The night was calm and dark, and a great multitude was
assembled to witness the ascent, which was accomplished with a
success that gave delight to all; for, at the end of six minutes
the fuse communicated with the squib, and the explosion was like
the sound of thunder. The men who saw it from a distance, but
were not present at its ascent, took it for a meteor. "Our
intention," says Watt, "was, if possible, to discover whether the
reverberating sound of thunder was due to echoes or to successive
explosions. The sound occasioned by the detonation of the
hydrogen gas of the balloon in this experiment, does not enable
us to form a definite judgment; all that we can do is to refer to
those who were near the balloon, and-who affirm that the sound
was like that of thunder."
Chapter II. Experiments and Studies--Blanchard at Paris--Guyton
de Morveau at Dijon.
The most popular name in aerostation during the Revolution and
the Consulate in France is, without doubt, that of Blanchard. We
have already referred to him in the chapter which treats of
experiments made prior to the discovery of Montgolfier, and we
now have to speak of his famous ascent from the Champ de Mars, on
the 2nd of March 1784, and of the ascents which followed.
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