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[[caption]] STANDING UPON THE TOP OF THE BALLOON, [[strikethrough]] 65 [[/strikethrough]] 58 FEET FROM THE FLOOR. [[/caption]]

With such weather as we had had the first summer, such trials could easily have been obtained, and a start under favorable conditions--that is, in a light south wind. It should be noted that it is impossible, in any country, to take an airship from its house in other than light wind or calm. Instead of a number of trials in the early days of August, as we had planned, we found it impossible to take the "America" from her shelter before September 2d, and then the conditions were far from favorable. Nevertheless, we cut free from our steamship convoy, and gave the "America" a trial under her own power. She proved stable, steerable, more speedy than our calculations called for, in every way a successful ship. She was not perfect in every detail; such a thing could not be expected the first time. But in spite

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