The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-09-27 00:00:00

A NEW AERIAL SHIP.

(From the Nee, York rioter.)

- -
An experiment in scientific ballooning, greeter than
has yet been undertaken, is 'bout to be tried in this
city. The pn.ject et-emoting the Atlantic Ocean with
an air-ship, long talked of, but never accomplished, 11/41
taken a shape so definite that the apparatus is already
prepared and the aeronaut ready to undertake his task.
Whether successful or not, the enterprise merits men-
tion from its multitude, and the energy and fertility of
resource displayed in its prosecution.
The work has been conducted quietly, in the imnie-
dime vicinity of New York, since the opening of spring.
The new air-ship, width hu been christened the City of
New York, it' so nearly completed. that but few
essentials of detail are wanting to enable the projectors
to bring it visibly before the public.
The aeronaut in charge is Mr. 'l'. S. C. Lowe, a New
Hampshire linen, who has made Nil balloon ascent ions.
His last public appearance was at Portland, during this
year's celebration of the Fourth of July. Since that
time he has given his undivided attention to the pe:rfec-
lion of the air-ship designed for his Transatlantic voyage,
and has devised canons iuspruv,lueuts in its construe-
lion, by which he claims to have overcome the more
serious impediments to aerial navigation.
The dimensions of the City of New York so far
exceed those of any balloon previously constructed that
the bare fact of its existence Is notable. The spot where
its huge envelope is now undergoing tl:e final process of
oiling is an open piece of grassland, four or five miles
' distant from the city. The profane have not yet Levu
admitted to the knowledge cf the mystery which bur-
r moils the mighty heap of cloth Mal curd, and the
' iralous eye of a faithful watchman has kept at bay the
inquisitive stranger. As remarkable events are pre-
, pared most carefully in the dark, so Mr. Lowe has re-
served the surprise of this biggest of balloons until the
lag monient, when the immensity of its measurements
can be palpably distinguished. lltiefiy. for so large
is
subject, the following are the dimenmeml :—Createbt,
diameter, 1:() fret; transverse diauleter, VII feet;
height, front valve to boat. Xi) feet weight, with out-
fit, litidis; liftite; power (aggregate) ...a. tens ; capacity
of gas envelope, cubic feet.
The ity of New 1 ork. ;here i'ore, is nearly five times
, larger than the her.:est Isdloon ever before Its
, form is that if tbe usual perpendicular gas-receive r, with
I basket and lifeboat a:lnched. The introduction of vain.
improv. melds, however, hads to the conviction
that its general arrangement is greatly animism Mocha-
is.wer is hi, he' 11111111,1; the aeronautic party will
ket p :lie cold away from their marrow by the of a
linw-st.eve ; is /I,IV arralagetat Ilt of rtVt.hrillf; klls
been devised : r.a..1 the material of which the envelope
is composed is co:cred with a peculiar varnish, the in-
vention of lr. Lowe.
Six thomand yards of twilled cloth have been used in
the construction of the envelope. Reduced to feet, the
actual measurement of this material is 54,0u0 feet —or
nearly 11 miles. 17 of Wheeler and Wilson's sewing
machines have been employed to connect the pieces, and
the upper extremity of the envelope, intended to receive
the gas-valve, is of triple thickness, strengthened with
heavy brown linen, and sewed in triple seams. The
pressure being greatest at this point, extraordinary power
resistance is
fy.o,ineini
accus: sewingnTs chr
materialoo
den. st ut
a6it ii floilhis it:tuikw:
,o asserted
irtcs: could t,leat
stitchingit
.t
ho
and

The varnish applied to thilenvelope is a composition,
the secret of which rests with Mr. Lowe. Three or four
coatings are applied, in order to prevent leakage of the
gas. Mr. Lowe ii daily engaged in the personal super.
intendence of the process of manufacture. We found
him yesterday hard r.t work in all open field, assiduously
testing the progre,s of certain gallons of a villanouidy•
smelling comp,und, which boiled furiously at a tempe-
rature of OK/ deg.
. . .

The netting which surrounds the envelope Li • stout
cord, manufactured from flax expressly for the purpose.
Its aggregate strength is equal to a resistance of 100 tons,
each cord being capable of sustaining • weight of 400 lb.
or um.

The basket which is to be suspended immediately be-
low the balloon is niade of rattan, is 2.(.1 feet in circum-
ference and 4 feet deep. ls form is circular, and it is
surrounded by canvass. This car will carry the aero-
nauts. It is warmed by a lime-stove, an invention of
Mr. 0. A. Gager, by whom it was presented to Mr.
Lime. A lime-stove is a new feature in air voyages.
It is claimed that it. will furnish heat without lire, and ,
is intend,sl for a warming apparatus only. The stove is ;
lj feet high and 2 feet equare. Mr. Lowe states that be
so well convinced of the utility of this contrivance '
that he conceives it to be possible to ascend to a region
where water will freeze, and yet keep himself front freez-
ing. This is to be tested.
Dropping below the basket is a metallic lifeboat, in
which is place.' an Ericsson engine. Captain Ericsson's
no/twice' is therefore to be tried in mid-air. Its particu-
lar purieee is the control of a propeller, rigged upon the
principle of the screw, by which it is proposed to obtain
a regulating power. The application et the mechanical
poser is ingeniously devised. The propeller is fixed in
the bow of the lifeboat, projecting at an angle of about
45 ihgreee. From a wheel at the extremity 20 fans
mdiate. Each of these fans is 5 feet in length, widen-
ing gradually from the point of contact with the screw
to the extremity, where the width of each is lj feet.
3ir. Lowe claims that by the application of these me-
chanical contrivances his air-ship ran be readily raised
r lowered, to seek different currents of air ; that they
will Ore him ample steerage way, and that they will
pereent the rotary motion of the machine. In apply
ing e principle of the fan, lie does not claim any new
disoneiy, but simply a practical development of the
theory advanced by other aeronauts' and partially re-
duced to practice by Charles Green, the celebrated En-
glish aeronaut. Mr. Lowe contends that the applica-
t of machinery to aerial navigation lues been lung
enough a mere theory. Ho proposes to reduce the
theory to practice. and see what will come of it. It is cc-
timsteil th3t the raising and lowering power of the ma-
chitiery will be equal to a weight of 3001 b., the fans being
:Al adjusted as to mlinit of very rapid motion upward or
downward. Ac the Inas of three or four mends roily is
sufficient to enable a balloon to rise rapidly, and as the
,scape of • very small portion of the ;Al suffices to
redthe its altitude, Mr. Lowe regards this systematic
regulator as quite sufficient to enable bun to control
his movement.; and keel, at any altitude he desires. It
is his intention to aeceiul to a height of three or four
mile, at the start, but this altitiple will not be perma-
nently sustained. Ile prefers, lie says, to keep within a
respertalde distance if mundane things, where " lie can
see folks." It is to he hoped Ids niachinery will perform
all that lie anticipates (nen it. It is a novel affair
througlieut, tool a variety of new npplieations remain to
be teeted. Mr. I. ,we, expressing the utmost confi-
, nee in all the appeiltments of his apparatus, assured
us that lie would certainly go, and, as certainly, would
go ipto the ocean or itelieer n copy of Monday's Than
111 1,11.1"11 on the folbe.ving Wednesday. Ile propdses
to effect a landing in England or France, and will take
a course north of er.-d. A due easterly course would
land him in Spain. bed to that course he objects. He
hopes to make the trip from this city to London in 48
hours, certainly in ell hours. Ile scouts the idea of
,Innger, gees nbout his preparations deliberately, and
promises himself a good time. As the upper currents,
setting due east, will not permit his retnni by the same
route, he propose', to pack up the City of New York
and take the first steamer for 110111 e.

The airehip will carry weight. Its cubical contents
of 725,010 feet of gas Finlike to lift • weight of 22i tons.
With outfit complete its own weight will be :9 tons.
With this weight 19 tons of lifting power remain, and
there is accordingly room for ea many passengers an will
care to take the venture. We understand, however,
that the company is limited to 8 or 10. Mr. Lowe pro-
videamnil for ballast, regards his chances of salvation
as exceedingly favourable, places implicit faith in the
strength of his netting, the power of his machinery, and
the buoyancy of his lifeboat, and altogether considers
I ' self secure from the hazard of disaster. If lie accom-
plish his voyage in safety, lie will ill&Ve done inure than
any air navientor has yet ventured to undertake. If he
fail, tho enterprise sinks the mug sum of $20,000.
Wealthy men who are his backers, sharing his own en-
thusiasm, declare failure impossible, and invite a pati-
ent public to wait and see.
. . . -

Ti., ',mei.° time for the ascension has not been fixed.
The alno ix so near completion that the event will not
probably be delayed beyond 3or 4 weeks. Proper notice
of the time and place will be given.