Wonderful Balloon Ascents; Or, The Conquest of the Skies: A History of Balloons and Balloon VoyagesMarion, Fulgence
History
Wonderful Balloon Ascents; Or, The Conquest of the Skies: A History of Balloons and Balloon Voyages
Marion, Fulgence
Balloon ascensions; Balloons
It was at this moment--a frightful one for those who perceived what had
taken place--that a general sentiment of satisfaction and admiration
among the spectators found vent in cries of “Brava! Vive Madame
Blanchard!” &c. The people thought the lady was giving them an
unexpected treat. Meantime, by the light of the flame, the balloon was
seen gradually to descend. It disappeared when it reached the houses,
like a passing meteor, or a train of fire which a blast of wind suddenly
extinguishes. A number of workmen and other persons, who had perceived
that some accident had taken place, ran in the direction in which the
balloon appeared to descend. They arrived at a house in the Rue de
Provence. On the roof of this house the balloon had fallen, and the
unfortunate Madame Blanchard, thrown out of the car by the shock, was
killed by her fall to the earth.
This news spread rapidly from Tivoli, where it occasioned a stupefying
surprise. It was the first time that a fall of the kind had taken place
from the sky at Paris. Fireworks were from this time discontinued, the
fete came to an end, and a subscription was rapidly organised, producing
some thousands of francs, which shortly afterwards were employed in
erecting a monument to the lady, which is now to be seen in the cemetery
of Pere-la-Chaise.
Madame Blanchard had wished to surpass the ordinary spectacle of an
aerial ascent; she had really prepared a SURPRISE for the spectators.
She had prepared and she took with her a small parachute of about
two yards in diameter. After the extinction of the crown or star of
fireworks, she intended to throw this little parachute loose; and as it
was terminated by another supply of fireworks, it was supposed that the
effect would be as beautiful as surprising.
The unhappy lady was small in stature, and very light, and unfortunately
made use of a very small balloon. That of the 6th of July, 1819, was
only seven metres in diameter; and to make it ascend with the weight
it carried it had to be filled to the neck with inflammable air. In
quitting the earth some of this gas escaped, and rising above the
balloon, formed a train like one of powder, which would certainly flash
into a blaze the moment it came in contact with the fire. But on this
day it was she who with her own hand fired this train. At the moment
when, detaching the little parachute from her car, she took the light
for the fireworks in her other hand, she crossed this train with the
light and set it on fire. Then the brave woman, throwing away the
parachute and the match, strove to close the mouth of the balloon, and
to stifle the fire. These efforts being unavailing, Madame Blanchard was
distinctly seen to sit down in her car and await her fate.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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