Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1859-10-07

ribie a meteor Of fire. Thy wrath the storm
thy Thy face ike the sun after rain like the
moon in the silence OF night'-ossaS.
An aerial locomotive, at once mighty
and dociIe, remains to be invented. The
problem, which was raised in old mythol-
ogies, in legends of winged gods and flying
arlifcers, as to the capacity of man TO make
a highway OF the clo1ds still remains to
be solved. Ragardad a priori, the air GER
tainly seems the predestined, as it is the
most delightful passage-way between any
two localities whatsoever. No where else
is the path so buoyant, the prospect so COM
plete, the climate so pure, the impediments
so few. The cars and the steamers would
surely hide their heads, and retreat to the
home OF the forgotten arts, if they should
once see balloon prom, ldia the skies,
harnessed to the winds, large enough TO
carry whole city in its folds, and so gentle
as to obey every touch Of its master. 1t is
complained that, thus far, greater speed
has been attained only by diminishing the
pleasure of travelling but in the air our
very pastimes, as the swinging motion of
the mountain prospect, would be combined
to give delight TO loconotion. 1t is curl
Gus to contemplate the changes which would
be introduced into some national affairs
more momentous than traxtd and COM
merce. The armies and navies would, at
least in part, be transferred to the skies.
Cherbourg would be bat slight defence
against an enemy which should make its
first appearance five miles alot. and be
aole to select its own point inland on which
to fall. Louis Napoleon would have little
tear of the British Channel fleet in plan
ming his invasion of England; he would sail
across above the range of their farthest
gun and drop where lie pleased; but he
would doubtless be wise enough to save a
supply of his feetest balloons to jump
aboard of in case Of accident. 1t Is pos
sible that the BALLOON would soon be i'm
proved into some agency OF inter-stellir
communication that man with bag
full of air to supply him might be shot
across the void which separates US from the
moon: that our able editors would have to
add new columns to their journals to give
the latest news from the remotest dynas-
ties of the solar system; and that our ter
restrial arts, and sciences, and branches of
learning, which are already SO voluminous
that savants are molest, and only here 4nd
there a bookseller is omniscfeRt, would be
swollen to such proportions as to cause The
despair eycn Of encyclopedias.
Two systems Of aerostaion laye been
adyaneed, and have now their advocates.
The first proposes to raise and guide an
appara'us heavier than the volume OF air
opolor,aFts fhAvp-
fore, to the flight of birds. To realize il,
it is only necessary for man 10 transform
nself into a winged creature; to invent
machine that shall prolpCe the effect of
wings. The difficulties may be only OF
degree, but they are great nevertheless.
How shall a machine attain 10 that delica-
ev eff roise, and ease of management,
which nature gives to tle framework of
the bird? The wings, to be useful, should
have the power of square rods or square
acres of surface, and would therefore be
uawiellv unless folded together IN some
eompendiols way. Who can invent the
method ?
The second system proposes 70 guide a
body lighter than an equal weight of ct
mospleric air. that is, a balloon. But oI
ail the PRODUCTIONS of art a balloon has
thus far been the widest and most untam-
able. A fantastic spritc, it has always
been the fierce play-feIlow of the winds and
clouds. and has refused to enter into Ariel
like service to any magician. Only at his
peril has a man eyer intrusted hinaseh TO
il. But the wild audacity of the present
are threatens to subdue it. and TO add the
skies to the departments of nature which
man may visit and set his foot upon
Though ;eriaI navigation is still problem
afic;a 10 al; lis details, there are probably
fewer persqas POW than ever before who
affirm that insurmouatable dill .u.ties pakr
it an absolute impossibiliiy.
Among the oldest of tr3liiicns are sto-
ri,s of attempts at initiating the flight OF
birds: thus Dse lalus, WHO was the great
est artist OF his iipe, vas rrPuted To have
flown across the EgeTa- The Greek &c.
ometer A-ehytas leyis,.d a wooden fy;ne
dove, which rose into the aif. silSnee'l
lseif. and hcw about impeilea by some
subtle ether Y1r-.h which i, .eas MED. IL
the lhirieenth century, Roger bacon !
said TO have invented machine EhIeh d
,niaizhes siie weight e mar; sne ga