Siege of Paris balloon flight. 19th-century illustration of the 'Le Jacquard' balloon lost over the Irish Sea in 1870 with its pilot Alexander Prince. This balloon was one of two lost at sea in the Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War of July 1870 to May 1871. This balloon departed Paris in strong winds on 28 November 1870, carrying 250 kilogrammes of mail and 6 pigeons. During the siege, 168 people, 3 million letters, 363 pigeons, and 5 dogs, left Paris on 66 balloons. Artwork from 'Aerostation - Aviation' (1911) by French civil engineer Max de Nansouty (1854-1913), part of the 'Les merveilles de la science' series of 1867-1891 by Louis Figuier.