Lab
Library
Journal
Shop
Sign in
to keep
Share image
1
128
Wonderful Balloon Ascents; Or, The Conquest of the Skies
·
Fulgence Marion
55
attempt
did
not
come
up
to
expectation.
The
reasons
for
this
failure
were
the
too
great
quantity
of
air
which
the
fire
drew
in,
and
the
unsuitable
character
of
the
fuel
used.
On
the
25th
of
February,
1784,
a
second
attempt
was
made.
The
fire
was
lighted
under
the
machine,
at
first
with
dry
birch-wood
and
afterwards
with
a
bituminous
composition,
ingeniously
concocted
by
one
of
the
Brothers
Gerli.
In
less
than
four
minutes
the
balloon
was
completely
inflated,
and
the
men
employed
to
hold
it
down
with
ropes
perceived
that
it
was
on
the
point
of
rising.
The
aeronauts
then
gave
the
order
to
let
go.
Scarcely
was
the
balloon
let
off,
when
it
gently
rose
a
short
distance,
and
then
flew
in
a
horizontal
direction
towards
a
palace
in
the
neighbourhood.
In
order
that
the
structure
should
not
be
destroyed
on
the
walls
and
the
roof
of
the
palace,
the
voyagers
heaped
on
the
fuel,
and
the
spectators,
who
had
gathered
together
from
the
surrounding
villages,
then
saw
this
strange
vessel
of
the
air
rising
with
rapidity
to
a
surprising
height.
Such
a
phenomenon
was
so
astonishing,
that
those
who
beheld
it
could
hardly
believe
their
own
eyes;
and
when
the
balloon
disappeared
from
view,
the
delight
they
had
manifested
was
dashed
with
fear
for
the
fate
of
the
bold
aeronauts.
The
latter,
seeing
that
the
balloon
was
driving
through
the
air
towards
a
range
of
rocky
hills
in
the
neighbourhood,
and
perceiving,
on
the
other
hand,
that
their
stock
of
combustibles
was
nearly
exhausted,
judged
it
prudent
to
descend.
They
diminished
their
fire,
and
came
gradually
down,
warning
the
multitude
below
of
their
intention
by
means
of
a
speaking-trumpet.
In
the
course
of
the
descent
the
balloon
alighted
upon
a
large
tree,
to
the
great
peril
of
the
travellers;
but
as
soon
as
the
fire
was
increased
it
again
mounted
and
got
clear
from
the
branches
while
the
people
below,
grasping
the
cords
that
were
hung
out
to
them,
guided
the
machine
to
the
spot
which
the
voyagers
indicated.
To
descend
to
terra
firma
was
then
a
comparatively
easy
matter,
and
it
was
safely
accomplished.
The
fire,
which
in
the
case
of
the
French
balloons
had
dried,
calcined,
and
almost
consumed
the
upper
part
of
the
balloon,
had
no
evil
effect
upon
that
of
Andriani,
which
came
down
looking
as
fresh
as
if
it
had
Marker
Marker
Fine marker
White-out
Fine white-out
Circle
Paint
Unmarker
Hand
Scalpel
Dice
Sieve
Purify
Undo
Redo
Start over
