09/01/2026
PART 2: Professor Samuel A. King and his giant Buffalo balloon!
In our previous post, we recounted the flight of the balloon “Hyperion” from Buffalo by famed 19th century aeronaut, Prof. Samuel A. King. Today you’ll learn about two more of his record-breaking flights!
In the summer of 1873, Professor King returned to Buffalo and began planning his next voyage. He gathered a team of seamstresses at the Aetna Insurance building located at Prime and Lloyd Streets, in the area of modern-day Canalside, to build a new balloon that he called “The Buffalo.” The balloon itself was made of tightly woven cotton fabric, totaling 1,400 yards, carefully sewn together into 95-foot long segments and covered with a special varnish. There were 24 horizontal “stays” on the inside of the balloon to provide structural stability, along with a net draped over the balloon. When inflated, it measured 176 feet in circumference, with a capacity of 90,000 cubic feet of hydrogen gas, making it the largest balloon in the United States at the time. The “car,” woven from willow branches, had a capacity of up to 14 people, and the balloon itself was decorated with ornamental line work and an image of a bison.
On September 16, 1873, at 3pm, the balloon was launched from the corner of Delaware and Church Streets in Downtown Buffalo. It is reported that as many as 25,000 people watched as The Buffalo took its maiden voyage with the Professor and his 4 passengers. At the peak of their flight, they reached a height of 8,799 feet above ground, where the temperatures reached 32 degrees Fahrenheit. After a 6-hour journey, taking scientific measurements and sending carrier pigeons to report their progress along the way, the balloon and its passengers landed at 9:15pm in Hornby, New York. From there, Professor King continued his journey alone, visiting other towns in the days following.
Professor King made his second ascension in The Buffalo from this city on July 4, 1874. The balloon was launched from Terrace Park around 6:00pm with Professor King and three reporters as passengers. The balloon was on a southerly route, passing over the towns of Hamburg, North Collins, and East Otto. Balloons were still a strange sight to most people at the time, and it was reported that often villagers were frightened by the approaching airship and the mysterious voices of its passengers. On their journey it was not uncommon for the party to encounter fireworks or cannon fire, due to the ongoing Independence Day celebrations. The group traveled on through the night, and as dawn broke, found themselves floating along the border between Pennsylvania and Maryland. The winds changed direction and soon the balloon was headed for the Atlantic coast, and it was then that Professor King decided to begin his descent. The travelers landed at about 7am in a wheat field near Salem, New Jersey. The total distance of this flight was estimated at about 400 miles, making it one of the longest ever accomplished in North America at the time.
Samuel A. King was seen again in Buffalo not long after this record flight. On September 26, 1874 he landed in Buffalo with a smaller balloon, the “Cloud Nymph,” that he had launched from a fair in Gowanda earlier that day.
Seen here is a stereograph of The Buffalo balloon on September 16, 1873 (courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum, Kranik Ballooning Collection), another stereograph of the Buffalo during its flight on July 4, 1874, a map of the route and measurements taken during the 400-mile journey, a colorized photo of the balloon, and what is considered to be the first airmail stamp which pictures The Buffalo balloon.
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