The Dominion of the Air

第13章

But，erethis，anumberofsomewhatsimilarexperiments，onbehalfoftheFrenchGovernment，hadbeenentereduponbyCaptainsRenardandKrebsatChalais—Meudon。Theirballoonmaybedescribedasfish—shaped，165feetlong，and27。5feetinprincipaldiameter。Itwasoperatedbyanelectricmotor，whichwascapableofdrivingascrewoflargedimensionsatforty—eightrevolutionsperminute。Atitsfirsttrial，inAugust，1884，indeadcalm，itattainedavelocityofovertwelvemilesperhour，travellingsometwoandahalfmilesinaforwarddirection，when，byapplicationoftherudderandjudiciousmanagement，itwasmanoeuvredhomewards，andpracticallybroughttoearthatthepointofdeparture。

Amoreimportanttrialwasmadeonthe12thofthefollowingmonth，andwaswitnessedbyM。Tissandier，accordingtowhomtheaerostatconveyingtheinventorsascendedgentlyandsteadily，driftingwithanappreciablebreezeuntilthescrewwassetinmotionandthehelmputdown，whenthevesselwasbroughtroundtothewindandhelditsownuntilthemotor，byanaccident，ceasedworking。Alittlelaterthesameairshipmetwithmoresignalsuccess。Ononeoccasion，startingfromChalaisMeudon，ittookadirectcoursetotheN。E。，crossingtherailwayandtheSeine，wheretheaeronauts，stoppingthescrew，ascertainedthevelocityofthewindtobeapproximatelyfivemilesanhour。Thescrewbeingagainputinmotion，theballoonwassteeredtotheright，and，followingapathparalleltoitsfirst，returnedtoitspointofdeparture。

Startingagainthesameafternoon，itwascausedtoperformavarietyofaerialevolutions，andafterthirty—fiveminutesreturnedoncemoretoitsstartingplace。

Atabularcomparisonofthefournavigableballoonswhichwehavenowdescribedhasbeengivenasfollows:——

Date。Name。Motor。Vel。p。Sec。

1852M。HenriGiffardSteamengine13。12ft。

1872M。DupuydeLomeMuscularforce9。18ft。

1883MM。TissandierElectricmotor9。84ft。

1884MM。Renard&KrebsElectricmotor18。04ft。

Aboutthisperiod，thatisin1883，andreallypriortotheMeudonexperiments，therewereotherattemptsataeriallocomotionnottobealtogetherpassedover，whichweremadealsoinFrance，butfinancedbyEnglishmoney。TheexperimentswereperformedbyMr。F。A。Gower，who，writingtoProfessorTyndall，claimstohavesucceededin"drivingalargeballoonfairlyagainstthewindbysteampower。"AmelancholyinterestwillalwaysbelongtothesetrialsfromthefactthatMr。Gowerwassubsequentlyblownouttoseawithhisballoon，leavingnotracebehind。

Atthisstageitwillbewelltoglanceatsomeofthemoreimportanttheorieswhichwerebeingmootedastothepossibilityofaeriallocomotionproperlysocalled。Broadly，thereweretworivalschoolsatthistime。Wewillcallthemthe"lighter—than—air—ites"andthe"heavier—than—air—ites，"

respectively。Theformerweretheadvocatesoftheairvesselofwhichtheballoonisatype。Thelatterschoolmaintainedthat，asbirdsareheavierthanair，sotheairlocomotiveofthefuturewouldbeamachineitselfheavierthanair，butcapableofbeingnavigatedbyamotoryettobediscovered，whichwoulddevelopproportionatepower。SirH。Maxim’swordsmaybeaptlyquotedhere。"InallNature，"hesays，"wedonotfindasingleballoon。AllNature’sflyingmachinesareheavierthantheair，anddependaltogetheruponthedevelopmentofdynamicenergy。"

Thefacultyofsoaring，possessedbymanybirds，ofwhichthealbatrossmaybeconsideredatype，ledtonumerousspeculationsastowhatwouldconstitutetheidealprincipleoftheairmotor。SirG。Cayley，asfarbackas1809，wroteaclassicalarticleonthissubject，without，however，addingmuchtoitselucidation。Othersafterhistimeconceivedthatthebird，bysheerhabitandpractice，couldperform，asitwere，atrickinbalancingbymakinguseofthecomplexairstreamsvaryinginspeedanddirectionthatweresupposedtointermingleabove。

Mr。R。A。Proctordiscussesthematterwithhisusualclear—sightedness。Hepremisesthatthebirdmay，inactualfact，onlypoiseitselfforsometenminutes——anintervalwhichmanywillconsiderfartoosmall——withoutflapofthewings，and，whilecontendingthattheproblemmustbesimplyamechanicalone，isreadytoadmitthat"thesustainingpoweroftheaironbodiesofaparticularformtravellingswiftlythroughitmaybemuchgreaterorverydifferentincharacterfromwhatissupposed。"Inhisopinion，itisafactthataflatbodytravellingswiftlyandhorizontallywillsinktowardsthegroundmuchmoreslowlythanasimilarbodymovingsimilarlybutwithlessspeed。Inproofofthishegivesthehomelyillustrationofaflatstonecausedtomake"ducksanddrakes。"Thushecontendsthatthebirdaccomplishesitsfloatingfeatsimplybyoccasionalpowerfulpropulsiveefforts，combinedwithperfectbalance。Fromwhichhededucesthecorollarythat"ifevertheartofflying，orratherofmakingflyingmachines，isattainedbyman，itwillbebycombiningrapidmotionwiththepowerofperfectbalancing。"

Itwillnowappearasanaturalandcertainconsequencethatafeaturetobeintroducedbyexperimentalistsintoflyingmachinesshouldbethe"Aeroplane，"or，inotherwords，aplanewhich，atadesiredangle，shouldbedrivenatspeedthroughtheair。MostnotableattemptswiththisexpedientwerenowshortlymadebyHiramMaxim，Langley，andothers。

But，contemporaneouslywiththeseattempts，certainfeatswiththerivalaerostat——theballoon——wereaccomplished，whichwillbemostfittinglytoldinthisplace。

CHAPTERXX。ACHAPTEROFACCIDENTS。

Itwillhavebeengatheredfromwhathasbeenalreadystatedthattheballoonistiscommonlyinmuchuncertaintyastohisprecisecoursewhenheisabovetheclouds，orwhenunablefromdarknesstoseetheearthbeneathhim。Withaviewofovercomingthisdisadvantagesomeoriginalexperimentsweresuggestedbyadistinguishedofficer，whoduringtheseventieshadbeguntointeresthimselfinaeronautics。

ThiswasCaptainBurnaby。Hismethodwastoemploytwosmallsilkparachutes，which，ifrequired，mightcarryburningmagnesiumwires，andwhichweretobeattachedtoeachotherbyalengthofsilkthread。Ondroppingoneparachute，itwouldfirstpartakeofthemotionoftheballoon，butwouldpresentlydropbelow，whenthesecondparachutewouldbedismissed，andthenanimaginarylinedrawnbetweenthetwobodieswassupposedtobetraytheballoon’scourse。Itshouldbementioned，however，thatifacarefulstudyismadeofthecourseofmanydescendingparachutesitwillbefoundthattheirbehaviouristoouncertaintoberelieduponforsuchapurposeastheabove。Theywilloftenfloatbehindtheballoon’swake，butsometimesagainwillbefoundinfront，andsometimesstrikingoffinsomesidedirection，sowaywardandcomplexarethecurrentswhichcontrolsuchsmallbodies。Mr。

Glaisherhasstatedthataballoon’scourseabovethecloudsmaybedetectedbyobservingthegrapnel，supposedtobehangingbelowthecar，asthiswouldbeseentobeoutoftheverticalastheballoondrifted，andthusservetoindicatethecourse。Howeverthismaybe，themostexperiencedskysailorswillbefoundtobeinperplexityastotheirdirection，asalsotheirspeed，whenviewoftheearthisobscured。

ButCaptainBurnabyisassociatednotablywiththeadventuroussideofballooning，themostfamousofhisaerialexploitsbeing，perhaps，thatofcrossingtheEnglishChannelalonefromDoveronMarch23rd，1882。Outwardly，hemadepresenceofsailingtoParisbyskytodinetherethatevening;inwardly，hehaddeterminedtostartsimplywithawindwhichbidfairforacross—Channeltrip，andtotakewhateverchancesitmightbringhim。

Thus，at10。30a。m。，justasthemailpacketleftthepier，hecastoffwithaliftingpowerwhichrapidlycarriedhimtoaheightof2，000feet，whenhefoundhiscoursetobetowardsFolkestone。Butbyshortlyafter11o’clockhehaddecidedthathewaschanginghisdirection，andwhen，ashejudged，somesevenmilesfromBoulogne，thewindwascarryinghimnotacross，butdowntheChannel。Then，fornearlyfourhours，theballoonshiftedaboutwithnoimprovementintheoutlook，afterwhichthewindfellcalm，andtheballoonremainedmotionlessat2，000feetabovethesea。Thisstateofthingscontinuingforanhour，theCaptainresolvedontheheroicexpedientofcastingoutallhisballastandphilosophicallyabidingtheissue。Themanoeuvreturnedoutahappyone，fortheballoon，shootingupto11，000feet，caughtacurrent，onwhichitwasrapidlycarriedtowardsandoverthemainland;and，whentwelvemilesbeyondDieppe，itbecameeasytodescendtoalowerlevelbymanipulationofthevalve，andfinallytomakeasuccessfullandinginopencountrybeyond。

Afewyearsbefore，anattempttocrosstheChannelfromtheothersideendedfarmoredisastrously。JulesDuruof，alreadymentionedashavingpilotedthefirstrunawayballoonfrombeleagueredParis，haddeterminedonanattempttocrossovertoEnglandfromCalais;and，dulyadvertisingtheevent，alargeconcourseassembledonthedayannounced，clamouringloudlyfortheascent。Butthewindprovedunsuitable，settingoutovertheNorthSea，andthemayorthoughtfittointerfere，andhadthecarremovedsoastopreventproceedings。Onthisthecrowdgrewimpatient，andDuruof，determiningtokeepfaithwiththem，succeededbyanartificeinregaininghiscar，whichhehastilycarriedbacktotheballoon，andimmediatelytakinghisseat，andaccompaniedbyhiswife，theintrepidpaircommencedtheirboldflightjustastheshadesofeveningweresettlingdown。Shortlytheballoondisappearedintothegatheringdarkness，andthenforthreedaysCalaisknewnomoreofballoonorballoonists。

Neithercouldthevoyagersseeaughtforcertainoftheirowncourse，andthusthroughthelongnighthourstheirattentionwaswhollyneeded，withoutchanceofsleep，incloselywatchingtheirsituation，lestunawarestheyshouldbebornedownonthewaves。Whenmorningbroketheydiscoveredthattheywerestillbeingcarriedoutovertheseaonafuriousgale，beingapparentlyofftheDanishcoast，withthedistantmountainsofNorwaydimlyvisibleonthestarboardbow。Itwasatthispoint，andpossiblyowingtothechillcommonlyexperiencedaloftsoonafterdawn，thattheballoonsuddenlytookadownwardcourseandplungedintothesea，happily，however，fairlyinthetrackofvessels。Presentlyashipcameinsight，butcruellykeptonitscourse，leavingthecastawaysindespair，withtheircarfastsuccumbingtothewaves。

Help，nevertheless，wasreallyathand。ThecaptainofanEnglishfishingsmack，theGrandCharge，hadsightedthesinkingballoon，andwasalreadybearingdowntotherescue。

Itissaidthatwhen，atlength，aboatcamealongsideasnearasitwaspossible，MadameDuruofwasunabletomakethenecessaryefforttojumponboard，andherhusbandhadtothrowherintothearmsofthesailors。AfittingsequeltothestorycomesfromParis，wheretheheroiccouple，afterasojourninEngland，weregivenasplendidreceptionandapurseofmoney，withwhichM。Duruofforthwithconstructedanewballoon，namedthe"VilledeCalais。"

Onthe4thofMarch，1882，theardentamateurballoonist，Mr。

Simmons，hadanarrowescapeincircumstancessomewhatsimilartotheabove。Hewasattempting，incompanywithColonelBrine，tocrosstheChannelfromCanterbury，whenachangeofwindcarriedthemouttowardstheNorthSea。Fallinginthewater，theyabandonedtheirballoon，butwererescuedbythemailpacketFoam。

Thesameamateuraeronautmetwithanexcitingexperiencenotlongafter，whenincompanywithSirClaudeC。deCrespigny。

ThetwoadventurersleftMaldon，inEssex，at11p。m。，onanAugustnight，and，sailingatagreatheightouttosea，lostallsightoflandtill6a。m。thenextmorning，when，at17，000

feetaltitude，theysightedtheoppositecoastanddescendedinsafetynearFlushing。

Yetanotheradventureatsea，andonewhichprovedfatalandunspeakablyregrettable，occurredaboutthistime，namely，onthe10thofDecember，1881，whenCaptainTempler，Mr。W。

Powell，M。P。，andMr。Agg—GardnerascendedfromBath。WeprefertogivetheaccountasitappearsinaleadingarticleintheTimesforDecember13thofthatyear。

AftersailingoverGlastonbury，"Crewkernewaspresentlysighted，thenBeaminster。Theroaroftheseagavethenextindicationofthelocalitytowhichtheballoonhaddriftedandthefirsthintofthepossibleperilsofthevoyage。Adescentwasnoweffectedtowithinafewhundredfeetofearth，andanendeavourwasmadetoascertaintheexactpositiontheyhadreached。ThecoursetakenbytheballoonbetweenBeaminsterandtheseaisnotstatedinCaptainTempler’sletter。Thewind，asfaraswecangather，musthaveshifted，ordifferentcurrentsofairmusthavebeenfoundatthedifferentaltitudes。WhatCaptainTemplersaysisthattheycoastedalongtoSymonsbury，passing，itwouldseem，inaneasterlydirectionandkeepingstillveryneartotheearth。SoonaftertheyhadleftSymonsbury，CaptainTemplershoutedtoamanbelowtotellthemhowfartheywerefromBridport，andhereceivedforanswerthatBridportwasaboutamileoff。Thepaceatwhichtheballoonwasmovinghadnowincreasedtothirty—fivemilesanhour。Theseawasdangerouslyclose，andafewminutesinasoutherlycurrentofairwouldhavebeenenoughtocarrythemoverit。Theyseem，however，tohavebeenconfidentintheirownpowersofmanagement。Theythrewoutballast，androsetoaheightof1，500feet，andthencecamedownagainonlyjustintime，touchingthegroundatadistanceofabout150yardsfromthecliff。Theballoonheredraggedforafewfeet，andCaptainTempler，whohadbeenlettingoffthegas，rolledoutofthecar，stillholdingthevalvelineinhishand。Thiswasthelastchanceofasafeescapeforanybody。Theballoon，withitsweightlightened，wentupabouteightfeet。Mr。Agg—Gardnerdroppedoutandbrokehisleg。

Mr。Powellnowremainedasthesoleoccupantofthecar。

CaptainTempler，whohadstillholdoftherope，shoutedtoMr。

Powelltocomedowntheline。Thisheattemptedtodo，butinafewseconds，andbeforehecouldcommencehisperilousdescent，thelinewastornoutofCaptainTempler’shands。Allcommunicationwiththeearthwascutoff，andtheballoonroserapidly，takingMr。Powellwithitinasouth—easterlydirectionouttosea。"

Itwasafewseasonsprevioustothis，namely，onthe8thofJuly，1874，whenMr。Simmonswasconcernedinaballoonfatalityofapeculiarlydistressingnature。ABelgian，VincentdeGroof，stylinghimselfthe"FlyingMan，"announcedhisintentionofdescendinginaparachutefromaballoonpilotedbyMr。Simmons，whowastostartfromCremorneGardens。

Theballoondulyascended，withDeGroofinhismachinesuspendedbelow，andwhenoverSt。Luke’sChurch，andataheightestimatedat80feet，itisthoughtthattheunfortunatemanoverbalancedhimselfafterdetachinghisapparatus，andfellforward，clingingtotheropes。Themachinefailedtoopen，andDeGroofwasprecipitatedintoRobertStreet，Chelsea，expiringalmostimmediately。TheporterofChelseaInfirmary，whowaswatchingtheballoon，assertedthathefanciedthefallingmancalledouttwice，"Dropintothechurchyard;lookout！"Mr。Simmons，shootingupwardsinhisballoon，thussuddenlylightened，toagreatheight，becameinsensible，andwhenherecoveredconsciousnessfoundhimselfoverVictoriaPark。Hemadeadescent，withoutmishap，onalineofrailwayinEssex。

Onthe19thofAugust，1887，occurredanimportanttotaleclipseofthesun，thetrackofwhichlayacrossGermany，Russia，WesternSiberia，andJapan。Atallsuitablestationsalongtheshadowtrackastronomersfromallpartsoftheworldestablishedthemselves;butatmanyeclipsesobservershadhadbadfortuneowingtothephenomenonatthecriticalmomentbeingobscured。Andonthisaccountoneastronomerdeterminedonmeasureswhichshouldrenderhischancesofaclearviewapracticalcertainty。ProfessorMendeleef，inRussia，resolvedtoengageaballoon，andbyrisingabovethecloudbarrier，shouldtherebeone，tohavetheeclipsealltohimself。Itwasanexampleoffineenthusiasm，which，moreover，waspresentlyputtoasevereandunexpectedtest，fortheballoon，wheninflated，provedunabletotakeupboththeaeronautandtheastronomer，whereuponthelatter，thoughwhollyinexperienced，hadnoalternativebuttoascendalone，which，eitherbyaccidentorchoice，heactuallydid。Shootingupintospace，hesoonreachedanaltitudeof11，500feet，whereheobtained，evenifhedidnotenjoy，anunobstructedviewoftheCorona。Itmaybesupposed，however，that，owingtothenoveltyofhissituation，hisscientificobservationsmaynothavebeensocompleteastheywouldhavebeenonterrafirma。

InthesamemonthanattempttoreacharecordheightwasmadebyMM。JovisandMalletatParis，withthenetresultthatanelevationof23，000feetwasreached。Itwillhavebeennotedthatthedifficultythroughphysicalexhaustionofinhalingoxygenfromeitherabagorcylinderisaseriousmatternoteasilyovercome，andithasbeensuggestedthatthehelmetinventedbyM。Fleussmightproveofvalue。Thiscontrivance，whichhasscarcelyattractedtheattentionithasmerited，providesareceptacleforrespiration，containingoxygenandcertainpurifyingmedia，bymeansofwhichtheinventorwasabletoremainforhoursunderwaterwithoutanycommunicationwiththeoutwardair。

AbouttheperiodatwhichwehavenowarrivedtwofatalaccidentsbefelEnglishaeronauts。WehaverelatedhowMaldon，inEssex，wasassociatedwithoneofthemoreadventurousexploitsinMr。Simmons’scareer。Itwasfatedalsotobeassociatedwiththevoyagewithwhichhiscareerclosed。OnAugust27th，1888，heascendedfromOlympiaincompanywithMr。

Field，ofWestBrighton，andMr。Myers，oftheNaturalHistoryMuseum，withtheintention，ifpracticable，ofcrossingtoFlanders;andthevoyageproceededhappilyuntiltheneighbourhoodofMaldonwasreached，when，astheseacoastwasinsight，anditwasalreadypastfiveo’clock，itappearedprudenttoMr。Simmonstodescendandmoortheballoonforthenight。SomelabourerssomethreemilesfromMaldonsightedtheballooncomingupatspeed，andatthesametimedescendinguntilitsgrapnelcommencedtearingthroughafieldofbarley，whenballastwasthrownout，causingtheballoontoriseagaintowardsandoversometallelms，whichbecamethecauseofthedisasterwhichfollowed。Thegrapnel，catchingintheupperboughsofoneofthesetrees，heldfast，whiletheballoon，bornebytheforceofastrongwind，wasrepeatedlyblowndowntoearthwithviolence，reboundingeachtimetoaconsiderableheight，onlytobeflungdownagainonthesamespot。Afterthreeorfourimpactstheballoonisreportedtohaveburstwithaloudnoise，whenhighintheair，thesilkbeingblownaboutoverthefield，andthecaranditsoccupantsdashedtotheground。Helpwasunavailingtillthisfinalcatastrophe，andwhen，atlength，thelabourerswereabletoextricatetheparty，Mr。Simmonswasfoundwithafracturedskullandbothcompanionsbadlyinjured。

Foursummerslater，June30th，1892，CaptainDale，theaeronauttotheCrystalPalace，wasannouncedtomakeanascentfromtheusualballoongrounds，weatherpermitting。Throughthenightandmorningaviolentstormprevailed，anditwascontemplatedthattheexhibitionwouldbewithdrawn;butthewindabatingintheafternoon，theinflationwasproceededwith，andtheascenttookplaceshortlybefore6p。m。，not，however，beforealargerenthadbeendiscoveredandrepairedasfaraspossiblebyMrs。Dale。Aspassengers，thereascendedtheCaptain’ssonWilliam，agednineteen，Mr。J。Macintosh，andMr。CecilShadbolt。Whentheballoonhadreachedanaltitudeestimatedat600feettheonlookerswerehorrifiedtoseeitsuddenlycollapse，alargerenthavingdevelopednearthetoppartofthesilk，fromwhichthegas"rushedoutinadensemass，allowingtheballoontofalllikearag。"Theoccupantsofthecarwereseentobethrowingouteverythingmadly，evenwrenchingthebuttonsfromtheirclothing。All，however，withlittleavail，fortheballoonfell"withasickeningthud，"

midwaybetweentheMazeandlowerlake。Allwerefoundalive;

butCaptainDale，whohadalightedonhisback，diedinafewminutes;Mr。Shadboltsuccumbedlater，andbothremainingpassengerssustainedterribleinjuries。

Fewballoonmishaps，unattendedwithfatalresults，haveprovedmoreexcitingthanthefollowing。AlargepartyhadascendedfromBelfast，inamonsterballoon，undertheguidanceofMr。

Coxwell，onadaywhichwasveryunfitforthepurposebyreasonofstormyweather。Amoreserioustroublethanthewind，however，layinseveralofthepassengersthemselves，whoseemtohavebeenhighlyexcitableIrishmen，incapableatthecriticalmomentofquietlyobeyingordersTheprincipalheroofthestory，aGerman。Mr。Runge，inwritingafterwardstotheUlsterObserver，entirelyexoneratesMr。Coxwellfromanyblame，attributinghismischancessolelytothereprehensibleconductofhiscompanions。Onapproachingtheground，Mr。Coxwellgaveclearinstructions。Thepassengersweretositdowninanunconstrainedpositionfacingeachother，andbepreparedforsomeheavyshocks。Aboveallthingstheyweretobecarefultogetoutonebyone，andonnoaccounttoleaveholdofthecar。Manyofthepassengers，however，refusedtositdown，and，accordingtoMr。Runge，"behavedinthewildestmanner，losingcompletelytheirself—control。Seizingthevalveropethemselves，theytoreitawayfromitsattachment，thestrongerpushingbacktheweaker，andrefusingtolendhelpwhentheyhadgotout。Inconsequenceofthisthecar，relievedoftheirweight，toreawayfromthegraspofMr。Coxwellandthosewhostillclungtoit，androseabovethetrees，withMr。Rungeandoneotherpassenger，Mr。Halferty，alonewithin。Astheballooncameearthwardsagain，theyshoutedtothecountrymenforsuccour，butwithouttheslightestavail，andpresently，theanchorcatching，thecarstrucktheearthwithashockwhichthrewMr。

Halfertyoutontheground，leavingMr。Rungetoriseagainintotheair，thistimealone。"Hethuscontinuesthestory:——

"Theballoonmovedon，verysoon，inahorizontaldirectionstraighttowardsthesea，whichwewerethenrapidlynearing。

Comingtoafarm，Ishoutedouttothepeoplestandingthere。

Somewomen，withtheirquickhumaneinstincts，werethefirsttoperceivemydanger，andexhortedthementohurrytomyassistance，theythemselvesrunningasfastastheycouldtotenderwhatlittlehelptheymightbeabletogiveme。Theanchorstuckinawillowtree。Ishoutedouttothepeoplebelowtosecurethecableandanchorbyropes，whichtheydid。

Theeveningwasnowbeautifullystill，thebreezehaddiedaway，andtheballoonwasswingingcalmlyathermooringsabovethefarmhouse。OneofthemenaskedmewhetherIhadaropewithme，andhowIintendedtogetout。Itoldthemonlytotakecareofthecable，becausetheballoonwouldsettledownbyherselfbeforelong。Iwascongratulatingmyselfonaspeedyescapefrommydangerousposition。Ihadnotcountedonthewind。Abreezeinaboutsixoreightminutessprangup，tossedtheballoonaboutlikealargesail，thenacrash，and——theanchorwaslooseagain。Ittorethroughthetrees，flinginglimbsandbranchesaboutlikematches。Itstrucktheroofofthefarmhouse，splinteringthechimneysandtileslikeglass。

"OnIwent;Icamenearanotherfarm;shoutedoutforhelp，andtoldthementosecuretheanchortothefootofalargetreecloseby。Theanchorwassoonmadefast，butthiswasonlyamomentaryrelief。Thebreezeagainfilledthehalf—emptyballoonlikeasail，therewasaseverestrainonthecable，thenadullsound，andasevereconcussionofthebasket——thecable，strangefatality，hadbroken，andtheanchor，mylastandonlyhope，wasgone。Iwasnowcarriedoninastraightdirectiontowardsthesea，whichwasbutashortdistanceahead。TheanchorbeinglostIgaveupallhope。Isatdownresignedinthecar，andpreparedfortheend。AllatonceI

discoveredthatasidecurrentwasdriftingmetowardsthemountain;thecarstrucktheground，andwasdashingalongatafearfulrate，knockingdownstonefencesandbreakingeverythingitcameincontactwithinitswildcareer。

By—and—bytheknocksbecamelessfrequent。Wewerepassingoveracultivatedcountry，andthecarwas，asitwereskimmingthesurfaceandgrazingthetopofthehedges。Isawathickhawthornhedgeatsomedistancebeforeme，andtheballoonrapidlysweepingtowardsit。Thatwasmyonlychance。I

rushedtotheedgeofthecarandflungmyselfdownuponthehedge。"

CHAPTERXXI。THECOMINGOFTHEFLYINGMACHINE。

Intheearlyninetiestheairshipwasengagingtheattentionofmanyinventors，andwasmakingimportantstridesinthehandsofMr。Maxim。Thisunrivalledmechanician，instatingthecase，premisesthatamotivepowerhastobediscoveredwhichcandevelopatleastasmuchpowerinproportiontoitsweightasabirdisabletodevelop。Heassertsthataheavybird，withrelativelysmallwings——suchasagoose——carriesabout150lb。tothehorsepower，whilethealbatrossorthevulture，possessedofproportionatelygreaterwingedsurface，cancarryabout250lbs。perhorsepower。

ProfessorLangley，ofWashington，workingcontemporaneously，butindependentlyofMr。Maxim，hadtriedexhaustiveexperimentsonarotatingarm（characteristicallydesignatedbyMr。Maxima"merry—go—round"），thirtyfeetlong，applyingscrewpropellers。Heused，forthemostpart，smallplanes，carryingloadsofonlytwoorthreepounds，and，underthesecircumstances，theweightcarriedwasattherateof250lbs。