A second farmer arrived, armed with an ancient musket. Frightened at seeing the huge globe lying on its side, he dropped his gun and lifted his hands skyward in prayer. The first farmer explained what he understood of the situation. Since the second farmer could read a little and understood the name Washington, Blanchard had no trouble enlisting his help from that point on. Blanchard commented: "How dear the name Washington is to this people! With what eagerness they gave me all possible assistance, in consequence of
his recommendation!"

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More people appeared, and Blanchard proudly showed them Washington's letter. The name Washington continued to make the impression he hoped for, and everyone tried to help this intriguing stranger. Several men neatly folded his balloon and stowed it in a wagon. A group of them then escorted him to Cooper's Ferry on the banks of the Delaware River, where he was transported across to the Pennsylvania side. Before he bid his new-found friends goodbye, however, he quickly drew up a document and asked them to certify "that we the subscribers saw the bearer, Mr. Blanchard, settle in his balloon in Deptford Township, County of Gloucester, in the State of New Jersey, about 10 o'clock 56 minutes, a.m….on the ninth day of January, anno Domini, 1793."

Monsieur Blanchard arrived back in Philadelphia that evening. He was greeted by a cheering crowd of well-wishers who formed lines to shake his hand. At 7 p.m., he paid his respects to President Washington and presented him with the flag he had borne aloft on his epic flight.

The brief flight had a deep effect on all who witnessed the takeoff. Dr. Benjamin Rush, in a letter to a colleague, wrote: "For some time days past the conversation in our city has turned wholly upon Mr. Blanchard's late Aerial Voyage. It was truly a sublime sight. Every faculty of the mind was seized, expanded and captivated by it, 40,000 people concentrating their eyes and thoughts at the same instant, upon the same object, and all deriving nearly the same degree of pleasure from it."

The aeronaut had wanted not only to make history that day but also to be rewarded financially. However, the $405 derived from ticket sales plus another $263 donated by the crowd outside the prison only partly defrayed the $1,500 in expenses he claimed to have incurred. Blanchard was unable to secure backing for a second flight, but, determined to make up for his losses, he remained in Philadelphia. He received help from the consul general of Genoa, who tried to mount a fund-raising campaign but failed.

Governor Thomas Mifflin offered Blanchard the free use of an office in the city. Blanchard was able to build a large "aerostatical laboratory" to house his balloon, car and some mechanical oddities, and thus lure paying customers inside for a small admission fee. In April 1793, he exhibited a wheeled automaton that he called the Curious Carriage. It featured a mechanical eagle that flapped its wings and made it appear as if it were moving by its own power.

Blanchard planned a second balloon flight with Joseph Ravara. But first he had to reduce his deficit and save enough cash to cover his new expenses. The aerostatical laboratory, open every day, could not generate enough cash at 25 cents a person. Still undaunted, he began flying small tethered balloons with animal passengers that would be released automatically by a fuse. The "passengers" would float to earth by means of a crude parachute or "falling screen." The first drop of a dog, cat and squirrel took place on June 6, 1793. Unfortunately, it was witnessed by "few paying, but many nonpaying spectators," according to the General Advertiser.

Although his income was meager, Blanchard had moral support from the Federal Gazette. The editor wrote: "There appears to be a prevailing disposition to compensate him. We hope all will step forward before it is too late." On a parachute flight scheduled to take place in mid-June, Blanchard pleaded in the press that "those persons who are acquainted with the expenses of the art-
ist will honor him with their company inside the said place."

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