Now! Then! The public intervene in the ascent by balloon of Joseph Decker at York Racecourse

31 August 1785: The public intervene in the ascent by balloon of Joseph Decker at York Racecourse

Anon. 1785. Balloon Intelligence. The New London Magazine, Vol. 1, September 1785. London: Alexander Hogg. Get it:

Excerpt

Mr Decker attempted to ascend with a balloon from before the grandstand on Knavesmire. The day being fine, an astonishing multitude of all ranks and descriptions of people from York and the neighbourhood, as well as from various distant parts of the country, were assembled on the occasion. About three o’clock the process of filling the balloon took place, and it went on well till between five and six, when the car being fixed, it was found that the balloon was not sufficiently inflated for ascending: unfortunately the whole of their oil of vitriol [sulphuric acid] was expended, and a messenger obliged to be dispatched to York for a fresh supply. But before any could be procured, the populace, who had till now waited with great patience, being, as is supposed, apprehensive of a disappointment, became outrageous, and broke in upon the balloon, which they liberated, after cutting away the car. The balloon ascended gradually into the atmosphere, taking a north-east direction, rose to a great height, and continued in sight near half an hour. It was expected to descend somewhere upon the Wolds.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.
Abbreviations:

ER: East Riding
GM: Greater Manchester
NR: North Riding
NY: North Yorkshire
SY: South Yorkshire
WR: West Riding
WY: West Yorkshire

Comment

The Montgolfier brothers were the first to use sulphuric acid and iron filings to produce hydrogen to fill a globe aérostatique in 1783.

Many in the crowd had probably already seen Decker’s previous failed attempt on August 25th:

Thursday being the day fixed for the ascension of Messrs. Welter and Decker’s balloon, at York, the apparatus for filling was ready prepared at ten o’clock, in a convenient spot of ground behind the Minster, called Kettlewell’s Orchard, fenced in on the north by the city wall and rampart, which being commodiously fitted up for the company, formed a beautiful amphitheatre; and at one the machine was sufficiently inflated, and Mr. Weller seated in the car. After a few minutes spent in adjusting the ballast, &c. he took his aerial flight, and ascended about 40 feet high, but being over-weighted, he suddenly ducked nearly to the ground, when he began to throw out some of his ballast. This embarrassment, and a brisk wind driving the balloon horizontally, prevented him clearing the adjacent buildings, and after being violently dashed against the walls, &c. the car was entangled betwixt a chimney and a hipped roof – by some providential means the balloon disengaged itself from the netting, and left Mr. Weller in his car upon the roof, though not without being severely bruised. After the balloon was liberated, being much rent, the gas evaporated, and it fell in Blake-street. The disaster not only disappointed thousands, whose curiosity brought them from different parts of the country, but filled the minds of the gazing multitude, for the moment, with dreadful agitation. The commiserating public have encouraged Mr. Weller to make a second attempt in a more open situation, and we hear he purposes ascending from Knavesmire on Wednesday next (Times 1785/09/01).

More on the entrepreneur:

An ‘ingenious mechanic’ named James Deeker … sold small experimental balloons from his premises in Berwick Street, Soho, London. Deeker went on to make a number of balloon ascents of his own, and soon after, another member of the same family, one Joseph Deeker, sometimes spelt Dicker or Decker, was ready to make his first ascent, and for the venue chose Bristol… Building and launching a man carrying aerostat was always an expensive undertaking and Deeker estimated his costs at 200 guineas which, as was common in the late 18th century, was raised through sponsorship, direct public subscription, advanced ticket sales and from a pre-flight exhibition, which in the case of Deeker’s balloon was held at the Coopers’ Hall in Bristol’s King Street. When at last the necessary money had been raised the balloon was moved to a field adjoining the house of John Rawlings, a surgeon, of Little Avon Street, St Philip’s, from where it was to be launched on April 18th 1785. In the city vast crowds gathered in anticipation, but it was three in the afternoon before even a small pilot balloon was released to test the wind, and this was later reported to have come down near the Cross Hands public house at Old Sodbury. The 18 year old youth, sometimes described as Deeker junior, finally stepped into the basket at 3.45 pm, and after some near disasters which threatened to pitch him out into the field, the balloon finally rose into the sky and was out of sight within 15 minutes. So strong was the wind that it took only 32 minutes to cover the 26 miles, the balloon eventually making a very rough landing 2½ miles east of Chippenham, where Joseph Deeker, luckily none the worse for his experience, was escorted into the town, ‘amidst the acclamation of the assembled crowd’. No more is heard of Joseph Deeker’s ballooning exploits in England, but on August 7th 1789 he launched a 24 ft. diameter balloon from Fort George on New York’s Manhattan Island, the first serious demonstration that city had witnessed (Penny 1999).

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Original

September 6.

Mr. Decker, on Wednesday last, attempted to ascend with a balloon from before the Grand Stand on Knavesmire, near York.

The day being fine, an astonishing multitude of all ranks and descriptions of people from York and the neighbourhood, as well as from various distant parts of the country, were assembled on the occasion.

About three o’clock the process of filling the balloon took place, and it went on well till between five and six, when the car being fixed, it was found that the balloon was not sufficiently inflated for ascending: unfortunately the whole of their oil of vitriol was expended, and a messenger obliged to be dispatched to York for a fresh supply; but before any could be procured, the populace, who had till now waited with great patience, being, as is supposed, apprehensive of a disappointment, became outrageous, and broke in upon the balloon, which they liberated, after cutting away the car. The balloon ascended gradually into the atmosphere, taking a north-east direction, rose to a great height, and continued in sight near half an hour. It was expected to descend somewhere upon the Wolds.

198 words.