noon
The day of the ascent was that of the great September fair , which attracts so many people to Frankfort . Lighting gas , of a perfect quality and of great lifting power , had been furnished to me in excellent condition , and about eleven o'clock the balloon was filled ; but only three-quarters filled , -- an indispensable precaution , for , as one rises , the atmosphere diminishes in density , and the fluid enclosed within the balloon , acquiring more elasticity , might burst its sides . My calculations had furnished me with exactly the quantity of gas necessary to carry up my companions and myself . We were to start at noon . The impatient crowd which pressed around the enclosed space , filling the enclosed square , overflowing into the contiguous streets , and covering the houses from the ground-floor to the slated gables , presented a striking scene . The high winds of the preceding days had subsided . An oppressive heat fell from the cloudless sky .