the dominion of the air-第7部分

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is　falling　oar；　and　fancying　that　he　himself　was　dashed　to　pieces；　received　a　shock　thereby　which　caused　her　death。　　Commenting　on　this；　one　of　the　judges　bade　him　be　reassured；　inasmuch　as　he　had；　as　if　by　compensation；　saved　the　life　of　a　young　man　who　might　live　to　be　reformed。　　The　young　man　was　a　criminal　whose　condemnation　was　regarded　as　certain　at　the　hands　of　the　jury　before　whom　he　was　being　arraigned；　when　tidings　reached　the　court　that　Lunardi's　balloon　was　in　the　air。　　On　this　so　much　confusion　arose　that　the　jury　were　unable　to　give　due　deliberation　to　the　case；　and；　fearing　to　miss　the　great　sight；　actually　agreed　to　acquit　the　prisoner；　that　they　themselves　might　be　free　to　leave　the　court！

But　he　was　flattered　by　a　compliment　of　a　yet　higher　order。　　He　was　told　that　while　he　hovered　over　London　the　King　was　in　conference　with　his　principal　Ministers；　and　his　Majesty；　learning　that　he　was　in　the　sky；　is　reported　to　have　said　to　his　councillors；　〃We　may　resume　our　own　deliberations　at　pleasure；　but　we　may　never　see　poor　Lunardi　again！〃　　On　this；　it　is　further　stated　that　the　conference　broke　up；　and　the　King；　attended　by　Mr。　Pitt　and　other　chief　officers　of　State；　continued　to　view　Lunardi　through　telescopes　as　long　as　he　remained　in　the　horizon。

The　public　Press；　notably　the　Morning　Post　of　September　16；　paid　a　worthy　tribute　to　the　hero　of　the　hour；　and　one　last　act　of　an　exceptional　character　was　carried　out　in　his　honour；　and　remains　in　evidence　to　this　hour。　　In　a　meadow　in　the　parish　of　Standon；　near　Ware；　there　stands　a　rough　hewn　stone；　now　protected　by　an　iron　rail。　　It　marks　the　spot　where　Lunardi　landed；　and　on　it　is　cut　a　legend　which　runs　thus：

Let　Posterity　know　And　knowing　be　astonished　that　On　the　15th　day　of　September　1784　Vincent　Lunardi　of　Lusca　in　Tuscany　The　first　aerial　traveller　in　Britain　Mounting　from　the　Artillery　Ground　In　London　And　Traversing　the　Regions　of　the　Air　For　Two　Hours　and　Fifteen　Minutes　In　this　Spot　Revisited　the　Earth。　On　this　rude　monument　For　ages　be　recorded　That　Wondrous　Enterprise　Successfully　atchieved　By　the　Powers　of　Chemistry　And　the　Fortitude　of　Man　That　Improvement　in　Science　Which　The　Great　Author　of　all　Knowledge　Patronyzing　by　His　Providence　The　Invention　of　Mankind　Hath　graciously　permitted　To　Their　Benefit　And　His　own　Eternal　Glory。



CHAPTER　IV。　THE　DEVELOPMENT　OF　BALLOON　PHILOSOPHY。


In　less　than　two　years　not　only　had　the　science　of　ballooning　reached　almost　its　highest　development；　but　the　balloon　itself；　as　an　aerostatic　machine；　had　been　brought　to　a　state　of　perfection　which　has　been　but　little　improved　upon　up　to　the　present　t　hour。　　Better　or　cheaper　methods　of　inflation　were　yet　to　be　discovered；　lighter　and　more　suitable　material　remained　to　be　manufactured；　but　the　navigation　of　the　air；　which　hitherto　through　all　time　had　been　beyond　man's　grasp；　had　been　attained；　as　it　were；　at　a　bound；　and　at　the　hands　of　many　different　and　independent　experimentalists　was　being　pursued　with　almost　the　same　degree　of　success　and　safety　as　to…day。

Nor　was　this　all。　　There　was　yet　another　triumph　of　the　aeronautical　art　which；　within　the　same　brief　period；　had　been　to　all　intents　and　purposes　achieved；　even　if　it　had　not　been　brought　to　the　same　state　of　perfection　as　at　the　present　hour。　　This　was　the　Parachute。　　This　fact　is　one　which　for　a　sufficient　reason　is　not　generally　known。　　It　is　very　commonly　supposed　that　the　parachute；　in　anything　like　its　present　form；　is　a　very　modern　device；　and　that　the　art　of　successfully　using　it　had　not　been　introduced　to　the　world　even　so　lately　as　thirty　years　ago。　　Thus；　we　find　it　stated　in　works　of　that　date　dealing　with　the　subject　that　disastrous　consequences　almost　necessarily　attended　the　use　of　the　parachute；　〃the　defects　of　which　had　been　attempted　to　be　remedied　in　various　ways；　but　up　to　this　time　without　success。〃　　A　more　correct　statement；　however；　would　have　been　that　the　art　of　constructing　and　using　a　practicable　parachute　had　through　many　years　been　lost　or　forgotten。　　In　actual　fact；　it　had　been　adopted　with　every　assurance　of　complete　success　by　the　year　1785；　when　Blanchard　by　its　means　lowered　dogs　and　other　animals　with　safety　from　a　balloon。　　A　few　years　later　he　descended　himself　in　a　like　apparatus　from　Basle；　meeting；　however；　with　the　misadventure　of　a　broken　leg。

But　we　must　go　much　further　back　for　the　actual　conception　of　the　parachute；　which；　we　might　suppose；　may　originally　have　been　suggested　by　the　easy　floating　motion　with　which　certain　seeds　or　leaves　will　descend　from　lofty　trees；　or　by　the　mode　adopted　by　birds　of　dropping　softly　to　earth　with　out…stretched　wings。　　M。　de　la　Loubere；　in　his　historical　account　of　Siam；　which　he　visited　in　1687…88；　speaks　of　an　ingenious　athlete　who　exceedingly　diverted　the　King　and　his　court　by　leaping　from　a　height　and　supporting　himself　in　the　air　by　two　umbrellas；　the　handles　of　which　were　affixed　to　his　girdle。　　In　1783；　that　is；　the　same　year　as　that　in　which　the　balloon　was　invented；　M。　le　Normand　experimented　with　a　like　umbrella…shaped　contrivance；　with　a　view　to　its　adoption　as　a　fire　escape；　and　he　demonstrated　the　soundness　of　the　principle　by　descending　himself　from　the　windows　of　a　lofty　house　at　Lyons。

It　was；　however；　reserved　for　M。　Jacques　Garnerin　in　1797　to　make　the　first　parachute　descent　that　attracted　general　attention。　　Garnerin　had　previously　been　detained　as　a　State　prisoner　in　the　fortress　of　Bade；　in　Hungary；　after　the　battle　of　Marchiennes　in　1793；　and　during　his　confinement　had　pondered　on　the　possibility　of　effecting　his　escape　by　a　parachute。　　His　solitary　cogitations　and　calculations　resulted；　after　his　release；　in　the　invention　and　construction　of　an　apparatus　which　he　put　to　a　practical　test　at　Paris　before　the　court　of　France　on　October　22nd；　1797。　　Ascending　in　a　hydrogen　balloon　to　the　height　of　about　2；000　feet；　he　unhesitatingly　cut　himself　adrift；　when　for　some　distance　he　dropped　like　a　stone。　　The　folds　of　his　apparatus；　however；　opening　suddenly；　his　fall　became　instantly　checked。　　The　remainder　of　his　descent；　though　leisurely；　occupying；　in　fact；　some　twelve　minutes；　appeared　to　the　spectators　to　be　attended　with　uncertainty；　owing　to　a　swinging　motion　set　up　in　the　car　to　which　he　was　clinging。　　But　the　fact　remains　that　he　reached　the　earth　with　only　slight　impact；　and　entirely　without　injury。

It　appears　that　Garnerin　subsequently　made　many　equally　successful　parachute　descents　in　France；　and　during　the　short　peace　of　1802　visited　London；　where　he　gave　an　exhibition　of　his　art。　　From　the　most　reliable　accounts　of　his　exploit　it　would　seem　that　his　drop　was　from　a　very　great　height；　and　that　a　strong　ground　wind　was　blowing　at　the　time；　the　result　of　which　was　that　wild；　wide　oscillations　were　set　up　in　the　car；　which　narrowly　escaped　bringing　him　in　contact　with　the　house　tops　in　St。　Pancreas；　and　eventually　swung　him　down　into　a　field；　not　without　some　unpleasant　scratches。

Nor　was　Garnerin　the　only　successful　parachutist　at　this　period。　　A　Polish　aeronaut；　Jordaki　Kuparento；　ascended　from　Warsaw　on　the　24th　of　July；　1804　in　a　hot　air　balloon；　taking　up；　as　was　the　custom；　an　attached　furnace；　which　caused　the　balloon　to　take　fire　when　at　a　great　height。　　Kuparento；　however；　who　was　alone；　had　as　a　precaution　provided　himself　with　a　parachute；　and　with　this　he　seems　to　have　found　no　difficulty　in　effecting　a　safe　descent　to　earth。

It　was　many　years　after　this　that　fresh　experimentalists；　introducing　parachutes　on　new　lines　and　faulty　in　construction；　met　with　death　or　disaster。　　Enough；　however；　has　already　been　said　to　show　that　in　the　early　years　we　are　now　traversing　in　this　history　a　perfectly　practicable　parachute　had　become　an　accomplished　fact。　　The　early　form　is　well　described　by　Mr。　Monck　Mason　in　a　letter　to　the　Morning　Herald　in　1837；　written　on　the　eve　of　an　unrehearsed　and　fatal　experiment　made　by　Mr。　Cocking；　which　must　receive　notice　in　due　course。　　〃The　principle；〃　writes　Mr。　Monck　Mason；　〃upon　which　all　these　parachutes　were　constructed　is　the　same；　and　consists　simply　of　a　flattened　dome　of　silk　or　linen　from　24　feet　to　28　feet　in　diameter。　　From　the　outer　margin　all　around　at　stated　intervals　proceed　a　large　number　of　cords；　in　length　about　the　diameter　of　the　dome　itself；　which；　being　collected　together　in　one　point　and　made　fast　to　another　of　superior　dimensions　attached　to　the　apex　of　the　machine；　serve　to　maintain　it　in　its　form　when　expanded　in　the　progress　of　the　descent。　　To　this　centre　cord　likewise；　at　a　distance　below　the　point　of　junction；　varying　according　to　the　fancy　of　the　aeronaut；　is　fixed　the　car　or　basket　in　which　he　is　seated；　and　the　whole　suspended　from　the　network　of　the　balloon　in　such　a　manner　as　to　be　capable　of　being　detached　in　an　instant　at　the　will　of　the　individual　by　cutting　the　rope　by　which　it　is　made　fast　above。〃

It　followed　almost　as　a　matter　of　course　that　so　soon　as　the　balloon　had　been　made　subject　to　something　like　due　control；　and　thus　had　become　recognised　as　a　new　machine　fairly　reduced　to　the　service　of　man；　it　began　to　be　regarded　as　an　instrument　which　should　be　made　capable　of　being　devoted　to　scientific　research。　　Indeed；　it　may　be　claimed　that；　among　the　very　earliest　aeronauts；　those　who　had　sailed　away　into　the　skies　and　brought　back　intelligent　observations　or　impressions　of　the　realm　of　cloud…land；　or　who　had　only　described　their　own　sensations　at　lofty　altitudes；　had　already　contributed　facts　of　value　to　science。　　It　is　time　then；　taking　events　in　their　due　sequence；　that　mention　should　be　made　of　the　endeavours　of　various　savants；　who　began　about　the　commencement　of　the　nineteenth　century　to　gather　fresh　knowledge　from　the　exploration　of　the　air　by　balloon　ascents　organised　with　fitting　equipment。　　The　time　had　now　come　for　promoting　the　balloon　to　higher　purposes　than　those　of　mere　exhibition　or　amusement。　　In　point　of　fact；　it　had　already　in　one　way　been　turned　to　serious　practical　account。　　It　had　been　used　by　the　French　during　military　operations　in　the　revolutionary　war　as　a　mode　of　reconnoitring；　and　not　without　success；　so　that　when　after　due　trial　the　war　balloon　was　judged　of　value　a　number　of　simil