Poe, Edgar Allen - The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe

by Volume 01-05 (lit)

  ascend. To check this ascent, the only recourse is, (or rather

  _was_, until Mr. Green's invention of the guide-rope,) the permission

  of the escape of gas from the valve ; but, in the loss of gas, is a

  proportionate general loss of ascending power ; so that, in a

  comparatively brief period, the best-constructed balloon must

  necessarily exhaust all its resources, and come to the earth. This

  was the great obstacle to voyages of length.

  "The guide-rope remedies the difficulty in the simplest manner

  conceivable. It is merely a very long rope which is suffered to

  trail from the car, and the effect of which is to prevent the balloon

  from changing its level in any material degree. If, for example,

  there should be a deposition of moisture upon the silk, and the

  machine begins to descend in consequence, there will be no necessity

  for discharging ballast to remedy the increase of weight, for it is

  remedied, or counteracted, in an exactly just proportion, by the

  deposit on the ground of just so much of the end of the rope as is

  necessary. If, on the other hand, any circumstances should cause

  undue levity, and consequent ascent, this levity is immediately

  counteracted by the additional weight of rope upraised from the

  earth. Thus, the balloon can neither ascend or descend, except

  within very narrow limits, and its resources, either in gas or

  ballast, remain comparatively unimpaired. When passing over an

  expanse of water, it becomes necessary to employ small kegs of copper

  or wood, filled with liquid ballast of a lighter nature than water.

  These float, and serve all the purposes of a mere rope on land.

  Another most important office of the guide-rope, is to point out the

  _direction_ of the balloon. The rope _drags_, either on land or sea,

  while the balloon is free ; the latter, consequently, is always in

  advance, when any progress whatever is made : a comparison,

  therefore, by means of the compass, of the relative positions of the

  two objects, will always indicate the _course_. In the same way, the

  angle formed by the rope with the vertical axis of the machine,

  indicates the _velocity_. When there is _no_ angle - in other words,

  when the rope hangs perpendicularly, the whole apparatus is

  stationary ; but the larger the angle, that is to say, the farther

  the balloon precedes the end of the rope, the greater the velocity ;

  and the converse.

  "As the original design was to cross the British Channel, and

  alight as near Paris as possible, the voyagers had taken the

  precaution to prepare themselves with passports directed to all parts

  of the Continent, specifying the nature of the expedition, as in the

  case of the Nassau voyage, and entitling the adventurers to exemption

  from the usual formalities of office : unexpected events, however,

  rendered these passports superfluous.

  "The inflation was commenced very quietly at daybreak, on

  Saturday morning, the 6th instant, in the Court-Yard of Weal-Vor

  House, Mr. Osborne's seat, about a mile from Penstruthal, in North

  Wales ; and at 7 minutes past 11, every thing being ready for

  departure, the balloon was set free, rising gently but steadily, in a

  direction nearly South ; no use being made, for the first half hour,

  of either the screw or the rudder. We proceed now with the journal,

  as transcribed by Mr. Forsyth from the joint MSS. Of Mr. Monck

  Mason, and Mr. Ainsworth. The body of the journal, as given, is in

  the hand-writing of Mr. Mason, and a P. S. is appended, each day,

  by Mr. Ainsworth, who has in preparation, and will shortly give the

  public a more minute, and no doubt, a thrillingly interesting account

  of the voyage.

  "THE JOURNAL.

  "_Saturday, April the 6th_. - Every preparation likely to

  embarrass us, having been made over night, we commenced the inflation

  this morning at daybreak ; but owing to a thick fog, which

  encumbered the folds of the silk and rendered it unmanageable, we did

  not get through before nearly eleven o'clock. Cut loose, then, in

  high spirits, and rose gently but steadily, with a light breeze at

  North, which bore us in the direction of the British Channel. Found

  the ascending force greater than we had expected ; and as we arose

  higher and so got clear of the cliffs, and more in the sun's rays,

  our ascent became very rapid. I did not wish, however, to lose gas

  at so early a period of the adventure, and so concluded to ascend for

  the present. We soon ran out our guide-rope ; but even when we had

  raised it clear of the earth, we still went up very rapidly. The

  balloon was unusually steady, and looked beautifully. In about ten

  minutes after starting, the barometer indicated an altitude of 15,000

  feet. The weather was remarkably fine, and the view of the subjacent

  country - a most romantic one when seen from any point, - was now

  especially sublime. The numerous deep gorges presented the appearance

  of lakes, on account of the dense vapors with which they were filled,

  and the pinnacles and crags to the South East, piled in inextricable

  confusion, resembling nothing so much as the giant cities of eastern

  fable. We were rapidly approaching the mountains in the South ; but

  our elevation was more than sufficient to enable us to pass them in

  safety. In a few minutes we soared over them in fine style ; and

  Mr. Ainsworth, with the seamen, was surprised at their apparent want

  of altitude when viewed from the car, the tendency of great elevation

  in a balloon being to reduce inequalities of the surface below, to

  nearly a dead level. At half-past eleven still proceeding nearly

  South, we obtained our first view of the Bristol Channel ; and, in

  fifteen minutes afterward, the line of breakers on the coast appeared

  immediately beneath us, and we were fairly out at sea. We now

  resolved to let off enough gas to bring our guide-rope, with the

  buoys affixed, into the water. This was immediately done, and we

  commenced a gradual descent. In about twenty minutes our first buoy

  dipped, and at the touch of the second soon afterwards, we remained

  stationary as to elevation. We were all now anxious to test the

  efficiency of the rudder and screw, and we put them both into

  requisition forthwith, for the purpose of altering our direction more

  to the eastward, and in a line for Paris. By means of the rudder we

  instantly effected the necessary change of direction, and our course

  was brought nearly at right angles to that of the wind ; when we set

  in motion the spring of the screw, and were rejoiced to find it

  propel us readily as desired. Upon this we gave nine hearty cheers,

  and dropped in the sea a bottle, enclosing a slip of parchment with a

  brief account of the principle of the invention. Hardly, however,

  had we done with our rejoicings, when an unforeseen accident occurred

  which discouraged us in no little degree. The steel rod connecting

  the spring with the propeller was suddenly jerked out of place, at

  the car end, (by a swaying of the car through some movement of one of

  the two seamen we had taken up
,) and in an instant hung dangling out

  of reach, from the pivot of the axis of the screw. While we were

  endeavoring to regain it, our attention being completely absorbed, we

  became involved in a strong current of wind from the East, which bore

  us, with rapidly increasing force, towards the Atlantic. We soon

  found ourselves driving out to sea at the rate of not less,

  certainly, than fifty or sixty miles an hour, so that we came up with

  Cape Clear, at some forty miles to our North, before we had secured

  the rod, and had time to think what we were about. It was now that

  Mr. Ainsworth made an extraordinary, but to my fancy, a by no means

  unreasonable or chimerical proposition, in which he was instantly

  seconded by Mr. Holland - viz.: that we should take advantage of the

  strong gale which bore us on, and in place of beating back to Paris,

  make an attempt to reach the coast of North America. After slight

  reflection I gave a willing assent to this bold proposition, which

  (strange to say) met with objection from the two seamen only. As the

  stronger party, however, we overruled their fears, and kept

  resolutely upon our course. We steered due West ; but as the

  trailing of the buoys materially impeded our progress, and we had the

  balloon abundantly at command, either for ascent or descent, we first

  threw out fifty pounds of ballast, and then wound up (by means of a

  windlass) so much of the rope as brought it quite clear of the sea.

  We perceived the effect of this man£uvre immediately, in a vastly

  increased rate of progress ; and, as the gale freshened, we flew

  with a velocity nearly inconceivable ; the guide-rope flying out

  behind the car, like a streamer from a vessel. It is needless to say

  that a very short time sufficed us to lose sight of the coast. We

  passed over innumerable vessels of all kinds, a few of which were

  endeavoring to beat up, but the most of them lying to. We occasioned

  the greatest excitement on board all - an excitement greatly relished

  by ourselves, and especially by our two men, who, now under the

  influence of a dram of Geneva, seemed resolved to give all scruple,

  or fear, to the wind. Many of the vessels fired signal guns ; and

  in all we were saluted with loud cheers (which we heard with

  surprising distinctness) and the waving of caps and handkerchiefs. We

  kept on in this manner throughout the day, with no material incident,

  and, as the shades of night closed around us, we made a rough

  estimate of the distance traversed. It could not have been less than

  five hundred miles, and was probably much more. The propeller was

  kept in constant operation, and, no doubt, aided our progress

  materially. As the sun went down, the gale freshened into an

  absolute hurricane, and the ocean beneath was clearly visible on

  account of its phosphorescence. The wind was from the East all

  night, and gave us the brightest omen of success. We suffered no

  little from cold, and the dampness of the atmosphere was most

  unpleasant ; but the ample space in the car enabled us to lie down,

  and by means of cloaks and a few blankets, we did sufficiently well.

  "P.S. (by Mr. Ainsworth.) The last nine hours have been

  unquestionably the most exciting of my life. I can conceive nothing

  more sublimating than the strange peril and novelty of an adventure

  such as this. May God grant that we succeed ! I ask not success for

  mere safety to my insignificant person, but for the sake of human

  knowledge and - for the vastness of the triumph. And yet the feat is

  only so evidently feasible that the sole wonder is why men have

  scrupled to attempt it before. One single gale such as now befriends

  us - let such a tempest whirl forward a balloon for four or five days

  (these gales often last longer) and the voyager will be easily borne,

  in that period, from coast to coast. In view of such a gale the

  broad Atlantic becomes a mere lake. I am more struck, just now, with

  the supreme silence which reigns in the sea beneath us,

  notwithstanding its agitation, than with any other phenomenon

  presenting itself. The waters give up no voice to the heavens. The

  immense flaming ocean writhes and is tortured uncomplainingly. The

  mountainous surges suggest the idea of innumerable dumb gigantic

  fiends struggling in impotent agony. In a night such as is this to

  me, a man _lives_ - lives a whole century of ordinary life - nor

  would I forego this rapturous delight for that of a whole century of

  ordinary existence.

  "_Sunday, the seventh_. [Mr. Mason's MS.] This morning the gale,

  by 10, had subsided to an eight or nine - knot breeze, (for a vessel

  at sea,) and bears us, perhaps, thirty miles per hour, or more. It

  has veered, however, very considerably to the north ; and now, at

  sundown, we are holding our course due west, principally by the screw

  and rudder, which answer their purposes to admiration. I regard the

  project as thoroughly successful, and the easy navigation of the air

  in any direction (not exactly in the teeth of a gale) as no longer

  problematical. We could not have made head against the strong wind

  of yesterday ; but, by ascending, we might have got out of its

  influence, if requisite. Against a pretty stiff breeze, I feel

  convinced, we can make our way with the propeller. At noon, to-day,

  ascended to an elevation of nearly 25,000 feet, by discharging

  ballast. Did this to search for a more direct current, but found

  none so favorable as the one we are now in. We have an abundance of

  gas to take us across this small pond, even should the voyage last

  three weeks. I have not the slightest fear for the result. The

  difficulty has been strangely exaggerated and misapprehended. I can

  choose my current, and should I find _all_ currents against me, I can

  make very tolerable headway with the propeller. We have had no

  incidents worth recording. The night promises fair.

  P.S. [By Mr. Ainsworth.] I have little to record, except the

  fact (to me quite a surprising one) that, at an elevation equal to

  that of Cotopaxi, I experienced neither very intense cold, nor

  headache, nor difficulty of breathing ; neither, I find, did Mr.

  Mason, nor Mr. Holland, nor Sir Everard. Mr. Osborne complained of

  constriction of the chest - but this soon wore off. We have flown at

  a great rate during the day, and we must be more than half way across

  the Atlantic. We have passed over some twenty or thirty vessels of

  various kinds, and all seem to be delightfully astonished. Crossing

  the ocean in a balloon is not so difficult a feat after all. _Omne

  ignotum pro magnifico. Mem :_ at 25,000 feet elevation the sky

  appears nearly black, and the stars are distinctly visible ; while

  the sea does not seem convex (as one might suppose) but absolutely

  and most unequivocally _concave_.{*1}

  "_Monday, the 8th_. [Mr. Mason's MS.] This morning we had again

  some little trouble with the rod of the propeller, which must be

  entirely remodelled, for fear of serious accident - I mean the steel

  rod - not the vanes. The latter could not be improved. The wind has
/>   been blowing steadily and strongly from the north-east all day and

  so far fortune seems bent upon favoring us. Just before day, we were

  all somewhat alarmed at some odd noises and concussions in the

  balloon, accompanied with the apparent rapid subsidence of the whole

  machine. These phenomena were occasioned by the expansion of the

  gas, through increase of heat in the atmosphere, and the consequent

  disruption of the minute particles of ice with which the network had

  become encrusted during the night. Threw down several bottles to the

  vessels below. Saw one of them picked up by a large ship - seemingly

  one of the New York line packets. Endeavored to make out her name,

  but could not be sure of it. Mr. Osbornes telescope made it out

  something like "Atalanta." It is now 12 ,at night, and we are still

  going nearly west, at a rapid pace. The sea is peculiarly

  phosphorescent.

  "P.S. [By Mr. Ainsworth.] It is now 2, A.M., and nearly calm, as

  well as I can judge - but it is very difficult to determine this

  point, since we move _with_ the air so completely. I have not slept

  since quitting Wheal-Vor, but can stand it no longer, and must take a

  nap. We cannot be far from the American coast.

  "_Tuesday, the _9_th_. [Mr. Ainsworth's MS.] _One, P.M. We are

  in full view of the low coast of South Carolina_. The great problem

  is accomplished. We have crossed the Atlantic - fairly and _easily_

  crossed it in a balloon ! God be praised ! Who shall say that

  anything is impossible hereafter? "

  The Journal here ceases. Some particulars of the descent were

  communicated, however, by Mr. Ainsworth to Mr. Forsyth. It was

  nearly dead calm when the voyagers first came in view of the coast,

  which was immediately recognized by both the seamen, and by Mr.

  Osborne. The latter gentleman having acquaintances at Fort Moultrie,

  it was immediately resolved to descend in its vicinity. The balloon

  was brought over the beach (the tide being out and the sand hard,

  smooth, and admirably adapted for a descent,) and the grapnel let go,

  which took firm hold at once. The inhabitants of the island, and of

  the fort, thronged out, of course, to see the balloon ; but it was