The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-07-10
The First American AerOnaut.

The news of Montgolfier's experiment
of the 9Th of June Q7S3) reached Phila
delphia about the last of November, and
the local newspapers of December Gath
contained the accounts just received in
gard to Charles experiment Of the 9th
of August. David Rittenhouse, the
friend of Franklin, and the most dis
tinguished American astronomer of his
time, was practicing his profession as
maker of philosophical instruments, and
especially of clocks. One of his most init
mate associates was Francis Ilopkinson an
eminent jurist, whose interest in science
was almost as great as in law. Both of
these men were members of the American
Philosophical society which had been Or
ganized by Franklin. No sooner was
the news from France received, than they
began to test the use of hydrogen for
balloons. On the 2Sth of December an
ascent was made by the first American
aeronaut the account of which is per-
haps best given in the language of an
eye witness. Francois Simonin, whose
letter to the Journal de Paris was pub
lished May 13, 1884. In the
GentIeman's Magazine of the follow
ing month translation of it APP
pcarcd, from which the following
is an extract: "Messieurs Rtnose (Rit-
tenhouse) and Opquisne (Hopkinson) be-
gan their experiments with bladders, and
then with larger machines; they joined
several together and fastened them round
cage, into which they put animals The
whole assembled. and was drawn down
again by rope. The next day, which
was yesterday, man offered to get into
the cage, provided the rope was not let
90. lie lose about fifteen feet, and
would not suffer them to let him go
| higher. James Wilcox, a carpenter, en-
gagged to 90 in it for little money. He
rose twenty feet or upward before he
made signal to be drawn down. He
then took instructions from Messieurs
Ritnose and Opouisne, and after several
repetitions on the ground consented to
have the rope cut for fifty dollars. DR..
jaime (Jones), the principal medical per
son in the city, attended in case of acct
dent. The crowd was incredible, who
shouted after the English fashion when
they saw Wilcox rise crowded in the
cage, surrounded by forty seven bal
looms fastened to it, with astonishing
GOODNESS, nodding his head to expires:
his satisfaction and composure. After
all, he could not rise above ninety seven
feet, according to the measures taken by
two other gentlemen Of the philosophi
cal academy. lie was at least five min.
utes in the air, bat, perceivng the wind
to blow from the east and drive hin
toward the Scoulquille (SchuylkllJ, he
was frightened and, agrceably to hi:
instructions, made several incisions with
a knife in three Of the balloons Thi!
was not sufficient, though we saw hin
descend little. He pierced three more
and seeing the machine did not come
his fear increased. lie cut five more
in the greatest haste, and, unfortunately
all on the same side. He was then seer
to tack about (chavirer), and. as if hC
had slid down (coule basl, he fell on the
edge of a ditch and finse fence, a
they cali the Enclosures. DIR. jaime far
up; the poor man had spraineC
his wrist, but received no other acct
dent. '--Iop4lar Science Monthly.