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of his coming down both times was the waste of the inflammable
air thro' the canes & perhaps the body of the silk — The oar was
too small to have such an effect as he imputes to it — By his own
conjecture he rose the 2d time to the heighth of 4 miles — but as he had
no barometer (which was in Biggins pocket & forgotten in the hurry)
we cannot depend upon the accuracy of his judgement — He was
lan afloat up altogether 2 hours and 20 minutes & landed 3 miles
beyond Hertfordshire Ware in Hertfordshire where he was soon
joined by Genl Smith and some other gentlemen who had followed
him out of Town on horseback with whom he dined & went afterwards
to Mr Baker's house. In his Letter to Biggins he expresses gre
his regret that he had not his company which he says prevented
him from enjoying his voyage — but assures him he shall accompany
him on the next — that the balloon shall be qu filled
quite full & if then it will not carry two he (Biggins
shall go up alone — The balloon came safe to Town
this Evening in Bakers caravan & was lodged amidst the
acclamations of a great mob at Biggins's house in Essex Street —
Fordyce had a very ingenious contrivance to lett out the inflammable
air if it had been necessary — He fixed two silk tubes in the
bottom about the middle of the balloon which hung down, & in that
position altho' open the light air could not force its way out, but
by means of a rope & a pulley which went over the top Lunardi
could raise up either of the Tubes as high as any part of the balloon & then the air
would have flowed out freely — It does not appear that he made any use
of this contrivance — But it is a proof the principle is sound that the bottom
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correspondence |
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recto |
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james trail |
curteis & sons |
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edward blaquiere |
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letter 515, vol. 3; also printed in bowring, x, 136-8; attached is newspaper cutting about lunardi and his balloon launch |
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