CHAPTER II
THE COMING OF THE GAS BALLOON
During the time of which we are speaking there was living in London a famous chemist named Henry Cavendish. He was the son of a nobleman, and a very rich man; but he shut himself up entirely from the world, and devoted his whole time and energies to the study of science. So afraid was he of being interrupted in his work that he lived the life of a hermit, commanding his servants to keep out of his sight on pain of dismissal, and ordering his dinner daily by means of a note placed on the hall table. In the year 1760—twenty-two years before the Montgolfier brothers began their experiments—this eccentric man had discovered what was then known as “inflammable air,” but what we now call hydrogen gas.
Cavendish’s experiments proved that hydrogen is the lightest of all known substances, being about fourteen times lighter than atmospheric air; and soon after he had made known his researches, it occurred to a certain Dr. Black of Edinburgh that if a sufficiently thin and light bladder were filled with this “inflammable air” it would rise upwards. Dr. Black even went so far as to order a special bladder to be prepared for the purpose; but by the time it was ready he was busy with other work, and the experiment was never made; otherwise it is extremely probable that the honour of inventing the balloon would have been won for this country, and not for France.
A little later Tiberius Cavallo, an Italian chemist living in England, came yet nearer to the great invention, for he filled a number of soap-bubbles with the newly discovered gas, and saw them float high into the air. He did not, however, think at the time that his experiments would lead to any practical result, and so the matter dropped entirely, until the world was suddenly electrified by the tidings of the wonderful hot-air balloon invented by the brothers Montgolfier at Annonay.
The news of this discovery recalled to the minds of many the almost forgotten experiments of the past, and it was forthwith suggested that balloons might be inflated with hydrogen gas more successfully than with hot air. It was resolved immediately to put this theory to the test. A large subscription to defray expenses was raised in Paris without difficulty, for men’s minds were keen on the new-found art of sailing the sky; and M. Charles, Professor of Experimental Philosophy, and two brothers, the Messrs. Roberts, well-known mechanicians, were appointed to construct a suitable balloon and inflate it by the new method.
But they were immediately confronted with a difficulty. Hydrogen being the lightest and most subtle of gases, they were at a loss to know of what material to make their balloon, to prevent the gas escaping. After several failures they eventually constructed a bag of a special kind of silk, and coated it all over with a varnish made of indiarubber dissolved in turpentine. As they found great difficulty in manufacturing large quantities of hydrogen, they were forced to make their bag a comparatively small one, about thirteen feet in diameter. On the 25th of August 1783 the bag was successfully filled, and the ascent was made in Paris in the presence of an enormous crowd. The little balloon rose upwards with immense rapidity, until it was lost to sight in the clouds. Ascending yet higher, it presently burst, and came to the earth in a village, fifteen miles away, after a voyage of three-quarters of an hour.
Attack on the First Charlier Balloon.
In the field where the balloon fell a party of peasants were at work; at its approach they fled in abject terror. From a safe distance they watched the strange new monster settle to earth and lie prone, and then they cautiously drew nearer to inspect it. The silk still heaved with the escaping gas, and the countrymen were fully convinced that an actual living creature of mysterious nature lay before them. One man seized his gun and fired full at it, and then supposing it to be mortally wounded, they all rushed in with flails and pitchforks to complete its destruction, finally tying it to the tail of a horse, who galloped with it all over the country, tearing it to shreds. It was small wonder that after such an occurrence the French Government issued a proclamation to the people, telling them that these aeronautical experiments were to be repeated, and warning them not to be alarmed if they saw a balloon in the air, since it was a perfectly harmless machine filled with gas, and incapable of injuring any one.
This event took place about three months after the first public ascent of the hot-air balloon. The new craft was immediately called a “Charlier,” after its inventor, and to distinguish it from the “Montgolfier.” There followed various exhibitions of the rival airships, and after the voyage of Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis D’Arlandes, Messrs. Charles and Roberts resolved also to hazard an ascent in a balloon inflated with hydrogen.