I corresponded with Coxwell for some time after the magazine appeared, but have not heard from him lately, he is on the continent, as you will see by the scrap of paper enclosed, he calls his balloon Sylph. It was rather singular that at the time the postman delivered me your letter enclosing the bill a friend of mine was just showing me your advertisement in a Cork paper. I sincerely hope your ascent from that place may have proved a bumper. Nothing will give me greater pleasure, I can assure you, than hearing of your succeeding well in all your undertakings, for ever since I first read the Aerostatic Magazine I have felt a great interest in you and have read the accounts in the papers of your ascents with pleasure. I am quite delighted to think that you should have deceived Green by building another balloon. I do not suppose he would think of your doing this, he wishes to have it all to himself, he is very selfish, and this I have known for a very long time. When he was in Leeds last he behaved rather rudely to Mr Russum, and taunted him sadly about dragging over the roofs of the houses in one of his ascents from Leeds. I heard him ask Russum if he called that an ascent and you would have been amused to have seen Green himself strike the roof of the Cloth Hall the same day. Russum says he never felt so delighted in his life as he did at that moment.
I shall look anxiously for the paper of your ascent from Cork. I scarcely know what return I am to make for your kindness but if I can possibly do anything to serve you, I will with the greatest of pleasure.
From Mr Hampton, Aeronaut, 11 George Street, Cork, July 26, 1849.
You will have seen by this time that I have had two failures. The first was for the want of gas, and the second was owing to two fellows who were mending the neck of the balloon, it being a very windy day. I had got my weights all down to my last meshes of my net and had sent for eight men to stand by the hoop and was about to cast off half the weights, when a ←36 | 37→gust of wind took the loose silk out of the hands of the two men and they, trying to hold it, pulled one against the other and split the balloon from the neck to the valve. There was a large and highly respectable company on the ground and some thousands outside. All were of course much disappointed, it being the second failure, but no one could have felt it more than myself, for I do not like failures, they do an aeronaut much harm, but the most cautious will meet with misfortunes. I must say the public took it in good part it was seen by those on the ground that it was an accident. I at once offered to give up my balloon to any body of gentlemen that would form a committee and that I would not leave Cork till I had made an ascent, and that I would not receive one shilling more till I had done so and given full satisfaction. A committee was at once formed. The Mayor took upon himself to see that all should be done so as to satisfy all. I have got the balloon repaired and I think next Wednesday will be fixed for my ascent, and please God I hope all may go off well, if so, I shall have another on the Queen’s arrival.
I see by your letter and the newspapers that poor Green, the new aeronaut lost his life. I am very sorry. From what I read I think he ought not to have left his balloon. Had he have kept to it like me in 1838, when blown out to the North Sea, he might have met with some vessel that would have picked him up, but he is gone, poor fellow. The balloon has been found and so has his body, I see by the newspapers. I was very sorry to see in the papers the foolish statement that the balloon took 70,000 cubic feet of gas. Had it held half this he could have kept up and got into the upper current. It is in my opinion wrong and foolish to make these false statements.
I would advise you to mind what you are doing respecting the fire balloon, I cannot say much in favour of it, or against it, as I do not know the principle on which you are making it. And as for the parachute, let this stand over till you have seen me. I flatter myself I know as much about parachutes as any man, and if you will take my advice it may be of service to you. Do not think I am afraid that you will take the fame from me. I wish you could make up £150 or £100, we might then make such arrangements that might serve both. Two could do much, if honourable, but not without it.
The work on Aerostation, do not be in a hurry to publish it yet, should I be able to see you, I will talk to you on this subject too. As for repaying ←37 | 38→me, do not give yourself any trouble about this. I shall be most happy to attend to anything in my power for you. What does poor Green’s friend mean to do? Has he got the balloon safe? I hope he has. I will send you an Examiner. It has the best account about me. Let me hear from you soon.
To Mr Hampton, Aeronaut, Meanwood Road, Leeds, [Not dated.] August, 1849.
I was exceedingly sorry to hear of your misfortune at Cork, but these things cannot be prevented, and you are not the only one who has caused such disappointment to the public for Green’s Victoria balloon burst in a similar manner last year at Halstead, owing to a high wind.6 Only last Thursday Gale failed at Norwich for want of gas. It was very well no disturbance was made. I hope by this time that all may have gone off well.
The death of Richard Green, the aeronaut, is a very mysterious affair, for when the balloon was found it was not at all injured, and Mr Wadman states that he found in the car the large grapple, ballast bags, and other loose articles, weighting in the whole three quarters of a hundred weight, which, if Green had parted with judiciously, he might have kept up till day-break. He was seen at a great height above the water as late as ten at night, and the balloon was found at two in the morning. Wadman says also that Green might have cut away the car, which weighs 40 pounds. Wadman himself does not know what to attribute Green’s death. Green’s body was not found in the middle of Bristol Channel, as stated in some of the papers, but on the sands at Kewstoke near Weston Super Mare where a few boards were nailed together for a coffin and he was buried immediately in the sand. The balloon contained 70,000 gallons, not feet, it weighed two cwt, and would raise four cwt more according to Wadman’s statement.
You will have heard by this time of the accident with the Nassau balloon.7 This is rather a curious affair. The Illustrated London News states ←38 | 39→that Green explained the cause as follows. His nephew William Green had hold of the valve line, the balloon had become elongated, and instead of letting the cord slip through his hand he had held it tight. The valve opened, and about 14,000 feet of gas escaped. Another paper states that Green attributes it to the peculiar electrical state of the atmosphere which had deprived the gas of its power.
To Mr Hampton. Meanwood Road, Leeds, August 10, 1849.
The exploits of the female aeronaut, Margaret Graham, had already been noted in Brown’s correspondence. There was also the fact that this large lady – who was reported as weighing 220lbs, close on 100kg – had gained a certain notoriety through taking female passengers aloft, a practice frowned upon by the aeronautical fraternity and male members of the public.
I received the paper you were so kind in sending to me, and was glad to find you were more successful.8 I have enclosed you a bill announcing Green’s farewell visit to Leeds and will send you a paper containing an account of the ascent. He is engaged by Alfred Ormond who married Miss Waverley Scott, the actress. This gentleman has been getting up two or three galas at the Botanical Gardens, but has not been well encouraged.
Mrs. Graham has again made her appearance as an aeronaut. She made two ascents on Monday and Tuesday in Lieut. Gale’s new balloon La Ville de Paris from Cremorne. On the first occasion she was accompanied by one of her daughters and Mrs. Gale, and on the second by her two daughters.
Gale went up from Birmingham on Monday and on Wednesday from Cremorne. Green went up yesterday from Liverpool, having been engaged to ascend at the Fancy Fair which I mentioned to you in a former letter.
From