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Wonderful Balloon Ascents; Or, The Conquest of the Skies
·
Fulgence Marion
30
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
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