At first it
was carried to the south by a strong north wind, but after it had
risen to 1,000 feet above the surface, its course was changed
towards the north. It was calculated that, in less than five
minutes, this balloon rose to the height of 6,000 feet.
On the 16th of the same month the Count d'Albon threw off from
his gardens at Franconville a balloon inflated with gas, and made
of silk, rendered air-tight by a solution of gum-arabic. It was
oblong, and measured twenty-five feet in height, and seventeen
feet in diameter. To this balloon a cage, containing two
guinea-pigs and a rabbit, was suspended. The cords were cut, and
the inflated globe rose to an enormous height with the greatest
rapidity. Five days afterwards it was found at the distance of
eighteen miles, and it is remarkable that, in spite of the cold
of the season, and particularly of the elevated region through
which the balloon had been passing, the animals were not only
living, but in good condition.
On the 3rd of February, 1784, the Marquis de Bullion sent up a
paper balloon, of about fifteen feet in diameter. A flat sponge,
about a foot square, placed in a tin dish and drenched with a
pint of spirits of wine, was the only apparatus made use of to
create a supply of heated air.
Pages:
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120