Mary Myers

Last updated
Mary Myers
Mary Myers circa 1890.jpg
Meyers (c.1880)
Born
Mary Breed Halway [1]

1849 (1849) [2]
Died1932 (aged 8283) [2]
OccupationBalloonist
Spouse
Carl Myers
(m. 1871)
ChildrenElizabeth Aerial Wing [3] [2]

Mary Myers (1849-1932), better known in her life as Carlotta, the Lady Aeronaut or Carlotta Myers [4] was an American balloonist and inventor. She married Carl Edgar Myers in 1871 and, after he became interested in designing balloons and other airships. Myers assisted him in his work and eventually took to testing their designs herself. She made her first balloon trip in front of a crowd of 15,000 people in 1880.

Contents

Throughout the 1880s, she worked as a professional balloonist at fairs and exhibitions in the United States. She became known both for skill in handling an untethered balloon and her showmanship. In 1889, she and Carl established the Balloon Farm: a flight school and place for her and Carl to design and test new balloons. She retired from flying in exhibitions in 1891 and the from Balloon Farm in around 1910.

Early life

Mary Breed Halway was born in 1849 to John B. Hawley and Elizabeth Hawley ( née  Breed). [2] Her mother's family was from Boston, Massachusetts, and her father's were from Connecticut. As of 1871, she was living in Hornell, New York. [5]

Career

Marriage and early career

On 8 November 1871, Myers married Carl Edgar Myers. [6] [7] Carl worked as a portrait photographer [7] in Hornell until 1875. [8] In 1875, Carl sold his photography business after becoming increasingly interested in the idea of flight specifically, the idea of balloon flight. He and Myers moved to Mohawk, New York [5] where they worked together designing and creating new styles of balloons [7] and airships. [8] Myers recorded the results of the various experiments, researched meteorology, and sewing up the balloon skins themselves. [7] Having completed their first balloon in 1978, [8] the Myers employed professional balloonists to test out their designs. However, in 1880, Myers and Carl had built a balloon in the shape of an inverted tear-drop, as opposed to the more-common spherical shape. (Carl believed that this new construction would prove beneficial during higher-speed rides). The professional balloonist backed out of the trial, so Carl took the balloon up himself. The experiment proved successful, and Myers, inspired by her husband, decided that she also wanted to become a balloonist. [7]

Balloonist

Her first flight, in front of 15,00 people, took place in July, 1880, in Little Falls, New York. [1] Before the flight, and feeling that her given name, Mary, was too simple, Myers adopted the moniker "Carlotta" for her public appearances. [7] [1] She went up in the balloon the Aerial [9] alone, bringing along carrier pigeons so that she could provides updates to the spectators, and so that she could ask to be picked up. The flight took thirty-five minutes, and ended when she landed on farm approximately twenty miles away from where she had taken off. [7]

A few months later, for an event at a fair in Norwich, she embarked on her third flight, [10] again in the Aerial. [11] Worried that an approaching storm would cause her audience to leave, Myers took off just as the storm clouds arrived, causing her to be blown off course and she became disorientated. [12] The voyage ended abruptly when she emerged from the cloud and discovered that she had lowered the balloon too quickly. The anchor to become entangled in a tree, stranding her in the air. Myers had already sent off her carrier pigeons, as part of a last-ditch attempt to loose weight and slow her descent. She was noticed by a group of hunters, one of whom sent for help after jokingly asking why she "hadn’t found a taller tree to land in". Her rescue, which she directed, took two hours, and required the removal of six nearby trees. [13] [1]

She and her husband performed often at fairs or other gatherings [7] across the United States [14] and were known for their showmanship. [15] During her performances, Myers would sometimes parachute out of the balloon [14] or act as an elderly woman attempting to seize control of it. [16] She worked for hotels in Saratoga Springs, New York, taking people on sight-seeing trips in her balloons, [17] although she was reluctant to do so. [18] She had several balloons she used regularly such as the Carlotta, the Aerial, the Zephyr, and the Flying Cloud. [19]

Myer's husband published her book, Aerial Adventures of Carlotta; or, Sky-Larking in Cloudland in 1883. [8] The book described many of her balloon trips, and contained newspaper clippings describing her public displays.

Balloon farm

A diagram of Myers' "Guiding Apparatus for Balloons". Myers Guiding Apparatus for balloons 1885.png
A diagram of Myers' "Guiding Apparatus for Balloons".

In 1889, Carl Myers bought a mansion which he established as what is now called the Balloon Farm: a balloons factory in Frankfort, New York, [7] that also served as a flying school. [20] Myers worked there as a test aeronaut, trying different designs. [7] During this period, she continued to work as a balloonist around New York state, [7] but her trips became less frequent. [21] In 1891, she retired from public life to work exclusively on the farm. [7] At the balloon farm, she and her husband carried out their work designing and building a variety of balloons, including weather balloons for the United States Weather Bureau, balloons for the United States Army Signal Corps to use in the Spanish–American War, [8] and balloons built to order for private individuals and fair hosts. [22] Myers took on a supervisory role at the farm, [21] and was as a "silent partner" by Preston Bassett. [23]

She and Carl retired from the Balloon Farm in around 1910, [21] [8] leaving their daughter to sell the property. [3]

Designs

Myers assisted in the design, construction, and patenting of Carl's sky-cycles. [24] On May 26, 1885, she and Carl were granted their patent for a "Guiding Apparatus For Balloons" which consisted of a rudder and a sail attached to the side of the balloon's basket. [14]

Personal life and legacy

Myers had one child, a daughter she named Elizabeth Aerial Myers, in spring of 1881. [25] Elizabeth also learned how to fly balloons and airships, and she once flew her father's sky-cycle at an indoor event for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. However, she refused to fly untethered balloons after a childhood incident where Myers had taken her for a trip over New York in the balloon Carlotta. Midway through the journey, the Carlotta descended too quickly and landed in a lake. Trapped by trees, Myers had her daughter wade through the lake and pull the balloon to safety. [26]

Throughout her career, Myers never had any serious ballooning accidents. [7] [23] Myers and her husband retired from professional balloon making in around 1909 [14] or 1910, [8] [3] and moved into their daughter's home in Atlanta, Georgia. [3] They moved there around the year 1910 [8] or 1919. [27] Myers lived in Atlanta until her death in 1932. [3] [2]

Legacy

Historic marker commemorating Myers in Frankfort, New York Balloon Farm Marker Sep 2009.jpg
Historic marker commemorating Myers in Frankfort, New York

Myers was one of the first American women to fly solo in a balloon, [20] and has sometimes been recognized as the first American woman to pilot her own aircraft or balloon. [21] [28]

In 1886, the couple tested a balloon which, instead of being filled with hydrogen, was filled with natural gas. Myers took off from Franklin, Pennsylvania, but she reported that the gas valve had become stuck, preventing her from controlling the balloon's ascent. While in flight, her barometer recorded an altitude of 21,000 feet, which would have been a record height for a natural gas balloon to reach. [7] Myers lacked oxygen equipment, [21] and did not report symptoms of altitude sickness such as dizziness or loss of consciousness. [7] She did, however, report that her breathing was impacted. [18]

In a 1966 article for the American Heritage magazine, Preston Bassett said in response to contemporary news articles focusing on her looks that Myers "had to estimate and control with split-second accuracy wind drift, rate of fall, and amount of sideways glide, and make them all come out even at just one point. She was not only daring and pretty; she was something of a genius." [7] Myers also objected to the way she was viewed in the press, denying claims that she performed acrobatics in the balloon and wore circus-costumes. [29]

She was noted for her ability to control an untethered balloon, [8] so much so that she was meant to be able to plan her landing destination before taking off. In this, she was aided by the more flexible basket and rudder system that she and her husband has designed. [7] [21] By putting her weight on different sides of the basket, Myers could exert control over the balloon's flight path. [21] Her study of wind currents and meteorology also helped her plan her landing points. [30]

There is a historic marker in Frankfort commemorating her. [31]

Publications

Myers, Mary (1883). Aerial Adventures of Carlotta; or, Sky-Larking in Cloudland. Mohawk, New York: C. E. Myers.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harmon Trophy</span> Set of aviation awards

The Harmon Trophy is a set of three international trophies, to be awarded annually to the world's outstanding aviator, aviatrix, and aeronaut. A fourth trophy, the "National Trophy", was awarded from 1926 through 1938 to the most outstanding aviator in each of the twenty-one member countries and again from 1946–1948 to honor Americans who contributed to aviation. The award was established in 1926 by Clifford B. Harmon, a wealthy balloonist and aviator.

This is a list of aviation-related events during the 18th century :

This is a list of aviation-related events during the 19th century :

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thaddeus S. C. Lowe</span> American aeronaut, scientist and inventor (1832–1913)

Thaddeus Sobieski Constantine Lowe, also known as Professor T. S. C. Lowe, was an American Civil War aeronaut, scientist and inventor, mostly self-educated in the fields of chemistry, meteorology, and aeronautics, and the father of military aerial reconnaissance in the United States. By the late 1850s he was well known for his advanced theories in the meteorological sciences as well as his balloon building. Among his aspirations were plans for a transatlantic flight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Piccard</span> American balloonist inventor

Donald Louis Piccard was a Swiss-born American balloon pioneer, promoter, innovator, designer, builder, and pilot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Army Balloon Corps</span> Branch of the Union Army during the American Civil War

The Union Army Balloon Corps was a branch of the Union Army during the American Civil War, established by presidential appointee Thaddeus S. C. Lowe. It was organized as a civilian operation, which employed a group of prominent American aeronauts and seven specially built, gas-filled balloons to perform aerial reconnaissance on the Confederate States Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of military ballooning</span>

Balloons and kites were the first inventions used in aerial warfare and their primary role was reconnaissance. Balloons provided an unreliable and stable means of elevating an observer high over the battlefield to obtain a birds-eye view of troop positions and movements. An early instrument of aerial intelligence collection, they were also useful for creating accurate battlefield maps, an important ingredient for battlefield success. Incendiary balloons also have a long history. The incendiary balloons carry hot air or something that can catch fire to destroy enemy territory. They could also hold small bombs for combat. The history of military ballooning dates back to the late 18th century, when the Montgolfier brothers, Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne, first demonstrated the potential of hot-air balloons for military use. The first recorded military use of balloons was during the French Revolutionary Wars, when the French military used balloons to gather intelligence on the movements of the enemy. Balloons were also used during the American Civil War, where they were used for reconnaissance and communication. Balloons had a decline after several incidents in the interwar period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophie Blanchard</span> French balloonist (1778–1819)

Sophie Blanchard, commonly referred to as Madame Blanchard, was a French aeronaut and the wife of ballooning pioneer Jean-Pierre Blanchard. Blanchard was the first woman to work as a professional balloonist, and after her husband's death she continued ballooning, making more than 60 ascents. Known throughout Europe for her ballooning exploits, Blanchard entertained Napoleon Bonaparte, who promoted her to the role of "Aeronaut of the Official Festivals", replacing André-Jacques Garnerin. On the restoration of the monarchy in 1814 she performed for Louis XVIII, who named her "Official Aeronaut of the Restoration".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Wise (balloonist)</span> American balloonist

John Wise was a pioneer in the field of ballooning. He made over 400 flights during his lifetime and was responsible for several innovations in balloon design. His balloon, The Jupiter carried 123 letters to make the first official airmail delivery run for the US Post Office in 1859.

Élisabeth Thible, or Elizabeth Tible, was the first woman to make a flight in an untethered hot air balloon. She was born in France in Lyon on 8 March 1757. On 4 June 1784, eight months after the first crewed balloon flight, Thible flew with Mr. Fleurant on board a hot air balloon christened La Gustave in honour of King Gustav III of Sweden's visit to Lyon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balloon Farm (Frankfort, New York)</span> Historic house in New York, United States

The Balloon Farm, originally called the Gates Manshion, is a historic home located at Frankfort in Herkimer County, New York. It includes the Gates-Myers Residence, built in 1878. It is an imposing, nearly square, three-story eclectic Late Victorian dwelling built of dimension lumber above a cut-stone foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanley Spencer (aeronaut)</span>

Stanley Edward Spencer (1868–1906) was an early English aeronaut, famous for ballooning and parachuting in several countries, and later for building and flying an airship over London in 1902.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeanne Geneviève Garnerin</span> French balloonist and parachutist (1775–1847)

Jeanne Geneviève Garnerin was a French balloonist and parachutist. She was the first to ascend solo and the first woman to make a parachute descent, from an altitude of 900 metres (3,000 ft) on 12 October 1799.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Percival G. Spencer</span> British aeronaut 1864–1913

Percival Green Spencer was a British pioneering balloonist and parachutist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugène Godard</span> French aeronaut

Eugène Godard Ainé was a French aeronaut, born in Clichy on August 26, 1827, died in Brussels on September 9, 1890.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katharina Paulus</span>

Katharina "Käthe" Paulus was a German exhibition parachute jumper and the inventor of the first collapsible parachute. At the time, 1910, the parachute was named "rescue apparatus for aeronauts". The previous parachutes were not able to fit in a case like apparatus worn on the back, thus Paulus' invention became of paramount importance for the Germans in the First World War and she produced about 7,000 parachutes for the German forces. During the First World War, Paulus created approximately 125 parachutes a week. She was also credited with inventing the "drag 'chute", an intentional breakaway system where one small parachute opens to pull out the main parachute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vera Simons</span> German-American inventor and artist

Vera Simons (1920–2012) was an inventor, artist, and balloonist. She became known in the 1950s and 1960s as a leader in high altitude gas balloon development and exploration, belonging to a group of pioneers known as the "Pre-Astronauts."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleanor Vadala</span> American chemist, materials engineer and balloonist (1923–2023)

Eleanor Vadala was an American chemist, materials engineer and balloonist. She became director of research and development at the Naval Air Development Center in Pennsylvania, where she helped to develop light synthetic materials for use in aircraft. One of her jobs was the testing of fabric in existing balloons to ensure they could be used safely.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">May Assheton Harbord</span> First woman to obtain an Aeronauts Certificate in the UK

May Constance Assheton Harbord, was the first woman to obtain an Aeronaut's Certificate in the United Kingdom, in 1912.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Edgar Myers</span>

Carl Edgar Myers (1842–1925) was an American aeronautical engineer. He was born at March 2, 1842 at Herkimer, New York, to Abram H. and Eliza Ann (Cristman) Myers. At various times in his life, he was employed as carpenter, mechanician, plumber, electrician and chemist, banker, and photographer. After 1978, he focused on aeronautical engineering. He became known as the inventor of new or improved systems for generating gases, and as the constructor of hydrogen balloons and airships, including the aerial velocipede, gas kite, sky-cycle and electrical aerial torpedo. He married Mary Breed Hawley on November 8, 1871.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 Maksel, Rebecca (2012-08-16). "Carlotta, the Lady Aeronaut". Air & Space/Smithsonian . Retrieved 2024-06-08.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Bassett 1963, p. 155.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Bassett 1963, p. 172.
  4. Bassett 1963, p. 154.
  5. 1 2 Bassett 1963, p. 150.
  6. Johnson, Rossiter; Brown, John Howard, eds. (1904). "M Myers". The twentieth century biographical dictionary of notable Americans. Vol. 8. Boston, Massachusetts: The Biographical Society.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Bassett, Preston R. (August 1966). "Aerial Adventure Of Carlotta, The Lady Aeronaut Or Sky-larking In Cloudland,". American Heritage. Vol. 17, no. 5. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Carl Myers Balloon Farm Collection, Acc. 1991-0075". sova.si.edu. National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution . Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  9. Bassett 1963, p. 156.
  10. Myers 1883, p. 18.
  11. Basset 1963, p. 157.
  12. Basset 1963, pp. 156–157.
  13. Myers 1883, pp. 18–22.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Wartenberg, Steve (November 2021). "Prof. Myers' Sky-Cycle: by attaching a bicycle apparatus, propeller and rudder to a hydrogen-filled balloon, Carl Myers created one of the first maneuverable powered aircraft". Aviation History. 32 (2): 16–17.
  15. Bassett 1963, p. 158.
  16. Bassett 1963, pp. 158–159.
  17. Welch, Rosanne (1998). Encyclopedia of women in aviation and space. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO Inc. p. 151. ISBN   978-0-87436-958-8.
  18. 1 2 "Mary H. Myers, "Carlotta, the Lady Aeronaut"". Library of America. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  19. Bassett 1963, p. 166.
  20. 1 2 Stanley, Autumn (1995). Mothers and daughters of invention. Rutgers University Press. p. 339. ISBN   978-0-8135-2197-8.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Oakes, Claudia M (1978). "United States Women in Aviation through World War I". Smithsonian Studies in Air and Space (2). Smithsonian Institution Press: 9–10. doi:10.5479/si.01977245.2.1.
  22. Bassett 1963, p. 165.
  23. 1 2 Bassett 1963, p. 171.
  24. "Myers Built It; The Nashville Airship Was Built By Him". Syracuse Sunday Herald. 1897-05-23. p. 24.
  25. Bassett, p. 159.
  26. Bassett, pp. 162–164.
  27. Perkins, Susan R.; Hopson, Caryl A. (2013). "One: Notable People". Frankfort. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN   978-1-4671-2055-5.
  28. "A Feminine Balloonist". Herald & Review . 1911-05-03. p. 10.
  29. Smith, Kirtsin (2019-08-19). "Introduction- Tracing stunts: definitions and etymologies". Stunts of Late Nineteenth-Century New York: Aestheticised Precarity, Endangered Liveness. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   978-0-429-63227-3.
  30. Bassett 1963, p. 162.
  31. Stoessel, Steve (2019-07-29). Pfingsten, Bill (ed.). "Mary Myers Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved 2024-06-09.

Bibliography