Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-02-01
CONQUERORS OF THE AIR
Discovery Of the Balloon Grew Out
OF Accident.
FLYING LONG A HOPELESS DREAM
Some Early Legends That Have Been
Realized as Fact-Record of Some
Remarkable FIiqhts.

Remarkable Flights.
"The adventures of three naval
aeronauts, and the international inter-
est in their safe return from the froZ-
en- Canadian north, recall numerous
historic attempts of man to fulfill for
himself on earth the ,ages-old feeling
that he would have wings some day.
says a bulletin from the headquarters
OF the National Geographic Society in
Washington, D. c.
These American birdmen who got
their noses and ears nipped by the
cold performed no such feat as did
Docdelus' experiment and the attempt
cd flight of q certain monk called
Elmerus, who. John Wilkins one of the
founders Of the Royal Society in Eng
land tells us, flew for distance Of
town in Spain, are sufficient evidence
however, to acord to aviation the palm
for being the older of the flying arts
"Ballooning though less romantic in
it's appeal and decidedly more COM
monplace and placid looking in its ap-
pearance may perhaps be considered
the John the Baptist Of both arts as
they are practiced today, as its pro-
gress has been steadily on the upgrade
since Roger Bacon, back Of the thir-
teenth century, propounded the theory
that a hollow globe of very thin metal
hn1 t,ys{1 l., tntI oi, ir,r,t ft.n'
would float upward on the atmosphere.
Morning Dew Suggested as Filler
From that day priests, philoso-
piers and scientists put forward the
idea that light sphere could be made
to rise and float in the upper atmos-
phere. Almost every conceivable
thing was suggested for filling these
balloons. One of the most amusing
was the morning dew, since that sub
stance, according to their suppositions
was shed by the stars during the night
and would be drawn back to heaven
ir the day by the heat of the sun.
"As the result Of watching the
Jacques Montgolfier, of Annonay,
France, in 1852, invented the first real
balloon. They concluded that if the
vapc OF. the clouds, could hang sus-
pended in the upper air a large bag
filled with such a. vapor might rise
and drift above as the clouds do.
Another interesting story is told
about the Montgolfier brothers orig
mating the idea. They were watch
ing the smoke -wreaths curl upward
from their fire, when one of them be-
gan wondering if the smoke could not
carry other things up with it too. In
the enthusiasm of the moment the!
made q small fire on little tin tray
and held large paper bag over it.
With delight they watched the bag
fill out and try to rise. A neighbor
Il widow lady, seeing the smoke Is
suing from the window and fearing
that the house was on fire, went run
ming into the room. She suggested
that they attach the tray to the bag.
and the immediate result was that
the bag rose 10 the. ceiling.
1t Flew, But They Did Not Know Why
".After several private try-outs, they
announced a public ascent of balloon
on June 5, 1888 and many spectators
gathered to see this sphere, 105 feet
in circumference, which the inventors
inflated with the hot air from burning
straw. rise high in the air and float
off for about one and half miles.
The brothers believed for quite while
that they had hit upon some peculiar
quality in the straw which had lifting
properties and did not realize until
later that their wonder ball had risen
only because Of the lightness Of heat
ed air. But they made the balloon n
reality.
From this time forward the physi-
cists in France and elsewhere took
seriously this infant invention which
had suddenly made its appearance in
their midst. Subscriptions were taken
up to further the project, the Roberts
brothers constructed n balloon, the
noted scientist. Charles, conceived the
idea Of filling it with hydrogen, and n
day for the ascent was set. The crowd
that gathered was great and curious
and so intcrrci'ed with the operations
that the balloon had 70 be moved to
another place. hut the eager throng
not to be outdonc, learned its where
abouts and were there TO sec the per-
formance. The sphere rose 5000 feet
in tho air amid the rain, which some
had thought would be an obstacle, to
Tho ,uiIl nni hnci,S1nn Of tho Snnntntnr