The Dominion of the Air: The Story of Aerial NavigationBacon, John M. (John Mackenzie)
History
The Dominion of the Air: The Story of Aerial Navigation
Bacon, John M. (John Mackenzie)
Aeronautics -- History; Balloons
"The Giant," after passing Lisle, proceeded in the direction of Belgium,
where a fresh current, coming from the Channel, drove it over the
marshes of Holland. It was there that M. Louis Godard proposed to
descend to await the break of day, in order to recognise the situation
and again to depart. It was one in the morning, the night was dark,
but the weather calm. Unfortunately, this advice, supported by long
experience, was not listened to. "The Giant" went on its way, and
then Louis Godard no longer considered himself responsible for the
consequences of the voyage.
The balloon coasted the Zuyder Zee, and then entered Hanover. The sun
began to appear, drying the netting and sides of the balloon, wet from
its passage through the clouds, and produced a dilatation which elevated
the aeronauts to 15,000 feet. At eight o'clock the wind, blowing
suddenly from the west, drove the balloon in a right line towards the
North Sea. It was necessary, at all hazards, to effect a descent. This
was a perilous affair, as the wind was blowing with extreme violence.
The brothers Godard assisted, by M. Gabriel, opened the valve and got
out the anchors; but, unfortunately, the horizontal progress of the
balloon augmented from second to second. The first obstacle which the
anchors encountered was a tree; it was instantly uprooted, and dragged
along to a second obstacle, a house, whose roof was carried off. At this
moment the two cables of the anchors were broken without the voyagers
being aware of it. Foreseeing the successive shocks that were about
to ensue--the moment was critical--the least forgetfulness might cause
death. To add to the difficulty, the balloon's inclined position did not
permit of operating the valve, except on the hoop.
At the request of his brother, Jules Godard attempted the difficult work
of climbing to this hoop, and, in spite of his known agility, he was
obliged several times to renew the effort. Alone, and not being able to
detach the cord, M. Louis Godard begged M. Yon to join his brother on
the hoop. The two made themselves masters of the rope, which they passed
to Louis Godard. The latter secured it firmly, in spite of the shocks
he received. A violent impact shook the car and M. de St. Felix
became entangled under the car as it was ploughing the ground. It was
impossible to render him any assistance; notwithstanding, Jules Godard,
stimulated by his brother, leapt out to attempt mooring the balloon to
the trees by means of the ropes. M. Montgolfier, entangled in the same
manner, was re-seated in time and saved by Louis Godard.
At this moment others leapt out and escaped with a few contusions. The
car, dragged along by the balloon, broke trees more than half a yard in
diameter and overthrew everything that opposed it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account