the dominion of the air-第1章

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The　Dominion　of　the　Air

by　J。　M。　Bacon




CHAPTER　I。　　THE　DAWN　OF　AERONAUTICS。


〃He　that　would　learn　to　fly　must　be　brought　up　to　the　constant　practice　of　it　from　his　youth；　trying　first　only　to　use　his　wings　as　a　tame　goose　will　do；　so　by　degrees　learning　to　rise　higher　till　he　attain　unto　skill　and　confidence。〃

So　wrote　Wilkins；　Bishop　of　Chester；　who　was　reckoned　a　man　of　genius　and　learning　in　the　days　of　the　Commonwealth。　　But　so　soon　as　we　come　to　inquire　into　the　matter　we　find　that　this　good　Bishop　was　borrowing　from　the　ideas　of　others　who　had　gone　before　him；　and；　look　back　as　far　as　we　will；　mankind　is　discovered　to　have　entertained　persistent　and　often　plausible　ideas　of　human　flight。　　And　those　ideas　had　in　some　sort　of　way；　for　good　or　ill；　taken　practical　shape。　　Thus；　as　long　ago　as　the　days　when　Xenophon　was　leading　back　his　warriors　to　the　shores　of　the　Black　Sea；　and　ere　the　Gauls　had　first　burned　Rome；　there　was　a　philosopher；　Archytas；　who　invented　a　pigeon　which　could　fly；　partly　by　means　of　mechanism；　and　partly　also；　it　is　said；　by　aid　of　an　aura　or　spirit。　　And　here　arises　a　question。　　Was　this　aura　a　gas；　or　did　men　use　it　as　spiritualists　do　today；　as　merely　a　word　to　conjure　with？

Four　centuries　later；　in　the　days　of　Nero；　there　was　a　man　in　Rome　who　flew　so　well　and　high　as　to　lose　his　life　thereby。　　Here；　at　any　rate；　was　an　honest　man；　or　the　story　would　not　have　ended　thus；　but　of　the　restand　there　are　many　who　in　early　ages　aspired　to　the　attainment　of　flightwe　have　no　more　reason　to　credit　their　claims　than　those　of　charlatans　who　flourish　in　every　age。

In　medieval　times　we　are　seriously　told　by　a　saintly　writer　（St。　Remigius）　of　folks　who　created　clouds　which　rose　to　heaven　by　means　of　〃an　earthen　pot　in　which　a　little　imp　had　been　enclosed。〃　　We　need　no　more。　　That　was　an　age　of　flying　saints；　as　also　of　flying　dragons。　　Flying　in　those　days　of　yore　may　have　been　real　enough　to　the　multitude；　but　it　was　at　best　delusion。　　In　the　good　old　times　it　did　not　need　the　genius　of　a　Maskelyne　to　do　a　〃levitation〃　trick。　　We　can　picture　the　scene　at　a　〃flying　seance。〃　　On　the　one　side　the　decidedly　professional　showman　possessed　of　sufficient　low　cunning；　on　the　other　the　ignorant　and　highly　superstitious　audience；　eager　to　hear　or　see　some　new　thingthe　same　audience　that；　deceived　by　a　simple　trick　of　schoolboy　science；　would　listen　to　supernatural　voices　in　their　groves；　or　oracular　utterances　in　their　temples；　or　watch　the　urns　of　Bacchus　fill　themselves　with　wine。　　Surely　for　their　eyes　it　would　need　no　more　than　the　simplest　phantasmagoria；　or　maybe　only　a　little　black　thread；　to　make　a　pigeon　rise　and　fly。

It　is　interesting　to　note；　however；　that　in　the　case　last　cited　there　is　unquestionably　an　allusion　to　some　crude　form　of　firework；　and　what　more　likely　or　better　calculated　to　impress　the　ignorant！　　Our　firework　makers　still　manufacture　a　〃little　Devil。〃　　Pyrotechnic　is　as　old　as　history　itself；　we　have　an　excellent　description　of　a　rocket　in　a　document　at　least　as　ancient　as　the　ninth　century。　　And　that　a　species　of　pyrotechny　was　resorted　to　by　those　who　sought　to　imitate　flight　we　have　proof　in　the　following　recipe　for　a　flying　body　given　by　a　Doctor；　eke　a　Friar；　in　Paris　in　the　days　of　our　King　John：

〃Take　one　pound　of　sulphur；　two　pounds　of　willowcarbon；　six　pounds　of　rock　salt　ground　very　fine　in　a　marble　mortar。　　Place；　when　you　please；　in　a　covering　made　of　flying　papyrus　to　produce　thunder。　　The　covering　in　order　to　ascend　and　float　away　should　be　long；　graceful；　well　filled　with　this　fine　powder；　but　to　produce　thunder　the　covering　should　be　short；　thick；　and　half　full。〃

Nor　does　this　recipe　stand　alone。　　Take　another　sample；　of　which　chapter　and　verse　are　to　be　found　in　the　MSS。　of　a　Jesuit；　Gaspard　Schott；　of　Palermo　and　Rome；　born　three　hundred　years　ago：

〃The　shells　of　hen…eggs；　if　properly　filled　and　well　secured　against　the　penetration　of　the　air；　and　exposed　to　solar　rays；　will　ascend　to　the　skies　and　sometimes　suffer　a　natural　change。　　And　if　the　eggs　of　the　larger　description　of　swans；　or　leather　balls　stitched　with　fine　thongs；　be　filled　with　nitre；　the　purest　sulphur　quicksilver；　or　kindred　materials　which　rarify　by　their　caloric　energy；　and　if　they　externally　resemble　pigeons；　they　will　easily　be　mistaken　for　flying　animals。〃

Thus　it　would　seem　that；　hunting　back　in　history；　there　were　three　main　ideas　on　which　would…be　aeronauts　of　old　exercised　their　ingenuity。　　There　was　the　last…mentioned　method；　which；　by　the　way；　Jules　Verne　partly　relies　on　when　he　takes　his　heroes　to　the　moon；　and　which　in　its　highest　practical　development　may　be　seen　annually　on　the　night　of　〃Brock's　Benefit〃　at　the　Crystal　Palace。　　There　is；　again；　the　〃tame　goose〃　method；　to　which　we　must　return　presently；　and；　lastly；　there　is　a　third　method；　to　which；　as　also　to　the　brilliant　genius　who　conceived　it；　we　must　without　further　delay　be　introduced。　　This　may　be　called　the　method　of　〃a　hollow　globe。〃

Roger　Bacon；　Melchisedeck…fashion；　came　into　existence　at　Ilchester　in　1214　of　parentage　that　is　hard　to　trace。　　He　was；　however；　a　born　philosopher；　and　possessed　of　intellect　and　penetration　that　placed　him　incalculably　ahead　of　his　generation。　　A　man　of　marvellous　insight　and　research；　he　grasped；　and　as　far　as　possible　carried　out；　ideas　which　dawned　on　other　men　only　after　centuries。　　Thus；　many　of　his　utterances　have　been　prophetic。　　It　is　probable　that　among　his　chemical　discoveries　he　re…invented　gunpowder。　　It　is　certain　that　he　divined　the　properties　of　a　lens；　and　diving　deep　into　experimental　and　mechanical　sciences；　actually　foresaw　the　time　when；　in　his　own　words；　〃men　would　construct　engines　to　traverse　land　and　water　with　great　speed　and　carry　with　them　persons　and　merchandise。〃　　Clearly　in　his　dreams　Bacon　saw　the　Atlantic　not　merely　explored；　but　on　its　bosom　the　White　Star　liners　breaking　records；　contemptuous　of　its　angriest　seas。　　He　saw；　too；　a　future　Dumont　circling　in　the　air；　and　not　only　in　a　dead　calm；　but　holding　his　own　with　the　feathered　race。　　He　tells　his　dream　thus：　　〃There　may　be　made　some　flying　instrument　so　that　a　man　sitting　in　the　middle　of　the　instrument　and　turning　some　mechanism　may　put　in　motion　some　artificial　wings　which　may　beat　the　air　like　a　bird　flying。〃

But　he　lived　too　long　before　his　time。　　His　ruin　lay　not　only　in　his　superior　genius；　but　also　in　his　fearless　outspokenness。　　He　presently　fell　under　the　ban　of　the　Church；　through　which　he　lost　alike　his　liberty　and　the　means　of　pursuing　investigation。　　Had　it　been　otherwise　we　may　fairly　believe　that　the　〃admirable　Doctor；〃　as　he　was　called；　would　have　been　the　first　to　show　mankind　how　to　navigate　the　air。　　His　ideas　are　perfectly　easy　to　grasp。　　He　conceived　that　the　air　was　a　true　fluid；　and　as　such　must　have　an　upper　limit；　and　it　would　be　on　this　upper　surface；　he　supposed；　as　on　the　bosom　of　the　ocean；　that　man　would　sail　his　air…ship。　　A　fine；　bold　guess　truly。　　He　would　watch　the　cirrus　clouds　sailing　grandly　ten　miles　above　him　on　some　stream　that　never　approached　nearer。　　Up　there；　in　his　imagination；　would　be　tossing　the　waves　of　our　ocean　of　air。　　Wait　for　some　little　better　cylinders　of　oxygen　and　an　improved　foot…warmer；　and　a　future　Coxwell　will　go　aloft　and　see；　but　as　to　an　upper　sea；　it　is　truly　there；　and　we　may　visit　and　view　its　sun…lit　tossing　billows　stretching　out　to　a　limitless　horizon　at　such　times　as　the　nether　world　is　shrouded　in　densest　gloom。　　Bacon's　method　of　reaching　such　an　upper　sea　as　he　postulated　was；　as　we　have　said；　by　a　hollow　globe。

〃The　machine　must　be　a　large　hollow　globe；　of　copper　or　other　suitable　metal；　wrought　extremely　thin　so　as　to　have　it　as　light　as　possible；〃　and　〃it　must　be　filled　with　ethereal　air　or　liquid　fire。〃　　This　was　written　in　the　thirteenth　century；　and　it　is　scarcely　edifying　to　find　four　hundred　years　after　this　the　Jesuit　Father　Lana；　who　contrived　to　make　his　name　live　in　history　as　a　theoriser　in　aeronautics；　arrogating　to　himself　the　bold　conception　of　the　English　Friar；　with　certain　unfortunate　differences；　however；　which　in　fairness　we　must　here　clearly　point　out。　　Lana　proclaimed　hi