Part 9 (1/2)
This river was the Rhine, and as the neighbourhood seemed suitable for a descent, and as the travellers did not wish to be carried too far into the heart of Europe, they allowed a portion of the gas to escape, caradually down, and dropped their anchor
It was then half-past seven in theIt was only then that the inhabitants, who had hitherto held theers froan to assemble from all sides A feords in German spoken fro from their mistrust, they hastened immediately to lend assistance to the aeronauts The latter were now informed that the place they had selected for their descent was in the Duchy of Nassau The town of Wiberg, where Blanchard had descended, after his ascent at Frankfort in 1785 was, by a singular chance, only two leagues distant The three aeronauts received areception, and, inwhich they had borne in their car during their adventurous excursion in the ducal palace, side by side with that of Blanchard
”Thus,” says Mason, ”terard the extent of the journey, the length of time occupied in it, or the results which were the objects of the experi and most iive to those ould be disposed to criticise the employment of the peculiar means which we made use of, or to doubt their efficiency, would be to state that, after having traversed without hindrance, without either danger or difficulty, so large a portion of the European continent, we arrived at our destination still in possession of as ht have carried us round the whole world”
Chapter IX The ”Geant” Balloon
Not a few of our readers will remember the ascent of Nadar's colossal balloon from Paris, on Sunday, the 18th of October, 1863 This balloon was reular two-story house for a car Its ascent itnessed by nearly half aover the eastern part of France, Belgium, and Holland, suffered a disastrous descent in Hanover the day after it started on its perilous journey It was a fool-hardy enterprise to construct such a gigantic and un such an i so susceptible to adverse aerial currents as to become the helpless prey of the elements; and it was still ers at the e section of the public laboured under the delusion that Nadar's balloon was one capable of being steered In reality, however, the 'Geant' was unquestionably the most rebellious and unruly speciolfier The object in viehen this forned and constructed was to create the means to collect sufficient funds to foration by means of MACHINES HEAVIER THAN AIR,” and for the construction of machines on this principle The receipts from the exhibition of the ”Geant” were intended to form the first capital of the association The hopes, however, of the promoters have not been realised in this respect; for while the expenses of the construction of the balloon have amounted, directly and indirectly, to the sum of L8,300, its two ascents in Paris and its exhibition in London produced only L3,300
space forbids us to enter at length on the various stages of the idea of aerial navigation by means of an apparatus heavier than the atmosphere
The idea is not, however, by any ht Those who, like Arago, declare that the word ”iher mathematics, and those who look hopefully to the future instead of resting content with the past, will join in applauding the spirit which dictated the manifesto of aerial locomotion to the founder of the association which we are about to describe M Babinet, speaking on this subject before the French Polytechnic association, said: ”It is absurd to talk of guiding balloons Hoill you set about it? How is it possible that a balloon--say, for instance, like the Flesselles, whose diaainst opposing winds or currents of air? It would require a power equal to 400 horses for the sails of a shi+p to struggle on equal terms with the wind Suppose an impossibility, namely, that a balloon could carry with it a force equal to 400 horse-power; this result would be of little use, for under the i of the balloon would instantly collapse If all the horses of a regi rope, the result would be that the balloon would fly into shi+vers, being too fragile to withstand these two opposing forces
Man must seek to raise hiether, if he wish to guide hi, very ue at that time, called a Stropheor This toy was co screw propeller, which revolved on its own support when the piece of string wound round it was pulled sharply The screas rather heavy, weighing nearly a quarter of a pound, and the wings were of tin, very broad and thick
This machine, however, was rather too eccentric for parlour use, for its flight was so violent that it was continually breaking the pier glass, if there was one in the roo this, it next attacked the s The ascending force of this reat that I have seen one of thehest edifices in the world The air from underneath the machine is exhausted by the action of the screhich, passing under the wings, causes a vacuum, while the air above it replenishes and fills this void, and under the influence of these two causes the apparatus mounts from the earth But the proble, whose motive power is exterior to it Messrs Nadar, Ponton, D'Ah the wings of their different models are entirely unworthy of men who desire to demonstrate a truth to short-lived mortals We have only arrived as yet at the infancy of the process, but we haveonce proved that aitself in the air, wholly unaided from without, can be made, we have overcome with this apparently small result the whole difficulty The principle of propulsion by means of a screw is by no means a novelty It was first utilised in wind more nor less than an immense screhich is turned by the action of the wind on its surface In the case of turbine water-wheels, where perhaps 970 cubic feet of water are utilised by er than a hat, we see another illustration of it, with this difference, that water takes the place of wind as the reat difficulties, but if we can succeed through its agency in raising even the s able to raise a heavier one, for a large machine is always more powerful in proportion to its size than a small one
”Mlle Garnerin once uide herself in her descent from a considerable altitude towards a fixed spot on the earth at some distance, with no other help than the parachute; and she was really able to guide herself to within a few feet of the specified spot, by si the inclination of the parachute
”Froe birds of preywith outstretched wings, I have come to the conclusion that they first of all attain the requisite height and then, extending their wings in the forradually towards the desired spot Marshal Niel confireria
It is, therefore, clear from these exa ourselves fro a weight perpendicularly in the air, which would then act as a capital of power, only requiring to be expended at will”
Froather an idea of the importance whichthe successive failures of all those who have hitherto taken up the subject We come now to the description of the memorable ascent of the 'Geant'
We learn fro account of the 'Geant,' published at the time, all the mishaps and adventures it outlived fro to its final inflation with gas We must, however, be content to take up the narrative at the point at which the 'Geant,' with thirteen passengers on board, had, in obedience to the order to ”let go,” been released from the bonds which held it to the earth The narrative is, as our readers will perceive, written in soave an al itself free, and then coradual at first--theits way An immense shout rose with it frorandly, whilst the deafening clamour of two hundred thousand voices seee of the car, and gazed at the thousands of faces which were turned towards us frole of which ere the common apex We still ascended The summits of the double row of trees which surround the Champ de Mars were already under us We reached the level of the cupola of the Military School The trelided over Paris in an easterly direction, at the height of about six hundred feet Every one took up the best possible position on the six light cane stools, and on the two long bunks at either end of the car, and contemplated the reeary
”There is never any dizziness in a balloon, as is often erroneously supposed, for in it you are the only point in space without any possibility of coiddy are not at hand”
A very experienced aeronaut, who numbers his ascents by hundreds, has assured le case of dizziness
”The earth seeated reen in all its shades and tints The irregular division of the country into fields made it resemble a patchwork counterpane The size of the houses, churches, fortresses, was so considerably di so s manufactured at Carlsruhe This was the effect produced by a microscopic train, which whistled very faintly to attract our attention, and which see at the rate of thirty miles an hour, and was enveloped in aimpression this microscopic neatness makes on us! What is that white puff I see down there? the sar? No: it is a cloud ofat, for we cannot distinguish between the different altitudes of a bramble-bush and an oak a hundred years old!
”It is one of the delights of an aeronaut to gaze on the faht of the car of a balloon! What earthly pleasure can coh this immense and hospitable space, where no human form can harm me, I despise every evil power; I can feel the pleasure of existence for the first time, for I am in full possession, as on no other occasion, of perfect health of mind and body The aeronauts of the 'Geant' will scarcely condescend to pity those nise by their gigantic works, which appear to thenified than ant-hills!
”The sun had already set behind the purple horizon in our rear The ath there was a thick haze underneath, through which we could occasionally see lights gli from the earth We had attained a sufficient altitude to be only just able to hear noises fro to enjoy the delicious calm and repose peculiar to aerial ascents
”There is, however, a talk about dinner, or rather supper, and night is now fast approaching Every one eats with the best possible appetite
Hams, fowls and dessert only appear to disappear with an equal prone I reht with us, and which are hanging in a cage outside the railing I knew there was no danger of their flying away, so fearlessly opened the cage The three or four birds I had put in the car seemed struck with terror They fleardly towards the centre of our party, tu the plates and dishes and under our feet It was not a case of hunger with the tie
”Meanwhile, the sun has left us for soaze followed it behind the dark clouds in the horizon, whose edges it tipped with a glorious purple Its last rays shone on us, and then caht Suddenly we are enveloped in a dense fog We look around, above us Everything has disappeared in the er visible We can see nothing except the ropes which suspend us, and these are only visible for a few feet above our heads, when they lose the We are alone with our wickerwork house in an unfathoh the co as to see carved into forht at all, in fact, ere unable to distinguish nicely the different shades of colour in these thick clouds Now and then, when the clouds seee; but the thicker ones were dirty andDante must have seen some like these
”Water trickled down our faces, hands, and clothes, and the ropes and sides of our car