In Dr Thomson’s History of Chemistry, an anecdote3, related by Mr Benjamin Bell, refers to this as follows:—
“Soon after the appearance of Mr Cavendish’s paper on hydrogen gas, in which he made an approximation to the specific gravity of that body, showing that it was at least ten times lighter than common air, Dr Black invited a party of friends to supper, informing them that he had a curiosity to show them. Dr Hutton, Mr Clerk of Eldin, and Sir George Clerk of Penicuik, were of the number. When the company invited had arrived, he took them into a room where he had the allantois of a calf4 filled with hydrogen gas, and, upon setting it at liberty, it immediately ascended5 and adhered to the ceiling. The phenomenon was easily accounted for; it was taken for granted that a small black thread had been attached to the allantois, that the thread passed through the ceiling, and that some one in the apartment above, by pulling the thread, elevated it to the ceiling, and kept it in its position! This explanation was so plausible7, that it was agreed to by the whole company, though, like many other plausible theories, it turned out wholly fallacious, for, when the allantois was brought down, no thread whatever was found attached to it. Dr Black explained the cause of the ascent8 to his admiring friends; but such was his carelessness of his own reputation, that he never gave the least account of this curious experiment even to his class, and several years elapsed before this obvious property of hydrogen gas was applied9 to the elevation10 of balloons.”
Cavallo made the first practical attempts with hydrogen gas six years later, but he only succeeded in causing soap-bubbles to ascend6.
At last the art of aerial navigation was discovered in France, and in 1782 the first ascent was made. The triumph was achieved by Stephen and Joseph Montgolfier, sons of a wealthy paper-maker who dwelt at Annonay, on the banks of a rivulet11 which flows into the Rhone, not far from Lyons.
These brothers were remarkable12 men. Although bred in a remote provincial13 town, and without the benefit of a liberal education, they were possessed14 in a high degree of ingenuity15 and the spirit of observation. They educated themselves, and acquired an unusually large stock of information, which their inventive and original minds led them to apply in new fields of speculation16. They were associated in business with their father, a man who passed his quiet days like a patriarch amidst a large family and a numerous body of dependants17, until he reached the advanced age of ninety-three.
Stephen devoted18 himself chiefly to the study of mathematics, Joseph to chemistry; and they were accustomed to form their plans in concert. It appears that they had long contemplated19, with philosophical20 interest, the floating and ascent of clouds in the air, and when they heard of or read Cavendish’s theories in regard to different kinds of air, it at once struck them that by enclosing some gas lighter than the atmosphere in a bag, a weight might be raised from the earth into the air.
The brothers Montgolfier were men of that vigorous stamp who act promptly21 on receiving their convictions. At once they set about experimenting, and constructed large bags of paper,—the substance which naturally came readiest to their hands, and which appeared to them to be best suited to their purpose. These were filled with hydrogen gas, which raised them to the ceiling; but, owing to the escape of the gas through the pores and cracks of the case, those embryo22 balloons descended23 in a few minutes. Instead of varnishing25 the paper to prevent the escape of the gas, and supposing, erroneously, that the fault lay in the latter, they sought about for a new gas more suitable to the paper. This they found, as they supposed, in the gas which resulted from the combustion26 of wet straw and wool, which had an upward tendency, they thought, on account of its electrical properties, which caused it to be repelled27 from the ground. It is scarcely necessary now to point out that the true cause of the upward tendency lay in the rarefaction of the air by the heat of the fire, and that hot air has a tendency to rise because its bulk is greatly increased beyond the same quantity of the surrounding cold air.
Although wrong in assigning the cause of the result, they were right in the application of it. While on a visit to Avignon Joseph Montgolfier procured28 a silk bag having a small opening at its lower end, and a capacity of about fifty cubic feet. Under the orifice some paper was burnt; the air inside was heated and expanded so as to fill the bag, which, when let go, soared rapidly up to the height of seventy or eighty feet, where it remained until the air cooled and allowed it to descend24. Thus did the first balloon ascend in the month of November 1782.
Delighted with their success, the indefatigable29 brothers resolved to make further experiment on a larger scale. They procured a quantity of packcloth or coarse linen30, formed it into a globe about ninety feet in circumference31, lined it with paper, and lighted a fire under it in an iron choffer. This balloon went up with a force which they estimated as equivalent to 500 pounds.
After this the Montgolfiers appeared to have become ambitious of accomplishing greater things, and giving to their discoveries publicity32; for we are told that, “they invited the members of the provincial meeting of the states of the Vivarais, then assembled at Annonay, to witness the first public aerial ascent. On the 5th June 1783, amidst a very large concourse of spectators, the spherical33 bag or balloon, consisting of different pieces of linen, merely buttoned together, was suspended from cross poles. Two men kindled34 a fire under it, and kept feeding the flame with small bundles of chopped straw. The loose bag gradually swelled35, assuming a graceful36 form, and in the space of five minutes it was completely distended37, and made such an effort to escape that eight men were required to hold it down.
“On a signal being given the stays were slipped, and the balloon instantly rose with an accelerating motion till it reached some height, when its velocity38 continued uniform, and carried it to an elevation of more than a mile. All was admiration39 and transport. Amidst the shouts of unbounded applause, the progress of the artificial cloud retiring from sight arrested every eye. It was hurried along by the wind; but its buoyant force being soon spent, it remained suspended only ten minutes, and fell gently in a vineyard at a distance of about a mile and a half from the place of its ascension. So memorable40 a feat41 lighted up the glow of national vanity, and the two Montgolfiers were hailed and exalted42 by the spontaneous impulse of their fellow-citizens.”
This event created a sensation not only in France but over the whole of Europe. In Paris, particularly, the effect on all classes was so great that they determined43 to have the experiment repeated, set a subscription44 on foot, and appointed a scientific man named Charles, and two brothers of the name of Robert, to construct a balloon. This they did, but instead of applying the Montgolfier motive45 power—heated air—they used hydrogen gas, procured by the action of diluted46 sulphuric acid upon iron filings. Their balloon, which was made of thin silk, varnished47 with a solution of elastic48 gum, was a much nearer approach to the balloon of modern days than that of Montgolfier. It was a great success; it rose and remained suspended at a height of 100 feet, in which state it was conveyed with acclamation to the Place des Victoires, where it rested and underwent some repairs. At midnight it was conveyed in solemn procession by torchlight, and guarded by a detachment of horse, to the Champ de Mars, where, on the following day, the whole world of Paris turned out to witness another ascent. The balloon went up to the sound of cannon49, and in two minutes reached a height of 3000 feet, when it was lost for a time in a dark cloud, but speedily reappeared still higher. After a flight of fifteen miles, performed in three-quarters of an hour, it sunk to the ground in a field near Ecouen, where it was secured by the peasants.
The Parisians now appeared to become balloon-mad. The Royal Academy of Sciences invited Joseph Montgolfier to repeat his experiments, and another balloon was prepared by him of coarse linen with a paper lining50, which, however, was destroyed by incessant51 and violent rain before it could be tried. Undeterred by this, another was constructed by him, which ascended from Versailles on the 19th of September 1783.
This balloon deserves peculiar52 notice as being the first which carried up living creatures. A sheep, a cockerel, and a duck, were the first aeronauts! They ascended to a height of about 1500 feet; remained suspended for a time, and descended some two miles off in perfect safety—indeed we may say in perfect comfort, for the sheep was discovered to be quietly feeding when it returned to the earth!
The practicability of ballooning being now fairly established, men soon began to venture their own persons in the frail53 cars. A young and enthusiastic naturalist54 named Rozier leaped into the car of another of Montgolfier’s balloons soon after this, and ascended in safety to an elevation of about 300 feet, but on this occasion the balloon was held down by ropes. The ice, however, was broken, and bolder attempts quickly followed.
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1
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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atmospheric
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| adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的 | |
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anecdote
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| n.轶事，趣闻，短故事 | |
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4
calf
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| n.小牛，犊，幼仔，小牛皮 | |
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5
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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6
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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7
plausible
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| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
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8
ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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9
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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10
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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rivulet
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| n.小溪，小河 | |
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12
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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provincial
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| adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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16
speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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17
dependants
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| 受赡养者，受扶养的家属( dependant的名词复数 ) | |
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18
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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19
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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philosophical
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| adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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embryo
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| n.胚胎，萌芽的事物 | |
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23
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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24
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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25
varnishing
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| 在（某物）上涂清漆( varnish的现在分词 ) | |
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26
combustion
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| n.燃烧；氧化；骚动 | |
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27
repelled
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| v.击退( repel的过去式和过去分词 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开 | |
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28
procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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indefatigable
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| adj.不知疲倦的，不屈不挠的 | |
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30
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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circumference
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| n.圆周，周长，圆周线 | |
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32
publicity
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| n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告 | |
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33
spherical
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| adj.球形的；球面的 | |
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34
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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35
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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37
distended
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| v.（使）膨胀，肿胀( distend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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38
velocity
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| n.速度，速率 | |
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39
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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40
memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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41
feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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42
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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43
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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44
subscription
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| n.预订，预订费，亲笔签名，调配法，下标（处方） | |
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45
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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46
diluted
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| 无力的，冲淡的 | |
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47
varnished
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| 浸渍过的，涂漆的 | |
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48
elastic
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| n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的 | |
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49
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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50
lining
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| n.衬里，衬料 | |
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51
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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52
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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53
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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54
naturalist
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| n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者) | |
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