Aeronaut, Meanwood Road, Leeds, June 18, 1849.
Sir, I am exceedingly obliged for you kindness in forwarding me the Balloon Magazine, I already had it in my possession having had it forwarded to me by Mr Coxwell, but nevertheless I am obliged to you for having sent me it, as I wish to present the other to the Mr Russum I mentioned before. Mr Russum is a native of Leeds, who has made several ascents in balloons of this own construction. He first ascended with Mr Green Jnr from Leeds in 1830 In the following year he constructed a balloon of silk and cotton, which was named the Coronation Balloon and ascended from Leeds at the Coronation of William the Fourth, September 8, 1831. He only made two ascents with this balloon which was afterwards destroyed by a mob at Huddersfield. There was a great meeting in that town, and it was said he had gone there to keep people away from the meeting. In 1809 he constructed a balloon of muslin of immense size; the largest gas balloon I have yet heard of with the exception of the Nassau. It was 42 feet in diameter and would hold between 45,000 and 50,000 cubic feet. It was truly a splendid machine. With this balloon he made six ascents, five from Leeds, and one from Cheltenham. The varnish he used unfortunately rotted the muslin and he almost failed in his ascent from Cheltenham. On his return to Leeds, so vexed was he at this circumstance that he immediately ripped it up.
With reference to a balloon ascent from Leeds paying, I should think it would. I know that the last we have had here have paid pretty well. In 1837 Mr and Mrs Graham made three ascents and on the last of these ascents, although rain fell nearly the whole of the day, there was a balance left of £18.10.0 in Graham’s favour. According to the Leeds papers Mr Russum ←30 | 31→never had less than 1,500 persons in the Cloth Hall Yard on occasions of his ascent.
At Bradford, a town 10 miles from Leeds, I should think a balloon ascent would pay as there has been only one ascent made from that place, and it was as far back as 1828. Bradford, I should say is as likely a town as any in England, all the stuff trade nearly having left Leeds for that town. Then there is Halifax, with its Piece Hall, from which place only three ascents have been made in 1785, 1837, and 1838, so that you see it is eleven years since an ascent took place there.
I think I could name some other towns in Yorkshire that would answer very well. There is Malton, a pretty large town, from which I believe no ascent has been made at all. And I believe there have only been three ascents made from the City of York, one in 1786 by Lunardi, one in 1814 by Sadler Jnr, and one last year by Lieut. Gale who almost failed. I suppose it was with difficulty he got away and only himself in the car.
There has been no ascent from Wakefield since 1837. Barnsley, I think, has only witnessed one in 1837, Keighley one in 1828, Skipton I believe none at all. Sheffield has been a noted place for balloons. Mr Charles Brown, a native of that place, having made several ascents with balloons of his own. This gentleman made near 40 ascents from Beverley, Sheffield, Halifax, Carlisle, Newcastle, Glasgow, Dewsbury, etc, but he had a great many failures. I think he has abandoned ballooning altogether, I have not heard of him since 1843 when he made an ascent with a new balloon from Sheffield.
Mr C. Green has made two ascents this year with his Victoria balloon one from Colchester, in Essex, and one from High Wycombe, Bucks. At both of which places he had been engaged; at the former by the proprietors of the Botanic Garden, and at the latter by the Literary Institute. Mr Gypson is arranging for an ascent from Eisbech. I have enclosed you the particulars of his 95th ascent, which took place at Peterborough May 30th from which you will see that he is not doing very well. There is a Mr Wadman, a gas-fitter, of Bristol, who made above 30 ascents last year. He is in partnership with a Mr Richard Green, the papers say a relative of Mr C. Green. Mr Wadman is ill at present, and Mr R. Green is making ascents with the balloon. He has lately made ascents from Newbury, Reading, and ←31 | 32→Bath, and seems to get very well encouraged. Mr Wadman has ascended 68 times and he calls himself the ‘Western Aeronaut’.
Lieut. Gale is engaged to ascend from Jephson Gardens Lamington on Wednesday the 20th of this month. Bye the bye, I do not like his way of announcing an ascent. He always states in his bills, in the country, that the Cremorne balloon will hold 60,000 feet, and will carry 12 persons, whereas it will only contain 38,000 feet. When he was in Leeds he was engaged by Anderson, the Magician, who got up a gala at the Botanical Gardens. I heard Mr Anderson say that his expenses on this occasion were £120, his receipts about £150. The gardens are in a very bad situation for a balloon ascent, as people can see all that is going on in the gardens from Woodhouse Moor. The Cloth Hall is the best place in Leeds. A grand gala is to take place in Leeds about the middle of July, at Leeds Fair. This gala is got up every year by the Oddfellows. Nothing particular is yet announced and I have thought of presenting your circular to them. I shall be glad if I can do anything for you. I am enthusiastically fond of ballooning; it has been my constant study for a period of 18 years.
I have an idea that a Montgolfier balloon would pay better than a gas balloon. A Montgolfier may be constructed of cheaper materials, may be filled anywhere at any time at very little expense, and may be kept up quite long enough for exhibition. I have a receipt for making the silk fire-proof. I have had the experiment tried and it answers very well. A short time after the commencement of the publication of the Aerostatic Magazine. I sent Mr Coxwell a plan of mine for a parachute and he said he liked my idea. I contributed to the Aerostatic Magazine as you will see on reference to the notices to correspondents. I am sorry it was discontinued. My parachute is on quite a different plan to any hitherto used. It is simply this; two parachutes in the form of yours, one a few feet above the other, the air rushing from the lower one would pass rapidly into the upper one and by its force would cause the whole to descent much slower than if only one were used. I should like to try the experiment myself.
From Mr Hampton, Aeronaut. Corn Exchange, Cork, July 11, 1849.
I received your with the stamps in. I did not wish to you to send them. I should have wrote to you before this, but I have been very busy. I have ←32 | 33→sent you the pamphlet with the account of my Albion balloon. When you first sent to me I did not think of the Albion, thinking it was the others you wanted.2
You speak of several aeronauts which I do not know, such as Mr Wadman, Mr R. Green, Mr Russum, and Mr Brown. This last gentleman I have heard of at Wolverhampton and other towns in England. As for Mr R. Green, I think this must be a brother of C. Green, the old aeronaut. He has many brothers who have made numbers of ascents which he lumps with his. He has also a son named George. Do you know if it was the Albion balloon he made the two ascents you speak of at Colchester and High Wycombe?
You seem to be well acquainted with Mr Russum. Will you tell this gentleman I shall be most happy to meet him, should I be making ascents where he is, also yourself, and others. I thank you for your kind offer in trying to get the ascents. I should be most happy to join you or Mr Russum in getting up an ascent or two, should you know a place or places that will pay. It seems by what you state that old Green is as lucky as ever in being engaged and being paid well, but Gypson is not so, this I do not wonder at. As for the puffing system, Gale, Gypson, and Green seem to be fond of it, I do not like this tricking. As for 95 ascents made by Gypson, it is like Green’s 300. I think I shall head them all by stating I have made 450 ascents, but I fear I shall then be like them, when asked to give an account of the places and dates I shall be found out, so that I had better go on the safe side. As for Coxwell, this fellow is dishonourable as for his having a new balloon, he has not. The balloon he has, if I am informed right, was Gale’s former balloon and the gentleman with him is one that was in partnership with Gale.3 I think Gale can speak to this.
I am thinking myself of getting someone to join me with this balloon, and I flatter myself I have got as fine a balloon as there is in England. I find it is too much for one man to attend to, that is, getting up the ascents, etc etc. I think of putting an advertisement in The Times newspaper for a ←33 | 34→gentleman to take half the balloon, he may make ascents or not, I will take all risk should he not like to go
