The Balloonist: The Story of T.S.C. Lowe, Father of the U.S. Air Force
by Stephen Poleskie
Summary
A flamboyant showman, dedicated scientist, and starry-eyed dreamer, Thaddeus Sobieski Coulincourt Lowe, soon after the outbreak of the Civil War, went to the federal government with a view to convincing the authorities in the use of balloons for observation purposes. He eventually was made chief of the aeronautic department and rendered valuable service to the Army of the Potomac during the war. Hovering over the battlefield, observing the action from his hot-air balloon, Lowe is considered by many to be the founder of the U.S. Air Force. Lowe also made contributions in the fields of meteorology, cartography, military science, aerial photography, metallurgy, and railroading.
With a fast-paced plot, crisp dialogue, and strongly developed characters, Stephen Poleskie has aptly captured Lowe’s life and achievements in this highly readable book.
Excerpt
The morning of June 28, 18960, dawned crisp and clear. A colorless mist rose off the river as three men, driven in a smart cabriolet, departed central Philadelphia in the early light and headed across the empty fields in the direction of the gas works at Point Breeze. As the road was one not usually traveled by such a fine carriage, the driver kept his horses at a walk, mindful of the ruts and potholes filled with previous night’s rain. The cabriolet belonged to Garrick Mallery, editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who was to be the passenger of honor on the inaugural flight of the balloon great Western. Excited by the possibility of the airship’s flight, no one in the carriage gave much thought to the fact that the nation they lived in was on the verge of dividing itself.
The tall and handsome young man with the full black moustache seated in the center, whose dark eyes were clearly focused on the future, but who could not stop talking about the weather, was the balloonist Thaddeus Sobieski Constantine Lowe, designer and builder of the mammoth airship now being inflated at Point Breeze. Despite the morning chill, the carriage’s top was folded down so Lowe could see the sky. The winds aloft had brought a clearing trend from the west.
The two other men listened patiently as the day brightened, and the balloonist commented on every departing cloud, every wisp of wind. Discreet looks passed between them indicating that Lowe’s fascination with the weather was becoming insufferable. Yet while they wished the balloonist would allow the carriage closed, and stop talking about the conditions, they were well aware that in a few hours, although they would be along merely for the ride, it would be he who would have the ultimate responsibility for the success or failure of the first attempt of the Great Western at leaving the earth.
The other man in the coach was John B. Dickinson, a former sea captain who had volunteered for the crew of what Lowe eventually hoped would be the world’s first transatlantic flight. While taking a tour of the airship in progress, Captain Dickinson, upon seeing the lifeboat that Lowe had designed to hang under the gondola of the Great Western, had expressed a strong interest in becoming part of the venture. The captain had pointed out that if the airship was unfortunate enough to go down in the Atlantic Ocean, it would be useful to have someone on board with the knowledge and skill to sail the small vessel.
The rising sun was in the process of restoring the color and nuance to the landscape when T.S.C. Lowe and his party arrived at Point Breeze. They found Professor John C. Cresson, president of the Franklin Institute, and chairman of the board of the gas works,
already at the mooring. He had been there for some time supervising the inflation of the massive gas bag of the Great Western…the meters showed that with the present flow the balloon should have four hundred cubic feet of gas in the bag in four hours.
Reprinted with permission of Fredercic C. Beil Publishers. http://www.beil.com
Reviews
"This first full-scale biography of Thaddeus Lowe (1832−1913) makes fascinating reading for aviation buffs and students of nineteenth-century eccentricity”--Booklist
Author's Biography
Stephen Poleskie is a champion aerobatic flyer, artist, and writer. He has been a visiting lecturer at twenty-six colleges and art schools in the United States and abroad. He now is professor emeritus at Cornell University and resides with his wife in Ithaca, New York.