2-888-269 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Mrs. Graham's Balloon on Fire, 1850. In 1826, Margaret Graham became the first British woman to make a solo balloon flight. She described her 1850 flight from Cremorne Gardens in London: "...the wind had increased, and the gas...had by this time greatly condensed...The consequence was, that the balloon, which, on the 29th of July, carried up five persons, would now only take myself, allowing for the weight of fireworks (75 lb.)...[She managed to land, but...] 'Upon walking round to see if the valve was open, a man indiscreetly came behind me with a light, which coming in contact with the escaping gas, instantaneously ignited, giving forth a volume of flame which resembled the dome of St. Paul's on fire: the effect of the sudden combustion of from 8,000 to 10,000 cubic feet of gas was terrific". 'Mrs. Graham was severely scorched on the face and hands, and part of her clothing was destroyed'. From "Illustrated London News", 1850.