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172
Wonderful Balloon Ascents; Or, The Conquest of the Skies
·
Fulgence Marion
25
Generally
it
is
not
pure
hydrogen
that
is
made
use
of
in
the
inflation
of
balloons.
Aeronauts
content
themselves
with
the
gas
which
we
burn
in
our
streets
and
houses,
and
thus
it
suffices,
in
inflating
the
balloon,
to
obtain
from
the
nearest
gas-works
the
quantity
of
gas
necessary,
and
to
lead
it,
by
means
of
a
pipe
or
tube,
from
the
gasometer
to
the
mouth
or
neck
of
the
machine.
The
balloon
is
made
of
long
strips
of
silk,
sewn
together,
and
rendered
air-tight
by
means
of
a
coating
of
caoutchouc.
A
valve
is
fitted
to
the
top,
and
by
means
of
it
the
aeronaut
can
descend
to
the
earth
at
will,
by
allowing
some
quantity
of
the
gas
to
escape.
The
car
in
which
he
sits
is
suspended
to
the
balloon
by
a
network,
which
covers
the
whole
structure.
Sacks
of
sand
are
carried
in
this
car
as
ballast,
so
that,
when
descending,
if
the
aeronaut
sees
that
he
is
likely
to
be
precipitated
into
the
sea
or
into
a
lake,
he
throws
over
the
sand,
and
his
air-carriage,
being
thus
lightened,
mounts
again
and
travels
away
to
a
more
desirable
resting-place.
The
idea
of
the
valve,
as
well
as
that
of
the
sand
ballast,
is
due
to
the
physician
Charles.
They
enable
the
aeronaut
to
ascend
or
descend
with
facility.
When
he
wishes
to
mount,
he
throws
over
his
ballast;
when
he
wants
to
come
down,
he
lets
the
gas
escape
by
the
valve
at
the
roof
of
the
balloon.
This
valve
is
worked
by
means
of
a
spring,
having
a
long
rope
attached
to
it,
which
hangs
down
through
the
neck
to
the
car,
where
the
aeronaut
sits.
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