Page:O que eu vi, o que nós veremos (1918).pdf/17

 The next day I was at the builders' atelier.

They presented me with projects, showed me silks... They proposed to me to build a balloon of 250 cubic meters...

I took the floor: — Mr. told me yesterday that the weight of this silk, after varnished, is so many grams: pure hydrogen gas raises such weight: I want a tiny boat and, from what I saw yesterday, a bag of ballast will be enough to spend a few hours in the air: I weigh 50 kilos; conclusion: — I want a balloon of one hundred cubic meters.

Great surprise!

I really believe they thought I was crazy.

A few months later, "Brazil", to the great amazement of all the experts, was crossing Paris, beautiful in its transparency, like a big soap bubble.

Its dimensions were: diameter 6 meters, volume 113 cubic meters, the silk used (113 square meters) weighed 3,500, varnished and ready, 14 kilos. The surrounding net and suspension ropes weighed 1,800 grams. The little boat, 6 kilos. The guide-rope, 100 meters long, weighed 8 kilos, a small anchor, 3 kilos.