the note.
2 Richard Crosbie made his first ascent at Dublin, January 14, 1875.
From Edward Spencer, Esq, Solicitor. No. 11 Brunswick Parade, Pentonville, London. August 5th, 1848.
While Brown had been seeking and providing aeronautical information from MacSweeny over the past twelve months, he now recorded information he elicited from Spencer, a keen and experienced amateur aeronaut who made his first flight in 1834. The solicitor conducted a balloon making business as a sideline. Spencer is mistaken with regard Monck Manson’s reference to an aeronaut climbing his balloon’s netting. It is mentioned in Manson’s Aeronautica, but only as an example of the ludicrous stories put out about ballooning ‘without the slightest foundation in fact’.
I have to apologise for not answering your letter of the 1st ulto. until this day, but my professional engagements have wholly prevented me. In answer to your question relative to a supposed balloon ascent mentioned in Monck Mason’s work on Aerostation, wherein the aeronaut is mentioned as having climbed up the netting, so as to have enabled him to tie the silk in the upper part of the balloon, which had been accidentally torn. I can only say that I have no recollection of any such statement in the work in question and if it be there, it exhibits a lamentable ignorance on the part of the author. Such an occurrence could never have taken place unless with a balloon of the most gigantic dimensions and power, such as the Great Nassau, capable of sustaining the weight of 10 or 12 persons in the car with its accompanying ballast. It might then be possible for a person to make his way up the netting to the top of the balloon and the valve and at the same time for the balloon to preserve something like this perpendicular position with its appended car, but it must be quite manifest to yourself, that if only one or two persons ascended with a small balloon in the ordinary way, and one of the parties were to leave the car and attempt to climb outside the netting, the higher he got, the more the silk of the balloon would recede from the netting so as to place the silk quiet ←25 | 26→out of his reach and long before he could get much above the equator of the balloon. The car, silk, and valve would incline an angle of about 45 degrees. The mere weight of a man in the car would not counterbalance the weight with its corresponding leverage of a man making his way to the top of a balloon on the outside of its netting. There is no accounting for ridiculous stories, the offspring of ignorance, getting propagated, however, rest assured that such an occurrence never could have taken place under the circumstances you state.
As you appear to be interested in Aeronautic matters, I will take this opportunity of giving you a few incidents connected with myself and my friend, Mr Charles Green.
My first ascent took place from the Surrey Zoological Gardens, London, on the 25th May 1835. Since then I have made 42 ascents in different balloons, but the far greater number with the Great Nassau, and, on its second ascent, 21st September 1836. I was one of the number of 12 persons who ascended with it. The descent took place at Beckenham in Kent, the ascent from the Royal Gardens, Vauxhall. On the 15th May 1837 I ascended from Vauxhall Gardens, when the violence of the wind was such that in 20 minutes I descended at Morley in Sussex, 28 miles from London. On the 24th July 1837 I ascended from Vauxhall Gardens in company with Mr Charles Green and the unfortunate Mr Robert Cocking, when after our having attained an elevation of 5,400 feet, Mr Cocking detached himself from us and the balloon, and descended with his parachute at Lee in Kent, about six miles from Vauxhall Gardens, but in consequence of the parachute having collapsed shortly after its leaving the balloon, this highly talented and much respected gentleman lost his life by the frightful concussion with which he struck the earth. After the balloon had lost the weight of the parachute and Mr Cocking, it ascended with such rapidity that Mr Green and myself attained an elevation of upwards of five miles. The Balloon afterwards descended with us in safety in the woods of Town Malling – Merryweather Woods, I think they are called – after an aerial voyage of one hour and a half. On Tuesday, 4th September, 1838, I ascended with Mr Charles Green and Mr Rush, with the Great Nassau balloon, from Vauxhall, with a view of attaining a great altitude, when we succeeded in reaching the height of 19,335 feet, in other words three and ←26 | 27→three-quarter miles, minus 465 feet. The barometer fell to 14 inches and 70 parts, thermometer, lowest, 22 degrees. At this time we must have been between Thaxted and Dunmow in Essex, a distance of between 30 and 40 miles from Vauxhall; we were then seen from London at our greatest elevation. We finally descended at Rowney Woods, in the Parish of Debolen, three miles South of Saffron Walden, Essex, and 47 miles from Vauxhall Gardens, after a voyage of one hour and twenty minutes. On the 20th September, 1838 I ascended from Vauxhall in a perfect calm, and the balloon remained suspended over the eastern part of London for upwards of three and a half hours, it finally descended at Wamsted Flats in Essex, six miles from Whitechapel. The ascent took pace at half past five p.m., in perfect daylight, and while remaining suspended over London, darkness came on. We had indeed a magnificent view of the whole of London and its suburban districts all lighted with gas. It is quite impossible for any language to adequately describe the grandeur of the scene that burst upon our view on our descent through the clouds, on our approach towards the earth. We suddenly had presented to us hundreds of thousands of gas lights in the continuous range as they diverged along the principal streets and roads heading from London, extending in some directions upwards of eight miles, particularly the Great Western Road. We finally descended at Wansted in Essex, about half past nine or ten.
←27 | 28→←28 | 29→
From Mr M. Van Buren, Cremorne, London. March 13, 1849.
Brown had approached the proprietor of London’s Cremorne Gardens apparently with a proposal regarding the Montgolfier balloon he had earlier commenced constructing. Perhaps he was enquiring as to the management’s willingness to sponsor his project, or at least offer an ascent for the completed balloon. ‘Professor’ James Ellis was at the time leasee of the gardens; it is unclear what Van Buren’s exact role was.
For the present I cannot entertain your proposal respecting the Montgolfier Balloon. This in reply to your favour of 5th inst. Yours obediently, Prof J. Ellis. Mr M. Van Buren.
From Mr John Hampton, Aeronaut, Rotunda, Dublin, June 15, 1849.
This is Brown’s first contact with Hampton, a balloonist and pioneer parachutist, already well regarded in aeronautical circles. One of his balloons, the Erin Go Bragh, was considered ‘Ireland’s National Balloon’. He sent Brown some copies of Coxwell’s magazine, cautiously indicating that his prior friendship with Coxwell was at an end.
In reply to your of the 13th instant I beg to state that I have not published any work on Aerostation myself, but the numbers I have sent you were published by a friend of mine at that that time.1 The work was continued up to the fourth number and it is not to be had, but as you seem to be an admirer of the science I have sent you these four numbers out of a few I had by me. I am sorry to hear that an ascent has been made in Leeds by Mr Gale. I was in Leeds in the summer of 1847, and partly made an arrangement at the Cloth Hall and the Gas Company to make an ascent, but circumstances prevented me till now. I was thinking of coming to ←29 | 30→Leeds but I fear an ascent would not now pay. I do not know who Russum is, unless it is Coxwell assumed the name. He, Coxwell, has not acted right by me. He knew nothing of Aerostation till he knew me. He has taken several of my inventions as I can prove. I have sent you a circular, and should you know any towns that an ascent would pay I shall feel obliged by your letting me know. You will see that I offer to share with proprietors of Gardens or anyone else, and should you be able to make any arrangements for me I shall feel much obliged. Wishing to hear from you to know if you received the parcel safe.
To
