The Penny Illustrated Paper, Sept. 20, 1873

John Wise was one of the most active American aeronauts and a pioneer in the field of ballooning. One of his innovations was the use of a dragline to stabilize altitude and aid in controlled deflation during descents. Wise was also the first to observe the jet stream. On 17 August 1859 he made the first flight of local airmail in the U.S. from Lafayette, Indiana to Crawfordsville, Indiana. Wise made over 400 flights during his lifetime. He disappeared during a balloon voyage over Lake Michigan on 28 September 28, 1879.

In 1863, Félix Nadar’s “Le Géant” was the largest gas balloon ever constructed, holding 200,000 cubic feet of gas. The passenger car below the balloon was a small, two-story wicker house 8 feet high by 13 feet long, containing a small photography room, a parlor, and a restroom. Underneath it was placed a smaller balloon, called a compensator, the object of which was to prevent loss of gas during the voyage. It was built largely by the Godard brothers, Louis and Jules. There were nine passengers on its first journey made from the Champ de Mars on October 4, 1853, including Madame Nadar. After 17 hours and 400 miles, Nadar attempted to descend at Hanover, Germany. The large balloon and its car were dragged along the ground by a strong wind for seven or eight miles, knocking down trees and chimneys, before finally coming to a stop. All passengers were injured, some badly, but none fatally. Its second voyage launched on October 18 of the same year, and was also perilous. Jules Godard, who was a passenger on this trip, is credited with saving the lives of Nadar and the other passengers.