1878 PARIS EXPOSITION / SOUVENIR OF HOT AIR BALLON FLIGHT EXHIBITION MEDAL

Description: Obverse : hot air balloon over Jardin des Tuileries (where was the Paris 2024 olympic torch) and exhibition monuments above legend : "panorama de Paris 1878"Reverse : "souvenir de mon ascension dans le grand ballon captif de Mr Henry Giffard"Diameter : 51 mm or 2 inchesWeight : 53 gramsMetal : gilt bronze, plain edge Baptiste Jules Henri Jacques Giffard (8 February 1825 – 14 April 1882) was a French engineer. In 1852 he invented the steam injector and the powered Giffard dirigible airship. In response to his declining eyesight, Giffard killed himself in 1882, leaving his estate to the nation for humanitarian and scientific purposes. The brilliant campaign of captive ascensions carried out by the great captive balloon of the Tuileries courtyard was completed on November 4, at eleven o'clock in the morning. The day before, at five o'clock, the last public ascension had taken place, in the midst of a considerable crowd of spectators. On Monday 4, in the morning, the great captive rose twice successively into the air; the basket had been placed by Mr. Henry Giffard at the disposal of Mr. Gambetta, accompanied by MM. Admiral Mouchez, Hervé-Mangon, Paul Bert, Commander Perrier and several other notables. Calm weather and a fairly clear sky presided over this last day of operation of equipment that will make an epoch in the history of balloons as well as in that of the city of Paris and French science. Preparations for deflation were begun immediately, and by the end of the day on Thursday the 7th, the aerial colossus had released into the atmosphere the 25,000 cubic metres of hydrogen gas which, for four months, had made it the largest sphere that man had ever constructed to date. The impermeable fabric of the captive balloon, the immense rope net that enveloped it are absolutely intact as on the first day; Mr. Henry Giffard, by this new creation, has, as we have said previously, transformed from scratch the fundamental elements of the aerostatic art. It seems interesting to us to summarize succinctly the history of such an important construction. The captive balloon of the courtyard of the Tuileries operated publicly for one hundred days: from July 28 to November 4. This immense sphere, which had become one of the most imposing monuments of Paris, could be considered as a barometer of a new kind, which indicated in an apparent manner the state of the weather to the entire city and its surroundings. When the balloon hovered in the air, it was a sign of good weather; when it remained on the ground, one could be certain that the strong wind or the rain were disturbing the serenity of the atmosphere.The captive balloon remained attached to the ground, due to bad weather or high winds, for 9 days in August (1, 2, 12, 16, 19, 23, 24, 30 and 31); for 5 days in September (13, 16, 18, 23 and 30); for 14 days in October (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 21, 22, 253, 24, 25, 26, 29 and 30). It therefore only operated for 72 days, of which approximately 17 were when the ascents were interrupted for a more or less significant part of the day, due to temporary bad weather. Mr.Henry Giffard's aerostat has completed 1,000 ascents, which represent a vertical journey of 1,000 kilometers, round trip, or 1 million meters. This journey is equivalent, counting 25 tons of weight removed per ascent, to a total work of 25 billion kilograms. The number of travelers who have risen into the air is 35,000, or taking an average of 65 kilograms per traveler, a weight of more than 2 million kilograms. The weight of the coal burned in the boilers to produce this mechanical work was 150,000 kilograms. The total revenue during the period of operation amounted to 839,555 francs; the number of commemorative medals distributed to travelers was 35,000 and represents an expenditure of 44,000 francs. The number of free tickets distributed to the press, scientists, the administration, etc., exceeded 5,000. During a single day, October 2, the captive balloon made twenty-four consecutive ascents and carried off, in seven hours, more than 900 travelers; the total revenue that day reached 22,000 francs. Twenty-five free balloons were inflated in the enclosure during the period of operation. Mr. Henry Giffard's gas apparatus always functioned with the most remarkable precision and regularity. These aerostats of 200 to 350 cubic meters rose simultaneously in numbers of two and three; they provided valuable information on the wind regime in the higher regions of the atmosphere, and offered the public a spectacle as interesting as it was new. On Sunday, October 20, when the balloon Éole was mounted by Mr. Duruof, the Aquilon by Mr. Gratien, and the Zéphyr by Mr. Petit, the presence of more than 8,000 spectators was noted within the courtyard of the Tuileries The comparison balloons, raised simultaneously, always landed in the vicinity of Paris, sometimes at a distance of about 1 kilometer from each other, sometimes at the same point, as happened on Sunday, November 3, when the three aerostats launched did not cease to navigate side by side in the air. During the entire duration of the operation, there was not the slightest accident to report; the precautions taken were so meticulous that the nacelle of the captive balloon offered perfect safety. The Parisian public and the foreigners who came to Paris during the Exhibition have moreover paid a great tribute of confidence to this marvel of modern mechanics. The captive balloon offered the spectacle of the panorama of Paris to the representatives of all the nationalities of the world; among the travelers were noted, most of the delegates of China and Japan to the Universal Exhibition, Indian and Burmese princes, great personages of the kingdom of Cambodia, Arab chiefs, a considerable number of English, Americans, Germans, Russians, Spaniards and Italians. The Prince and Princess of Wales, the Prince and Princess of Denmark, Mr. Léon Say, Minister of Finance; Mr. Admiral Pothuau, Minister of the Navy; Mr. Albert Gigot, Prefect of Police; Mr. General d’Abzac, and most of the officers of the military household of Mr. the President of the Republic; Mr. General de Miribel, Chief of Staff of the Minister of War, a large number of deputies and senators, members of the Institute, the luminaries of science, art and literature, passed in turn in the basket of Mr. Giffard’s captive balloon. As for the number of those whose modest purses kept them on the shore, it is incalculable, and if, as we hope, Mr. Henry Giffard builds next year a more powerful aerostat, capable of carrying a greater number of travelers at a lower price, all of Paris will want to taste the charm of air travel. The success that the captive balloon has obtained has been so great that this material can be considered an important creation, a true complement to the monuments of a great city. It is a monument indeed that this aerostatic dome, which, fixed to the ground, reaches the height of the largest buildings, and which, rocked in the air, exceeds by ten times the elevation of the largest domes in the world. It offers to all a new pleasure, a charming sensation which consists in rising into space, in leaving the stifled air of the streets to go and breathe the fresh, invigorating breeze of the high regions, and to admire the greatest spectacle that it is given to man to contemplate. The captive balloon brings to science the solution of problems of great importance: almost indefinite conservation of hydrogen in an impermeable fabric, large-scale preparation of this gas which is the soul of aerostation, new construction of all the elements of the balloon which now make it possible to undertake the construction of real aerial vessels. While the modern marvels of the art of engineering, such as large metal bridges, large steam ships, have been conceived gradually and step by step, following the successive efforts of a large number of different constructors, the captive balloon of the courtyard of the Tuileries which is in no way inferior, as difficulties overcome, to these monuments of science, appeared suddenly; it came out of one piece from the brain of its inventor. The praises we expressed for this great construction, even when it was in the process of production, could have been considered exaggerated a few months ago; they are today consecrated by the opinion of all scientists and the entire public.

Price: 75 USD

Location: Tourcoing

End Time: 2024-11-10T17:23:46.000Z

Shipping Cost: 13 USD