Samuel Archer King

“ The honor of planning and executing this greatest of all aërial voyages is due to La Mountain alone, although the credit for it has been claimed by others. In September, 1859, he made an ascension from Watertown, N. Y., which was remarkable on account of his perilous experience. The ascension was made when the temperature was 84° F., but on reaching a height of three and one-half miles it had sunk to 18° F. As night came on, the balloon was over the Canadian wilderness, and a partial descent was made to “tie up” till daylight came, when he again proceeded in a northerly direction. ”

“ Three unsuccessful attempts were made at inflation, the balloon bursting each time, when finally the aeronaut Prof. S. A. King was sent for, the work was accomplished, and the ascension made from the Capitoline baseball grounds in Brooklyn, N. Y., on 7 Oct., 1873. Donaldson had two companions, named Ford and Lunt. A handsome life-boat, filled with provisions and loaded with great quantities of sand, was hung beneath the balloon, which served both as car and as a means of escape in case of falling into the ocean. But they never reached the sea. ”

“ When a boy he was fond of climbing to the greatest heights possible, to satisfy his passion for viewing extended landscapes. Soon after attaining his majority he constructed a balloon. His first ascension was made on 25 Sept., 1851, from Philadelphia; but, in consequence of a scant supply of gas, it proved only a partial success, and he received rough treatment in the tree-tops and in being dragged up the Schuylkill and over the dam. He again tried the experiment, and made a successful voyage across Philadelphia, far into New Jersey. ”

“ Donaldson proposed a trade; he would teach the landlord the mysteries of the black art and transfer to him all the paraphernalia of his exhibitions, which was done, and Donaldson found himself the owner of a balloon. Without the slightest previous knowledge of balloon management, he made arrangements for an ascension, taking his first lesson in a failure, which happened for want of lighter gas or a larger balloon, the latter being too small to carry him except with pure hydrogen. The balloon was enlarged and tried again with coal-gas, as in the previous instance ”

“ He left Easton, Pa., 11 Aug., 1838, and when he had reached the height of 13,000 feet his balloon burst, and in less than ten seconds all the gas had escaped. The balloon descended rapidly with an oscillating motion, and, on reaching the earth, rebounded, throwing Mr. Wise ten feet from the car. He next advertised that on 1 Oct., 1838, he would ascend and in the air would convert his balloon into a parachute, which feat he successfully accomplished. On 4 July, 1840, he entered into competition with William Paullin for a record of the highest and longest balloon ascension, but was defeated. ”

“ Lowe was the first to make experiments in sending messages by the electric telegraph from a balloon to the ground; but, although he was successful, his device does not appear to have been put to any satisfactory employment. He invented and put into practical use a portable apparatus for generating hydrogen gas for war balloons. ”

“ In August, 1846, during an ascension from West Chester, Pa., he entered a thunder-cloud, and, on descending, his car was struck by lightning, but he escaped. During an ascent, on 15 Aug., 1851, from Zanesville, Ohio, he made experiments on the action of falling bodies, and found that they all spin upon their axes. ”

“ In 1851 he petitioned congress for an appropriation of $20,000 for the purpose of constructing a large air-ship with which to demonstrate the possibility of destroying any fleet, fort, or army by means of explosive missiles thrown from the car, and also the possibility of crossing the ocean. ”

“ Subsequently he made captive ascensions from Philadelphia and New York; but these proving financially unsuccessful, he retired from aëronautic pursuits after disposing of his apparatus to the Brazilian government. Mr. Lowe then turned his attention to inventing, and obtained patents on various mechanical devices, one of the first of which was an ice-making machine. ”

“ They were carried out over Lake Ontario, and finally descended into the water, through which they were dragged for several miles before they were rescued by a boat's crew sent out from a passing schooner. ”

“ During his next, on 4 July, 1835, from Lebanon, Pa., he attempted to open the valve on the top of the balloon, but lost control, and it burst, compelling him to descend. On 1 Oct., 1835, he attempted an ascension from Lancaster, Pa., but was thrown from the car and became unconscious while the balloon ascended alone, and on 7 May, 1836, he ascended again from Lancaster, and landed in Harford county, Md., about seventy-five miles distant. While he was emptying the car of its cargo an explosion of the gas occurred, burning the aëronaut severely. ”