The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven Edition: Table Of Contents And Index Of The Five VolumesPoe, Edgar Allan
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The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven Edition: Table Of Contents And Index Of The Five Volumes
Poe, Edgar Allan
American fiction -- 19th century; Fantasy fiction; Horror tales, American; Indexes; Poe, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849; Short stories
“This model (which, through want of time, we have necessarily
described in an imperfect manner,) was put in action at the
Adelaide Gallery, where it accomplished a velocity of five miles
per hour; although, strange to say, it excited very little
interest in comparison with the previous complex machine of Mr.
Henson—so resolute is the world to despise anything which carries
with it an air of simplicity. To accomplish the great desideratum
of ærial navigation, it was very generally supposed that some
exceedingly complicated application must be made of some
unusually profound principle in dynamics.
“So well satisfied, however, was Mr. Mason of the ultimate
success of his invention, that he determined to construct
immediately, if possible, a balloon of sufficient capacity to
test the question by a voyage of some extent—the original design
being to cross the British Channel, as before, in the Nassau
balloon. To carry out his views, he solicited and obtained the
patronage of Sir Everard Bringhurst and Mr. Osborne, two
gentlemen well known for scientific acquirement, and especially
for the interest they have exhibited in the progress of
ærostation. The project, at the desire of Mr. Osborne, was kept a
profound secret from the public—the only persons entrusted with
the design being those actually engaged in the construction of
the machine, which was built (under the superintendence of Mr.
Mason, Mr. Holland, Sir Everard Bringhurst, and Mr. Osborne,) at
the seat of the latter gentleman near Penstruthal, in Wales. Mr.
Henson, accompanied by his friend Mr. Ainsworth, was admitted to
a private view of the balloon, on Saturday last—when the two
gentlemen made final arrangements to be included in the
adventure. We are not informed for what reason the two seamen
were also included in the party—but, in the course of a day or
two, we shall put our readers in possession of the minutest
particulars respecting this extraordinary voyage.
“The balloon is composed of silk, varnished with the liquid gum
caoutchouc. It is of vast dimensions, containing more than 40,000
cubic feet of gas; but as coal gas was employed in place of the
more expensive and inconvenient hydrogen, the supporting power of
the machine, when fully inflated, and immediately after
inflation, is not more than about 2500 pounds. The coal gas is
not only much less costly, but is easily procured and managed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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