"The pigeons seeming to undergo much suffering, I determined upon giving them their liberty I first untied , beautiful gray-mottled pigeon, and placed him rim wicker-work He appeared extremely uneasy, looking anxiously around him, fluttering his wings, and making loud cooing noise, but persuaded to trust himself from off the car him up at last, and threw him to about half dozen yards balloon , however, no attempt to descend as I had expected, but struggled with great vehemence back, uttering same time very shrill and piercing cries He succeeded in regaining his former station rim, but had hardly done so when his head dropped upon his breast, and he fell dead car The other one prove so unfortunate his following the example companion, and accomplishing return, I threw him downward with all my force, and was pleased him continue his descent, with great velocity, making use wings with ease, and in perfectly natural manner In very short time out of sight, and he reached home in safety Puss, who seemed in great measure recovered from her illness, now made hearty meal dead bird and then went to sleep with much apparent satisfaction Her kittens were quite lively, and evinced not the slightest sign of any uneasiness whatever

"At quarter-past eight, being no longer able to draw breath without the most intolerable pain, I proceeded forthwith to adjust around the car the apparatus belonging condenser This apparatus will require some little explanation, and your Excellencies will please to bear in mind that my object, first place, was to surround myself and cat entirely with barricade against the highly rarefied atmosphere existing, intention of introducing within this barricade, condenser, quantity same atmosphere sufficiently condensed purposes of respiration object in view I had prepared very strong perfectly air-tight, but flexible gum-elastic bag bag, of sufficient dimensions, the entire car was in manner placed , it (the bag) was drawn over the whole bottom car, up its sides, and so on, along the outside ropes, upper rim or hoop where the net-work is attached Having pulled the bag up , and formed complete enclosure on all sides, and at bottom, now necessary to fasten up its top or mouth, by passing its material over the hoop net-work -- in other words, net-work hoop But net-work were separated hoop to admit this passage, to sustain the car meantime ? Now the net-work was not permanently fastened hoop, but attached by series of running loops or nooses I therefore undid only few loops at , leaving the car suspended remainder Having thus inserted portion cloth forming the upper part bag, I refastened the loops -- not hoop, for been impossible, cloth now intervened -- but to series of large buttons, affixed cloth itself, about three feet below the mouth bag, the intervals buttons having been made to correspond intervals loops This done, few more loops were unfastened rim, farther portion cloth introduced, disengaged loops then connected with their proper buttons possible to insert the whole upper part bag net-work hoop evident hoop would now drop down car, while the whole weight car itself, with all its contents, held up merely strength buttons This, at first sight, would seem an inadequate dependence; but by no means so, buttons only very strong in themselves, but so close together that very slight portion whole weight was supported by Indeed, had the car and contents been three times heavier than they were, I at all uneasy I now raised up the hoop again covering of gum-elastic, and propped it at nearly its former height of three light poles prepared occasion This , , the bag distended top, and to preserve the lower part net-work in its proper situation All that now remained was to fasten up the mouth enclosure; and readily accomplished by gathering the folds material together, and twisting them up very tightly inside of kind of stationary tourniquet

" sides covering thus adjusted round the car, inserted three circular panes of thick but clear glass, through which I without difficulty around me in every horizontal direction portion cloth forming the bottom, was likewise, fourth window, same kind, and corresponding with small aperture floor car itself This enabled me perpendicularly down, but having found it impossible any similar contrivance overhead, on account peculiar manner of closing up the opening there, consequent wrinkles cloth, expect no objects situated directly in my zenith This, , was matter of little consequence; for had I even been able window at top, the balloon itself prevented my making any use of it

"About foot below side windows was circular opening, eight inches in diameter, and fitted with brass rim adapted in its inner edge windings of screw rim was screwed the large tube condenser, the body machine being, , chamber of gum-elastic tube quantity rare atmosphere circumjacent being drawn of vacuum created body machine, was thence discharged, in state of condensation, to mingle thin air already chamber This operation being repeated , filled the chamber with atmosphere proper for all the purposes of respiration But in so confined space it would, in short time, necessarily become foul, and unfit for use from frequent contact lungs then ejected by small valve bottom car -- the dense air readily sinking thinner atmosphere below To avoid the inconvenience of making total vacuum at any moment chamber, this purification was never accomplished all at once, but in gradual manner -- the valve being opened only for few seconds, then closed again, until strokes pump condenser had supplied the place atmosphere ejected sake of experiment I had put the cat and kittens in small basket, and suspended it outside the car to button bottom, close valve, through which feed them at any moment when necessary this at some little risk, and before closing the mouth chamber, by reaching under the car with poles before mentioned hook attached

" I had fully completed these arrangements and filled the chamber as explained, it wanted only ten minutes of nine o'clock During the whole period being thus employed, I endured the most terrible distress from difficulty of respiration, and bitterly did I repent the negligence or rather fool-hardiness, I guilty, of putting off last moment matter of importance But having accomplished it, I soon began to reap the benefit invention Once again I breathed with perfect freedom and ease -- and indeed why should I not ? also agreeably surprised myself, in great measure, relieved violent pains which had hitherto tormented me slight headache, accompanied with sensation of fulness or distention wrists, the ankles, throat, was nearly all I had now to complain Thus it seemed evident that greater part uneasiness attending the removal of atmospheric pressure had actually worn off, as I had expected, much pain endured two hours attributed altogether effects of deficient respiration