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Wonderful Balloon Ascents; Or, The Conquest of the Skies
·
Fulgence Marion
61
ascent,
for
we
have
seen
that
the
gearing
of
his
vessel
was
broken
by
the
infuriated
Dupont
de
Chambon.
Yet
the
aeronaut
pretends
to
have
been,
to
some
extent,
assisted
by
his
mechanical
contrivances.
The
following
is
his
narrative:--
“I
rose
to
a
certain
height
over
Plassy,
and
perceiving
Villette,
which
I
did
not
despair
of
reaching
in
spite
of
the
misfortune
that
had
happened
to
me,
I
attached
a
rope
of
my
rigging
to
my
leg,
not
being
able
to
make
use
of
my
left
hand,
which
I
had
wrapped
in
my
handkerchief
on
account
of
the
sword-wound
it
had
received.
I
fixed
up
a
piece
of
cloth,
and
thus
made
a
sort
of
sail
with
which
I
hugged
the
wind.
But
the
rays
of
the
sun
had
so
heated
and
rarefied
the
inflammable
air
that
soon
I
forgot
my
rigging
in
thinking
of
the
terrible
danger
that
threatened
me.”
Going
on
to
narrate
the
dangers
that
beset
him,
Blanchard
describes
a
number
of
most
extraordinary
experiences,
which
would
be
better
worthy
of
a
place
here
if
they
were
more
like
the
truth.
His
curious
narrative
is
thus
brought
to
a
close:--
“Escaped
from
these
impetuous
and
contrary
winds,
during
which
I
had
felt
a
great
degree
of
cold,
I
mounted
perpendicularly.
The
cold
became
excessive.
Being
hungry
I
ate
a
morsel
of
cake.
I
wished
to
drink,
but
in
searching
the
car
nothing
was
to
be
seen
but
the
debris
of
bottles
and
glasses,
which
my
assailant
had
left
behind
him
when
we
were
about
to
depart.
Afterwards
all
was
so
calm
that
nothing
could
be
seen
or
heard.
The
silence
became
appalling,
and
to
add
to
my
alarm
I
began
to
lose
consciousness.
I
now
wished
to
take
snuff,
but
found
I
had
left
my
box
behind
me.
I
changed
my
seat
many
times;
I
went
from
prow
to
stern,
but
the
drowsiness
only
ceased
to
assail
me
when
I
was
struck
by
two
furious
winds,
which
compressed
my
balloon
to
such
an
extent
that
its
size
became
sensibly
diminished
to
the
eye.
I
was
not
sorry
when
I
began
to
descend
rapidly
upon
the
river,
which
at
first
seemed
to
me
a
white
thread,
afterwards
a
ribbon,
and
then
a
piece
of
cloth.
As
I
followed
the
course
of
the
river,
the
fear
that
I
should
have
to
descend
into
it,
made
me
agitate
the
oars
very
rapidly.
I
believe
that
it
is
to
these
movements
that
I
owe
my
being
able
to
cross
the
river
transversely,
and
get
above
dry
land.
When
I
saw
myself
upon
the
plain
of
Billancourt,
I
recognised
the
bridge
of
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