"They then descended tranquilly in the country, beyond the new
boulevard, without having experienced the slightest
inconvenience, having still the greater part of their fuel
untouched. They could, had they desired, have cleared a distance
three times as great as that which they traversed. Their flight
was nearly 30,000 feet, and the time it occupied was from twenty
to twenty-five minutes. This machine was 70 feet high, 46 feet
in diameter, and had a capacity of 60,000 cubic feet."
It is reported that Franklin, more illustrious in his humility
than the most brilliant among the lords of the court, when
consulted respecting the possible use of balloons, answered
simply, "C'est l'enfant qui vient de naitre?"
Chapter X. The Second Arial Voyage.
(1st December 1783.--Charles and Robert at the Tuileries.)
The first ascent of Roziers and Arlandes was a feat of hardihood
almost unique. The men's courage was, so to speak, their only
guarantee. Thanks to the balloon, however, they accomplished one
of the most extraordinary enterprises ever achieved by our race.
On the day after the experiment of the Champ de Mars (27th of
August), Professor Charles--who had already acquired celebrity at
the Louvre, by his scientific collection and by his rank as an
official instructor--and the Brothers Robert, mechanicians, were
engaged in the construction of a balloon, to be inflated with
hydrogen gas, and destined to carry a car and one or two
passengers.
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