In August, 1783--an eventful year in the history of aeronautics-- the first gas-inflated balloon was sent up, of course unaccompanied by apassenger.It shot up high in the air much more rapidly than Montgolfier's hot-air balloon had done, and was soon beyond the clouds.After a voyage of nearly an hour's duration it descended in a field some 15 miles away.We are told that some peasants at work near by fled in the greatest alarm at this strange monster which settled in their midst.An old print shows them cautiously approaching the balloon as it lay heaving on the ground, stabbing it with pitchforks, and beating it with flails and sticks.The story goes that one of the alarmed farmers poured a charge of shot into it with his gun, no doubt thinking that he had effectually silenced the panting demon contained therein.To prevent such unseemly occurrences in the future the French Government found it necessary to warn the people by proclamation that balloons were perfectly harmless objects, and that the experiments would be repeated.
We now have two aerial craft competing for popular favour: the Montgolfier hot-air balloon and the "Charlier" or gas-inflated balloon.About four months after the first trial trip of the latter the inventors decided to ascend in a specially-constructed hydrogen-inflated craft.This balloon, which was 27 feet in diameter, contained nearly all the features of the modern balloon.Thus there was a valve at the top by means of which the gas could be let out as desired; a cord net covered the whole fabric, and from the loop which it formed below the neck of the balloon a car was suspended; and in the car there was a quantity of ballast which could be cast overboard when necessary.
It may be imagined that this new method of aerial navigation had thoroughly aroused the excitability of the French nation, so that thousands of people were met together just outside Paris on the 17th December to see Professor Charles and his mechanic, Robelt, ascend in their new craft.The ascent was successful in every way; the intrepid aeronauts, who carried a barometer, found that they had quickly reached an altitude of over a mile.
After remaining aloft for nearly two hours they came down.Professor Charles decided to ascend again, this time by himself, and with a much lighter load the balloon rose about two miles above sea-level.The temperature at this height became very low, and M.Charles was affected by violent pain in his right ear and jaw.During the voyage he witnessedthe strange phenomenon of a double sunset; for, before the ascent, the sun had set behind the hills overshadowing the valleys, and when he rose above the hill-tops he saw the sun again, and presently saw it set again.There is no doubt that the balloon would have risen several thousand feet higher, but the professor thought it would burst, and he opened the valve, eventually making a safe descent about 7 miles from his starting-place.
England lagged behind her French neighbour's in balloon aeronautics-- much as she has recently done in aviation--for a considerable time, and,it was not till August of the following year (1784) that the first balloon ascent was made in Great Britain, by Mr.J.M.Tytler.This took place at Edinburgh in a fire balloon.Previous to this an Italian, named Lunardi, had in November, 1783, dispatched from the Artillery Ground, in London, a small balloon made of oil-silk, 10 feet in diameter and weighing 11 pounds.This small craft was sent aloft at one o'clock, and came down, about two and a half hours later, in Sussex, about 48 miles from its starting-place.
In 1784 the largest balloon on record was sent up from Lyons.This immense craft was more than 100 feet in diameter, and stood about 130 feet high.It was inflated with hot air over a straw fire, and seven passengers were carried, including Joseph Montgolfier and Pilatre de Rozier.
But to return to de Rozier, whom we left earlier in the chapter, after his memorable ascent near Paris.This daring Frenchman decided to cross the Channel, and to prevent the gas cooling, and the balloon falling into the sea, he hit on the idea of suspending a small fire balloon under the neck of another balloon inflated with hydrogen gas.In the light of our modern knowledge of the highly-inflammable nature of hydrogen, we wonder how anyone could have attempted such an adventure; but there had been little experience of this newly-discovered gas in those days.We are not surprised to read that, when high in the air, there was an awful explosion and the brave aeronaut fell to the earth and was dashed to death.
