THE UNPARALLELED ADVENTURES OF ONE HANS PFAALL (*1)
BY late accounts from Rotterdam, that city seems to be in a high stateof philosophical excitement. Indeed, phenomena have there occurred ofa nature so completely unexpected--so entirely novel--so utterly atvariance with preconceived opinions--as to leave no doubt on my mindthat long ere this all Europe is in an uproar, all physics in a ferment,all reason and astronomy together by the ears.
It appears that on the---- day of---- (I am not positive about thedate), a vast crowd of people, for purposes not specificallymentioned, were assembled in the great square of the Exchange in thewell-conditioned city of Rotterdam. The day was warm--unusually so forthe season--there was hardly a breath of air stirring; and the multitudewere in no bad humor at being now and then besprinkled with friendlyshowers of momentary duration, that fell from large white massesof cloud which chequered in a fitful manner the blue vault of thefirmament. Nevertheless, about noon, a slight but remarkable agitationbecame apparent in the assembly: the clattering of ten thousand tonguessucceeded; and, in an instant afterward, ten thousand faces wereupturned toward the heavens, ten thousand pipes descended simultaneouslyfrom the corners of ten thousand mouths, and a shout, which could becompared to nothing but the roaring of Niagara, resounded long, loudly,and furiously, through all the environs of Rotterdam.
The origin of this hubbub soon became sufficiently evident. From behindthe huge bulk of one of those sharply-defined masses of cloud alreadymentioned, was seen slowly to emerge into an open area of blue space, aqueer, heterogeneous, but apparently solid substance, so oddly shaped,so whimsically put together, as not to be in any manner comprehended,and never to be sufficiently admired, by the host of sturdy burghers whostood open-mouthed below. What could it be? In the name of all the vrowsand devils in Rotterdam, what could it possibly portend? No one knew, noone could imagine; no one--not even the burgomaster Mynheer Superbus VonUnderduk--had the slightest clew by which to unravel the mystery; so, asnothing more reasonable could be done, every one to a man replaced hispipe carefully in the corner of his mouth, and cocking up his righteye towards the phenomenon, puffed, paused, waddled about, and gruntedsignificantly--then waddled back, grunted, paused, and finally--puffedagain.
In the meantime, however, lower and still lower toward the goodly city,came the object of so much curiosity, and the cause of so much smoke. Ina very few minutes it arrived near enough to be accurately discerned. Itappeared to be--yes! it was undoubtedly a species of balloon; but surelyno such balloon had ever been seen in Rotterdam before. For who, let meask, ever heard of a balloon manufactured entirely of dirty newspapers?No man in Holland certainly; yet here, under the very noses of thepeople, or rather at some distance above their noses was the identicalthing in question, and composed, I have it on the best authority, ofthe precise material which no one had ever before known to be used fora similar purpose. It was an egregious insult to the good sense of theburghers of Rotterdam. As to the shape of the phenomenon, it was evenstill more reprehensible. Being little or nothing better than a hugefoolscap turned upside down. And this similitude was regarded as by nomeans lessened when, upon nearer inspection, there was perceived a largetassel depending from its apex, and, around the upper rim or base of thecone, a circle of little instruments, resembling sheep-bells, which keptup a continual tinkling to the tune of Betty Martin. But still worse.Suspended by blue ribbons to the end of this fantastic machine,there hung, by way of car, an enormous drab beaver hat, with a brimsuperlatively broad, and a hemispherical crown with a black band and asilver buckle. It is, however, somewhat remarkable that many citizensof Rotterdam swore to having seen the same hat repeatedly before; andindeed the whole assembly seemed to regard it with eyes of familiarity;while the vrow Grettel Pfaall, upon sight of it, uttered an exclamationof joyful surprise, and declared it to be the identical hat of her goodman himself. Now this was a circumstance the more to be observed, asPfaall, with three companions, had actually disappeared from Rotterdamabout five years before, in a very sudden and unaccountable manner, andup to the date of this narrative all attempts had failed of obtainingany intelligence concerning them whatsoever. To be sure, some boneswhich were thought to be human, mixed up with a quantity of odd-lookingrubbish, had been lately discovered in a retired situation to the eastof Rotterdam, and some people went so far as to imagine that in thisspot a foul murder had been committed, and that the sufferers were inall probability Hans Pfaall and his associates. But to return.
The balloon (for such no doubt it was) had now descended to withina hundred feet of the earth, allowing the crowd below a sufficientlydistinct view of the person of its occupant. This was in truth a verydroll little somebody. He could not have been more than two feet inheight; but this altitude, little as it was, would have been sufficientto destroy his equilibrium, and tilt him over the edge of his tinycar, but for the intervention of a circular rim reaching as high asthe breast, and rigged on to the cords of the balloon. The body of thelittle man was more than proportionately broad, giving to his entirefigure a rotundity highly absurd. His feet, of course, could not be seenat all, although a horny substance of suspicious nature was occasionallyprotruded through a rent in the bottom of the car, or to speak moreproperly, in the top of the hat. His hands were enormously large. Hishair was extremely gray, and collected in a cue behind. His nose wasprodigiously long, crooked, and inflammatory; his eyes full, brilliant,and acute; his chin and cheeks, although wrinkled with age, were broad,puffy, and double; but of ears of any kind or character there was not asemblance to be discovered upon any portion of his head. This odd littlegentleman was dressed in a loose surtout of sky-blue satin, with tightbreeches to match, fastened with silver buckles at the knees. His vestwas of some bright yellow material; a white taffety cap was set jauntilyon one side of his head; and, to complete his equipment, a blood-redsilk handkerchief enveloped his throat, and fell down, in a daintymanner, upon his bosom, in a fantastic bow-knot of super-eminentdimensions.
Having descended, as I said before, to about one hundred feet from thesurface of the earth, the little old gentleman was suddenly seizedwith a fit of trepidation, and appeared disinclined to make any nearerapproach to terra firma. Throwing out, therefore, a quantity of sandfrom a canvas bag, which, he lifted with great difficulty, he becamestationary in an instant. He then proceeded, in a hurried and agitatedmanner, to extract from a side-pocket in his surtout a large moroccopocket-book. This he poised suspiciously in his hand, then eyed it withan air of extreme surprise, and was evidently astonished at its weight.He at length opened it, and drawing there from a huge letter sealed withred sealing-wax and tied carefully with red tape, let it fall preciselyat the feet of the burgomaster, Superbus Von Underduk. His Excellencystooped to take it up. But the aeronaut, still greatly discomposed, andhaving apparently no farther business to detain him in Rotterdam, beganat this moment to make busy preparations for departure; and it beingnecessary to discharge a portion of ballast to enable him to reascend,the half dozen bags which he threw out, one after another, withouttaking the trouble to empty their contents, tumbled, every one of them,most unfortunately upon the back of the burgomaster, and rolled him overand over no less than one-and-twenty times, in the face of every man inRotterdam. It is not to be supposed, however, that the great Underduksuffered this impertinence on the part of the little old man to pass offwith impunity. It is said, on the contrary, that during each and everyone of his one-and twenty circumvolutions he emitted no less thanone-and-twenty distinct and furious whiffs from his pipe, to which heheld fast the whole time with all his might, and to which he intendsholding fast until the day of his death.
In the meantime the balloon arose like a lark, and, soaring far awayabove the city, at length drifted quietly behind a cloud similar to thatfrom which it had so oddly emerged, and was thus lost forever to thewondering eyes of the good citizens of Rotterdam. All attention wasnow directed to the letter, the descent of which, and the consequencesattending thereupon, had proved so fatally
subversive of both person andpersonal dignity to his Excellency, the illustrious Burgomaster MynheerSuperbus Von Underduk. That functionary, however, had not failed, duringhis circumgyratory movements, to bestow a thought upon the importantsubject of securing the packet in question, which was seen, uponinspection, to have fallen into the most proper hands, being actuallyaddressed to himself and Professor Rub-a-dub, in their officialcapacities of President and Vice-President of the Rotterdam College ofAstronomy. It was accordingly opened by those dignitaries upon thespot, and found to contain the following extraordinary, and indeed veryserious, communications.
To their Excellencies Von Underduk and Rub-a-dub, President andVice-President of the States’ College of Astronomers, in the city ofRotterdam.
“Your Excellencies may perhaps be able to remember an humble artizan, byname Hans Pfaall, and by occupation a mender of bellows, who, with threeothers, disappeared from Rotterdam, about five years ago, in a mannerwhich must have been considered by all parties at once sudden, andextremely unaccountable. If, however, it so please your Excellencies, I,the writer of this communication, am the identical Hans Pfaall himself.It is well known to most of my fellow citizens, that for the period offorty years I continued to occupy the little square brick building, atthe head of the alley called Sauerkraut, in which I resided at the timeof my disappearance. My ancestors have also resided therein time out ofmind--they, as well as myself, steadily following the respectable andindeed lucrative profession of mending of bellows. For, to speak thetruth, until of late years, that the heads of all the people have beenset agog with politics, no better business than my own could anhonest citizen of Rotterdam either desire or deserve. Credit was good,employment was never wanting, and on all hands there was no lack ofeither money or good-will. But, as I was saying, we soon began to feelthe effects of liberty and long speeches, and radicalism, and all thatsort of thing. People who were formerly, the very best customers in theworld, had now not a moment of time to think of us at all. They had, sothey said, as much as they could do to read about the revolutions, andkeep up with the march of intellect and the spirit of the age. If a firewanted fanning, it could readily be fanned with a newspaper, and as thegovernment grew weaker, I have no doubt that leather and iron acquireddurability in proportion, for, in a very short time, there was not apair of bellows in all Rotterdam that ever stood in need of a stitch orrequired the assistance of a hammer. This was a state of things notto be endured. I soon grew as poor as a rat, and, having a wife andchildren to provide for, my burdens at length became intolerable, and Ispent hour after hour in reflecting upon the most convenient method ofputting an end to my life. Duns, in the meantime, left me little leisurefor contemplation. My house was literally besieged from morning tillnight, so that I began to rave, and foam, and fret like a cagedtiger against the bars of his enclosure. There were three fellows inparticular who worried me beyond endurance, keeping watch continuallyabout my door, and threatening me with the law. Upon these three Iinternally vowed the bitterest revenge, if ever I should be so happy asto get them within my clutches; and I believe nothing in the world butthe pleasure of this anticipation prevented me from putting my planof suicide into immediate execution, by blowing my brains out with ablunderbuss. I thought it best, however, to dissemble my wrath, and totreat them with promises and fair words, until, by some good turn offate, an opportunity of vengeance should be afforded me.
“One day, having given my creditors the slip, and feeling more thanusually dejected, I continued for a long time to wander about the mostobscure streets without object whatever, until at length I chanced tostumble against the corner of a bookseller’s stall. Seeing a chair closeat hand, for the use of customers, I threw myself doggedly into it,and, hardly knowing why, opened the pages of the first volume whichcame within my reach. It proved to be a small pamphlet treatise onSpeculative Astronomy, written either by Professor Encke of Berlin orby a Frenchman of somewhat similar name. I had some little tincture ofinformation on matters of this nature, and soon became more and moreabsorbed in the contents of the book, reading it actually through twicebefore I awoke to a recollection of what was passing around me. By thistime it began to grow dark, and I directed my steps toward home. Butthe treatise had made an indelible impression on my mind, and, as Isauntered along the dusky streets, I revolved carefully over in mymemory the wild and sometimes unintelligible reasonings of the writer.There are some particular passages which affected my imagination in apowerful and extraordinary manner. The longer I meditated upon thesethe more intense grew the interest which had been excited within me.The limited nature of my education in general, and more especially myignorance on subjects connected with natural philosophy, so far fromrendering me diffident of my own ability to comprehend what I had read,or inducing me to mistrust the many vague notions which had arisen inconsequence, merely served as a farther stimulus to imagination; and Iwas vain enough, or perhaps reasonable enough, to doubt whetherthose crude ideas which, arising in ill-regulated minds, have all theappearance, may not often in effect possess all the force, the reality,and other inherent properties, of instinct or intuition; whether, toproceed a step farther, profundity itself might not, in matters of apurely speculative nature, be detected as a legitimate source of falsityand error. In other words, I believed, and still do believe, that truth,is frequently of its own essence, superficial, and that, in many cases,the depth lies more in the abysses where we seek her, than in the actualsituations wherein she may be found. Nature herself seemed to affordme corroboration of these ideas. In the contemplation of the heavenlybodies it struck me forcibly that I could not distinguish a star withnearly as much precision, when I gazed on it with earnest, direct andundeviating attention, as when I suffered my eye only to glance inits vicinity alone. I was not, of course, at that time aware that thisapparent paradox was occasioned by the center of the visual area beingless susceptible of feeble impressions of light than the exteriorportions of the retina. This knowledge, and some of another kind, cameafterwards in the course of an eventful five years, during which Ihave dropped the prejudices of my former humble situation in life, andforgotten the bellows-mender in far different occupations. But at theepoch of which I speak, the analogy which a casual observation of a staroffered to the conclusions I had already drawn, struck me with the forceof positive conformation, and I then finally made up my mind to thecourse which I afterwards pursued.
“It was late when I reached home, and I went immediately to bed. Mymind, however, was too much occupied to sleep, and I lay the whole nightburied in meditation. Arising early in the morning, and contrivingagain to escape the vigilance of my creditors, I repaired eagerly to thebookseller’s stall, and laid out what little ready money I possessed,in the purchase of some volumes of Mechanics and Practical Astronomy.Having arrived at home safely with these, I devoted every spare momentto their perusal, and soon made such proficiency in studies of thisnature as I thought sufficient for the execution of my plan. In theintervals of this period, I made every endeavor to conciliate thethree creditors who had given me so much annoyance. In this I finallysucceeded--partly by selling enough of my household furniture to satisfya moiety of their claim, and partly by a promise of paying the balanceupon completion of a little project which I told them I had in view, andfor assistance in which I solicited their services. By these means--forthey were ignorant men--I found little difficulty in gaining them overto my purpose.
“Matters being thus arranged, I contrived, by the aid of my wife andwith the greatest secrecy and caution, to dispose of what property I hadremaining, and to borrow, in small sums, under various pretences,and without paying any attention to my future means of repayment, noinconsiderable quantity of ready money. With the means thus accruing Iproceeded to procure at intervals, cambric muslin, very fine, in piecesof twelve yards each; twine; a lot of the varnish of caoutchouc; alarge and deep basket of wicker-work, made to order; and several otherarticles necessary in the construction and equipment of a balloon ofextraordinary dimensions. This
I directed my wife to make up as soon aspossible, and gave her all requisite information as to the particularmethod of proceeding. In the meantime I worked up the twine intoa net-work of sufficient dimensions; rigged it with a hoop and thenecessary cords; bought a quadrant, a compass, a spy-glass, a commonbarometer with some important modifications, and two astronomicalinstruments not so generally known. I then took opportunities ofconveying by night, to a retired situation east of Rotterdam, fiveiron-bound casks, to contain about fifty gallons each, and one of alarger size; six tinned ware tubes, three inches in diameter, properlyshaped, and ten feet in length; a quantity of a particular metallicsubstance, or semi-metal, which I shall not name, and a dozen demijohnsof a very common acid. The gas to be formed from these latter materialsis a gas never yet generated by any other person than myself--or atleast never applied to any similar purpose. The secret I would make nodifficulty in disclosing, but that it of right belongs to a citizen ofNantz, in France, by whom it was conditionally communicated to myself.The same individual submitted to me, without being at all aware of myintentions, a method of constructing balloons from the membrane of acertain animal, through which substance any escape of gas was nearly animpossibility. I found it, however, altogether too expensive, and wasnot sure, upon the whole, whether cambric muslin with a coating ofgum caoutchouc, was not equally as good. I mention this circumstance,because I think it probable that hereafter the individual in questionmay attempt a balloon ascension with the novel gas and material I havespoken of, and I do not wish to deprive him of the honor of a verysingular invention.
“On the spot which I intended each of the smaller casks to occupyrespectively during the inflation of the balloon, I privately dug a holetwo feet deep; the holes forming in this manner a circle twenty-fivefeet in diameter. In the centre of this circle, being the stationdesigned for the large cask, I also dug a hole three feet in depth. Ineach of the five smaller holes, I deposited a canister containingfifty pounds, and in the larger one a keg holding one hundred and fiftypounds, of cannon powder. These--the keg and canisters--I connected ina proper manner with covered trains; and having let into one of thecanisters the end of about four feet of slow match, I covered up thehole, and placed the cask over it, leaving the other end of the matchprotruding about an inch, and barely visible beyond the cask. I thenfilled up the remaining holes, and placed the barrels over them in theirdestined situation.
“Besides the articles above enumerated, I conveyed to the depot, andthere secreted, one of M. Grimm’s improvements upon the apparatus forcondensation of the atmospheric air. I found this machine, however,to require considerable alteration before it could be adapted to thepurposes to which I intended making it applicable. But, with severelabor and unremitting perseverance, I at length met with entire successin all my preparations. My balloon was soon completed. It would containmore than forty thousand cubic feet of gas; would take me up easily, Icalculated, with all my implements, and, if I managed rightly, withone hundred and seventy-five pounds of ballast into the bargain. Ithad received three coats of varnish, and I found the cambric muslin toanswer all the purposes of silk itself, quite as strong and a good dealless expensive.
“Everything being now ready, I exacted from my wife an oath of secrecyin relation to all my actions from the day of my first visit to thebookseller’s stall; and promising, on my part, to return as soon ascircumstances would permit, I gave her what little money I had left,and bade her farewell. Indeed I had no fear on her account. She waswhat people call a notable woman, and could manage matters in the worldwithout my assistance. I believe, to tell the truth, she always lookedupon me as an idle boy, a mere make-weight, good for nothing butbuilding castles in the air, and was rather glad to get rid of me.It was a dark night when I bade her good-bye, and taking with me, asaides-de-camp, the three creditors who had given me so much trouble,we carried the balloon, with the car and accoutrements, by a roundaboutway, to the station where the other articles were deposited. We therefound them all unmolested, and I proceeded immediately to business.
“It was the first of April. The night, as I said before, was dark; therewas not a star to be seen; and a drizzling rain, falling at intervals,rendered us very uncomfortable. But my chief anxiety was concerningthe balloon, which, in spite of the varnish with which it was defended,began to grow rather heavy with the moisture; the powder also was liableto damage. I therefore kept my three duns working with great diligence,pounding down ice around the central cask, and stirring the acid in theothers. They did not cease, however, importuning me with questions asto what I intended to do with all this apparatus, and expressed muchdissatisfaction at the terrible labor I made them undergo. They couldnot perceive, so they said, what good was likely to result fromtheir getting wet to the skin, merely to take a part in such horribleincantations. I began to get uneasy, and worked away with all my might,for I verily believe the idiots supposed that I had entered into acompact with the devil, and that, in short, what I was now doing wasnothing better than it should be. I was, therefore, in great fear oftheir leaving me altogether. I contrived, however, to pacify them bypromises of payment of all scores in full, as soon as I could bringthe present business to a termination. To these speeches they gave, ofcourse, their own interpretation; fancying, no doubt, that at all eventsI should come into possession of vast quantities of ready money; andprovided I paid them all I owed, and a trifle more, in consideration oftheir services, I dare say they cared very little what became of eithermy soul or my carcass.
“In about four hours and a half I found the balloon sufficientlyinflated. I attached the car, therefore, and put all my implements init--not forgetting the condensing apparatus, a copious supply of water,and a large quantity of provisions, such as pemmican, in which muchnutriment is contained in comparatively little bulk. I also secured inthe car a pair of pigeons and a cat. It was now nearly daybreak, and Ithought it high time to take my departure. Dropping a lighted cigar onthe ground, as if by accident, I took the opportunity, in stooping topick it up, of igniting privately the piece of slow match, whose end,as I said before, protruded a very little beyond the lower rim of one ofthe smaller casks. This manoeuvre was totally unperceived on the part ofthe three duns; and, jumping into the car, I immediately cut the singlecord which held me to the earth, and was pleased to find that I shotupward, carrying with all ease one hundred and seventy-five pounds ofleaden ballast, and able to have carried up as many more.
“Scarcely, however, had I attained the height of fifty yards, when,roaring and rumbling up after me in the most horrible and tumultuousmanner, came so dense a hurricane of fire, and smoke, and sulphur, andlegs and arms, and gravel, and burning wood, and blazing metal, thatmy very heart sunk within me, and I fell down in the bottom of the car,trembling with unmitigated terror. Indeed, I now perceived that I hadentirely overdone the business, and that the main consequences of theshock were yet to be experienced. Accordingly, in less than a second,I felt all the blood in my body rushing to my temples, and immediatelythereupon, a concussion, which I shall never forget, burst abruptlythrough the night and seemed to rip the very firmament asunder. WhenI afterward had time for reflection, I did not fail to attribute theextreme violence of the explosion, as regarded myself, to its propercause--my situation directly above it, and in the line of its greatestpower. But at the time, I thought only of preserving my life. Theballoon at first collapsed, then furiously expanded, then whirled roundand round with horrible velocity, and finally, reeling and staggeringlike a drunken man, hurled me with great force over the rim of the car,and left me dangling, at a terrific height, with my head downward, andmy face outwards, by a piece of slender cord about three feet inlength, which hung accidentally through a crevice near the bottom ofthe wicker-work, and in which, as I fell, my left foot became mostprovidentially entangled. It is impossible--utterly impossible--to formany adequate idea of the horror of my situation. I gasped convulsivelyfor breath--a shudder resembling a fit of the ague agitated every nerveand muscle of my frame--I felt my eyes
starting from their sockets--ahorrible nausea overwhelmed me--and at length I fainted away.
“How long I remained in this state it is impossible to say. It must,however, have been no inconsiderable time, for when I partiallyrecovered the sense of existence, I found the day breaking, the balloonat a prodigious height over a wilderness of ocean, and not a traceof land to be discovered far and wide within the limits of the vasthorizon. My sensations, however, upon thus recovering, were by no meansso rife with agony as might have been anticipated. Indeed, there wasmuch of incipient madness in the calm survey which I began to take of mysituation. I drew up to my eyes each of my hands, one after the other,and wondered what occurrence could have given rise to the swelling ofthe veins, and the horrible blackness of the fingernails. I afterwardcarefully examined my head, shaking it repeatedly, and feeling it withminute attention, until I succeeded in satisfying myself that it wasnot, as I had more than half suspected, larger than my balloon. Then,in a knowing manner, I felt in both my breeches pockets, and, missingtherefrom a set of tablets and a toothpick case, endeavored to accountfor their disappearance, and not being able to do so, felt inexpressiblychagrined. It now occurred to me that I suffered great uneasiness in thejoint of my left ankle, and a dim consciousness of my situation began toglimmer through my mind. But, strange to say! I was neither astonishednor horror-stricken. If I felt any emotion at all, it was a kind ofchuckling satisfaction at the cleverness I was about to display inextricating myself from this dilemma; and I never, for a moment, lookedupon my ultimate safety as a question susceptible of doubt. For a fewminutes I remained wrapped in the profoundest meditation. I have adistinct recollection of frequently compressing my lips, puttingmy forefinger to the side of my nose, and making use of othergesticulations and grimaces common to men who, at ease in theirarm-chairs, meditate upon matters of intricacy or importance. Having,as I thought, sufficiently collected my ideas, I now, with great cautionand deliberation, put my hands behind my back, and unfastened the largeiron buckle which belonged to the waistband of my inexpressibles. Thisbuckle had three teeth, which, being somewhat rusty, turned with greatdifficulty on their axis. I brought them, however, after some trouble,at right angles to the body of the buckle, and was glad to find themremain firm in that position. Holding the instrument thus obtainedwithin my teeth, I now proceeded to untie the knot of my cravat. I hadto rest several times before I could accomplish this manoeuvre, but itwas at length accomplished. To one end of the cravat I then made fastthe buckle, and the other end I tied, for greater security, tightlyaround my wrist. Drawing now my body upwards, with a prodigious exertionof muscular force, I succeeded, at the very first trial, in throwingthe buckle over the car, and entangling it, as I had anticipated, in thecircular rim of the wicker-work.
“My body was now inclined towards the side of the car, at an angleof about forty-five degrees; but it must not be understood that I wastherefore only forty-five degrees below the perpendicular. So far fromit, I still lay nearly level with the plane of the horizon; for thechange of situation which I had acquired, had forced the bottom of thecar considerably outwards from my position, which was accordingly oneof the most imminent and deadly peril. It should be remembered, however,that when I fell in the first instance, from the car, if I had fallenwith my face turned toward the balloon, instead of turned outwardly fromit, as it actually was; or if, in the second place, the cord by whichI was suspended had chanced to hang over the upper edge, instead ofthrough a crevice near the bottom of the car,--I say it may be readilyconceived that, in either of these supposed cases, I should have beenunable to accomplish even as much as I had now accomplished, and thewonderful adventures of Hans Pfaall would have been utterly lost toposterity, I had therefore every reason to be grateful; although, inpoint of fact, I was still too stupid to be anything at all, and hungfor, perhaps, a quarter of an hour in that extraordinary manner, withoutmaking the slightest farther exertion whatsoever, and in a singularlytranquil state of idiotic enjoyment. But this feeling did not fail todie rapidly away, and thereunto succeeded horror, and dismay, and achilling sense of utter helplessness and ruin. In fact, the blood solong accumulating in the vessels of my head and throat, and which hadhitherto buoyed up my spirits with madness and delirium, had now begunto retire within their proper channels, and the distinctness which wasthus added to my perception of the danger, merely served to deprive meof the self-possession and courage to encounter it. But this weaknesswas, luckily for me, of no very long duration. In good time came to myrescue the spirit of despair, and, with frantic cries and struggles, Ijerked my way bodily upwards, till at length, clutching with a vise-likegrip the long-desired rim, I writhed my person over it, and fellheadlong and shuddering within the car.
“It was not until some time afterward that I recovered myselfsufficiently to attend to the ordinary cares of the balloon. I then,however, examined it with attention, and found it, to my great relief,uninjured. My implements were all safe, and, fortunately, I had lostneither ballast nor provisions. Indeed, I had so well secured them intheir places, that such an accident was entirely out of the question.Looking at my watch, I found it six o’clock. I was still rapidlyascending, and my barometer gave a present altitude of three andthree-quarter miles. Immediately beneath me in the ocean, lay a smallblack object, slightly oblong in shape, seemingly about the size, andin every way bearing a great resemblance to one of those childishtoys called a domino. Bringing my telescope to bear upon it, I plainlydiscerned it to be a British ninety four-gun ship, close-hauled, andpitching heavily in the sea with her head to the W.S.W. Besides thisship, I saw nothing but the ocean and the sky, and the sun, which hadlong arisen.
“It is now high time that I should explain to your Excellencies theobject of my perilous voyage. Your Excellencies will bear in mind thatdistressed circumstances in Rotterdam had at length driven me to theresolution of committing suicide. It was not, however, that to lifeitself I had any, positive disgust, but that I was harassed beyondendurance by the adventitious miseries attending my situation. In thisstate of mind, wishing to live, yet wearied with life, the treatise atthe stall of the bookseller opened a resource to my imagination. I thenfinally made up my mind. I determined to depart, yet live--to leave theworld, yet continue to exist--in short, to drop enigmas, I resolved, letwhat would ensue, to force a passage, if I could, to the moon. Now, lestI should be supposed more of a madman than I actually am, I will detail,as well as I am able, the considerations which led me to believe thatan achievement of this nature, although without doubt difficult, andincontestably full of danger, was not absolutely, to a bold spirit,beyond the confines of the possible.
“The moon’s actual distance from the earth was the first thing to beattended to. Now, the mean or average interval between the centres ofthe two planets is 59.9643 of the earth’s equatorial radii, or onlyabout 237,000 miles. I say the mean or average interval. But it mustbe borne in mind that the form of the moon’s orbit being an ellipse ofeccentricity amounting to no less than 0.05484 of the major semi-axis ofthe ellipse itself, and the earth’s centre being situated in its focus,if I could, in any manner, contrive to meet the moon, as it were, in itsperigee, the above mentioned distance would be materially diminished.But, to say nothing at present of this possibility, it was very certainthat, at all events, from the 237,000 miles I would have to deduct theradius of the earth, say 4,000, and the radius of the moon, say 1080,in all 5,080, leaving an actual interval to be traversed, under averagecircumstances, of 231,920 miles. Now this, I reflected, was novery extraordinary distance. Travelling on land has been repeatedlyaccomplished at the rate of thirty miles per hour, and indeed a muchgreater speed may be anticipated. But even at this velocity, it wouldtake me no more than 322 days to reach the surface of the moon. Therewere, however, many particulars inducing me to believe that my averagerate of travelling might possibly very much exceed that of thirty milesper hour, and, as these considerations did not fail to make a deepimpression upon my mind, I will mention them more fully hereafter.
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br /> “The next point to be regarded was a matter of far greater importance.From indications afforded by the barometer, we find that, in ascensionsfrom the surface of the earth we have, at the height of 1,000 feet, leftbelow us about one-thirtieth of the entire mass of atmospheric air, thatat 10,600 we have ascended through nearly one-third; and that at 18,000,which is not far from the elevation of Cotopaxi, we have surmountedone-half the material, or, at all events, one-half the ponderable,body of air incumbent upon our globe. It is also calculated that at analtitude not exceeding the hundredth part of the earth’s diameter--thatis, not exceeding eighty miles--the rarefaction would be so excessivethat animal life could in no manner be sustained, and, moreover, thatthe most delicate means we possess of ascertaining the presence of theatmosphere would be inadequate to assure us of its existence. But Idid not fail to perceive that these latter calculations are foundedaltogether on our experimental knowledge of the properties of air, andthe mechanical laws regulating its dilation and compression, in what maybe called, comparatively speaking, the immediate vicinity of the earthitself; and, at the same time, it is taken for granted that animallife is and must be essentially incapable of modification at any givenunattainable distance from the surface. Now, all such reasoning and fromsuch data must, of course, be simply analogical. The greatest heightever reached by man was that of 25,000 feet, attained in the aeronauticexpedition of Messieurs Gay-Lussac and Biot. This is a moderatealtitude, even when compared with the eighty miles in question; and Icould not help thinking that the subject admitted room for doubt andgreat latitude for speculation.
“But, in point of fact, an ascension being made to any given altitude,the ponderable quantity of air surmounted in any farther ascension isby no means in proportion to the additional height ascended (as maybe plainly seen from what has been stated before), but in a ratioconstantly decreasing. It is therefore evident that, ascend as high aswe may, we cannot, literally speaking, arrive at a limit beyond whichno atmosphere is to be found. It must exist, I argued; although it mayexist in a state of infinite rarefaction.
“On the other hand, I was aware that arguments have not been wantingto prove the existence of a real and definite limit to the atmosphere,beyond which there is absolutely no air whatsoever. But a circumstancewhich has been left out of view by those who contend for such a limitseemed to me, although no positive refutation of their creed, stilla point worthy very serious investigation. On comparing the intervalsbetween the successive arrivals of Encke’s comet at its perihelion,after giving credit, in the most exact manner, for all the disturbancesdue to the attractions of the planets, it appears that the periods aregradually diminishing; that is to say, the major axis of the comet’sellipse is growing shorter, in a slow but perfectly regular decrease.Now, this is precisely what ought to be the case, if we suppose aresistance experienced from the comet from an extremely rare etherealmedium pervading the regions of its orbit. For it is evident that sucha medium must, in retarding the comet’s velocity, increase itscentripetal, by weakening its centrifugal force. In other words, thesun’s attraction would be constantly attaining greater power, and thecomet would be drawn nearer at every revolution. Indeed, there is noother way of accounting for the variation in question. But again. Thereal diameter of the same comet’s nebulosity is observed to contractrapidly as it approaches the sun, and dilate with equal rapidity in itsdeparture towards its aphelion. Was I not justifiable in supposing withM. Valz, that this apparent condensation of volume has its origin inthe compression of the same ethereal medium I have spoken of before,and which is only denser in proportion to its solar vicinity? Thelenticular-shaped phenomenon, also called the zodiacal light, was amatter worthy of attention. This radiance, so apparent in the tropics,and which cannot be mistaken for any meteoric lustre, extends from thehorizon obliquely upward, and follows generally the direction of thesun’s equator. It appeared to me evidently in the nature of a rareatmosphere extending from the sun outward, beyond the orbit of Venus atleast, and I believed indefinitely farther.(*2) Indeed, this medium Icould not suppose confined to the path of the comet’s ellipse, or tothe immediate neighborhood of the sun. It was easy, on the contrary,to imagine it pervading the entire regions of our planetary system,condensed into what we call atmosphere at the planets themselves, andperhaps at some of them modified by considerations, so to speak, purelygeological.
“Having adopted this view of the subject, I had little furtherhesitation. Granting that on my passage I should meet with atmosphereessentially the same as at the surface of the earth, I conceived that,by means of the very ingenious apparatus of M. Grimm, I should readilybe enabled to condense it in sufficient quantity for the purposes ofrespiration. This would remove the chief obstacle in a journey to themoon. I had indeed spent some money and great labor in adapting theapparatus to the object intended, and confidently looked forward to itssuccessful application, if I could manage to complete the voyage withinany reasonable period. This brings me back to the rate at which it mightbe possible to travel.
“It is true that balloons, in the first stage of their ascensions fromthe earth, are known to rise with a velocity comparatively moderate.Now, the power of elevation lies altogether in the superior lightness ofthe gas in the balloon compared with the atmospheric air; and, atfirst sight, it does not appear probable that, as the balloon acquiresaltitude, and consequently arrives successively in atmospheric strataof densities rapidly diminishing--I say, it does not appear at allreasonable that, in this its progress upwards, the original velocityshould be accelerated. On the other hand, I was not aware that, in anyrecorded ascension, a diminution was apparent in the absolute rateof ascent; although such should have been the case, if on accountof nothing else, on account of the escape of gas through balloonsill-constructed, and varnished with no better material than the ordinaryvarnish. It seemed, therefore, that the effect of such escape was onlysufficient to counterbalance the effect of some accelerating power. Inow considered that, provided in my passage I found the medium Ihad imagined, and provided that it should prove to be actuallyand essentially what we denominate atmospheric air, it could makecomparatively little difference at what extreme state of rarefactionI should discover it--that is to say, in regard to my power ofascending--for the gas in the balloon would not only be itself subjectto rarefaction partially similar (in proportion to the occurrence ofwhich, I could suffer an escape of so much as would be requisite toprevent explosion), but, being what it was, would, at all events,continue specifically lighter than any compound whatever of merenitrogen and oxygen. In the meantime, the force of gravitation would beconstantly diminishing, in proportion to the squares of the distances,and thus, with a velocity prodigiously accelerating, I should atlength arrive in those distant regions where the force of the earth’sattraction would be superseded by that of the moon. In accordance withthese ideas, I did not think it worth while to encumber myself with moreprovisions than would be sufficient for a period of forty days.
“There was still, however, another difficulty, which occasioned me somelittle disquietude. It has been observed, that, in balloon ascensions toany considerable height, besides the pain attending respiration, greatuneasiness is experienced about the head and body, often accompaniedwith bleeding at the nose, and other symptoms of an alarming kind,and growing more and more inconvenient in proportion to the altitudeattained.(*3) This was a reflection of a nature somewhat startling. Wasit not probable that these symptoms would increase indefinitely, or atleast until terminated by death itself? I finally thought not. Theirorigin was to be looked for in the progressive removal of the customaryatmospheric pressure upon the surface of the body, and consequentdistention of the superficial blood-vessels--not in any positivedisorganization of the animal system, as in the case of difficulty inbreathing, where the atmospheric density is chemically insufficientfor the due renovation of blood in a ventricle of the heart. Unless fordefault of this renovation, I could see no reason, therefore, whylife could not be sustained even in a vacuum; for the expansion
andcompression of chest, commonly called breathing, is action purelymuscular, and the cause, not the effect, of respiration. In a word,I conceived that, as the body should become habituated to the wantof atmospheric pressure, the sensations of pain would graduallydiminish--and to endure them while they continued, I relied withconfidence upon the iron hardihood of my constitution.
“Thus, may it please your Excellencies, I have detailed some, though byno means all, the considerations which led me to form the project ofa lunar voyage. I shall now proceed to lay before you the result of anattempt so apparently audacious in conception, and, at all events, soutterly unparalleled in the annals of mankind.
“Having attained the altitude before mentioned, that is to say threemiles and three-quarters, I threw out from the car a quantity offeathers, and found that I still ascended with sufficient rapidity;there was, therefore, no necessity for discharging any ballast. I wasglad of this, for I wished to retain with me as much weight as I couldcarry, for reasons which will be explained in the sequel. I as yetsuffered no bodily inconvenience, breathing with great freedom, andfeeling no pain whatever in the head. The cat was lying very demurelyupon my coat, which I had taken off, and eyeing the pigeons with an airof nonchalance. These latter being tied by the leg, to prevent theirescape, were busily employed in picking up some grains of rice scatteredfor them in the bottom of the car.
“At twenty minutes past six o’clock, the barometer showed an elevationof 26,400 feet, or five miles to a fraction. The prospect seemedunbounded. Indeed, it is very easily calculated by means of sphericalgeometry, what a great extent of the earth’s area I beheld. The convexsurface of any segment of a sphere is, to the entire surface of thesphere itself, as the versed sine of the segment to the diameter of thesphere. Now, in my case, the versed sine--that is to say, the thicknessof the segment beneath me--was about equal to my elevation, or theelevation of the point of sight above the surface. ‘As five miles, then,to eight thousand,’ would express the proportion of the earth’s areaseen by me. In other words, I beheld as much as a sixteen-hundredthpart of the whole surface of the globe. The sea appeared unruffled as amirror, although, by means of the spy-glass, I could perceive it to bein a state of violent agitation. The ship was no longer visible, havingdrifted away, apparently to the eastward. I now began to experience, atintervals, severe pain in the head, especially about the ears--still,however, breathing with tolerable freedom. The cat and pigeons seemed tosuffer no inconvenience whatsoever.
“At twenty minutes before seven, the balloon entered a long series ofdense cloud, which put me to great trouble, by damaging my condensingapparatus and wetting me to the skin. This was, to be sure, a singularrecontre, for I had not believed it possible that a cloud of this naturecould be sustained at so great an elevation. I thought it best, however,to throw out two five-pound pieces of ballast, reserving still a weightof one hundred and sixty-five pounds. Upon so doing, I soon rose abovethe difficulty, and perceived immediately, that I had obtained a greatincrease in my rate of ascent. In a few seconds after my leaving thecloud, a flash of vivid lightning shot from one end of it to the other,and caused it to kindle up, throughout its vast extent, like a mass ofignited and glowing charcoal. This, it must be remembered, was in thebroad light of day. No fancy may picture the sublimity which might havebeen exhibited by a similar phenomenon taking place amid the darkness ofthe night. Hell itself might have been found a fitting image. Even asit was, my hair stood on end, while I gazed afar down within the yawningabysses, letting imagination descend, as it were, and stalk about in thestrange vaulted halls, and ruddy gulfs, and red ghastly chasms of thehideous and unfathomable fire. I had indeed made a narrow escape. Hadthe balloon remained a very short while longer within the cloud--thatis to say--had not the inconvenience of getting wet, determined me todischarge the ballast, inevitable ruin would have been the consequence.Such perils, although little considered, are perhaps the greatest whichmust be encountered in balloons. I had by this time, however, attainedtoo great an elevation to be any longer uneasy on this head.
“I was now rising rapidly, and by seven o’clock the barometer indicatedan altitude of no less than nine miles and a half. I began to find greatdifficulty in drawing my breath. My head, too, was excessively painful;and, having felt for some time a moisture about my cheeks, I at lengthdiscovered it to be blood, which was oozing quite fast from the drums ofmy ears. My eyes, also, gave me great uneasiness. Upon passing thehand over them they seemed to have protruded from their sockets in noinconsiderable degree; and all objects in the car, and even the balloonitself, appeared distorted to my vision. These symptoms were more thanI had expected, and occasioned me some alarm. At this juncture, veryimprudently, and without consideration, I threw out from the car threefive-pound pieces of ballast. The accelerated rate of ascent thusobtained, carried me too rapidly, and without sufficient gradation, intoa highly rarefied stratum of the atmosphere, and the result had nearlyproved fatal to my expedition and to myself. I was suddenly seized witha spasm which lasted for more than five minutes, and even when this, ina measure, ceased, I could catch my breath only at long intervals, andin a gasping manner--bleeding all the while copiously at the nose andears, and even slightly at the eyes. The pigeons appeared distressedin the extreme, and struggled to escape; while the cat mewed piteously,and, with her tongue hanging out of her mouth, staggered to and fro inthe car as if under the influence of poison. I now too late discoveredthe great rashness of which I had been guilty in discharging theballast, and my agitation was excessive. I anticipated nothing less thandeath, and death in a few minutes. The physical suffering I underwentcontributed also to render me nearly incapable of making any exertionfor the preservation of my life. I had, indeed, little power ofreflection left, and the violence of the pain in my head seemed to begreatly on the increase. Thus I found that my senses would shortly giveway altogether, and I had already clutched one of the valve ropes withthe view of attempting a descent, when the recollection of the trick Ihad played the three creditors, and the possible consequences to myself,should I return, operated to deter me for the moment. I lay down in thebottom of the car, and endeavored to collect my faculties. In this Iso far succeeded as to determine upon the experiment of losing blood.Having no lancet, however, I was constrained to perform the operation inthe best manner I was able, and finally succeeded in opening a veinin my right arm, with the blade of my penknife. The blood had hardlycommenced flowing when I experienced a sensible relief, and by the timeI had lost about half a moderate basin full, most of the worst symptomshad abandoned me entirely. I nevertheless did not think it expedient toattempt getting on my feet immediately; but, having tied up my arm aswell as I could, I lay still for about a quarter of an hour. At the endof this time I arose, and found myself freer from absolute pain of anykind than I had been during the last hour and a quarter of my ascension.The difficulty of breathing, however, was diminished in a very slightdegree, and I found that it would soon be positively necessary to makeuse of my condenser. In the meantime, looking toward the cat, who wasagain snugly stowed away upon my coat, I discovered to my infinitesurprise, that she had taken the opportunity of my indisposition tobring into light a litter of three little kittens. This was an additionto the number of passengers on my part altogether unexpected; but I waspleased at the occurrence. It would afford me a chance of bringing to akind of test the truth of a surmise, which, more than anything else,had influenced me in attempting this ascension. I had imagined that thehabitual endurance of the atmospheric pressure at the surface ofthe earth was the cause, or nearly so, of the pain attending animalexistence at a distance above the surface. Should the kittens be foundto suffer uneasiness in an equal degree with their mother, I mustconsider my theory in fault, but a failure to do so I should look uponas a strong confirmation of my idea.
“By eight o’clock I had actually attained an elevation of seventeenmiles above the surface of the earth. Thus it seemed to me evident thatmy rate of ascent was not only on the increase, but that the pro
gressionwould have been apparent in a slight degree even had I not dischargedthe ballast which I did. The pains in my head and ears returned, atintervals, with violence, and I still continued to bleed occasionally atthe nose; but, upon the whole, I suffered much less than might havebeen expected. I breathed, however, at every moment, with more andmore difficulty, and each inhalation was attended with a troublesomespasmodic action of the chest. I now unpacked the condensing apparatus,and got it ready for immediate use.
“The view of the earth, at this period of my ascension, was beautifulindeed. To the westward, the northward, and the southward, as far as Icould see, lay a boundless sheet of apparently unruffled ocean, whichevery moment gained a deeper and a deeper tint of blue and began alreadyto assume a slight appearance of convexity. At a vast distance to theeastward, although perfectly discernible, extended the islands of GreatBritain, the entire Atlantic coasts of France and Spain, with a smallportion of the northern part of the continent of Africa. Of individualedifices not a trace could be discovered, and the proudest cities ofmankind had utterly faded away from the face of the earth. From the rockof Gibraltar, now dwindled into a dim speck, the dark Mediterranean sea,dotted with shining islands as the heaven is dotted with stars, spreaditself out to the eastward as far as my vision extended, until itsentire mass of waters seemed at length to tumble headlong over the abyssof the horizon, and I found myself listening on tiptoe for the echoesof the mighty cataract. Overhead, the sky was of a jetty black, and thestars were brilliantly visible.
“The pigeons about this time seeming to undergo much suffering, Idetermined upon giving them their liberty. I first untied one of them,a beautiful gray-mottled pigeon, and placed him upon the rim of thewicker-work. He appeared extremely uneasy, looking anxiously around him,fluttering his wings, and making a loud cooing noise, but could not bepersuaded to trust himself from off the car. I took him up at last,and threw him to about half a dozen yards from the balloon. He made,however, no attempt to descend as I had expected, but struggled withgreat vehemence to get back, uttering at the same time very shrill andpiercing cries. He at length succeeded in regaining his former stationon the rim, but had hardly done so when his head dropped upon hisbreast, and he fell dead within the car. The other one did not prove sounfortunate. To prevent his following the example of his companion, andaccomplishing a return, I threw him downward with all my force, and waspleased to find him continue his descent, with great velocity, makinguse of his wings with ease, and in a perfectly natural manner. In a veryshort time he was out of sight, and I have no doubt he reached home insafety. Puss, who seemed in a great measure recovered from her illness,now made a hearty meal of the dead bird and then went to sleep with muchapparent satisfaction. Her kittens were quite lively, and so far evincednot the slightest sign of any uneasiness whatever.
“At a quarter-past eight, being no longer able to draw breath withoutthe most intolerable pain, I proceeded forthwith to adjust aroundthe car the apparatus belonging to the condenser. This apparatus willrequire some little explanation, and your Excellencies will please tobear in mind that my object, in the first place, was to surround myselfand cat entirely with a barricade against the highly rarefied atmospherein which I was existing, with the intention of introducing within thisbarricade, by means of my condenser, a quantity of this same atmospheresufficiently condensed for the purposes of respiration. With this objectin view I had prepared a very strong perfectly air-tight, but flexiblegum-elastic bag. In this bag, which was of sufficient dimensions, theentire car was in a manner placed. That is to say, it (the bag) wasdrawn over the whole bottom of the car, up its sides, and so on, alongthe outside of the ropes, to the upper rim or hoop where the net-workis attached. Having pulled the bag up in this way, and formed a completeenclosure on all sides, and at bottom, it was now necessary to fastenup its top or mouth, by passing its material over the hoop of thenet-work--in other words, between the net-work and the hoop. But if thenet-work were separated from the hoop to admit this passage, what wasto sustain the car in the meantime? Now the net-work was not permanentlyfastened to the hoop, but attached by a series of running loops ornooses. I therefore undid only a few of these loops at one time, leavingthe car suspended by the remainder. Having thus inserted a portion ofthe cloth forming the upper part of the bag, I refastened the loops--notto the hoop, for that would have been impossible, since the clothnow intervened--but to a series of large buttons, affixed to the clothitself, about three feet below the mouth of the bag, the intervalsbetween the buttons having been made to correspond to the intervalsbetween the loops. This done, a few more of the loops were unfastenedfrom the rim, a farther portion of the cloth introduced, and thedisengaged loops then connected with their proper buttons. In this wayit was possible to insert the whole upper part of the bag between thenet-work and the hoop. It is evident that the hoop would now drop downwithin the car, while the whole weight of the car itself, with all itscontents, would be held up merely by the strength of the buttons. This,at first sight, would seem an inadequate dependence; but it was by nomeans so, for the buttons were not only very strong in themselves, butso close together that a very slight portion of the whole weight wassupported by any one of them. Indeed, had the car and contents beenthree times heavier than they were, I should not have been atall uneasy. I now raised up the hoop again within the covering ofgum-elastic, and propped it at nearly its former height by means ofthree light poles prepared for the occasion. This was done, of course,to keep the bag distended at the top, and to preserve the lower partof the net-work in its proper situation. All that now remained was tofasten up the mouth of the enclosure; and this was readily accomplishedby gathering the folds of the material together, and twisting them upvery tightly on the inside by means of a kind of stationary tourniquet.
“In the sides of the covering thus adjusted round the car, had beeninserted three circular panes of thick but clear glass, through which Icould see without difficulty around me in every horizontal direction.In that portion of the cloth forming the bottom, was likewise, a fourthwindow, of the same kind, and corresponding with a small aperture in thefloor of the car itself. This enabled me to see perpendicularlydown, but having found it impossible to place any similar contrivanceoverhead, on account of the peculiar manner of closing up the openingthere, and the consequent wrinkles in the cloth, I could expect to seeno objects situated directly in my zenith. This, of course, was a matterof little consequence; for had I even been able to place a window attop, the balloon itself would have prevented my making any use of it.
“About a foot below one of the side windows was a circular opening,eight inches in diameter, and fitted with a brass rim adapted in itsinner edge to the windings of a screw. In this rim was screwed the largetube of the condenser, the body of the machine being, of course, withinthe chamber of gum-elastic. Through this tube a quantity of the rareatmosphere circumjacent being drawn by means of a vacuum created in thebody of the machine, was thence discharged, in a state of condensation,to mingle with the thin air already in the chamber. This operation beingrepeated several times, at length filled the chamber with atmosphereproper for all the purposes of respiration. But in so confined a spaceit would, in a short time, necessarily become foul, and unfit for usefrom frequent contact with the lungs. It was then ejected by a smallvalve at the bottom of the car--the dense air readily sinking into thethinner atmosphere below. To avoid the inconvenience of making a totalvacuum at any moment within the chamber, this purification was neveraccomplished all at once, but in a gradual manner--the valve beingopened only for a few seconds, then closed again, until one or twostrokes from the pump of the condenser had supplied the place of theatmosphere ejected. For the sake of experiment I had put the cat andkittens in a small basket, and suspended it outside the car to a buttonat the bottom, close by the valve, through which I could feed them atany moment when necessary. I did this at some little risk, and beforeclosing the mouth of the chamber, by reaching under the car with one ofthe poles before mentioned to which a hook had be
en attached.
“By the time I had fully completed these arrangements and filled thechamber as explained, it wanted only ten minutes of nine o’clock. Duringthe whole period of my being thus employed, I endured the most terribledistress from difficulty of respiration, and bitterly did I repent thenegligence or rather fool-hardiness, of which I had been guilty, ofputting off to the last moment a matter of so much importance. Buthaving at length accomplished it, I soon began to reap the benefit ofmy invention. Once again I breathed with perfect freedom and ease--andindeed why should I not? I was also agreeably surprised to find myself,in a great measure, relieved from the violent pains which had hithertotormented me. A slight headache, accompanied with a sensation of fulnessor distention about the wrists, the ankles, and the throat, was nearlyall of which I had now to complain. Thus it seemed evident that agreater part of the uneasiness attending the removal of atmosphericpressure had actually worn off, as I had expected, and that much ofthe pain endured for the last two hours should have been attributedaltogether to the effects of a deficient respiration.
“At twenty minutes before nine o’clock--that is to say, a short timeprior to my closing up the mouth of the chamber, the mercury attainedits limit, or ran down, in the barometer, which, as I mentioned before,was one of an extended construction. It then indicated an altitude onmy part of 132,000 feet, or five-and-twenty miles, and I consequentlysurveyed at that time an extent of the earth’s area amounting to no lessthan the three hundred-and-twentieth part of its entire superficies.At nine o’clock I had again lost sight of land to the eastward, but notbefore I became aware that the balloon was drifting rapidly to the N.N. W. The convexity of the ocean beneath me was very evident indeed,although my view was often interrupted by the masses of cloud whichfloated to and fro. I observed now that even the lightest vapors neverrose to more than ten miles above the level of the sea.
“At half past nine I tried the experiment of throwing out a handful offeathers through the valve. They did not float as I had expected; butdropped down perpendicularly, like a bullet, en masse, and with thegreatest velocity--being out of sight in a very few seconds. I did notat first know what to make of this extraordinary phenomenon; not beingable to believe that my rate of ascent had, of a sudden, met withso prodigious an acceleration. But it soon occurred to me that theatmosphere was now far too rare to sustain even the feathers; that theyactually fell, as they appeared to do, with great rapidity; and that Ihad been surprised by the united velocities of their descent and my ownelevation.
“By ten o’clock I found that I had very little to occupy my immediateattention. Affairs went swimmingly, and I believed the balloon to begoing upward with a speed increasing momently although I had no longerany means of ascertaining the progression of the increase. I suffered nopain or uneasiness of any kind, and enjoyed better spirits than I hadat any period since my departure from Rotterdam, busying myself now inexamining the state of my various apparatus, and now in regenerating theatmosphere within the chamber. This latter point I determined toattend to at regular intervals of forty minutes, more on account ofthe preservation of my health, than from so frequent a renovationbeing absolutely necessary. In the meanwhile I could not help makinganticipations. Fancy revelled in the wild and dreamy regions of themoon. Imagination, feeling herself for once unshackled, roamed at willamong the ever-changing wonders of a shadowy and unstable land. Nowthere were hoary and time-honored forests, and craggy precipices, andwaterfalls tumbling with a loud noise into abysses without a bottom.Then I came suddenly into still noonday solitudes, where no wind ofheaven ever intruded, and where vast meadows of poppies, and slender,lily-looking flowers spread themselves out a weary distance, all silentand motionless forever. Then again I journeyed far down away intoanother country where it was all one dim and vague lake, with a boundaryline of clouds. And out of this melancholy water arose a forest of talleastern trees, like a wilderness of dreams. And I have in mind thatthe shadows of the trees which fell upon the lake remained not onthe surface where they fell, but sunk slowly and steadily down, andcommingled with the waves, while from the trunks of the trees othershadows were continually coming out, and taking the place of theirbrothers thus entombed. “This then,” I said thoughtfully, “is the veryreason why the waters of this lake grow blacker with age, and moremelancholy as the hours run on.” But fancies such as these were not thesole possessors of my brain. Horrors of a nature most stern and mostappalling would too frequently obtrude themselves upon my mind, andshake the innermost depths of my soul with the bare supposition of theirpossibility. Yet I would not suffer my thoughts for any length of timeto dwell upon these latter speculations, rightly judging the real andpalpable dangers of the voyage sufficient for my undivided attention.
“At five o’clock, p.m., being engaged in regenerating the atmospherewithin the chamber, I took that opportunity of observing the cat andkittens through the valve. The cat herself appeared to suffer again verymuch, and I had no hesitation in attributing her uneasiness chiefly to adifficulty in breathing; but my experiment with the kittens had resultedvery strangely. I had expected, of course, to see them betray a sense ofpain, although in a less degree than their mother, and this would havebeen sufficient to confirm my opinion concerning the habitual enduranceof atmospheric pressure. But I was not prepared to find them, upon closeexamination, evidently enjoying a high degree of health, breathing withthe greatest ease and perfect regularity, and evincing not the slightestsign of any uneasiness whatever. I could only account for all this byextending my theory, and supposing that the highly rarefied atmospherearound might perhaps not be, as I had taken for granted, chemicallyinsufficient for the purposes of life, and that a person born in sucha medium might, possibly, be unaware of any inconvenience attending itsinhalation, while, upon removal to the denser strata near the earth,he might endure tortures of a similar nature to those I had so latelyexperienced. It has since been to me a matter of deep regret that anawkward accident, at this time, occasioned me the loss of my littlefamily of cats, and deprived me of the insight into this matter which acontinued experiment might have afforded. In passing my hand throughthe valve, with a cup of water for the old puss, the sleeves of my shirtbecame entangled in the loop which sustained the basket, and thus, ina moment, loosened it from the bottom. Had the whole actually vanishedinto air, it could not have shot from my sight in a more abrupt andinstantaneous manner. Positively, there could not have intervened thetenth part of a second between the disengagement of the basket and itsabsolute and total disappearance with all that it contained. My goodwishes followed it to the earth, but of course, I had no hope thateither cat or kittens would ever live to tell the tale of theirmisfortune.
“At six o’clock, I perceived a great portion of the earth’s visible areato the eastward involved in thick shadow, which continued to advancewith great rapidity, until, at five minutes before seven, the wholesurface in view was enveloped in the darkness of night. It was not,however, until long after this time that the rays of the setting sunceased to illumine the balloon; and this circumstance, although ofcourse fully anticipated, did not fail to give me an infinite dealof pleasure. It was evident that, in the morning, I should behold therising luminary many hours at least before the citizens of Rotterdam, inspite of their situation so much farther to the eastward, and thus, dayafter day, in proportion to the height ascended, would I enjoy the lightof the sun for a longer and a longer period. I now determined to keep ajournal of my passage, reckoning the days from one to twenty-fourhours continuously, without taking into consideration the intervals ofdarkness.
“At ten o’clock, feeling sleepy, I determined to lie down for the restof the night; but here a difficulty presented itself, which, obvious asit may appear, had escaped my attention up to the very moment of whichI am now speaking. If I went to sleep as I proposed, how could theatmosphere in the chamber be regenerated in the interim? To breatheit for more than an hour, at the farthest, would be a matter ofimpossibility, or, if even this term could be extended to an h
our and aquarter, the most ruinous consequences might ensue. The considerationof this dilemma gave me no little disquietude; and it will hardly bebelieved, that, after the dangers I had undergone, I should lookupon this business in so serious a light, as to give up all hope ofaccomplishing my ultimate design, and finally make up my mind to thenecessity of a descent. But this hesitation was only momentary. Ireflected that man is the veriest slave of custom, and that many pointsin the routine of his existence are deemed essentially important, whichare only so at all by his having rendered them habitual. It was verycertain that I could not do without sleep; but I might easily bringmyself to feel no inconvenience from being awakened at intervals of anhour during the whole period of my repose. It would require but fiveminutes at most to regenerate the atmosphere in the fullest manner, andthe only real difficulty was to contrive a method of arousing myselfat the proper moment for so doing. But this was a question which, I amwilling to confess, occasioned me no little trouble in its solution. Tobe sure, I had heard of the student who, to prevent his falling asleepover his books, held in one hand a ball of copper, the din of whosedescent into a basin of the same metal on the floor beside his chair,served effectually to startle him up, if, at any moment, he shouldbe overcome with drowsiness. My own case, however, was very differentindeed, and left me no room for any similar idea; for I did not wish tokeep awake, but to be aroused from slumber at regular intervals of time.I at length hit upon the following expedient, which, simple as it mayseem, was hailed by me, at the moment of discovery, as an inventionfully equal to that of the telescope, the steam-engine, or the art ofprinting itself.
“It is necessary to premise, that the balloon, at the elevation nowattained, continued its course upward with an even and undeviatingascent, and the car consequently followed with a steadiness so perfectthat it would have been impossible to detect in it the slightestvacillation whatever. This circumstance favored me greatly in theproject I now determined to adopt. My supply of water had been put onboard in kegs containing five gallons each, and ranged very securelyaround the interior of the car. I unfastened one of these, and takingtwo ropes tied them tightly across the rim of the wicker-work from oneside to the other; placing them about a foot apart and parallel so as toform a kind of shelf, upon which I placed the keg, and steadied it in ahorizontal position. About eight inches immediately below these ropes,and four feet from the bottom of the car I fastened another shelf--butmade of thin plank, being the only similar piece of wood I had. Uponthis latter shelf, and exactly beneath one of the rims of the keg, asmall earthern pitcher was deposited. I now bored a hole in the end ofthe keg over the pitcher, and fitted in a plug of soft wood, cut in atapering or conical shape. This plug I pushed in or pulled out, as mighthappen, until, after a few experiments, it arrived at that exact degreeof tightness, at which the water, oozing from the hole, and falling intothe pitcher below, would fill the latter to the brim in the periodof sixty minutes. This, of course, was a matter briefly and easilyascertained, by noticing the proportion of the pitcher filled in anygiven time. Having arranged all this, the rest of the plan is obvious.My bed was so contrived upon the floor of the car, as to bring myhead, in lying down, immediately below the mouth of the pitcher. It wasevident, that, at the expiration of an hour, the pitcher, getting full,would be forced to run over, and to run over at the mouth, which wassomewhat lower than the rim. It was also evident, that the water thusfalling from a height of more than four feet, could not do otherwisethan fall upon my face, and that the sure consequences would be, towaken me up instantaneously, even from the soundest slumber in theworld.
“It was fully eleven by the time I had completed these arrangements,and I immediately betook myself to bed, with full confidence in theefficiency of my invention. Nor in this matter was I disappointed.Punctually every sixty minutes was I aroused by my trusty chronometer,when, having emptied the pitcher into the bung-hole of the keg, andperformed the duties of the condenser, I retired again to bed. Theseregular interruptions to my slumber caused me even less discomfort thanI had anticipated; and when I finally arose for the day, it was seveno’clock, and the sun had attained many degrees above the line of myhorizon.
“April 3d. I found the balloon at an immense height indeed, and theearth’s apparent convexity increased in a material degree. Below me inthe ocean lay a cluster of black specks, which undoubtedly were islands.Far away to the northward I perceived a thin, white, and exceedinglybrilliant line, or streak, on the edge of the horizon, and I had nohesitation in supposing it to be the southern disk of the ices of thePolar Sea. My curiosity was greatly excited, for I had hopes of passingon much farther to the north, and might possibly, at some period, findmyself placed directly above the Pole itself. I now lamented that mygreat elevation would, in this case, prevent my taking as accurate asurvey as I could wish. Much, however, might be ascertained. Nothingelse of an extraordinary nature occurred during the day. My apparatusall continued in good order, and the balloon still ascended without anyperceptible vacillation. The cold was intense, and obliged me to wrapup closely in an overcoat. When darkness came over the earth, I betookmyself to bed, although it was for many hours afterward broad daylightall around my immediate situation. The water-clock was punctual in itsduty, and I slept until next morning soundly, with the exception of theperiodical interruption.
“April 4th. Arose in good health and spirits, and was astonished at thesingular change which had taken place in the appearance of the sea.It had lost, in a great measure, the deep tint of blue it had hithertoworn, being now of a grayish-white, and of a lustre dazzling to the eye.The islands were no longer visible; whether they had passed down thehorizon to the southeast, or whether my increasing elevation had leftthem out of sight, it is impossible to say. I was inclined, however, tothe latter opinion. The rim of ice to the northward was growing moreand more apparent. Cold by no means so intense. Nothing of importanceoccurred, and I passed the day in reading, having taken care to supplymyself with books.
“April 5th. Beheld the singular phenomenon of the sun rising whilenearly the whole visible surface of the earth continued to be involvedin darkness. In time, however, the light spread itself over all, and Iagain saw the line of ice to the northward. It was now very distinct,and appeared of a much darker hue than the waters of the ocean. I wasevidently approaching it, and with great rapidity. Fancied I couldagain distinguish a strip of land to the eastward, and one also to thewestward, but could not be certain. Weather moderate. Nothing of anyconsequence happened during the day. Went early to bed.
“April 6th. Was surprised at finding the rim of ice at a very moderatedistance, and an immense field of the same material stretching away offto the horizon in the north. It was evident that if the balloon held itspresent course, it would soon arrive above the Frozen Ocean, and I hadnow little doubt of ultimately seeing the Pole. During the whole of theday I continued to near the ice. Toward night the limits of my horizonvery suddenly and materially increased, owing undoubtedly to theearth’s form being that of an oblate spheroid, and my arriving above theflattened regions in the vicinity of the Arctic circle. When darkness atlength overtook me, I went to bed in great anxiety, fearing to pass overthe object of so much curiosity when I should have no opportunity ofobserving it.
“April 7th. Arose early, and, to my great joy, at length beheld whatthere could be no hesitation in supposing the northern Pole itself. Itwas there, beyond a doubt, and immediately beneath my feet; but, alas! Ihad now ascended to so vast a distance, that nothing could with accuracybe discerned. Indeed, to judge from the progression of the numbersindicating my various altitudes, respectively, at different periods,between six A.M. on the second of April, and twenty minutes before nineA.M. of the same day (at which time the barometer ran down), it might befairly inferred that the balloon had now, at four o’clock in the morningof April the seventh, reached a height of not less, certainly, than7,254 miles above the surface of the sea. This elevation may appearimmense, but the estimate upon which it is calculated gave a result
inall probability far inferior to the truth. At all events I undoubtedlybeheld the whole of the earth’s major diameter; the entire northernhemisphere lay beneath me like a chart orthographically projected: andthe great circle of the equator itself formed the boundary line ofmy horizon. Your Excellencies may, however, readily imagine that theconfined regions hitherto unexplored within the limits of the Arcticcircle, although situated directly beneath me, and therefore seenwithout any appearance of being foreshortened, were still, inthemselves, comparatively too diminutive, and at too great a distancefrom the point of sight, to admit of any very accurate examination.Nevertheless, what could be seen was of a nature singular and exciting.Northwardly from that huge rim before mentioned, and which, with slightqualification, may be called the limit of human discovery in theseregions, one unbroken, or nearly unbroken, sheet of ice continues toextend. In the first few degrees of this its progress, its surface isvery sensibly flattened, farther on depressed into a plane, and finally,becoming not a little concave, it terminates, at the Pole itself, in acircular centre, sharply defined, whose apparent diameter subtended atthe balloon an angle of about sixty-five seconds, and whose dusky hue,varying in intensity, was, at all times, darker than any other spot uponthe visible hemisphere, and occasionally deepened into the mostabsolute and impenetrable blackness. Farther than this, little couldbe ascertained. By twelve o’clock the circular centre had materiallydecreased in circumference, and by seven P.M. I lost sight of itentirely; the balloon passing over the western limb of the ice, andfloating away rapidly in the direction of the equator.
“April 8th. Found a sensible diminution in the earth’s apparentdiameter, besides a material alteration in its general color andappearance. The whole visible area partook in different degrees of atint of pale yellow, and in some portions had acquired a brilliancy evenpainful to the eye. My view downward was also considerably impeded bythe dense atmosphere in the vicinity of the surface being loaded withclouds, between whose masses I could only now and then obtain a glimpseof the earth itself. This difficulty of direct vision had troubled memore or less for the last forty-eight hours; but my present enormouselevation brought closer together, as it were, the floating bodies ofvapor, and the inconvenience became, of course, more and more palpablein proportion to my ascent. Nevertheless, I could easily perceive thatthe balloon now hovered above the range of great lakes in the continentof North America, and was holding a course, due south, which would bringme to the tropics. This circumstance did not fail to give me the mostheartful satisfaction, and I hailed it as a happy omen of ultimatesuccess. Indeed, the direction I had hitherto taken, had filled me withuneasiness; for it was evident that, had I continued it much longer,there would have been no possibility of my arriving at the moon at all,whose orbit is inclined to the ecliptic at only the small angle of 5degrees 8’ 48”.
“April 9th. To-day the earth’s diameter was greatly diminished, and thecolor of the surface assumed hourly a deeper tint of yellow. The balloonkept steadily on her course to the southward, and arrived, at nine P.M.,over the northern edge of the Mexican Gulf.
“April 10th. I was suddenly aroused from slumber, about five o’clockthis morning, by a loud, crackling, and terrific sound, for which Icould in no manner account. It was of very brief duration, but, whileit lasted resembled nothing in the world of which I had any previousexperience. It is needless to say that I became excessively alarmed,having, in the first instance, attributed the noise to the bursting ofthe balloon. I examined all my apparatus, however, with great attention,and could discover nothing out of order. Spent a great part of the dayin meditating upon an occurrence so extraordinary, but could find nomeans whatever of accounting for it. Went to bed dissatisfied, and in astate of great anxiety and agitation.
“April 11th. Found a startling diminution in the apparent diameter ofthe earth, and a considerable increase, now observable for the firsttime, in that of the moon itself, which wanted only a few days of beingfull. It now required long and excessive labor to condense within thechamber sufficient atmospheric air for the sustenance of life.
“April 12th. A singular alteration took place in regard to the directionof the balloon, and although fully anticipated, afforded me the mostunequivocal delight. Having reached, in its former course, about thetwentieth parallel of southern latitude, it turned off suddenly, at anacute angle, to the eastward, and thus proceeded throughout the day,keeping nearly, if not altogether, in the exact plane of the lunarelipse. What was worthy of remark, a very perceptible vacillation inthe car was a consequence of this change of route--a vacillation whichprevailed, in a more or less degree, for a period of many hours.
“April 13th. Was again very much alarmed by a repetition of the loud,crackling noise which terrified me on the tenth. Thought long uponthe subject, but was unable to form any satisfactory conclusion. Greatdecrease in the earth’s apparent diameter, which now subtended from theballoon an angle of very little more than twenty-five degrees. The mooncould not be seen at all, being nearly in my zenith. I still continuedin the plane of the elipse, but made little progress to the eastward.
“April 14th. Extremely rapid decrease in the diameter of the earth.To-day I became strongly impressed with the idea, that the balloon wasnow actually running up the line of apsides to the point of perigee--inother words, holding the direct course which would bring it immediatelyto the moon in that part of its orbit the nearest to the earth. The moonitself was directly overhead, and consequently hidden from my view.Great and long-continued labor necessary for the condensation of theatmosphere.
“April 15th. Not even the outlines of continents and seas could nowbe traced upon the earth with anything approaching distinctness. Abouttwelve o’clock I became aware, for the third time, of that appallingsound which had so astonished me before. It now, however, continued forsome moments, and gathered intensity as it continued. At length, while,stupefied and terror-stricken, I stood in expectation of I knew not whathideous destruction, the car vibrated with excessive violence, anda gigantic and flaming mass of some material which I could notdistinguish, came with a voice of a thousand thunders, roaring andbooming by the balloon. When my fears and astonishment had in somedegree subsided, I had little difficulty in supposing it to be somemighty volcanic fragment ejected from that world to which I was sorapidly approaching, and, in all probability, one of that singular classof substances occasionally picked up on the earth, and termed meteoricstones for want of a better appellation.
“April 16th. To-day, looking upward as well as I could, through eachof the side windows alternately, I beheld, to my great delight, a verysmall portion of the moon’s disk protruding, as it were, on all sidesbeyond the huge circumference of the balloon. My agitation was extreme;for I had now little doubt of soon reaching the end of my perilousvoyage. Indeed, the labor now required by the condenser had increasedto a most oppressive degree, and allowed me scarcely any respite fromexertion. Sleep was a matter nearly out of the question. I became quiteill, and my frame trembled with exhaustion. It was impossible that humannature could endure this state of intense suffering much longer. Duringthe now brief interval of darkness a meteoric stone again passed in myvicinity, and the frequency of these phenomena began to occasion me muchapprehension.
“April 17th. This morning proved an epoch in my voyage. It will beremembered that, on the thirteenth, the earth subtended an angularbreadth of twenty-five degrees. On the fourteenth this had greatlydiminished; on the fifteenth a still more remarkable decrease wasobservable; and, on retiring on the night of the sixteenth, I hadnoticed an angle of no more than about seven degrees and fifteenminutes. What, therefore, must have been my amazement, on awakeningfrom a brief and disturbed slumber, on the morning of this day,the seventeenth, at finding the surface beneath me so suddenly andwonderfully augmented in volume, as to subtend no less than thirty-ninedegrees in apparent angular diameter! I was thunderstruck! No wordscan give any adequate idea of the extreme, the absolute horror andastonishment, with which I was seized possessed, an
d altogetheroverwhelmed. My knees tottered beneath me--my teeth chattered--my hairstarted up on end. “The balloon, then, had actually burst!” These werethe first tumultuous ideas that hurried through my mind: “The balloonhad positively burst!--I was falling--falling with the most impetuous,the most unparalleled velocity! To judge by the immense distance alreadyso quickly passed over, it could not be more than ten minutes, at thefarthest, before I should meet the surface of the earth, and be hurledinto annihilation!” But at length reflection came to my relief. Ipaused; I considered; and I began to doubt. The matter was impossible.I could not in any reason have so rapidly come down. Besides, althoughI was evidently approaching the surface below me, it was with a speedby no means commensurate with the velocity I had at first so horriblyconceived. This consideration served to calm the perturbation of mymind, and I finally succeeded in regarding the phenomenon in its properpoint of view. In fact, amazement must have fairly deprived me of mysenses, when I could not see the vast difference, in appearance, betweenthe surface below me, and the surface of my mother earth. The latterwas indeed over my head, and completely hidden by the balloon, while themoon--the moon itself in all its glory--lay beneath me, and at my feet.
“The stupor and surprise produced in my mind by this extraordinarychange in the posture of affairs was perhaps, after all, that part ofthe adventure least susceptible of explanation. For the bouleversementin itself was not only natural and inevitable, but had been longactually anticipated as a circumstance to be expected whenever I shouldarrive at that exact point of my voyage where the attraction of theplanet should be superseded by the attraction of the satellite--or, moreprecisely, where the gravitation of the balloon toward the earth shouldbe less powerful than its gravitation toward the moon. To be sure Iarose from a sound slumber, with all my senses in confusion, to thecontemplation of a very startling phenomenon, and one which, althoughexpected, was not expected at the moment. The revolution itself must, ofcourse, have taken place in an easy and gradual manner, and it is by nomeans clear that, had I even been awake at the time of the occurrence,I should have been made aware of it by any internal evidence of aninversion--that is to say, by any inconvenience or disarrangement,either about my person or about my apparatus.
“It is almost needless to say that, upon coming to a due sense of mysituation, and emerging from the terror which had absorbed every facultyof my soul, my attention was, in the first place, wholly directed tothe contemplation of the general physical appearance of the moon. Itlay beneath me like a chart--and although I judged it to be still at noinconsiderable distance, the indentures of its surface were definedto my vision with a most striking and altogether unaccountabledistinctness. The entire absence of ocean or sea, and indeed of any lakeor river, or body of water whatsoever, struck me, at first glance, asthe most extraordinary feature in its geological condition. Yet, strangeto say, I beheld vast level regions of a character decidedly alluvial,although by far the greater portion of the hemisphere in sight wascovered with innumerable volcanic mountains, conical in shape, andhaving more the appearance of artificial than of natural protuberance.The highest among them does not exceed three and three-quarter milesin perpendicular elevation; but a map of the volcanic districts of theCampi Phlegraei would afford to your Excellencies a better idea of theirgeneral surface than any unworthy description I might think proper toattempt. The greater part of them were in a state of evident eruption,and gave me fearfully to understand their fury and their power, by therepeated thunders of the miscalled meteoric stones, which now rushedupward by the balloon with a frequency more and more appalling.
“April 18th. To-day I found an enormous increase in the moon’s apparentbulk--and the evidently accelerated velocity of my descent began to fillme with alarm. It will be remembered, that, in the earliest stage ofmy speculations upon the possibility of a passage to the moon, theexistence, in its vicinity, of an atmosphere, dense in proportion to thebulk of the planet, had entered largely into my calculations; this tooin spite of many theories to the contrary, and, it may be added, inspite of a general disbelief in the existence of any lunar atmosphere atall. But, in addition to what I have already urged in regard to Encke’scomet and the zodiacal light, I had been strengthened in my opinion bycertain observations of Mr. Schroeter, of Lilienthal. He observed themoon when two days and a half old, in the evening soon after sunset,before the dark part was visible, and continued to watch it until itbecame visible. The two cusps appeared tapering in a very sharp faintprolongation, each exhibiting its farthest extremity faintly illuminatedby the solar rays, before any part of the dark hemisphere wasvisible. Soon afterward, the whole dark limb became illuminated. Thisprolongation of the cusps beyond the semicircle, I thought, must havearisen from the refraction of the sun’s rays by the moon’s atmosphere. Icomputed, also, the height of the atmosphere (which could refract lightenough into its dark hemisphere to produce a twilight more luminous thanthe light reflected from the earth when the moon is about 32 degreesfrom the new) to be 1,356 Paris feet; in this view, I supposed thegreatest height capable of refracting the solar ray, to be 5,376 feet.My ideas on this topic had also received confirmation by a passage inthe eighty-second volume of the Philosophical Transactions, in whichit is stated that at an occultation of Jupiter’s satellites, the thirddisappeared after having been about 1” or 2” of time indistinct, and thefourth became indiscernible near the limb.(*4)
“Cassini frequently observed Saturn, Jupiter, and the fixed stars,when approaching the moon to occultation, to have their circular figurechanged into an oval one; and, in other occultations, he found noalteration of figure at all. Hence it might be supposed, that at sometimes and not at others, there is a dense matter encompassing the moonwherein the rays of the stars are refracted.
“Upon the resistance or, more properly, upon the support of anatmosphere, existing in the state of density imagined, I had, of course,entirely depended for the safety of my ultimate descent. Should I then,after all, prove to have been mistaken, I had in consequence nothingbetter to expect, as a finale to my adventure, than being dashed intoatoms against the rugged surface of the satellite. And, indeed, Ihad now every reason to be terrified. My distance from the moon wascomparatively trifling, while the labor required by the condenser wasdiminished not at all, and I could discover no indication whatever of adecreasing rarity in the air.
“April 19th. This morning, to my great joy, about nine o’clock, thesurface of the moon being frightfully near, and my apprehensions excitedto the utmost, the pump of my condenser at length gave evident tokensof an alteration in the atmosphere. By ten, I had reason to believeits density considerably increased. By eleven, very little labor wasnecessary at the apparatus; and at twelve o’clock, with some hesitation,I ventured to unscrew the tourniquet, when, finding no inconveniencefrom having done so, I finally threw open the gum-elastic chamber, andunrigged it from around the car. As might have been expected, spasmsand violent headache were the immediate consequences of an experimentso precipitate and full of danger. But these and other difficultiesattending respiration, as they were by no means so great as to put mein peril of my life, I determined to endure as I best could, inconsideration of my leaving them behind me momently in my approachto the denser strata near the moon. This approach, however, was stillimpetuous in the extreme; and it soon became alarmingly certain that,although I had probably not been deceived in the expectation of anatmosphere dense in proportion to the mass of the satellite, still Ihad been wrong in supposing this density, even at the surface, at alladequate to the support of the great weight contained in the car of myballoon. Yet this should have been the case, and in an equal degreeas at the surface of the earth, the actual gravity of bodies at eitherplanet supposed in the ratio of the atmospheric condensation. Thatit was not the case, however, my precipitous downfall gave testimonyenough; why it was not so, can only be explained by a reference to thosepossible geological disturbances to which I have formerly alluded. Atall events I was now close upon the planet, and coming down
with themost terrible impetuosity. I lost not a moment, accordingly, in throwingoverboard first my ballast, then my water-kegs, then my condensingapparatus and gum-elastic chamber, and finally every article within thecar. But it was all to no purpose. I still fell with horrible rapidity,and was now not more than half a mile from the surface. As a lastresource, therefore, having got rid of my coat, hat, and boots, I cutloose from the balloon the car itself, which was of no inconsiderableweight, and thus, clinging with both hands to the net-work, I had barelytime to observe that the whole country, as far as the eye could reach,was thickly interspersed with diminutive habitations, ere I tumbledheadlong into the very heart of a fantastical-looking city, and into themiddle of a vast crowd of ugly little people, who none of them uttereda single syllable, or gave themselves the least trouble to render meassistance, but stood, like a parcel of idiots, grinning in a ludicrousmanner, and eyeing me and my balloon askant, with their arms seta-kimbo. I turned from them in contempt, and, gazing upward at the earthso lately left, and left perhaps for ever, beheld it like a huge, dull,copper shield, about two degrees in diameter, fixed immovably in theheavens overhead, and tipped on one of its edges with a crescentborder of the most brilliant gold. No traces of land or water could bediscovered, and the whole was clouded with variable spots, and beltedwith tropical and equatorial zones.
“Thus, may it please your Excellencies, after a series of greatanxieties, unheard of dangers, and unparalleled escapes, I had, atlength, on the nineteenth day of my departure from Rotterdam, arrived insafety at the conclusion of a voyage undoubtedly the most extraordinary,and the most momentous, ever accomplished, undertaken, or conceived byany denizen of earth. But my adventures yet remain to be related. Andindeed your Excellencies may well imagine that, after a residence offive years upon a planet not only deeply interesting in its own peculiarcharacter, but rendered doubly so by its intimate connection, incapacity of satellite, with the world inhabited by man, I may haveintelligence for the private ear of the States’ College of Astronomersof far more importance than the details, however wonderful, of the merevoyage which so happily concluded. This is, in fact, the case. Ihave much--very much which it would give me the greatest pleasure tocommunicate. I have much to say of the climate of the planet; of itswonderful alternations of heat and cold, of unmitigated and burningsunshine for one fortnight, and more than polar frigidity for the next;of a constant transfer of moisture, by distillation like that in vacuo,from the point beneath the sun to the point the farthest from it; ofa variable zone of running water, of the people themselves; of theirmanners, customs, and political institutions; of their peculiar physicalconstruction; of their ugliness; of their want of ears, those uselessappendages in an atmosphere so peculiarly modified; of their consequentignorance of the use and properties of speech; of their substitutefor speech in a singular method of inter-communication; of theincomprehensible connection between each particular individual inthe moon with some particular individual on the earth--a connectionanalogous with, and depending upon, that of the orbs of the planet andthe satellites, and by means of which the lives and destinies of theinhabitants of the one are interwoven with the lives and destiniesof the inhabitants of the other; and above all, if it so please yourExcellencies--above all, of those dark and hideous mysteries which liein the outer regions of the moon--regions which, owing to the almostmiraculous accordance of the satellite’s rotation on its own axis withits sidereal revolution about the earth, have never yet been turned,and, by God’s mercy, never shall be turned, to the scrutiny of thetelescopes of man. All this, and more--much more--would I mostwillingly detail. But, to be brief, I must have my reward. I am piningfor a return to my family and to my home, and as the price of anyfarther communication on my part--in consideration of the light whichI have it in my power to throw upon many very important branches ofphysical and metaphysical science--I must solicit, through the influenceof your honorable body, a pardon for the crime of which I have beenguilty in the death of the creditors upon my departure from Rotterdam.This, then, is the object of the present paper. Its bearer, aninhabitant of the moon, whom I have prevailed upon, and properlyinstructed, to be my messenger to the earth, will await yourExcellencies’ pleasure, and return to me with the pardon in question, ifit can, in any manner, be obtained.
“I have the honor to be, etc., your Excellencies’ very humble servant,
“HANS PFAALL.”
Upon finishing the perusal of this very extraordinary document,Professor Rub-a-dub, it is said, dropped his pipe upon the ground inthe extremity of his surprise, and Mynheer Superbus Von Underduk havingtaken off his spectacles, wiped them, and deposited them in his pocket,so far forgot both himself and his dignity, as to turn round three timesupon his heel in the quintessence of astonishment and admiration. Therewas no doubt about the matter--the pardon should be obtained. So atleast swore, with a round oath, Professor Rub-a-dub, and so finallythought the illustrious Von Underduk, as he took the arm of his brotherin science, and without saying a word, began to make the best of his wayhome to deliberate upon the measures to be adopted. Having reached thedoor, however, of the burgomaster’s dwelling, the professor ventured tosuggest that as the messenger had thought proper to disappear--nodoubt frightened to death by the savage appearance of the burghers ofRotterdam--the pardon would be of little use, as no one but a man ofthe moon would undertake a voyage to so vast a distance. To the truth ofthis observation the burgomaster assented, and the matter was thereforeat an end. Not so, however, rumors and speculations. The letter, havingbeen published, gave rise to a variety of gossip and opinion. Some ofthe over-wise even made themselves ridiculous by decrying the wholebusiness; as nothing better than a hoax. But hoax, with these sortof people, is, I believe, a general term for all matters above theircomprehension. For my part, I cannot conceive upon what data they havefounded such an accusation. Let us see what they say:
Imprimus. That certain wags in Rotterdam have certain especialantipathies to certain burgomasters and astronomers.
Don’t understand at all.
Secondly. That an odd little dwarf and bottle conjurer, both of whoseears, for some misdemeanor, have been cut off close to his head, hasbeen missing for several days from the neighboring city of Bruges.
Well--what of that?
Thirdly. That the newspapers which were stuck all over the littleballoon were newspapers of Holland, and therefore could not have beenmade in the moon. They were dirty papers--very dirty--and Gluck, theprinter, would take his Bible oath to their having been printed inRotterdam.
He was mistaken--undoubtedly--mistaken.
Fourthly, That Hans Pfaall himself, the drunken villain, and the threevery idle gentlemen styled his creditors, were all seen, no longer thantwo or three days ago, in a tippling house in the suburbs, having justreturned, with money in their pockets, from a trip beyond the sea.
Don’t believe it--don’t believe a word of it.
Lastly. That it is an opinion very generally received, or which oughtto be generally received, that the College of Astronomers in the cityof Rotterdam, as well as other colleges in all other parts of theworld,--not to mention colleges and astronomers in general,--are, to saythe least of the matter, not a whit better, nor greater, nor wiser thanthey ought to be.
~~~ End of Text ~~~
Notes to Hans Pfaal
(*1) NOTE--Strictly speaking, there is but little similarity between theabove sketchy trifle and the celebrated “Moon-Story” of Mr. Locke; butas both have the character of _hoaxes _(although the one is in a tone ofbanter, the other of downright earnest), and as both hoaxes are on thesame subject, the moon--moreover, as both attempt to give plausibilityby scientific detail--the author of “Hans Pfaall” thinks it necessary tosay, in _self-defence, _that his own _jeu d’esprit _was published in the“Southern Literary Messenger” about three weeks before the commencementof Mr. L’s in the “New York Sun.” Fancying a likeness which, perhaps,does not exist, some of the New York papers copied “Hans Pfaall,” andcollated it w
ith the “Moon-Hoax,” by way of detecting the writer of theone in the writer of the other.
As many more persons were actually gulled by the “Moon-Hoax” than wouldbe willing to acknowledge the fact, it may here afford some littleamusement to show why no one should have been deceived-to point outthose particulars of the story which should have been sufficient toestablish its real character. Indeed, however rich the imaginationdisplayed in this ingenious fiction, it wanted much of the force whichmight have been given it by a more scrupulous attention to facts andto general analogy. That the public were misled, even for an instant,merely proves the gross ignorance which is so generally prevalent uponsubjects of an astronomical nature.
The moon’s distance from the earth is, in round numbers, 240,000 miles.If we desire to ascertain how near, apparently, a lens would bring thesatellite (or any distant object), we, of course, have but to divide thedistance by the magnifying or, more strictly, by the space-penetratingpower of the glass. Mr. L. makes his lens have a power of 42,000 times.By this divide 240,000 (the moon’s real distance), and we have fivemiles and five sevenths, as the apparent distance. No animal at allcould be seen so far; much less the minute points particularized in thestory. Mr. L. speaks about Sir John Herschel’s perceiving flowers (thePapaver rheas, etc.), and even detecting the color and the shape of theeyes of small birds. Shortly before, too, he has himself observed thatthe lens would not render perceptible objects of less than eighteeninches in diameter; but even this, as I have said, is giving the glassby far too great power. It may be observed, in passing, that thisprodigious glass is said to have been molded at the glasshouse ofMessrs. Hartley and Grant, in Dumbarton; but Messrs. H. and G.’sestablishment had ceased operations for many years previous to thepublication of the hoax.
On page 13, pamphlet edition, speaking of “a hairy veil” over the eyesof a species of bison, the author says: “It immediately occurred to theacute mind of Dr. Herschel that this was a providential contrivanceto protect the eyes of the animal from the great extremes of lightand darkness to which all the inhabitants of our side of the moon areperiodically subjected.” But this cannot be thought a very “acute” observation of the Doctor’s. The inhabitants of our side of the moonhave, evidently, no darkness at all, so there can be nothing of the“extremes” mentioned. In the absence of the sun they have a light fromthe earth equal to that of thirteen full unclouded moons.
The topography throughout, even when professing to accord with Blunt’sLunar Chart, is entirely at variance with that or any other lunar chart,and even grossly at variance with itself. The points of the compass,too, are in inextricable confusion; the writer appearing to be ignorantthat, on a lunar map, these are not in accordance with terrestrialpoints; the east being to the left, etc.
Deceived, perhaps, by the vague titles, Mare Nubium, MareTranquillitatis, Mare Faecunditatis, etc., given to the dark spots byformer astronomers, Mr. L. has entered into details regarding oceansand other large bodies of water in the moon; whereas there is noastronomical point more positively ascertained than that no such bodiesexist there. In examining the boundary between light and darkness (inthe crescent or gibbous moon) where this boundary crosses any of thedark places, the line of division is found to be rough and jagged; but,were these dark places liquid, it would evidently be even.
The description of the wings of the man-bat, on page 21, is but aliteral copy of Peter Wilkins’ account of the wings of his flyingislanders. This simple fact should have induced suspicion, at least, itmight be thought.
On page 23, we have the following: “What a prodigious influence must ourthirteen times larger globe have exercised upon this satellite when anembryo in the womb of time, the passive subject of chemical affinity!” This is very fine; but it should be observed that no astronomer wouldhave made such remark, especially to any journal of Science; for theearth, in the sense intended, is not only thirteen, but forty-nine timeslarger than the moon. A similar objection applies to the whole of theconcluding pages, where, by way of introduction to some discoveries inSaturn, the philosophical correspondent enters into a minute schoolboyaccount of that planet--this to the “Edinburgh journal of Science!”
But there is one point, in particular, which should have betrayed thefiction. Let us imagine the power actually possessed of seeing animalsupon the moon’s surface--what would first arrest the attention of anobserver from the earth? Certainly neither their shape, size, nor anyother such peculiarity, so soon as their remarkable _situation_. Theywould appear to be walking, with heels up and head down, in the mannerof flies on a ceiling. The _real_ observer would have uttered an instantejaculation of surprise (however prepared by previous knowledge) at thesingularity of their position; the _fictitious_ observer has not evenmentioned the subject, but speaks of seeing the entire bodies of suchcreatures, when it is demonstrable that he could have seen only thediameter of their heads!
It might as well be remarked, in conclusion, that the size, andparticularly the powers of the man-bats (for example, their ability tofly in so rare an atmosphere--if, indeed, the moon have any), with mostof the other fancies in regard to animal and vegetable existence, are atvariance, generally, with all analogical reasoning on these themes; andthat analogy here will often amount to conclusive demonstration. It is,perhaps, scarcely necessary to add, that all the suggestions attributedto Brewster and Herschel, in the beginning of the article, about “atransfusion of artificial light through the focal object of vision,” etc., etc., belong to that species of figurative writing which comes,most properly, under the denomination of rigmarole.
There is a real and very definite limit to optical discovery among thestars--a limit whose nature need only be stated to be understood. If,indeed, the casting of large lenses were all that is required, man’singenuity would ultimately prove equal to the task, and we might havethem of any size demanded. But, unhappily, in proportion to the increaseof size in the lens, and consequently of space-penetrating power, is thediminution of light from the object, by diffusion of its rays. And forthis evil there is no remedy within human ability; for an object is seenby means of that light alone which proceeds from itself, whether director reflected. Thus the only “artificial” light which could availMr. Locke, would be some artificial light which he should be able tothrow-not upon the “focal object of vision,” but upon the real objectto be viewed-to wit: upon the moon. It has been easily calculated that,when the light proceeding from a star becomes so diffused as to be asweak as the natural light proceeding from the whole of the stars, ina clear and moonless night, then the star is no longer visible for anypractical purpose.
The Earl of Ross’s telescope, lately constructed in England, hasa _speculum_ with a reflecting surface of 4,071 square inches; theHerschel telescope having one of only 1,811. The metal of the Earl ofRoss’s is 6 feet diameter; it is 5 1/2 inches thick at the edges, and 5at the centre. The weight is 3 tons. The focal length is 50 feet.
I have lately read a singular and somewhat ingenious little book, whosetitle-page runs thus: “L’Homme dans la lvne ou le Voyage Chimeriquefait au Monde de la Lvne, nouellement decouvert par Dominique Gonzales,Aduanturier Espagnol, autrem?t dit le Courier volant. Mis en notrelangve par J. B. D. A. Paris, chez Francois Piot, pres la Fontaine deSaint Benoist. Et chez J. Goignard, au premier pilier de la grand’salledu Palais, proche les Consultations, MDCXLVII.” Pp. 76.
The writer professes to have translated his work from the English of oneMr. D’Avisson (Davidson?) although there is a terrible ambiguity in thestatement. “J’ en ai eu,” says he “l’original de Monsieur D’Avisson,medecin des mieux versez qui soient aujourd’huy dans la cõnoissance desBelles Lettres, et sur tout de la Philosophic Naturelle. Je lui ai cetteobligation entre les autres, de m’ auoir non seulement mis en maincc Livre en anglois, mais encore le Manuscrit du Sieur Thomas D’Anan,gentilhomme Eccossois, recommandable pour sa vertu, sur la versionduquel j’ advoue que j’ ay tiré le plan de la mienne.”
After some irrelevant adventures, much in t
he manner of Gil Blas, andwhich occupy the first thirty pages, the author relates that, beingill during a sea voyage, the crew abandoned him, together with anegro servant, on the island of St. Helena. To increase the chances ofobtaining food, the two separate, and live as far apart as possible.This brings about a training of birds, to serve the purpose ofcarrier-pigeons between them. By and by these are taught to carryparcels of some weight-and this weight is gradually increased. At lengththe idea is entertained of uniting the force of a great number of thebirds, with a view to raising the author himself. A machine is contrivedfor the purpose, and we have a minute description of it, which ismaterially helped out by a steel engraving. Here we perceive theSignor Gonzales, with point ruffles and a huge periwig, seated astridesomething which resembles very closely a broomstick, and borne aloft bya multitude of wild swans _(ganzas) _who had strings reaching from theirtails to the machine.
The main event detailed in the Signor’s narrative depends upon a veryimportant fact, of which the reader is kept in ignorance until near theend of the book. The _ganzas, _with whom he had become so familiar, werenot really denizens of St. Helena, but of the moon. Thence it had beentheir custom, time out of mind, to migrate annually to some portion ofthe earth. In proper season, of course, they would return home; andthe author, happening, one day, to require their services for a shortvoyage, is unexpectedly carried straight tip, and in a very brief periodarrives at the satellite. Here he finds, among other odd things, thatthe people enjoy extreme happiness; that they have no _law; _that theydie without pain; that they are from ten to thirty feet in height;that they live five thousand years; that they have an emperor calledIrdonozur; and that they can jump sixty feet high, when, being out ofthe gravitating influence, they fly about with fans.
I cannot forbear giving a specimen of the general _philosophy _of thevolume.
“I must not forget here, that the stars appeared only on that side ofthe globe turned toward the moon, and that the closer they were to itthe larger they seemed. I have also me and the earth. As to thestars, _since there was no night where I was, they always had the sameappearance; not brilliant, as usual, but pale, and very nearly like themoon of a morning. _But few of them were visible, and these ten timeslarger (as well as I could judge) than they seem to the inhabitantsof the earth. The moon, which wanted two days of being full, was of aterrible bigness.
“I must not forget here, that the stars appeared only on that sideof the globe turned toward the moon, and that the closer they were to itthe larger they seemed. I have also to inform you that, whether it wascalm weather or stormy, I found myself _always immediately between themoon and the earth._ I_ _was convinced of this for two reasons-becausemy birds always flew in a straight line; and because whenever weattempted to rest, _we were carried insensibly around the globe of theearth. _For I admit the opinion of Copernicus, who maintains that itnever ceases to revolve _from the east to the west, _not upon the polesof the Equinoctial, commonly called the poles of the world, but uponthose of the Zodiac, a question of which I propose to speak more atlength here-after, when I shall have leisure to refresh my memory inregard to the astrology which I learned at Salamanca when young, andhave since forgotten.”
Notwithstanding the blunders italicized, the book is not withoutsome claim to attention, as affording a naive specimen of the currentastronomical notions of the time. One of these assumed, that the“gravitating power” extended but a short distance from the earth’ssurface, and, accordingly, we find our voyager “carried insensiblyaround the globe,” etc.
There have been other “voyages to the moon,” but none of higher meritthan the one just mentioned. That of Bergerac is utterly meaningless. Inthe third volume of the “American Quarterly Review” will be foundquite an elaborate criticism upon a certain “journey” of the kind inquestion--a criticism in which it is difficult to say whether the criticmost exposes the stupidity of the book, or his own absurd ignorance ofastronomy. I forget the title of the work; but the _means _of the voyageare more deplorably ill conceived than are even the _ganzas _of ourfriend the Signor Gonzales. The adventurer, in digging the earth,happens to discover a peculiar metal for which the moon has a strongattraction, and straightway constructs of it a box, which, when castloose from its terrestrial fastenings, flies with him, forthwith, tothe satellite. The “Flight of Thomas O’Rourke,” is a _jeu d’ esprit _notaltogether contemptible, and has been translated into German. Thomas,the hero, was, in fact, the gamekeeper of an Irish peer, whoseeccentricities gave rise to the tale. The “flight” is made on an eagle’sback, from Hungry Hill, a lofty mountain at the end of Bantry Bay.
In these various _brochures _the aim is always satirical; the themebeing a description of Lunarian customs as compared with ours. In noneis there any effort at _plausibility _in the details of the voyageitself. The writers seem, in each instance, to be utterly uninformed inrespect to astronomy. In “Hans Pfaall” the design is original, inasmuchas regards an attempt at _verisimilitude, _in the application ofscientific principles (so far as the whimsical nature of the subjectwould permit), to the actual passage between the earth and the moon.
(*2) The zodiacal light is probably what the ancients called Trabes.Emicant Trabes quos docos vocant.--Pliny, lib. 2, p. 26.
(*3) Since the original publication of Hans Pfaall, I find that Mr.Green, of Nassau balloon notoriety, and other late aeronauts, denythe assertions of Humboldt, in this respect, and speak of a decreasinginconvenience,--precisely in accordance with the theory here urged in amere spirit of banter.
(*4) Havelius writes that he has several times found, in skiesperfectly clear, when even stars of the sixth and seventh magnitudewere conspicuous, that, at the same altitude of the moon, at thesame elongation from the earth, and with one and the same excellenttelescope, the moon and its maculae did not appear equally lucid at alltimes. From the circumstances of the observation, it is evident that thecause of this phenomenon is not either in our air, in the tube, inthe moon, or in the eye of the spectator, but must be looked for insomething (an atmosphere?) existing about the moon.
The Works of Edgar Allan Poe — Volume 1 Page 4