Dagon Shwe Yar - Air Travel

Air travel

On January 14, 1862, an important meeting of the World Geographical Society was held in London. At that meeting, the chairman announced that a fearless and unwavering man was planning to cross Africa in a hot air balloon, to which the members gave a hearty round of applause. The chairman then announced that the man’s name was Samuel Zargasson, and the members were overjoyed and raised money to help him cover the expenses of his adventure. ‘ Dr. Zargasson had not only traveled extensively in Europe and the New World, but also in America, and his travels were not in vain, but had made a great contribution to the history of geography and geography. His travels were widely reported in the major London newspapers, and his name became famous and he was recognized worldwide as a fearless adventurer. Dr. Zargarson was a man who did not shy away from any difficulty, and was unparalleled in his endurance and perseverance.

Dr. Ferguson believed that no matter how much people had visited Africa, there were still many secrets hidden within it that were still unknown to the world. So he decided to set out on a sort of expedition to explore different parts of Africa. He thought that the area could be reached in a few weeks by hot air balloon. He was so confident in the idea of ​​going by hot air balloon that he even invited his close friend Richard Kennedy to join him.

Kennedy was a Scotsman, but he was brave, determined, and open. They had served in the same army in India, and they had become very fond of each other. Ferguson studied plants and insects, and Dick studied tigers and elephants.

He was very fond of shooting. (Dick was the nickname the Doctor affectionately called Richard Kennedy.)

Recently, Dr. Ferguson had come to visit Dick, who was very quiet and always talking, and Dick suspected that he had some idea in his head. However, he did not reveal it at the time, and it was not until the following news item appeared in the newspaper that the problem was clarified.

The newspaper reported that Dr. Ferguson, a world-renowned adventurer and traveler, was planning to cross Africa from east to west in a hot air balloon. The balloon would take off from the island of Zanzibar, off the east coast of Africa, and only God knew where he would land at the end of his journey.

When Zat heard the news, Dick said,

"What a crazy idea, flying over Africa in a hot air balloon, he's been trying to figure it out for two years, but it's not going to happen... it's not going to happen, it's not going to happen. He's not going to stop me from doing something so stupid. If this keeps up, I don't even know if I'll go to the moon," he muttered to himself.

That night, Richard Kennedy arrived in London and was ready to go to the doctor when he met Dr. Ferguson. But Dr. Ferguson said, "What's the matter?" "Yes, sir. What are you doing in London, having a good time hunting?"

“What should I do? I want to destroy your nonsense.” “What nonsense?” (Pointing to the newspaper) “Is this true?”

"That's right, I don't even need to write to you today to take you there."

“Don’t call Kyat too. Don’t do it, we’ll both end up in jail.” “No. I’m not joking. I’m serious. If you don’t go, Kyat will go alone.”

Dr. Ferguson explained his intentions to Richard Kennedy (Dick). And so, in the end, our dear friend

The two friends agreed to take on an idea that neither of them had ever considered before.

(When this story begins, Africa is a land of few people.

Even Europeans have only briefly explored some parts of Africa, except along the coast. That is why all maps show the vast, unexplored interior of the continent in large letters.)

Dr. Ferguson decided to start his balloon journey from the island of Zanzibar. This island is nearly three times the size of the Isle of Man in England, and lies about 360 miles south of the equator, and close to the east coast of Africa. Dr. Ferguson took ample time to make detailed preparations for his journey. He decided to take with him, in addition to his two large balloons, his trusted apprentice Joe, who had been with him for many years. After making as accurate calculations as possible, he found that the total weight of the supplies needed for the journey, including provisions, clothing, and measuring instruments, was nearly 4,000 pounds. His final estimate is as follows:

Pounds

Dr. Samuel Alder wears 135

Dick Kennedy (his friend) 153

Joe (his student) 120

P-The weight of the balloon is 650.

The weight of the balloon is 510.

280 hammocks and large nets

190 large iron hooks, measuring instruments, guns, blankets, tents and tools

Beef, meat powder, biscuits, tea, coffee powder, and brandy bottles 386

400 drinking water

700 clothes

Hydrogen gas 276

200 sandbags

Total - £4,000

The doctor, being very imaginative, came up with the idea of ​​making two sizes of balloons and putting the smaller one inside the larger one. He made both of these balloons out of silk and covered them with chicken fat to make them airtight. He also brought along three large iron hooks that had been carefully tested and a light and strong silk rope ladder about 50 feet long.

The Doctor's disciple Joe was a man he could trust in everything. He had been a disciple of the Doctor for a long time, so he did not consider his teacher a hired servant, but a good friend. Joe, even if it meant risking his life to do something, did everything he could to fulfill his teacher's trust. In addition, he had traveled extensively with the Doctor, and he had already mastered a lot of information about the world's chemistry, which the Doctor believed would be of great help in his upcoming journey. Joe's most outstanding qualities were his calmness and his ability to see the good in everything he faced. Thus, a problem that was complicated for someone else seemed naturally easy and clear to him.

"Although his teacher had never said a word to him about the plan to cross Africa, Joe had become convinced that he would be part of his teacher's journey."

The ship, the Rizawlu, carrying passengers to Zanzibar, was anchored at Greenwich Harbor on February 16, 1862. The ship

It was an ocean-going steamship of about 800 tons, and was built by the British through the efforts of the members of the Great Geographical Society.

The government of Sri Lanka assigned the ship to a Royal Navy captain named Winnett to be used in the case of Dr. Zagartsen.

It was sent by hand. , Two (2) large balloons, a hammock, iron hooks, ropes,

The ship's hold, along with its provisions, water tanks, and other equipment, was being managed by Zargarson himself. In addition to two comfortable cabins for Dr. Zargarson and Kennedy, another cabin was prepared for Joe.

After the final arrangements were made, the Geography Club celebrated with a grand dinner dedicated to Ferguson.

After the words were spoken, all the passengers arrived safely on board. So on the morning of February 21, the Rizzo weighed anchor and sailed for the Grand Port.

It drifted down the river and headed for the east coast of Africa.

During the long, lazy, and beautiful voyage, the Doctor studied geography in the ship's dining hall.

He spends his time explaining his work. The audience, who are interested in his lectures, are very enthusiastic.

They were even more enthusiastic when each group explained in detail how they had planned their trip. , Furthermore, the doctor had explained to his companions in detail how he had planned to land and take off the balloon whenever he wanted to.

(Dr.) "I've been experimenting over and over again to make sure that the gas in the balloon doesn't escape and that I can descend whenever I want. But the results I've gotten from these experiments are mixed.

It's not very satisfying. It's a bit heavy to carry sandbags. The methods of going up and down with the help of the balloon are to change the temperature of the gas in the balloon.

"They start by expanding and then they go up and down. When the gas inside expands, the balloon becomes lighter than its original weight, so it rises. When the mercury is reduced and the gas contracts again, the balloon falls down."

The Yizhao people's ship sighted the Taba Mountains on the 37th day (March 30) after leaving the Tame River. The wind was favorable, so it was still further ahead of Yizhao. After crossing the Zanzibar Strait, at 11 a.m. on April 15, the ship arrived at the seaport city of Zanzibar on the west coast of the island.

As soon as the ship ran aground, the English Consul came on board and told the Doctor that he was ready to give any assistance he could. The leader of the Sri Lankan party and his friends were also invited to stay at the Consulate, so Ferguson, Kennedy and Rowe went to the Consulate where the Consul lived and stayed there peacefully. Their first wish was to get a large balloon to a suitable place near the docks near Zambales, where ships were seen coming and going, and then inflate it.

A fight broke out. The place was well protected from the east wind.

However, when the balloon was brought to land, the islanders warned the consul that the people would strongly oppose the landing of the balloon. They were fanatical in their religious beliefs, and they were very superstitious, thinking that the Christians who had come to them to visit the moon in the sky were trying to insult their religion. The Africans worshipped both the sun and the moon, and they foolishly thought that such a journey would bring them danger, so they planned to prevent such opposition.

Doctor: "Then what are we going to do? We'll just end up like this no matter where we land on the planet."

Consul: "It's no problem. Can't you see the Ho Ho Islands outside the harbor? You can get the big balloon there and have the sailors surround you. You don't have to worry about anything."

Doctor: "Just relax. Then we can calmly prepare our preparations."

Captain Winnet agreed to the idea. So they moved the ship to a small island called Zun. On the morning of April 16, they landed the balloon in the middle of a large clearing shaded by tall trees.

Two large poles, each 80 feet high, were erected 80 feet apart, and the tops were connected by a strong copper cable. Pulleys were installed to pull the still-empty balloon into the middle of the pole. A smaller balloon was firmly attached to the top of the larger one so that the two could be lifted together. Then, at the bottom of each large balloon, two large pipes were installed to feed hydrogen gas into it.

A device for extracting gas from sulfur, water, and iron ore had also been prepared, and by 8 o'clock the next morning everything was ready. The large balloon, covered with a large net, was placed directly on top of a large hammock, which was stretched with many sandbags. The device for inflating it was carefully arranged, and the work of inflating it began. Iron hooks, ropes, tools, and equipment, as well as the necessary clothes and blankets for the journey, were brought, as well as sails, provisions, and weapons.

Ammunition was also placed in the cradle in its own place and in a limited manner. Clean drinking water was also obtained from Zanzibar. By about 5 o'clock in the evening, all the above arrangements were fully made. While these arrangements were being made, the boats from the Yizhaw people's ship were guarding the strait and constantly circling the island.

The blacks on the mainland were incessantly shouting and waving their arms in protest of their displeasure. The monks and medicine men were constantly moving about the noisy crowds, trying to control the anger of the crowd. A few brave men even managed to cross the narrow strait that separated them from Zanzibar and reach the island. But they were easily driven back. Then the blacks drank a fiery liquor made from coconut juice and a strong beer made from rice, and then they sang songs, singing and dancing.

They continued to cause trouble by singing all night long with their loud, joyless voices.

At 6pm, a farewell dinner was held for the senior passengers on the Yizhao ferry. They slept on board that night and disembarked at John Island for the last time at 6am.

The balloon was swaying gracefully in the east. At that moment, the 20 crew members moved the sandbags that had been placed to prevent the balloon from rising. Captain Winnet and the ship's officers were ready to say their final goodbyes, praying for our passengers' safe return.

Thus they said their last farewells. Everyone joined the three brave travelers in their farewells. At 9 o'clock they took their places in the hammocks. The sailors tied the ropes to each other.

As they lowered the balloon, it slowly rose to a height of about 20 feet. The doctor, who was standing in the middle of the two companions, took off his hat and said, “Friends, our airship is a good omen for the future.”

"Let's call it Victoria, so that it will be good," he shouted.

"Hurrah...Long live the Queen! Long live England!" a deep voice roared.

At that moment, the balloon, which was still in motion, was struggling to rise into the air, as if it wanted to fly. “Hold on... let go,” the doctor said, and ordered. The sailors untied the ropes they were holding and let go. As the Victoria balloon rose into the air at a rapid pace, the four cannons, which were a symbol of honor from the ship Ye Zaw, began to sound and roar.

- The weather was clear and pleasant, and the Victoria rose straight up to a height of 1,500 feet. The view, which covered the whole of Zanzibar from one end to the other, was like a colorful carpet spread out before the eyes of the passengers, and they could not stop looking at it.

The fields were like beautiful, colorful curtains, and the people were like tiny insects. The sounds of shouting and shouting gradually faded away, and the sound of the river was heard.