CHAPTER XVIII.
RE-ASCENT OF THE BALLOON.
Section 101. Bellair-Meadow: half past III o’Clock:[32] Thermom. at 55: _bright_ Sun: _few_ Clouds in Sight.
[Sidenote: Balloon rapidly re-ascending.]
The Balloon being now 31 Pound lighter; taking a Direction +from+ the Sea-Breeze into the Country, and _again_ towards Aston-Hall[33]; mounted up like a Sky-Rocket, with accelerating Velocity: its upper Parts _nodding_ from Side to Side, as if to _shake off_ the _resisting_ Column of Air immediately above it.
[Sidenote: The Neck tyed.]
[Sidenote: Drawing the Valve, while Mouth of the Balloon is _open_, shewn to be _dangerous_.]
102. There being no proper Opportunity of closing the Mouth of the Balloon on its _near_ Approach to the Sea, or during the _Swiftness_ of its Descent; tho’ there had been _frequent Inclination_ to attempt it; this _little_ but +essential+ Work was instantly resolved upon. And the more so, as the Mouth had continued open _from_ the first: and as Mr. Lunardi did not _happen_ to mention this Circumstance: the Utility of which, tho’ _too late_ to be put in Practice, had, but a few Minutes before, very plainly suggested itself. His Directions were, to _open_ the Valve in order to descend: which woud _possibly_ have _encreased_ the Rapidity of Descent: and, by _introducing_ a thorou’ Air _upwards_, while the Motion of the Balloon was in a _contrary_ Direcion, might have occasioned a _dangerous Rupture_ of the lower Parts of the Balloon, _which_ actually took Place in a preceding Excursion.
[Sidenote: The Balloon drawn _sideways_.]
103. The Balloon, tho’ rising _quick_, seemed _not_ to be wholly disengaged from the Ground, but to have received a Check; and to _lean_ a little out of the Perpendicular: particularly the Car, which was evidently drawn a _different_ Way _from_ the Balloon.
[Sidenote: The half Mile _white_ Flag impeding the Balloon.]
On perceiving that the half Mile _white_ Flag, fastened to the _upper_ Hoop of the Car, sensibly impeded the Elevation of the Machine, by _trailing_ along the Ground, (the Balloon being yet within the Influence of the Sea-Breeze, or _lower_ Current of Air;) the Question was, whether it woud not be imprudent to suffer the Balloon to rise near half a Mile, before the _white_ Flag; was _disentangled_ and free to follow it.
For as neither the _Twine_, nor the _lower Cords_ of the Balloon were of Silk; the Twine having lain on the Trees or +moist+ Ground, might become a +conductor+ from the Earth to any Stratum of Air that had +less+ or +more+ than what is called its natural Quantity[35] of the +electric+ Fluid.
[Sidenote: Twine _cut_, lest it shoud prove a _Conductor_ of _Electricity_.]
Adding to the above, a Wish to rise higher the _second_ Time than the first; stooping for the Scissars, the String was _cut_: reserving a Remainder to tye the Neck of the Balloon; which was immediately done by gathering the Parts of the Balloon into the Hand, wrapping a Couple of Yards loosely round, and tying them on a +slip+ or +bow+ Knot: one End of which was +purposely+ left hanging three Feet downwards, to _untye_ instantly on Occasion.
[Sidenote: Additional Levity of one Pound.]
This additional Levity of _nearly_ one Pound, gave the whole Quantity of Ballast thrown over in a _few_ Minutes, _nearly_ 32 Pounds.
[Sidenote: Remarks on the Balloon.]
104. The intelligent Farmer who stood near the Balloon, when it alighted at Bellair, had observed it for some Time _before_ near the Sea, and marked its Return, as coming _apparently_ from _Overton_.
At first, which was _more_ than five Minutes before it came to the Ground, it seemed to him as if it coud not have been _larger_ than a Bladder.
He saw it reascend, first _sideways_, then upright; moving from the Sea.
Afterward it rose _rapidly_, and rather _towards_ the Sea and Warrington, distant twelve Miles.
[Sidenote: _Apparent_ Size of the Balloon, when seen from _below_.]
He watched it for a Quarter of an Hour: and caught it by Intervals, near and above a Cloud in the _blue_ Sky, at so great a Height that it looked like a _Lark_: and at last: so _small_ that the People who stood near him coud none of them regain a _Sight_, when they had once lost it.
105. The remaining _white_ Flag was unfolded, and tyed to one of the Balloon-Cords attached to the _upper_ Hoop, at a proper Distance to _play_ freely in the Wind: and, notwithstanding all that has been said to the contrary, shewed _instantaneously_ and _plainly_ the corresponding Changes made by the Wind in different Directions.
And, as the Breeze was accompanied with a Sensation of _Coolness_ against the Face of the Aironaut, looking towards that Quarter from whence the Wind came, as indicated by the Flag; (which Quarter was not in a Line with the Path of the Balloon;) the Flag must have shewn that the Change was made by the _Air_ in _its peculiar_ progressive Direction, and not by _its_ Resistance or Progress in the Track of the Balloon.
[Sidenote: _Balloon_ moving in a Direction _different_ from that of the _Air_.]
106. It is probable that the _Momentum_ of the Balloon, acquired by its centrifugal or accelerating Force upwards, might have kept it in _one_ Direction, while it continued to rise throu’ _different_ Currents.