lthough balloon ascents are now matters of everyday occurrence, and scarcely a fête takes place at any of the public gardens without the announcement of an ascent to be conducted by some well-known aëronaut, yet there are very few people who really know anything practical about balloons or their construction, so we often read graphic descriptions of perils surmounted and deeds of heroism performed by aërial travellers, which aëronauts know to be utter impossibilities—such, for instance, as the climbing to the top of a balloon by the network in order to open the valve at the top and allow the gas to escape; not to mention other marvellous fictions invented by the imaginations of ‘sensational’ newspaper reporters.
It is my desire in the present chapter to give the reader a thorough practical knowledge of that truly wonderful machine by means of which man is enabled to rise above his mother earth, and gaze upon her beauties from a height unattainable otherwise. And, as it is first of all necessary to dispel the ignorance which prevails upon the subject, I shall commence by showing what a balloon is not, then I shall proceed to describe what it is, and finally I hope to give such information as shall enable my readers themselves to construct a perfect model of a balloon, such as, if made on a proportionately increased scale, would be capable of carrying into the air one, ten, or twenty people.
That the science of aërial navigation has a strong fascination for adventurous dispositions is a proposition which none will gainsay; and the very danger attending a balloon ascent adds to its pleasurable excitement. This danger, however, is not only, nor even chiefly in the air, but in the descent to the earth, when the greatest caution has to be observed to alight upon a favourable spot: and sometimes consists in the reception accorded to the traveller on his arrival upon terra firma, as the following little adventure will show.
I have been from my childhood a lover of ballooning, having been, I might almost say, born to the business, which was taught me by my godfather, the veteran aëronaut, Charles Green, whose memory is yet held in reverence by many who knew and loved him while he lived. I had frequently been taken by him in his various ascents, and as I grew into man’s estate I was able to be useful to him in his trips. On one occasion an ascent had been announced from what were then known as the Surrey Zoological Gardens. Everything was duly prepared, the balloon was filled with gas, and at the appointed time Mr. Green and I sailed gently into the sky amid the crash of the band and the cheering of the people, which grew fainter and yet more faint, and at last quite inaudible, as we mounted higher and higher towards the azure vault above us.
It was a lovely afternoon in October, and a gentle breeze wafted us slowly away from the mighty city, over green fields wherein the grazing cattle looked rather smaller than ants, over villages whose toiling inhabitants seemed but tiny specks in the universe; until at length a light mist spread itself over the country.
My relative, experienced aëronaut though he was, manifested signs of anxiety as to the safety of our descent; for we had for some time past commenced descending by letting out the gas from the valve at the top of the balloon, but the nearer we approached the earth the denser became the fog, while the shades of evening warned us that the descent was an imperative necessity. Hoping to alight in the open country, we let fall the grapnel, which very speedily caught hold of something which checked our progress. Unluckily this something proved to be a tree, and not the earth, as we had, of course, hoped it would be.
‘Charlie,’ said Mr. Green, ‘there is only one thing to be done, and that is for you to get down and release the grapnel from the tree, and ascertain if you can how far we are from the open, for if the net gets entangled with the boughs we shall be lost, and the balloon spoiled.’
To me, well versed as I was in all kinds of gymnastics, it was a matter of little difficulty to descend the rope which connected us in some way with the earth; so putting another stout cord on my shoulder I went down ‘hand over hand’ until I found myself in a large elm-tree, and as the fog had risen considerably above the earth I was able to make out our whereabouts. We were in the middle of a thickly wooded park, though about two hundred yards to the east, in the direction in which we had drifted, I could see a large open space eminently fitted for the descent. I called out this information, cheerily adding that there was no fear of the net being broken this time. Then I quickly disengaged the grapnel, upon which the balloon sprang up gaily into the air, and next prepared to make my own descent from the tree by means of the cord with which I had provided myself. No sooner had my feet touched the ground than I felt myself roughly seized by two men, who bound my arms behind me in a jiffy, and at once commenced to rate me soundly.
‘Ah!’ said the elder man, savagely, ‘we’ve caught you at last, you rascal, have we? So you’re the chap as steals our governor’s pheasants, is it?’
‘Yes,’ grinned the other, ‘and it’s with a net as you takes ’em, just as I thought! We’ll see what the squire’ll say to you now!’