A BALLOON ASCENE A CENTURY SINCE.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3825, 19 October 1883, Page 4

A BALLOON ASCENE A CENTURY SINCE.

An application to tho Court of Assistant Of tho Hon. Artillery Company of Londo . for the uso of the ground for an exhibition of an air balloon Avas made on August 28th, 178-1, by Vincent Lunardi, secretary to the Neapolitan Ambassador, and permission granted. September loth Avas appointed for this extraordinary expedition into the air. The Prince of Wales came privately to the ground with several of the nobility, and, amid tho acclamations of a vast concourse of people, Mr Lunardi took his scat in a car appended to the balloon, and was launched into tho air. In describing his experiences during his journey, he said ho had suffered considerable disappointment from tho inability of his balloon to carry a companion, being obliged to content himself with tho company of a dog, cat, and pigeon, and taking for provisions only two fowls and two bottles of Avino, together ■with a compass and a thermometer. The latter stood at 01 dog. upon the earth. Everything being ready, and throwing out some ballast, ho began to ascend, but Avas exceedingly alarmed Avhen ho found himself fiinking again; so hastily casting away more ballast, he ascended readily, and felt perfectly easy and satisiied as soon as he Avas clear of tho housc3. Ho then Avavcd his flag, and dropped it as a signal of his safety, after Avhieh he applied himself to his oars, but unfortunately one of them slipped out of its fastening and avus lost. lie continued, however, to Avork one with great success, finding ho could raise or lower himself by that means, and so Avas much pleased witli the success of the experiment. But, growing tired, he rested from his oar and took a glass of wine, and, being furnished with tho necessary utensils, Avrote a letter, folded it up, fastened it with a hairpin to a napkin, and threAV it down. He was now, and had been for some time, stationary, tho thermometer standing at 50 deg. For a short tune he indulged himself with a prospect beautiful beyond description, being at a height from •whence ho could clearly distinguish every object, and tho distance from the earth by enlarging tho scope of his A-ision added greatly to tho grandeur of tho scene. The apearance of London had an amazing eil'ect. St. Paul's was ma jcctically conspicuous, and the Avidening Thames, Avith its shipping, rendered tho Avhole beautifully romantic and picturesque He shouted to the people below as loudly as lie could, and thought ho heard them answer, but the A-oiccs avci-o rendered inarticulate before they reached him, sounding much like an echo to his own. Ho cast over some more ballast and rose considerably higher, and drinking another glass of Avino ho throw aAvay the bottle, which he noticed was four and a half minutes descending-. The thermometer had fallen 29 dog,, and ho remained nearlystationary for half-an-hour, during- Avhieh time it began to freeze. Tho dog and cat seemed faint, particularly tho latter, and ho himself felt tho cold, not disagreeably however. Tho prospect at this height was not so pleasing, objects being not so distinct as before. By means of his oar he descended very rapidly, and endeavoured to check his descent as lie approached the earth, but spite of all his efforts he touched the ground so violently as to damage his car considerably. He called a girl to him, into whose hands lie gave his cat, Avith strong injunctions to take great care of it until she saw him again. It being now ten minutes past three he kicked out some ballast and immediately re-ascended, and parting Avith all his ballast, cutting away his anchor, and disengaging himscif from everything that could retard his ascent, ho arose Avith amazing velocity to a much greater height than before. He commenced a second letter, and had been Avriting for three-quarters of an hour Avhen he felt something touch his head. His astonishment, great as it was, Avas much augmented Avhen ho discovered the cause. His balloon had swelled, oAving to the difference of tho medium of the air in which it now floated and that in Avhieh it Avas launched, so much so that he expected every moment it would burst. Having no valves to relievo the superfluous air, he had to untie the neck, by Avhieh means ho gave it vent. Ho fixed his letter to his handkerchief with a corkscrew, and threw it over. Continuing to ascend for some time, he at length became stationary, and writing a few more lines he fastened the paper to the buckle of his belt and dropped it. Ho noticed it to bo Ojj minutes descending; and examining tho mercury found it to have fallen 32 deg. The prospect at this height ■was extensive, but not entertaining, the whole of tho earth's surface appearing perfectly smooth and level, green being the predominant colour, interspersed with black spots, the spots indicating no doubt

hills. The air was cold, and some water generated on tho balloon was frozen in icicles six inches long to the neck. No inconvenience in breathing nor any disagreeable sensation Avas felt, except hunger; in first descending he had spilt the ballast upon the fowls, so he hda to eat as best he could, and drink his wine. By his compass ho found to his surpnso he had made his course to the northward from the time he had dropped his flag, previously to which he had been proceeding m a westerly direction. The balloon was now descending apace, and having no ballast left to throw out to chock his descent ho prepared himself for a violent shock. When ho was near enough to the earth to dis-tino-uisli the roiif?li from the smooth ground he endeavoured to alight on a place which appeared to be smooth turf; and approaching very near to it, he threw out a line to a laborer whom he perceived, desiring him to hold it that he might stop; but the man being extremely frightened at the appearance of the balloon, ran away, declaring that he would hold no devil's houses. As no help was to be obtained from him, and the balloon rapidly nearing tho ground, ho called to a girl, requesting her assistance, which was readily jriven; and by this means he brought himself to tho place ho wished when ho came to tho ground ; but tho shock was so violent that his car was entirely broken to pieces; ho himself was thrown out Avith great force ; his coat Avas torn, and his moncv, falling from his pockets,_ Avas scattercd'in all directions. Ho immediately observed the time, and found it wanted twenty-five minutes to five ; after Avhieh hecut his balloon, to let the air out, folded it up and in company with Gen. Smith, walked to an inn at Ware, in Hertfordshire, about twenty-five miles from the sp-st he had ascended from. The above Avas the genuine account of this aerial voyage, delivered to the Court of Assistants iavo days after his return by Mr Lunardi himself.