652. BALLOONS, Fall from.—
An accident
has happened here [France] which will
probably damp the ardor with which aërial
navigation has been pursued. Monsieur Pilatre
de Roziere had been waiting for many months
at Boulogne a fair wind to cross the channel in
a balloon which was compounded of one of
inflammable air, and another called a Montgolfier
with rarefied air only. He at length
thought the wind fair and with a companion,
Romain, ascended. After proceeding in a
proper direction about two leagues, the wind
changed and brought them again over the
French coast. Being at the height of about six
thousand feet, some accident, unknown, burst
the balloon of inflammable air, and the Montgolfier,
being unequal alone to sustain their
weight, they precipitated from that height to
the earth and were crushed to atoms.—
To Joseph Jones. Washington ed. i, 353.
(P.
June. 1785)
