Wonderfull Balloon Ascents
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Joseph and his brother performed the same experiment , together
in the open air with perfect success. Certain, then, of the new
principle, they made a balloon of considerable size, containing
upwards of sixty-five feet of heated air.
This machine likewise rose, tore away the cords by which it was
at first held down, and mounting in the air to the height of from
two to three hundred feet, fell upon the neighbouring hills after
a considerable flight. The brothers Montgolfier then made a very
large and strong balloon, with which they wished to bring their
discovery before the public.
The appointed day was the 5th of June, 1783 and the nobility of
the vicinity were invited to be present at the experiment.
Faujas de Saint Fond, author of "La Description des Experiences
de la Machine Aerostatique," published the same year, gives the
following account of it:--
"What," says Saint Fond, "was the general astonishment when the
inventors of the machine announced that immediately it should be
full of gas, which they had the means of producing at will by the
most simple process, it would raise itself to the clouds. It
must be granted that, in spite of the confidence in the ingenuity
and experience of the Montgolfiers, this feat seemed so
incredible to those who came to witness it, that the persons who
knew most about it--who were, at the same time, the most
favourably predisposed in its favour--doubted of its success.
"At last the brothers Montgolfier commenced their work. They
first of all began to make the smoke necessary for their
experiment. The machine--which at first seemed only a covering of
cloth, lined with paper, a sort of sack thirty-five feet
high--became inflated, and grew large even under the eyes of the
spectator, took consistence, assumed a beautiful form, stretched
itself on all sides, and struggled to escape. Meanwhile, strong
arms were holding it down until the signal was given, when it
loosened itself, and with a rush rose to the height of 1,000
fathoms in less than ten minutes." It then described a
horizontal line of 7,200 feet, and as it had lost a considerable
amount of gas, it began to descend quietly. It reached the
ground in safety; and this first attempt, crowned with such
decisive success, secured for ever to the brothers Montgolfier
the glory of one of the most astonishing discoveries.
"When we reflect for a moment upon the numberless difficulties
which such a bold attempt entailed, upon the bitter criticism to
which it would have exposed its projectors had it failed through
any accident, and upon the sums that must have been spent in
carrying it out, we cannot withhold the highest admiration for
the men who conceived the idea and carried it out to such a
successful issue."
Etienne Montgolfier has left us a description of this first
balloon. "The aerostatic machine," he says, "was constructed of
cloth lined with paper, fastened together on a network of strings
fixed to the cloth. It was spherical; its circumference was 110
feet, and a wooden frame sixteen feet square held it fixed at the
bottom. Its contents were about 22,000 cubic feet, and it
accordingly displaced a volume of air weighing 1,980 1bs. The
weight of the gas was nearly half the weight of the air, for it
weighed 990 lbs., and the machine itself, with the frame, weighed
500: it was, therefore, impelled upwards with the force of 490
lbs. Two men sufficed to raise it and to fill it with gas, but
it took eight to hold it down till the signal was given. The
different pieces of the covering were fastened together with
buttons and button-holes. It remained ten minutes in the air,
but the loss of gas by the button-holes, and by other
imperfections, did not permit it to continue longer. The wind at
the moment of the ascent was from the north. The machine came
down so lightly that no part of it was broken."
Chapter V. Second Experiment.
(Charles's Balloon, Paris, Champ de Mars, 27th of August, 1783.)
The indescribable enthusiasm caused by the ascent of the first
balloon at Annonay, spread in all directions, and excited the
wondering curiosity of the savants of the capital. An official
report had been prepared, and sent to the Academy of Sciences in
Paris, and the result was that the Academy named a commission of
inquiry. But fame, more rapid than scientific commissions, and
more enthusiastic than academies, had, at a single flight, passed
from Annonay to Paris, and kindled the anxious ardour of the
lovers of science in that city. The great desire was to rival
Montgolfier, , although neither the report nor the letters from
Annonay had made mention of the kind of gas used by that
experimenter to inflate his balloon. By one of the frequent
coincidences in the history of the sciences, hydrogen gas had
been discovered six years previously by the great English
physician Cavendish, and it had hardly even been tested in the
laboratories of the chemists when it all at once became famous.
A young man well versed in physics, Professor Charles, assisted
by two practical men, the brothers Robert, threw himself ardently
into the investigation of the modes of inflating balloons with
this gas, which was then called INFLAMMABLE AIR. Guessing that
it was much lighter than that which Montgolfier had been obliged
to make use of in his third-rate provincial town, Charles leagued
himself with his two assistants to constrict a balloon of
taffeta, twelve feet in diameter, covered with india-rubber, and
to inflate it with hydrogen.
The thing thus arranged, a subscription was opened. The
projected experiment having been talked of a]l over Paris, every
one was struck with the idea, and subscriptions poured in. Even
the most illustrious names are to be found in the list, which may
be called the first national subscription in France. Nothing had
been written of the forthcoming event in any public paper, yet
all Paris seemed to flock to contribute to the curious
experiment.
The inflation with hydrogen was effected in a very curious
manner. As much as 1,125 lbs. of iron and 560 lbs. of sulphuric
acid were found necessary to inflate a balloon which had scarcely
a lifting power of 22 lbs., and the process of filling took no
less than four hours. At length, however, at the end of the
fourth hour, the balloon, composed of strips of silk, coated with
varnish, floated, two-thirds full, from the workshop of the
brothers Robert.
On the morning of the 26th of August, the day before the ascent
was to be made, the balloon was visited at daybreak, and found to
be in a promising state. At two o'clock on the following morning
its constructors began to make preparations to transport it to
the Champ de Mars, from which place it was to be let loose.
Skilled workmen were employed in its removal, and every
precaution was taken that the gas with which it was charged
should not be allowed to escape. In the meantime the excitement
of the people about this wonderful structure was rising to the
highest pitch. The wagon on which it was placed for removal was
surrounded on all sides by eager multitudes, and the
night-patrols, both of horse and foot, which were set to guard
the avenues leading to where it lay, were quite unable to stem
the tide of human beings that poured along to get a glimpse of
it.
The conveyance of the balloon to the Champ de Mars was a most
singular spectacle. A vanguard, with lighted torches, preceded
it; it was surrounded by special attendants, and was followed by
detachments of night-patrols on foot and mounted. The size and
shape of this structure, which was escorted with such pomp and
precaution--the silence that prevailed--the unearthly hour, all
helped to give an air of mystery to the proceedings. At last,
having passed through the principal thoroughfares, it arrived at
the Champ de Mars, where it was placed in an enclosure prepared
for its reception.
When the dawn came, and the balloon had been fixed in its place
by cords, attached around its middle and fixed to iron rings
planted in the earth, the final process of inflation began.
The Champ de Mars was guarded by troops, and the avenues were
also guarded on all sides. As the day wore on an immense crowd
covered the open space, and every advantageous spot in the
neighborhood was crowded with people. At five o'clock the report
of a cannon announced to the multitudes, and to scientific men
who were posted on elevations to make observations of the great
event, that the grand moment had come. The cords were withdrawn,
and, to the vast delight and wonder of the crowd assembled, the
balloon shot up with such rapidity that in two minutes it had
ascended 488 fathoms. At this height it was lost in a cloud for
an instant, and, reappearing, rose to a great height, and was
again lost in higher clouds. The ascent was a splendid success.
The rain that fell damped neither the balloon nor the ardor of
the spectators.
This balloon was 12 feet in diameter, 38 feet in circumference,
and had a capacity of 943 cubic feet. The weight of the
materials of which it was constructed was 25 lbs., and the force
of ascension was that of 35 lbs.
The fall of the balloon was caused by the expansion and
consequent explosion of the hydrogen gas. This event took place
some distance out in the country, close to a number of peasants,
whose terror at the sight and the sound of this strange monster
from the skies was beyond description. The people assembled, and
two monks having told them that the burst balloon was the hide of
a monstrous animal, they immediately began to assail it
vigorously with stones, flails, and pitchforks. The cure of the
parish was obliged to walk up to the balloon to reassure his
terrified flock. They finally attached the burst envelope to a
horse's tail, and dragged it far across the fields.
Many drawings and engravings of the period represent the peasants
armed with pitchforks, flails, and scythes, assailing it, a dog
snapping at it, a garde-champetre firing at it, a fat priest
preaching at it, and a troop of young people throwing stones at
the unfortunate machine.
The news of this fiasco came to Paris, but too late. When search
was made for the covering, scarcely a fragment could be found.
A somewhat humorous result of all this was the issue of a
communication from government to the people, entitled, "Warning
to the People on kidnapping Air-balloons." This document, duly
signed and approved of, describes the ascents at Annonay and at
Paris, explains the nature and the causes of the phenomena, and
warns the people not to be alarmed when they see something like a
"black moon" in the sky, nor to give way to fear, as the seeming
monster is nothing more than a bag of silk filled with gas.
This first ascent in Paris was an important event. Every one,
from the smallest to the greatest, was deeply interested in it,
while to the man of science it was one of the most exciting of
incidents. For the purpose of observing the altitude to which
the balloon rose, and the course it took, Le Gentil was on the
observatory, Prevost was on one of the towers of Notre Dame,
Jeaurat was on La Place Louis XV., and d'Agelet was on the Champ
de Mars. It was only Lalande that frowned as he witnessed the
success of the experiment. He had predicted the year before that
air-navigation was impossible.
Chapter VI. Third Experiment.
(Montgolfier's Balloon, Paris, Faubourg St. Antoine.)
As we have seen, the triumph of aerostation was sudden and
complete. The young Montgolfier had arrived in Paris prior to the
experiment of the 27th of August, and was present as a simple
spectator on that occasion. immediately afterwards he set to
work upon a balloon, which was to be made use of when the Academy
should investigate the phenomenon at Versailles in presence of
the king, Louis XVI.
It was at this time (September, 1783) that those small balloons,
made of gold-beaters' skin, which are used as children's toys to
the present day, were first made. The whole of Paris amused
itself with them, repeating in little the phenomenon of the great
ascent. The sky of the capital found itself all at once traversed
by a multitude of small rosy clouds, formed by the hand of man.
Faujas de Saint Fond says that at first an attempt was made to
construct balloons of fine, light paper; but this material being
permeable, and the gas being inflammable, balloons thus made did
not succeed. It was necessary to seek a material less porous,
and, if possible, still lighter.
The Journal de Paris, of the 11th of September, 1783, informed
the public that the Baron de Beaumanoir, "who cultivated the
sciences and the fine arts with as much success as zeal," would
send up a balloon eighteen inches in diameter. At noon of the
same day he made this experiment in presence of a numerous
assembly in the garden in front of the Hotel de Surgeres.. The
little balloon mounted freely, but was held in, like a kite, by
means of a silk thread. In the course of the same afternoon, the
baron took down the balloon and filled it anew with hydrogen, and
then let it off. The spectators had the pleasure of seeing it
rise to a great height, and pass away in the direction of
Neuilly, and it is said to have been found at a distance of
several leagues, by peasants.
However trifling this experiment may appear at first sight, it
added a new fact to the science of aerostation. The material
employed by the baron was lighter and better than paper. It was
what is called gold-beaters' skin. This skin is simply the
interior lining of the large bowel of the ox. It is carefully
prepared, is relieved of the fat, stringy and uneven parts, is
dried, and is afterwards softened. Little balloons of this
material came to be the fashion, and they are still frequently
seen.
At the same time, Montgolfier was busy constructing, at the
request of the Academy of Sciences, a balloon seventy feet high
and forty in diameter, with which it was proposed to repeat the
experiment of Annonay. He took up his quarters in the
magnificent gardens of his friend Reveillon, proprietor of the
royal manufactory of stained paper in the Faubourg St. Antoine.
The new balloon was of a very singular shape: the upper part
represented a prism, twenty-four feet high the top was a pyramid
of the same height; the lower part was a truncated cone, twenty
feet in depth. It was made of packing-cloth, lined with good
paper, both inside and out.
The gossipping and prolix Faujas de Saint Fond thus describes
this machine:--"It was painted blue, represented a sort of tent,
and was richly ornamented with gold Its height was seventy feet;
its weight 1,000 lbs.; the air which it displaced was 4,500 lbs.
in volume, and the vapor with which it was filled was half the
weight of ordinary air. The approach of the equinox having
brought rain, all the conditions under which this balloon was
constructed and exhibited were unfavourable. The structure was
so large that it was impossible to get it together and stitch it,
except in the open air--in the garden, in fact, where Montgolfier
commenced its construction. It was a great labour to turn and
fold this heavy covering, while the liability of the thick paper
to crack was an additional difficulty. Not less than twenty men
were required to move it, and they were obliged to use all their
skill, and every precaution, not to destroy it. No balloon had
ever given so much trouble. On the 11th of September the weather
improved, and the balloon was entirely completed and prepared for
the first experiment. In the evening the attempt was made. It
was with admiration that the beholders saw the beautiful machine
filling itself in the short space of nine minutes, swelling out
on all sides and showing the full symmetry of its artistic form.
It was firmly held in hand, or it would have risen to a great
height. On the following day the actual ascent was to take
place, and the commissioners of the Academy of Sciences were
invited to be present. In the morning thick clouds covered the
horizon, and a tempest was expected; but as there was an ardent
desire that the ascent should take place without delay, and as
all the gearing was in order, it was resolved to proceed.
"Fifty pounds of dry straw were fired in parcels under the
balloon, and upon the fire were thrown at intervals several
pounds of wool. This fuel produced in ten minutes such a volume
of smoke that the huge balloon was speedily filled. It rose,
with a weight of 500 lbs. holding it down, to some height above
the ground, and had the ropes by which it was attached to the
ground been cut, it would have mounted to a great height.
Meantime the storm broke, rain descended, and the wind blew with
great force. The most likely means of saving the balloon was to
let it fly but as it was to ascend again on another occasion, at
Versailles, the greatest efforts were made to bring it down, and
these, together with the damage caused by the storm, eventually
rent it into numberless fragments and tatters. It withstood the
storm for twenty-four hours; then, however, the paper came
peeling off, and this beautiful structure was a wreck."
Chapter VII. Fourth Experiment.
(Versailles, 19th September, 1783, in presence of Louis of XVI.)
Of course another balloon was wanted for the fete at Versailles.
The king had demanded an ascent for the 19th, a week after the
disaster at the Faubourg St. Antoine. Already the possibility of
a man going up with the balloon was discussed, and people
indulged in visions of splendid aerial trips; but the king would
not hear of the proposal. Balloons were novelties, not offering
sufficient security, and he was unwilling that any of his
subjects should risk their lives in attempting the unknown. He
consented, however, to a proposal that animals might be sent up
in the first instance, by way of experiment, suspended in an
osier cage attached to the neck of the balloon.
Montgolfier at once began a new balloon. A few days only were at
his disposal; but, assisted by friends, he worked with such
ardour and success that he was able, on the date appointed, to
produce a magnificent spherical balloon, much stronger than the
former, constructed of good strong cotton cloth, and painted in
distemper.
It is proper here to remark that the first balloons were much
more elegant in appearance than those afterwards made. The
coloured prints and engravings of the period enable us to form an
opinion of the splendour of their ornamentation and the beauty of
their design. Sometimes the figures painted upon them
represented scenes from the heathen mythology, and sometimes
historical scenes; while rich embroideries, royal insignia, and
gaily-coloured draperies added much to the general effect. The
Versailles balloon was painted blue, with ornaments of gold, and
it presented the form of a richly decorated tent. It was
fifty-seven feet in height, and sixty-seven in diameter.
It was first tried at Paris, and succeeded perfectly. On the
morning of the 19th it was carried to Versailles, where due
preparation had been made for its reception In the great court of
the castle a sort of theatre had been temporarily erected with a
scaffolding, covered throughout with tapestry In the middle was
an opening more than fifteen feet in diameter, in which was
spread a banquet for those who had constructed the balloon. A
numerous guard formed a double cordon around the structure. A
raised platform was used for the fire by means of which the
balloon was to be inflated; a covered funnel or chimney of strong
cloth, painted, was suspended over the fire-place, and received
the hot smoke as it arose. Through this funnel the heated air
ascended straight up into the balloon.
At six in the morning, the road from Paris to Versailles was
covered with carriages. Crowds came from all parts, and at noon
the avenues, the square of the castle, the windows, and even the
roofs of the houses, were crowded with spectators. The noblest,
the most illustrious, and most learned men in France were
present, and the splendour of the scene was complete when their
majesties and the royal family entered within the enclosure, and
went forward to inspect the balloon, and to make themselves
familiar with the preparations for the ascent.
In a short time the fire was lit, the funnel extended over it,
and the smoke rose inside, while the balloon, unfolding,
gradually swelled to its full size, and then, drawing after it
the cage, in which a sheep and some pigeons were enclosed, rose
majestically into the air. Without interreruption, it ascended
to a vast height, where, inclining toward the north, it seemed to
remain stationary for a few seconds, showing all the beauty of
its form, and then, as though possessed of life, it descended
gently upon the wood of Vaucresson, 10,200 feet from the point of
its departure. Its highest elevation, as estimated by the
astronomers Le Gentil and M. Jeaurat, Jeaurat, was about 1,700
feet.
Chapter VIII. Men and Balloons.
It is not natural that the human mind should stop upon the way to
the solution of a problem, especially when it seems to be on the
point of arriving at a satisfactory conclusion to its labours.
The osier cage of Versailles very soon transformed itself into a
car, bearing human passengers, and the age of the "Thousand and
One Nights" was expected to come back again. It was resolved to
continue experiments, with the direct object of finding out
whether it was impossible or desperately dangerous for man to
travel in balloons. Montgolfier returned from Versailles, and
constructed a new machine in the gardens of the Faubourg St.
Antoine. It was completed on the 10th of October Its form was
oval, its height 70 feet, its diameter 46 feet and its capacity
60,ooo cubic feet. The upper part, embroidered with
fleurs-de-lis, was further ornamented with the twelve signs of
the zodiac, worked in gold. The middle part bore the monogram of
the king, alternating with figures of the sun, while the lower
part was garnished with masks, garlands, and spread eagles. A
circular gallery made of osiers and festooned with draperies and
other ornaments, was attached by a set of cords to the bottom of
the structure. The gallery was three feet wide, and was
protected by a parapet over three feet in height. It did not in
any way interfere with the opening at the neck of the balloon,
under which was suspended a grating of iron wire upon which the
occupants of the gallery, who were to be provided with dried
straw and wool, could in a few minutes kindle a fire and create
fresh smoke, when that in the balloon began to be exhausted. The
machine weighed, in all, 1,600 lbs. The public had previously
been warned, in the Journal de Paris de Paris, that the
approaching experiments were to be of a strictly scientific
character; and as they would be only interesting to savants,
they would not afford amusement for the merely curious. This
announcement was necessary, to abate in some degree the
excitement of the people until some satisfactory results should
be obtained; it was also necessary for those engaged in the work,
whose firmness of nerve might have suffered from the enthusiastic
cries of excited spectators. On Wednesday, the 15th of October,
Pilatre des Roziers, who had on other occasions given proofs of
his intelligence and courage in performing dangerous feats, and
who had already signalised himself in connection with balloons,
offered to go up in the new machine. His offer was accepted; the
balloon was inflated; stout ropes, more than eighty feet long,
were attached to it, and it rose from the ground to the height
to which this tackle allowed it. At this elevation it remained
four minutes twenty-five seconds; and it is not surprising to
hear that Roziers suffered no inconvenience from the ascent.
What was really the interesting thing in this experiment was,
that it showed how a balloon would fall when the hot air became
exhausted, this being the point which caused the greatest amount
of disquietude among men of science. In this instance the
balloon fell gently; its form distended at the same time, and,
after touching the ground, it rose again a foot or two, when its
human passenger had jumped out.
On Friday, the 17th of October, this experiment was repeated,
and the excitement of the public on this occasion was unbounded.
"All the world" came to see. Roziers was again lifted up in the
balloon, to the height of eighty feet; but so strong was the
wind, and the strain on the ropes was so great, that the balloon
was somewhat unsteady, and the exhibition was not on the whole
such a splendid success as that of the preceding Wednesday.
On Sunday, Montgolfier chose a fine day for the following
ascents:--"First Ascent: On the 19th of October, 1783, at
half-past four, in presence of two thousand spectators, 'the
machine' was filled with gas in five minutes, and Roziers, being
placed in the gallery with a counterbalancing weight of 110 lbs.
in the other side of the gallery, was carried up to the height of
200 feet. The machine remained six minutes at this elevation
without any fire in the grating. Second Ascent: The machine
carried Roziers and the counterbalancing weight--fire being in
the grating--to the height of 700 feet. At this height it
remained stationary eight and a half minutes As it was drawn
back, a wind from the east bore it against a tuft of very tall
trees in a neighbouring garden, where it got entangled, without,
however, losing its equilibrium. The gas was renewed by Roziers,
and the balloon again rising, extricated itself from among the
branches, and soared majestically into the air, followed by the
acclamations of the public. This second ascent was very
instructive, for it had been often asserted that if ever a
balloon fell upon a forest it would be destroyed, and would place
those who travelled in it in the greatest peril. This experiment
proved that the balloon does not FALL it DESCENDS; that it does
not overturn; that it does not destroy itself on trees; that it
neither causes death, nor even damage, to its passengers; that,
on the contrary, the latter, by making new gas, give it the power
of detaching itself from the trees; and that it can resume its
course after such an event. The intrepid Roziers gave in this
ascent a further proof of the facility he had in descending and
ascending at will. When the machine had risen to the height of
200 feet it began to descend lightly, and just before it came to
the earth the aeronaut very cleverly and quickly threw on more
fuel and produced more smoke, at which the balloon, to the
astonishment of every one, suddenly soared away again to its
former elevation. Third Ascent: The balloon rose again with
Roziers, accompanied this time by another aeronaut, Gerond de
Villette; and as the cords had been lengthened, the adventurers
were carried up to the height of 324 feet. At this elevation the
balloon rested in perfect equilibrium for nine minutes. It was
the first time that human beings had ever been carried to an
equal elevation, and the spectators were astonished to find that
they could remain there without danger and without alarm. The
balloon had a superb effect at this elevation; it looked down
upon the whole town, and was seen from all the suburbs. Its size
seemed hardly diminished in the least, though the men themselves
were barely visible. By the aid of glasses, Roziers could be
seen calmly and industriously making new gas. When the balloon
descended the two men declared that they had not experienced the
slightest inconvenience from the elevation. They received the
universal applause which their zeal and courage so well deserved.
The Marquis d'Arlandes, a major of infantry, afterwards went up
with Roziers, and this latter experiment was as successful as the
former."
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