic diseases, but many of them only




308     AERIAL VOYAGES HEALTH PRESERVATIVE.
attain their graves in the silent deep while in search of the goal
of health. The elysian fields of health are much easier to be
found by the use of balloons.  Milton says: —
"The river of life, through midst of heaven,
Rolls o'er elysian flowers her amber stream."
And if Milton had never expressed the idea in his heaven-born
poetry, the laws of life, and the philosophy of its circumstances,
would be amply sufficient to sustain what shall be written on this
point. With such auxiliaries, in connection with the progressive
spirit of the age, the doctrine about being set forth will not be
considered vainglorious, but real'glorious, in the cause of the
alleviation of the human family from the pains and evils that
flesh is heir to.
That atmospheric pressure has a great deal to do, if not all to
do, with the mechanical functions of life, must be admitted by all
sound reasoning on the subject, and if reasoning alone will not
answer, the experimentum  crucis is demonstrable by sending
chronically diseased persons through the healthy fields of life inspiring air above the earth, and examining the results.  From
such arguments have proceeded my conclusions.  When I first
engaged in the business of aeronautics I was suffering from
chronic dyspepsia, added to a severe affection of the lungs caused
by a long continued inhalation of dust composed of rose-wood
and the fine particles of glass, arising from the use of glass paper
upon such wood, which my business then subjected me to
(piano forte making).
From the devouring ravages of such a complicated disease the
practice of ballooning relieved me, notwithstanding the perplexities attending the first six or seven years while engaged in it,
were of themselves more than sufficient to countervail any ordinary life conserving operations.
That atmospheric pressure has a powerful influence on the
lungs, was known long ago.  Doctor Arbuthnot, a celebrated
English physician and writer says of it:-" The pressure of the
air upon the lungs is much less than it has been computed
by some; but still it is something, and the alteration of onetenth of its force upon the lungs must produce some difference
in elutriating the blood as it passes through the lungs."
This elutriation is the very fulcrum of the life principle-upon
that it rises and falls-grows weaker and stronger-languishes or
fires up.  In the lungs the life principle is generated-they form
the medium through which the electricity of life is abstracted from
the oxygenated  atmosphere, where it is thrown back by their
action an asphyxiated death vapor.  It is there that motive power
is acquired and applied through the blood to the heart (the work



ELECTRICAL STIMULUS ALOFT.                 309
ing cylinder and balance wheel of the animal system), which returns like the exhausted steam of a low pressure engine, to be
again calorified, or electrified, only to repeat its offices over and
over again.  This, although perhaps not exactly to be found
written in books of animal physiology as here stated, is nevertheless borne out by the present known science of animal life, and
identifies the old doctrine of blood oxygenation, with the present,
of blood electrization.
The atmosphere exerts a pressure of from twenty-five to thirty
thousand pounds upon the human body of full growth, and, if, as
Doctor Arbuthnot says, the alteration of one-tenth of this force
produces a great difference in the elutriation of the blood in the
lungs, such change is acquired at a very moderate height in the
atmosphere, and one-fourth, and even one-half the difference
of the whole pressure can easily be acquired by the use of balloons. By elutriation he means the changing of the blood from
its black to its livid red color.  But I hear a scientific voice say
we can acquire this change of pressure pro and con by the air
pump and condensing machine! So we can, but under very different circumstances from those under which we acquire it in the
pure upper regions of the atmosphere!  In the exhausted receiver the air would soon become asphyxiated, and every new inhalation would be followed by a discharge of death vapor, to say
nothing of the monotony of such a remedy. This is not the case
in the upper regions of the atmosphere; there the advantages
come even in a stronger ratio, than the disadvantages do in the
other case.
Let us consider them. All diseases indicate a want of lifeelectrical stimulus. I know Doctors say, sometimes men die of
too much health.  In such cases of disease they might be put
under the air condensed process, if the truth of such a cause of
disease and death could be unequivocally established. At all
events if there be such a disease the human family has never yet
suffered much from its ravages.  However, if it be so, the reverse
of the case ought to hold out, that we might get too sick to die,
which seems to be neither philosophical nor logical.
Now, as we rise up in the atmosphere there are two causes acting in beautiful harmony upon the invalid calculated to produce
the most happy results.  While the most sublime grandeur is
gradually opening to the eye and the mind of the invalid-the
atmospheric pressure is also gradually diminishing upon the muscular system, allowing it to expand-the lungs becoming more
voluminous, taking in larger portions of air at each inhalation,
and these portions containing larger quantities of caloric, or electricity, than those taken in on the earth, and the invalid feels at
once the new life pervading his system, physically and mentally.




810            BALLOONING AND INVALIDS.
-The blood begins to course more freely when up a mile or two
with a balloon-the excretory vessels are more freely openedthe gastric juice pours into the stomach more rapidly-the liver,
kidneys, and heart, work under expanded action in a highly calorified atmosphere-the brain receives and gives more exalted
inspirations-the whole animal and  mental system  becomes
intensely quickened, and more of the chronic morbid matter is
exhaled and thrown off in an hour or two while two miles up of
a fine summer's day, than the invalid can get rid of in a voyage
from New York to Madeira, by sea.
The appetite is extraordinarily affected in a balloon ascension,
and this feature of the effects of aerial voyages never diminished
in the least with me for fifteen years. It always gave me a
ravenous appetite for animal food.
The pneumatic effects as above stated will not be questioned
by any person acquainted with the nature of the atmosphere, and
the consequent results upon the human system as described, are
as natural to them, as it is for night to follow day.
It would seem as though nature itself cried aloud to us upon
this subject, inviting us to its elysian fields to drink in the fluid of
life and relieve poor enervated humanity.
THE END.