Deghen’s Machine

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deghens-machine
Dreghen's device for steering aerostats.

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Cushing-Whitney Medical Library, the Internet Archive

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Description

A man is flying over a plain suspended beneath a balloon attached to his back. He holds as much as he stands on a device bearing two umbrella-shaped wings supposed to help him steer his machine.

Jacob Dreghen, who was a Viennese watchmaker, tested his device on the Champ-de-Mars in Paris in 1812. To make up for the disappointment of seeing his attempt fail miserably, the crowd which had gathered for the occasion punched him and tore apart his machine.

The caption reads in the original French: Appareil de Dreghen pour la direction des aƩrostats.

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