Prof. T. S. C. Lowe’s mammoth balloon “City of New York,” a feature of the year 1860, in which it made many short voyages in the vicinity of New York and Philadelphia.
In 1849, M. Arban crossed the Alps in a balloon, starting at Marseilles and landing at Turin—a distance of 400 miles in 8 hours. This remarkable record for so long a distance at a high speed has rarely been equalled. It was exceeded as to distance at the same speed by the American aeronaut, John Wise, in 1859.
One of the most famous balloons of recent times was the “Geant,” built by M. Nadar, in Paris, in 1853. The immense gas-bag was made of silk of the finest quality costing at that time about $1.30 a yard, and being made double, it required 22,000 yards. It had a capacity of 215,000 cubic feet of gas, and lifted 4½ tons. The car was 13 feet square, and had an upper deck which was open. On its first ascent it carried 15 passengers, including M. Nadar as captain, and the brothers Godard as lieutenants. A few weeks later this balloon was set free for a long-distance journey, and 17 hours after it left Paris it landed at Nieuburg in Hanover, having traversed 750 miles, a part of the time at the speed of fully 90 miles per hour.
In July, 1859, John Wise, an American aeronaut, journeyed from St. Louis, Mo., to Henderson, N. Y., a distance of 950 miles in 19 hours. His average speed was 50 miles per hour. This record for duration at so high a rate of speed has never been exceeded.
During the siege of Paris in 1870, seventy-three balloons were sent out from that city carrying mail and dispatches. These were under Government direction, and receive notice in a subsequent chapter devoted to Military Aeronautics. One of these balloons is entitled to mention among those famous for rapid journeys, having travelled to the Zuyder Zee, a distance of 285 miles, in 3 hours—an average speed of 95 miles per hour. Another of these postal balloons belongs in the extreme long-distance class, having come down in Norway nearly 1,000 miles from Paris.
In July, 1897, the Arctic explorer Andrée started on his voyage to the Pole. As some of his instruments have been recently recovered from a wandering band of Esquimaux, it is believed that a record of his voyage may yet be secured.
In the same year a balloon under the command of Godard ascended at Leipsic, and after a wandering journey in an irregular course, descended at Wilna. The distance travelled was estimated at 1,032 miles, but as balloon records are always based on the airline distance between the places of ascent and descent, this record has not been accepted as authoritative. The time consumed was 24¼ hours.
In 1899, Captain von Sigsfield, Captain Hildebrandt, and a companion started from Berlin in a wind so strong that it prevented the taking on of an adequate load of ballast. They rose into a gale, and in two hours were over Breslau, having made the distance at a speed of 92 miles per hour. In the grasp of the storm they continued their swift journey, landing finally high up in the snows of the Carpathian Alps in Austria. They were arrested by the local authorities as Russian spies, but succeeded in gaining their liberty by telegraphing to an official more closely in touch with the aeronautics of the day.
In 1900 there were several balloon voyages notable for their length. Jacques Balsan travelled from Vincennes to Dantzig, 757 miles; Count de la Vaulx journeyed from Vincennes to Poland, 706 miles; Jacques Faure from Vincennes to Mamlity, 753 miles. In a subsequent voyage Jacques Balsan travelled from Vincennes to Rodom, in Russia, 843 miles, in 27½ hours.