HISTORY OP AEROSTATION. 67 



tance of 7668 feet from the place it had left. Soon after this, one 

 of the brothers, invited by the. Academy of Sciences to repeat his 

 experiments at their expense, constructed a large balloon of an 

 elliptical form. In a preliminary experiment, tins machine lifted 

 from the ground eight persons who held it, and would have carried 

 them all off, if more had not quickly come to their assistance. Next 

 day the machine was rilled by the combustion of fifty pounds of 

 straw, and twelve pounds of wool. The machine soon Dwelled, 

 and sustained itself in the air, together with the charge of between 

 4 and 500 pounds weight. It was designed to repeat tlie experi- 

 ment before the king, at Versailles ; but a violent storm of rain and 

 wind happening to damage the machine, it became necessary to pre- 

 pare a new one ; and such expedition was used that this va<t balloon, 

 near 60 feet in height, and 43 in diameter, was made, painted within 

 and without, and finely decorated, in no more than four days and 

 four nights. Along with it was sent a wicker cage, containing a 

 sheep, a cock, and a duck, which were the first animals ever sent on 

 such a voyage. The full success of the experiment was, however, 

 prevented by a violent gust of wind, which lore the machine in two 

 places near the top before it ascended. Still it rose 1 440 feet; and 

 after remaining in the air about ei^ht minutes, fell to the ground at 

 the distance of 10,200 feet from the place of its setting out. The 

 animals were not in the least hurt. 



As the great power of these aerostatic machines, and their very 

 gradual descent, shewed they were capable of transporting people 

 through the air with all imaginable safety, M. Pilatre de Rozier 

 offered himself to be the first aerial adventurer in a new machine, 

 constructed in a garden in the fauxbourg of St. Antoine. It was 

 of an oval shape, 43 feet in diameter, and 74 in height, elegantly 

 painted with the signs of the zodiac, ciphers of the king's name, 

 and other ornaments. A proper gallery, grate, ore. enabled the 

 person who ascended to supply the fire with fuel, and thus keep up 

 the machine as long as he pleased. The weight of the whole appa- 

 ratus was upwards of 1600 pounds. On the 15th of October, 1783, 

 M. Pilatre placing himself in the gallery, the machine was inflated, 

 and permitted to ascend to the height of 84 feet, where he kept it 

 afloat about four minutes and a half; after which it descended very 

 gently : and such was its tendency to ascend, that it rebounded to a 

 considerable height after touching the ground. . On repeating the 

 experiment, he amended to the height of 210 feet. His next ascent 



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