A Voyage in a Balloon
儒勒·凡尔纳 / Jules Verne
儒勒·凡尔纳（Jules Verne，1828—1905），法国著名科幻小说家、冒险小说家。1863年，他凭《在已知和未知世界中奇异的漫游》一举成名，进一步地激发了他的创作热情。他一生中共创作了66部小说，其中《格兰特船长的儿女》《海底两万里》《神秘岛》《八十天环游地球》等风靡全球，成为家喻户晓的作品。他以大量著作和突出贡献，被誉为“现代科学幻想小说之父”。
In the month of September， 1850， I arrived at Frankfort-on-the-Maine. My passage through the principal cities of Germany， had been brilliantly marked by aerostatic balloon； but， up to this day， no inhabitant of the Confederation had accompanied me， and the successful experiments at Paris of Messrs. Green， Godard， and Poitevin， had failed to induce the grave Germans to attempt aerial voyages.
Meanwhile， hardly had the news of my approaching ascension circulated throughout Frankfort， than three persons of note asked the favour of accompanying me. Two days after， we were to ascend from the Place de la Comedie. I immediately occupied myself with the preparations. My balloon， of gigantic proportions， was of silk， coated with gutta percha， a substance not liable to injury from acids or gas， and of absolute impermeability. Some trifling rents were mended： the inevitable results of perilous descents.
The day of our ascension was that of the great fair of September， which attracts all the world to Frankfort. The apparatus for filling was composed of six hogsheads arranged around a large vat， hermetically sealed. The hydrogen gas， evolved by the contact of water with iron and sulphuric acid， passed from the first reservoirs to the second， and thence into the immense globe， which was thus gradually inflated. These preparations occupied all the morning， and about 11 o' clock， the balloon was three-quarters full； sufficiently so； for as we rise， the atmospheric layers diminish in density， and the gas， confined within the aerostat， acquiring more elasticity， might otherwise burst its envelope. My calculations had furnished me with the exact measurement of gas required to carry my companions and myself to a considerable height.