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128
Wonderful Balloon Ascents; Or, The Conquest of the Skies
·
Fulgence Marion
65
crossing
the
road
from
Dijon
to
Langres.
The
mercury
had
descended
to
24
inches
8
lines,
which
announced
that
we
were
gradually
rising.
We
attempted
for
some
time
to
follow
the
route
to
I
Langres,
but
the
wind
drove
us
off
our
course
in
spite
of
all
our
efforts.
At
nine
o’clock
our
barometer
informed
us
that
we
had
ascended
to
the
height
of
6,000
feet.
M.
de
Verley
took
advantage
of
this
elevation
to
put
some
touch
wood
to
a
burning-glass
18
lines
in
diameter,
and
the
touch
wood
lighted
immediately.”
The
aeronauts
decided
to
direct
their
course
for
Dijon.
After
re-setting
the
helm
with
this
intention,
they
worked
their
oars,
and
proceeded
in
that
direction
more
than
1,000
feet.
But
heat
and
fatigue
obliged
them
to
suspend
their
endeavours,
and
the
current
drove
them
upon
Mirebeau,
where,
throwing
out
the
last
of
their
ballast
and
regulating
their
descent,
they
came
softly
down
upon
a
corn-field.
The
adventurers
were
cordially
welcomed
by
the
ecclesiastics
and
the
magistrates
of
the
place,
and
after
a
time
they,
with
their
balloon,
were
carried
back
on
men’s
shoulders
to
Dijon.
Chapter
III.
Experiment
in
Montgolfiers--Roziers
and
Proust--The
Duke
of
Chartres--The
Comte
d’Artois--Voyage
of
the
Abbe
Carnus
to
Rodez.
The
longest
course
travelled
by
Montgolfiere
balloons,
and
the
highest
elevation
reached
by
them,
were
achieved
by
Roziers
and
Proust
with
the
Montgolfiere
la
Marie
Antoinette,
at
Versailles,
on
the
23rd
of
June,
1784.
Roziers
himself
has
left
us
a
picturesque
narrative
of
this
excursion
from
Versailles
to
Compiegne.
He
says:--
“The
Montgolfiere
rose
at
first
very
gently
in
a
diagonal
line,
presenting
an
imposing
spectacle.
Like
a
vessel
which
has
just
been
precipitated
from
the
stocks,
this
astonishing
machine
hung
balanced
in
the
air
for
some
time,
and
seemed
to
have
got
beyond
human
control.
These
irregular
movements
intimidated
a
portion
of
the
spectators,
who,
fearing
that,
should
there
be
a
fall,
their
lives
would
be
in
danger,
scattered
away
with
great
speed
from
under
us.
After
having
fed
my
fire,
I
saluted
the
people,
who
answered
me
in
the
most
cordial
manner.
I
had
time
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