EARLY BALLOON DAYS

Shannon News, 5 October 1928, Page 4

EARLY BALLOON DAYS

FIRST ASCENT IN BRITAIN . AERONAUT BECOMES A HERO. Tho inventions and discoveries ultimately proving least beneficial to mankind, have generally been received with greater warmth and enthusiasm than those of a more useful character. ■vThe aeronautical experiments of the Montgolfiers and others, in France, created an immense excitement which soon found its way across the Channel to the shores of England Horace Walpole, writing at the close of 1783, says: “Balloons occupy senators, philosophers, ladies, everybody.” While some entirely disbelieved the accounts of men, floating as it were in the re gions of the upper air, others indulged in the wildest speculation. The author of a poem entitled “The Air Balloon, or Flying Mortal, ” published early in 3784, exclaims: How few the worldly evils now I dread No more confined this narrow earth to tread! Should fire or water spread destruction drear, An earthcjuake shake this sublunary sphere. In air-balloon to 'distant realms I fly, And leave the creeping world to sink and die.” Besides doubt and wonder an unpleasant feeling of insecurity prevailed over England at the time. The balloon was a French invention; might it hot bo used as a means of invasion by *the natural enemies of the British race! A Bellicose Caricature. A caricature, published in 1774, is entitled “Montgolfier in the Clouds, constructing Air Balloons for the ' Grand Monarque.'' In this, the French inventor is represented blowing soapbubbles and saying: “Dis be de grand invention. Dis will immortalise my king, my country and myself.” We will declare tho war against out enimie; we will make des English quake. We will inspect their camp, we will intercept their fleet, and we will set lire to their dockyards and, we will take Gibraltar, in dc air-balloon; and when we have conquer dc English; den wo conquer de other countrie, and make them all colonie to dc Grand Monarque.” Several small balloons had been sent up from various parts of England, but no person adventurous enough to explore the realms of the air, had ascended, until Vincent Luuardi. a youthful attache of the Neapolitan Embassy, made the first ascent in England, from the Artillery Grounds . at Moorfields, September 15, 1784. It was Luuardi's original intention to ascend from the garden of tho Chelsea Hospital, having acquired permission to do so, but the permission was subsequently rescinded, on account of a riot caused by another balloon adventurer, a Frenchman named De Moret. The Permission Rescinded. The authorities being apprehensive that, in ease of failure, Chelsea Hospital 'might be destroyed in a similar riot, rescinded, their permission, but Lunardi was eventually accommodated with the use of the Artillery Grounds, the members of the City Artillery Company being under arms to protect their property. When the eventful day arrived, Moorfields, „ then an open space of ground, was thronged by dense crowds of spectators. Such a crowd had never previously, been collected in. London. As the morning hours w T oro away, silent expectation was followed by impatient clamour, soon succeeded by-yells of angry threatenings, to be 4iin a moment- changed to loud acclamaations of applause hs tlie balloon rose into the air. > Lunardi himself said: ‘ “The effect was that of a miracle on the multitude which surrounded the place, and they passed from incredulity and menace into the most extravagant expressions of approbation and joy.” The Hero of the Occasion. Earth was first touched by Lunardi in a field at North Miinms. After lightening the balloon, he again rose in the air, and finally descended in the parish of Standon, near Ware, in Hertfordshire. Some labourers, who were working close by, were so frightened at the balloon that no promises of reward would induce them to approach it/ not even wlicn a young woman ha'd courageously set the example by taking hold of a cord which the aeronaut had thrown out. The adventurer came down from the clouds to find himself the hern of. the day. He was presented at Court and at once became the fashion; wigs, coats, hats and bonnets were named after him, and a very popular bow of bright scarlet ribbons, that had previously been called Gibraltar, from the heroic defence of that fortress, was now termed the Lunardi.