On the 11th of December, 1783, a little balloon, made of
gold-beaters' skin, was let off publicly at Turin. This was an
experiment similar to that which had been tried at Paris in
September. The balloon was seen to penetrate the clouds, then to
mount still higher, and finally to disappear entirely in five
minutes fifty-four seconds from the time when it was set free.
It was natural, after the experiments made long before with
electric paper kites, to employ the balloon in the investigation
of the electric conditions of the atmosphere. The first to use
it for this purpose was the Abbe Berthelon de Montpellier. He
sent up a number of balloons, to which he had attached pieces of
metal, long and narrow, and terminating in a cylinder of glass,
or other substance suitable for the purpose of isolation, and he
obtained sufficient electricity by these means to demonstrate the
phenomena of attraction and repulsion, as well as electric
sparks.
Cavallo mentions an accident which took place in England about
this time, and which served as a warning to all who had to do
with balloons filled with hydrogen gas. A balloon thus inflated
had been sent up at Hopton, near Matlock, and was found by two
men near Cheadle, in Staffordshire.
Pages:
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118