480 



GLEANING8 IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 15. 



Although from Dec. 1, 1783, silk balloons tilled 

 with hydrogen gas were extensively used, the 

 Moiitgo]fier(or hot-air) balloon waspreferred by 

 many, notwithstanding the danger of its burn- 

 ing in mid-air, from the tire used for continuous 

 inflation. 



The longest ascent ever made was in a gas- 

 balloon, by Green and his two friends, Monk 

 Mason, and a gentleman named Molland. In 

 183<i they started from London and landed in 

 the Duchy of Nassau, Wiberg, Germany, 1200 

 miles distant. The longest and highest ascent 

 in a Montgolfier was made from Versailles the 

 23d of June, 1784, by Roziers and Proust. After 

 traveling five miles they kindled the fire and 

 arose to the height of 11,732 ft., among clouds 

 of snow, where they remained for 8 minutes, 

 descending to within 3000 ft., of the earth, and 

 landing in Compeign, 40 miles away. 



Blanchard, having tried the virtues of the 

 parachute by dropping his dog from a gas-bal- 

 loon, at a height of 6500 ft., in 1802 citizen Gan- 

 erin leaped from a height of 1200 ft., with the 

 aid of a parachute provided with a basket, in 

 which he sat. At first the descent was very 

 rapid; but as soon as the cloth spread, the ve 

 locity was checked and he reached the ground 

 safely with more or less oscillations. Subse- 

 quently they were used as a safeguard, in case 

 the balloon should be wrecked by fire or wind. 



At a fair in Venice, in 1617, there was on ex- 

 hibition a small parachute, which, although 

 more crude in mechanism that Ganerin's, com- 

 bined the same principles; and, 189 years before 

 his feat at Paris, a mountebank of Siam fre- 

 quently climbed a high bamboo-tree and leaped 

 into space with two umbrella-like contrivances, 

 which were so large he would sometimes drift 

 far away, lighting on houses and in the river, 

 though fortunately without disaster. 



According to Greek mythology, in the fourth 

 century B. C. a certain Archytas constructed a 

 wooden pigeon, fitted with a spring, which, 

 when wound up, would fly for some time. There 

 is little doubt that such attempts were made; 

 for in the 13th century, Blanchard, in his flying- 

 machine, used many of the same principles. 

 The most perfect device was that of Besuier, 

 of Maine, who, in 1678, made various experi- 

 ments, and reached that degree of perfection 

 which enabled him to leap from the tops of high 

 buildings, and, by vigorously working his wings, 

 sail windward several hundred yards. 



Solving the problem of aerial navigation had 

 long been given up in despair when the use of 

 balloons seemed to throw a new ray of light on 

 the subject, and all efforts were exerted in the 

 use of wings, paddles, sails, and rudders, but all 

 to no avail. From Besnier's time to the present 

 day, no improvements have been made in air- 

 ships, although several fake machines have 

 drawn much attention and money from the 

 public. 



Thus far, aeronautics has been useful in 

 three ways; viz., the solution of many problems 

 of science through the use of instruments at 

 different elevations; while in warfare, captive 

 balloons were used in taking observations in 

 the enemies' camp; and, lastly, has benefited 

 associations employing, and those employed in 

 making balloon ascensions. 



There are no better balloons to-day than in 

 Montgolfier's time; and with practical inven- 

 tors the idea of navigating the air by their use 

 has been abandoned, and will remain so unless 

 man can control the winds, as they are entirely 

 at the mercy of the currents. Indeed, balloons 

 are so delicate and sensitive, that, while float- 

 ing horizontally through space, the slightest 

 move shakes the whole structure. From this it 

 is plainly seen, that, even if it were possible to 

 guide them against the wind, the pressure 



would be sufficient to collapse such a delicate 

 affair. Undoubtedly, if this wonderful problem 

 is ever solved it will be through means yet un- 

 known, and electricity will he the motive power. 

 Machines using large wings can never be prac- 

 tical; like balloons, the slightest sudden breeze 

 would upset them. 



Being an electrician, and desiring to become 

 familiar with the currents, and determine to 

 what extent electricity might be applied to air- 

 ships, I received instructions from Baldwin 

 Brothers, of Quincy, 111., the inventors of the 

 modern parachute, and made my first ascension 

 in a hot-air balloon, with parachute descent, at 

 Dowagiac, Mich. At 6 p. m. I seated myself in 

 the trapeze, and. bidding my friends good-by, 

 the balloon was released. For the first 300 ft. 

 there was a most thrilling sensation of being 

 lifted from the earth, and at no time did the 

 ground appear to be dropping away, as describ- 

 ed by many. The crowded park which I had 

 just left now looked like a mass of moving black 

 and white, and, after overlooking the country, 

 viewing the many lakes and towns within a ra- 

 dius of 12 or 15 miles, it was indeed impossible 

 to distinguish the business portions of our city 

 from dwellings which were nearly a mile away. 

 My first surprise was the clearness with which 

 all earthly sounds could be heard— plainly hear- 

 ing the cries of people one mile below to "cut 

 her off;" but perceiving the country beyond to 

 be an equally good landing-place, and that I 

 was not yet descending in the least, which is 

 discerned by the flutter of the parachute in a 

 downward course, I prolonged those blissful mo- 

 ments. 



Directly under me I could plainly see carri- 

 ages, and their occupants, which looked less 

 than half size, waving their hats and handker- 

 chiefs. At this height the whole world looked 

 like a mat of velvet, perfectly clean and smooth; 

 hills, hollows, and shrubbery not being noticea- 

 ble. The lakes had a silvery sparkle, and tlie 

 river looked like a silver chain thrown careless- 

 ly along the surface, while patches of wood 

 were black spots. Houses and barns were the 

 same color, and all alike, and country roads 

 gave the ground a checkerboard appearance. 

 There was no feeling of fear of falling; nor did 

 it seem possible that, if I should jumj) out, I 

 should go down any more than up, but that I 

 should remain perfectly still. The earth was 

 like a painting, and no one would have any 

 more fear of falling from a balloon than into a 

 birds-eye view of a city. Being so far away, 

 and entirely disconnected from tangible earthly 

 substances, one can not fully realize his posi- 

 tion. Persons who would become dizzy in look- 

 ing over the wall of high buildings would be at 

 perfect ease away up in a balloon. 



The balloon now beginning to descend a trifle, 

 and not desiring to disappoint my friends who 

 were running and driving their fastest to see 

 the landing. I pulled the register-cord, which, 

 operating the cut-off knife at the top of the 

 parachute, launched me into space. To my ut- 

 most surprise there was no feeling of dropping, 

 such as experienced in elevators, but I seemed 

 to be sitting perfectly quiet in space, without 

 support. After falling 125 feet, which was de- 

 termined from an instantaneous photograph ta- 

 ken just as the parachute opened, the linen 

 above my head snapped like a sheet in the wind, 

 and spread to its full capacity of 22 feet in di- 

 ameter. 



As a demonstration of my coolness, to those 

 below, I now hung by my legs head down: 

 waved my arms, and shouted, until, finding 

 myself swinging to and fro about 20 feet like a 

 pendulum, I sat erect watching the movements 

 of my life- protector. While I should be sick 

 from swinging in a hammock, the violent mo- 



