A Ballooning Tragedy for France

We have made several balloon flights here at the salon, sailing high above Europe in the company of some aviation pioneers of the glorious Georgian age and today we return to the clouds for a fateful, unhappy day in the history of ballooning.

Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier was a teacher and ballooning enthusiast who had achieved fame when he made the first manned free balloon flight in 1783. Riding high on this success, his next plan was even more audacious: a cross-Channel flight. A new balloon powered by hot air and hydrogen was required and after test flights throughout 1784, de Rozier was ready to take to the skies once more.

Deaths of balloonists Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and Pierre Romain 

Well aware that this was a risky venture, De Rozier grew more anxious as the day approached but was grateful for the presence of Pierre-Jules Romain, his experienced co-pilot. Early on 15th June 1785, the pair lifted off from Boulogne-sur-Mer in a richly decorated balloon, hoping for fair winds, good weather and a trouble-free flight.

Unfavourable winds forced them further and further from the coast and modern investigations have concluded that a static spark ignited the heavily gilded hydrogen bag, causing the balloon to deflate. It crashed down to earth in a cloud of flame before eyewitnesses including de Rozier's young fiancée, Susan Dyer, just half an hour after its ascent. Both passengers in the balloon were killed and France was plunged into mourning for these first, high profile ballooning fatalities. A week later Dyer was found dead after apparently taking her own life and the men were memorialised throughout the nation, with an obelisk marking the spot at which they died.

Wilhelmine Reichard, An Intrepid Lady of Aviation

Wilhelmine Reichard (née Johanne Wilhelmine Siegmundine Schmidt; Brunswick, Germany, 2nd April 1788 - Döhlen, Germany, 22nd February 1848)

Wilhelmine Reichard by Adolph Friedrich Kunike, 1820

If you are a regular visitor to the salon, you will know that I have told stories of intrepid balloonists before; we Georgians loved the thought of flying high above the rabble as we pushed the boundaries of travel and rising up towards the clouds was a most exiting development in transport! From my grandmother Gilflurt's tale of the Montgolfier brothers, to the first parachute descent and the story of a most adventurous lady, Jeanne Garnerin, the glorious long 18th century was full of ground-breaking aviators and today's guest is another fearless flyer.

Nicknamed Minna, the girl who would one day take to the skies was born the daughter of a Brunswick butler. An intelligent and adventurous girl, at the age of 19 she married Professor of Physics Johann Gottfried Reichard and the happy couple welcomed the first of their eight children to the world that same year. From the start the couple shared a fascination for ballooning and when they settled in 1810, they dedicated themselves to building a gas balloon in which Johann would make his maiden flight. By the end of the year Johann and Minna were making balloon ascents together and were constantly researching and working to improve their creations.

On 16 April 1811, Minna made her first solo flight. In her gas-powered balloon she rose high above Berlin, peaking at 16,000 feet before making a safe landing. More uneventful flights followed and the couple became celebrated throughout Europe for their adventurous nature and scientific observations. Though the balloonists experienced occasional crash landings when flying together, Minna was to experience a serious accident during a solo ascent though the lucky aviatrix lived to tell the tale.

As well as carrying out chemical experiments with Johann, Minna was a keen meteorologist and eventually rose higher and higher in the balloon as she conducted her observations. On one trip she rose to over 20,000 feet and was overcome by the effects of altitude, losing consciousness. The balloon split and she plummeted down to earth, surviving only because the basket became stuck in a canopy of trees. The intrepid lady was badly injured and was helped to safety by local farm workers; as a result she would not fly again for several years but Minna spent her recuperation in further research, dedicating herself to chemistry.

Despite this incident, Minna was not deterred and took to the air again, this time with the aim of raising enough money to support her husband's planned purchase of a chemical factory in Döhlen. The Reichards toured Europe and enjoyed no small measure of celebrity; they achieved her aims and retired from flight in 1820, with the hard-earned factory opening the following year. Minna now became a woman of business and with her husband ran the factory, becoming its sole manager following his death in 1844 and remaining in the post until her own death from a stroke four years later.

The First Parachute Descent

Not so long ago, I told the tale of Jeanne Garnerin, the first woman to make a parachute descent. Her story certainly captured the imagination of salon guests and quite a few got in touch to ask about the first ever descent, which was made by her husband, André-Jacques Garnerin. Since today is the anniversary of that exciting event, it seemed like an excellent time to revisit the moment!

Garnerin initially developed an interest in using balloons for military purposes during his time in the army and, following two years as a prisoner of the English, he returned to France with dreams of flight.  Garnerin devoted his time to pursuing his passion for ballooning and caused a scandal when he appeared before Paris officials to make a case for taking a young woman up for a flight, an utterly unthinkable idea. His wish was eventually granted and Garnerin was propelled into the celebrity sphere, his press not all harmed by the fact that the woman in question, Citoyenne Henri, was young and beautiful. The flight was a success and Garnerin turned his mind to the next escapade, reasoning that he had made a dramatic ascent, so perhaps it was time for an equally dramatic descent!

The balloonist absorbed himself in experiments involving parachutes, eventually ready to make his first public descent. On 22nd October 1797 a crowd gathered at Parc Monceau in Paris to watch the daring feat of aeronautics as Garnerin ascended to a height of more than 3000 feet. Far above the park he cut the ropes that attached balloon to basket and began his descent with the help of a white parachute, 23 feet across and in the shape of an umbrella.

As the basket buffeted and swung the crowd must have wondered if Garnerin would make it safely back to earth but happily, he did just that. Garnerin's reputation and career were set from that moment on and with his wife, Jeanne, he became renowned throughout Europe. Many more parachutists would follow from ever more dizzying heights but for all of that, it was Garnerin who landed first!

The Parachute Descent of Jeanne Garnerin

Not so long ago we took to the skies with the ballooning Montgolfier brothers and today we're off into the clouds again, this time in the company of Jeanne-Geneviève Garnerin, an intrepid lady whose exploits caused a sensation throughout Europe. On 12th October 1799 Jeanne made history when she became the first woman to make a parachute descent from a hot-air balloon, joining her husband in the narrow field of ballooning and parachuting pioneers!

Monsieur and Madame Garnerin by Christoph Haller von Hallerstein, 1803

Born Jeanne-Geneviève Labrosse in Paris in 1775, the young woman was among an enthusiastic crowd who gathered to watch André-Jacques Garnerin fly his hydrogen-powered balloon at Parc Monceau on 22nd October 1797. An innovator in the world of ballooning, Garnerin causing a sensation when he piloted his gondola safely, if a little bumpily, back down to earth with the help of a silk parachute of his own design. Jeanne was fascinated by what she had witnessed and signed up to become a pupil of Garnerin, eventually flying with him on 10th November 1798, four months after he courted controversy by taking a highly-publicised flight with another young lady!

German Commemorative Medal, 1803

Jeanne proved herself a natural balloonist and was the first woman to undertake a solo ascent. Buoyed by the successful flight she set her sights on another ambition, determined to be the first woman to parachute down to earth using her tutor's tried and tested method. With much fanfare Jeanne made her 900 feet descent on 12th October 1799, proving beyond a doubt that the press and public need not fear about the possible damage high altitude and fast descent might cause to the delicate female constitution! Her achievements were celebrated throughout France and she toured the continent with Gargerin repeating the feat, lauded where she went.

Finding in Garnerin a kindred spirit, Jeanne married the balloonist and in 1802 filed a patent application for  "a device called a parachute". With continental Europe conquered by the intrepid Garnerins and André-Jacques appointed Official Aeronaut of France, the couple turned their attention to fresh pastures and travelled to England in 1802. Once again their demonstrations proved enormously popular and Jeanne outdid herself, making a successful descent from 8000 feet over London.

The couple remained in England until war broke out in 1803 at which point they returned home to resume their career in France. When André-Jacques died in 1823, Jeanne retired from the ballooning life and passed the reins on to her niece, Elisa Garnerin. By the time Jeanne died in 1847 Elisa was celebrated across Europe for her own ballooning exploits, inspired by the aunt who had caused such a sensation!

The Story of the Montgolfiere Balloon

Joseph-Michel Montgolfier (Annonay, Ardèche, France, 26th August 1740 – Balaruc-les-Bains, France, 26th June 1810)
Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier (Annonay, Ardèche, France, 6th January 1745 – Neuchâtel, Switzerland, 2nd August 1799)

On the day she heard of the first hot air balloon flight, my old grandmother Gilflurt put on her heaviest shoes and declared that, if God had meant us to fly, he would have given us feathers somewhere other than on our hats. I'm not so sure I agree with that and to be honest, she is given to the odd bout of battiness anyway. Today we're celebrating the birthday of one half of the famed Montgolfier brothers so it's time to go back to France but without a guillotine in sight.

The brothers who would make their names in the air were born into down to earth surroundings, joining a family of papermakers and fourteen other siblings. From childhood the boys were like the faces of a coin, Joseph a creative dreamer and the younger Étienne a born businessman who eventually took over the family paper business. Under his management the firm went from strength to strength and the already considerable fortunes of the Montgolfiers were raised still further. He introduced new engineering innovations, winning praise from the government as the Montgolfier paper business was held up as an example of a model to French industry.

Whilst his brother was a practical man, Joseph often found his mind drifting in contemplation of some new invention or innovation, sometimes finding inspiration in the most unlikely places. Whilst watching washing drying above an open fire in 1777 he was fascinated by the way the linen was blown upwards, observing that wood chips were buoyed by the flames. He immediately began contemplating the uses for such a discovery and began conducting small experiments into the properties of heat.

Five years later he undertook his first serious experiments into the use of hot air for buoyancy, hoping that this new technology might be used to power airborne military assaults. He built a box with a roof and floor of cloth and found that, by lighting a fire beneath it, he could induce it to float. Joseph was incredibly excited by the results of his experiments and wrote of the gas he wrongly believed was contained in smoke, which he named Montgolfier gas. From small-scale beginnings the brothers conducted larger experiments and were able to replicate their successes.

Mindful that others might also be following a simple path, the brothers decided that they must make a public showing of their findings, settling on building a Montgolfiere balloon that was then flown at Annonay. The balloon was aloft for ten minutes and the brothers were invited to Paris to repeat the demonstration. However, the shy Joseph elected not to participate, leaving Étienne to perform the demonstration.

The brothers were the toast of the city and capitalised on their success by moving on to even greater things, constructing an ornate 37,500-cubic-foot balloon of sky blue. Although Louis XVI was all for sending up convicts on that first flight the brothers instead elected to load the basket with a sheep, a duck and a rooster. An excited crowd gathered at Versailles and witnessed as the first living beings took to the air, remaining aloft for almost ten minutes before making a safe landing.

Spurred on by this new success, Joseph and Étienne developed an even larger, far grander balloon decorated with royal symbolism. The ornate creation was first tested by Ètienne in a tethered flight but the first humans to fly in an untethered balloon were Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier (later the first man to die in a balloon accident) and François Laurent, marquis d'Arlandes. As the Montgolfiere balloon lifted into the air from the grounds of the Château de la Muette on 21st November 1783, a stunned crowd watched the men float high above Paris and out over the city walls before Pilâtre ended the flight, concerned by the way the fire was scorching the balloon. Despite this the people of France were thrilled and the merchandisers went to town feeding the public hunger from commemorative items, with the King bestowing honours on the Montgolfier family.

Hailed as national heroes, the two brothers were honoured by the French Académie des Sciences and became leading authorities in the French scientific community; today their names are forever linked with innovation in flight, not a bad legacy for two boys from Annonay.