Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-08-08
ABOUT BALLOONS


What boy has not wished to fly? Who
does not envy swift-winged birds,
which, but few lays since. were in the
south. ana whose glancing plumes flash
hiiaer and thther among the fresh-leaved
trees
The ancient fable tells Us that an old
Greek, D9dalus and his son. Icarus being
captives in a tower made to themselves
wings, which they fastened to their arms
and shoulders with wax. They flew away
to freedom. but Icarus was ambitious and
flew too near the sun the wax melted. the
wings dropped, and the rash boy was
drowned in the sea; SO they call that sea
the Icarian sea.
To be sure the story is only Il fable. Men
have not the muscular breast of the dove
even if they should fasten broad sails to
their arms, they could not sustain them
selves in the air by tapping their wings.
Yet in the fable we find the earnest desire
which men have to fly. They have it yet
In 1772, soap-bubbles filled with hydro
gen gas were found TO rise Just rs every
chemical lecturer makes them do to this
day In the same year two brothers named
Montgoliicr made the first balloon at Az
ignon, France. 1t was a globe about thirty
five feet IN diameter, made of cloth, lined
with paper and open below. a fire was
lighted beneath the opening, and when the
air filled the bag it became lighter than the
surrounding air and so rose.
Next year they placed the fire in a wire
basket, hung below the bag, so that the fire
was carried up, and continued to warm the
incloSed air. The balloon rose about a
mile. Then they hung living animals in
basket below the fire; then in November
l7S3 at Boulogne, Pilatre de Rozier had
courage To make the first ascent. and came
back safely. Next, hydrogen gas was used
instead of heated air.
Rozier and another undertook to cross
the sea into England. They made double
balloon, placing bag of hydrogen above
the bag of heated air. Before they had as
cended very far the gas took fire, the ma
chine was consumed almost instantly and
the unfortunate voyagers, falling headlong,
were dashed in pieces on the shore below.
Small balloons are still made TO rise BY
means Of hot air. Any boy who is ingeni-
Gus enough to hang and lily paper kite can
fly an air balloon.
First make a ring. say fifteen inches in
diameter, laying together some springs
rom an old hOop-skirt, and winding here
and there with string. Tie across the hoop
two pieces of small wire-that ravelled
from an old broom is just right-let them
cross in the middle, and tie with wire bit
of sponge to the crossing Now cut some
pieces OF tissue paper say forty inches long
nine inches wide in the middle. six inches
at one end, and tapering to point at the
other; make the two sides curve regularly
FROM end to end. Eight or nine such
pieces pasted together will make quite a
capacious bag, and if the strips are of differ
ent colors will be very gay. Paste the open
end TO the hoop, and the balloon is fin
ished.
Now to fly it, Fasten a pole horizontally,
as high as You can reach, and hang your
bag to the end of it, mouth downward
Pour some alcohol upon the sponge and
light it. As the spirit burns, the hot air
nils the balloon, the sides swell out you
slip it from the end of the pole and away it
sails into the. air Do not put too much
alcohol on the sponge lest the strong flame
burn the paper and you lose your labor
Better use little, holding the balloon by
string until that burns out and the bag is
pretty well expanded; then, when the flame
is gone out, pour on some more, light again
and up it will go grandly to the end of
your kte-line, or free, as you choose.
Large balloons are made of silk, var
nished with mixture of linseed oil and