Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-06
EARLY AIR VOYAGES
Desire to Fly One of Mans
Aspirations Years Ago.
PIONEERS IN THE FIELD
Balloon Was Sent Up in China as
Long Ago as 1906.
FRANCE HAD SEVERE CRAZE
Inaugurated by Successful Flight
Across English Channel, and Gull
minated in Balloon Duel.
PIONEERS IN THE FIELD
FRANCE HAD SEVERE CRAZE
By Ch. Chaille-Long.

by Vi. OU6lQC.xOuk.
Man has, dreamed of flying in the air
beyond the clouds from time without
date. Without reference to the mythical,
it is. related that Xerxes received as
present a winged throne, to which four
tame eagles were attached, which would
bear the king in the air were he SO dis
posed. Archytas of Tarentum invented
bird, into which he pumped air and which
flew from the ground. According to a
French missionary, balloon was sent
up on the coronation of the Emperor
Fo-kien Of Peking in 1906. Leonardo da
Vinci Q452-1519 studied the fight OF
birds with the view Of mounting rider
on framework with which he proposed
to navigate the air-the acceptance!
Not to follow the interminable list OF
those who would fly In air In times Tar
remote. let us remark that Cyrano de
Bergerac, the famous author of Comic
Histories of the States and Empires or
the Sun and MOon," whose memory has
been revived in comedy by Rostand, at
tempted to fly in air. In fact. some time
prior to the death of Cyrano in 1866 he
was seized with desire to fly, and with
this object fastened air bags to his body
and exposed them to the suns rays, with
what result the story is silent.
Was Cyrano de Bergerac's idea the
forerunner Of that of the Montgolfier
brothers, Joseph and Etienne, who con-
structed balloon in 1882, and who were
followed by DIR. Charles, who appears
to have been the first. in conjunction with
the MOntgolfiers and the brothers Robert,
to apply hydrogen at a trial In the
Champ de Mars August p. 1888?
An article in the NOuvelle Revue de
Paris by Carlos d Eschevannes declares,
after mention of the success of Mont
golfer, Charles and the Robert brothers:
,l,Ii w
found nothing to add to what these ply
sicians discovered.
The author, NJ. d EschevanneS, has dis
covered series Of unpublished letters
addressed by Chevalier de PuJol to Mare
chal de Fontette, in which he recounts
the experiments made with aerostats in
the Champ de Mars. He mentions the
ascensions Of Pilatre de Rouzier. who
carried two passengers and sailed over
Paris: Guyton de Morveau, who as
cende5 twice at Dillon. and Blanchard,
who crossed the channel at Pas de Calais
in 1888
Honors for Air Voyagers.
In a letter dated Paris, December 10.
17S3, Chevalier de Pujol writes to Mare
chal de Fontette:
IN de Montgolfier has received the
Gordon of Saint Michel and two thousand
livres pension. His father was given pat
ents Of nobility: MN. Pilatre de Rouzier.
Charles and Robert one hundred pistoleS
each as pension. and the expense In
Cured since the discovery to be paid by
the king"
There is a long comment In the letter
about the pretensions of NJ. d'Arlande, OF
whom the writer speaks lightly and TO
whom public rumor attributes great
fear: also that dArlande threw doubt
upon the means employed by MN. Charles
and Robert The writer thinks that OAR
lande has lost his head and that he has
not the slightest knowledge of physics: |
The chevalier then informs the marechai
that Paris is about to witness the feat
of walking on water (the River Se1ne)
without wetting the feet, subscriptions |
to the experiment being numerous. An |
other physician proposes to give an ex-
hibition of his power to remain IN the
fire half hour without burning. Thus
YOU see all elements are now dominated |
by man.
But this is not all. The chevalier
writes of chemist who has discovered
the art of making diamonds-an art which
still seduces and deludes Paris as We
recall the case of the swindler Lemoine.
who recently fooled a great number OF
silly people with the promise to make
diamonds on sight. The chevalier writes:
IA chemist has discovered the COM
position of a brilliant pebble which omits
more fire than anything yet seen. cuts
glass like a diamond and possesses all
the colors of precious stones. He will
appear In public in cabriolet which Is
to be inlaid with the stone. The cost
is only 4 louis the square foot"
Writing from Paris March 3. 1884. the
chevalier reports the ascension OF Blanch-
ard in the Champ de Mars:
'.All Paris was there: the people covered
the roof; the coup d'oeil was splendid. |
student of the military school named |
Dupont, his mind unsettled by the eX-
ploits Of MontgolRer, left the ranks.
rushed toward the balloon and pierced
the oars of the balloon with his sword.
saw the oars, which appeared to me 70
be too frail to obtain much result in di-
recting the machine against the wind.
Nevertheless Blanchard went up and re-
manned an hour and a quarter in the
air. and descended near Sevres. There |
are many partisans of his entire success
For example. the nonce who among other
absurdities which he dealt out at sup
per where l was invited the day or the
ascension declared that the project TO
take Gibraltar had been proposed and
it's success was certain if it had been
adopted"
Crossed British Channel.
The honor of crossing the English chan-
mel In balloon for the first time be-
longs to an American, Dr. John Jenries. |
~.