Deghen's Machine
All Resolutions
Dreghen's device for steering aerostats.
Description:
A man soars over an open plain, suspended beneath a balloon fastened to his back. He holds, and stands upon, a frame fitted with two umbrella-shaped wings intended to help him steer his machine.
Jacob Dreghen, a Viennese watchmaker, put his device to the test on the Champ de Mars in Paris in 1812. When his attempt ended in failure, the assembled crowd, stung by the disappointment, set upon him and tore the machine to pieces.
The caption reads in the original French: Appareil de Dreghen pour la direction des aérostats.
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