Thomas Jefferson Papers

Note on Balloons, [ca. 9 January 1793]

Note on Balloons

[ca. 9 Jan. 1793]

Blanchard tells me that it takes

  • 3000 ℔ vitriolic acid } for a single person to ascend in a baloon.
    2000 ℔ iron1 filings
  • the vitriolic acid costs in London 4d. sterl. per ℔.

  • the baloon he ascended in was 22. feet French in diam.

calculating this without regard to fractions, and on supposition it was equal to a sphere of that diameter, it would contain 6800. cub. feet. this is about 3/10 ℔ of iron to every cub. foot of air.

MS (DLC: TJ Papers, 234: 41865); written entirely in TJ’s hand on a small scrap; undated; endorsed by TJ: “Baloons.”

1Word written over what appears to be “steel,” erased.

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