If a little more is permitted to escape, the balloon
descends."
"And should it land on the roof of a house or the top of a tree, the
voyagers have their necks broken."
"That can only happen to bunglers; there is not the least necessity
for landing where danger is to be apprehended. When the aeronaut is
near the ground, and sees that the spot is unfavorable for
debarkation, he drops a little ballast, the balloon mounts, and he
comes down again somewhere else."
"The fellow that made the first voyage must have been very daring."
"The first ascent was made by Montgolfier in 1782, and he was followed
by Rosiers and d'Arlandes."
"With your permission, father," said Ernest, "I will claim priority in
aerial travelling for Icarus, Doedalus, and Phaeton."
"Certainly; you are justified in doing so. Gay-Lussac, a philosophic
Frenchman, rose, in 1804, to the height of seven thousand yards."
"He must have felt a little giddy," remarked Jack.
"Most of the functions of the body were affected, more or less, by the
extreme rarity of the air at that height. Its dryness caused wet
parchment to crisp. He observed that the action of the magnetic needle
diminished as he ascended, sounds gradually ceased to reach his ear,
and the wind itself ceased to be felt."
"That, of course," remarked Ernest, "was when he was travelling in the
same direction and at the same speed.
Pages:
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219