Viewing page 82 of 182

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

100 FRANK LESLIE'S ILLUSTRATED NEWSPAPER.

[[1 image]]
"LE GEANT," A MONSTER BALLOON JUST EXHIBITED IN PARIS.

THE GIANT BALLOON.
Paris has just been enthusiastically admiring an enormous balloon got up by the "Société Générale d'Aero station et d'Autolocomotion Aérienne"—(they do everything by Societies now) which about the 1st of October made its first ascent from the Champ de Mars, All Paris was there to see it, and dragoons guarded the street openings, and infantry all other approaches. The flaming handbills had described the monster, which would carry up a house not a basket car. The balloon is indeed far beyond all its predecessors. It is 90 metres, nearly 100 yards in circumfrence, and 180 feet high, and requires 6,098 cubic metres of gas to inflate, nearly double that used in Delcourt's monster balloon.

The Giant, as projected, and as represented in our engraving, is composed of three: Firstly, of a balloon consisting of two thicknesses of white silk of identical quality, sewn entirely by hand and double-stitched (the labor required for the fabrication of this immense varnished silk bulb employed upwards of 200 women during a month); secondly, of a small receiving balloon, called the "compensator," placed beneath and connected with the larger one, to receive the excess of gas caused by the dilatation of the Giant in the higher atmospheres, and thus prevent its waste, and enable the aeronauts to preserve the means of prolonging their voyage; and, thirdly, of the car, or what replaces the car of former balloons, but is, in reality, a small oblong house, consisting of a ground floor and a gallery, the entire dimensions being about 8ft. in height by 13 ft. in length. 

The space is cleverly disposed so as to comprise a small printing office, a photographic department, a refreshment-room, lavatory, a compartmentior the captain's bed and the luggage of the travellers, and a compartment at the other end for three beds. 

The Giant, for the construction of which 20,000 yards of white silk, at six shillings a yard, was required, has been produced under the active superintendence of M. Nadar, of the Boulevard des Capucines, who asserts that he has discovered, or will discover, the means of travelling in the air by the employment of the screw-propeller. The Giant has only been created as a means for gaining sufficient money by its exhibition and voyages to enable him to carry out his confidently-expressed ideas with respect to his new system of Aerostation. 

The first ascent made without the compensator was pecuniarily very successful. Thirteen persons made the ascent, including the Princess de la Tour d'Auvergne and a negro. One hundred and fifteen thousand francs, or $20,000 worth of tickets of admission were sold. 

During the three hours occupied by the inflation, two military bands entertained the spectators by performing selections from the most popular operatic music. At 3 o'clock the Giant looked like an immense unripe orange in the midst of the vast sandy plains of the Champ de Mars, and about this time the car, or nacelle, was brought on to the ground on a van drawn by four white horses, conducted by postilions, and paraded to satisfy the curiosity of the visitors, amongst whom might be seen the Annamite Ambassadors and their suite, and a squadron of gay Spahis on their spirited horses. 

The outside of the construction presented a droll appearance, with its exposition of fowling-pieces, speaking-trumpet, grappling-irons, hatchets, hares, geese, pheasants, vegetables, etc., the condiments being gaily ornamented with ribbons. At length the car was brought alongside the great inflation, the ballast and provisions were put on board, the travellers took up their positions on the platform of the gallery, and, after some preliminary manoeuvres, the gallant Capt. Nadar gave the word, "Lâchez tout!" in stentorian tone, and Le Géant, taking a northeasterly direction, ascended majestically amidst the acclamations of at least half a million of people.

The Giant descended in the marshes of Barcy, at two leagues from Meaux.

to progress,
work, and w
the brick asho
the vessels.

An Extraordinary Balloon Ascension AND Descension.—A Frenchman, named Verdalle, ascended from New Orleans on the 11th inst. in a balloon, with his head downwards, and after going through numerous "slack rope" evolutions, he rose about a mile, when the balloon exploded, and precipitated him to the earth from a distance of 7000 feet! the Bee says, other papers say several hundreds and, what is more astonishing, he was not the least injured. He owed his miraculous escape from death to a rose bush in the garden where he landed. The wind being very strong, the balloon was in a measure kept up in such a manner as to break the fall. Mr. V. was very composed, and exclaimed, on rising from the rose bush, and picking up a rose that he knocked off in the fall, "Ay, ay, sauer, this is a very sweet spot." 

Transcription Notes:
1 image of the Giant Balloon