Hannibal journal. (Hannibal, Mo.) 1853-1853, 1853-04-11
For the Hannibal Journal.
NAVIGATION OF THE ana.
Continued %
Continued,

upon this subject which may be Of interest 70
some Of your readers. The different schemes
proposed for aerial navigation, may be divided
! into two classes; one to act by the means Of
mechanical power alone; the other by the as
sistance of some gas, or substance lighter than
air, to sustain the weight, either connected with
machinery to give motive power, as in the case
Of Porter'S machine, or without any thing Of the
kind, as common balloon; All attempts to
fly by aid Of the former class Of these plans, have
been, think, without exception, total failures,
while the latter have been attended with partial
success, vet think that if man is ever destined
to navigate the air, it will be by machinery alone
unaided by gas. There is scarcely any power
full and efficient machine in common use, that is
not an imitation of the animal frame; even the
electric telegraph, is but more extended sys-
TEN Of nerues similar to those, by which the brain
sends messages to all parts of the body; and if
man wishes to usurp the hitherto undisRuted
realm of the feathered tribes, he must initiate
their vigorous mode OF proceeding; and if We
once constructs machine, capable Of raising
him from the ground, by its action upon the air;
he will never find any difficulty in guiding it
where he wishes. I.
The great desderatum for this, is a combina-
ton of lightness and power to an extent greater
than that possessed by any machinery now in
vented, and until such is attained it seems that
aerial operations cannot be brought into practi-
81 onA al Yha 81 Ga.
hundred horses, condensed into weight of
few hundred pounds, and simple modification
Of Porter's machine would probably answer the
purpose; horizontal propeller would take the
place Of gas, and force us upwdrd, while the
rest of the machinery gave the onward motion,
and we should rise dagonally, as bird rises
from the ground, and by precisely the same
means.
The objections to the use of gas are such as
it seems impossible to remedy or improve upon,
and this is the reason that since the first balloon
ascension, there has beer such trifng advance
in the art. Hydrogen gas, is the lightest sub
stance applicable to this purpose, and the differ.
encs in density between it, and the atmospher
is comparatively so slight, that it requires a
largo bulk Of it, to raise small weight from the
ground and should any means of farther rarity
ing this subtle fluid, or discovery Of one, still
less dense, take place, it would only increase
what is now the greatest obstacle TO be over.
come in its use, viz: the difficulty of finding
any substance, to hold it without leakage oiled
silk, the material used for balloons, will contain
it, though not perfectly it is said that it will
escape through the pores of copper cylinder,
and India Rubber cloth, the material relied up
on by Mr.. Porter for his large machine will not
hold it, or only for limited tims,-at least this
was the result of experiments, made with every
procaution at the time.
Now let US inquire into the size Of balloon
on POrter'S principle, capable of uphOlding 200
passengers; his model Of 20 feet in length and
7 or 8 feet in diameter, sustained weight of
fifteen peunds and there could have been no
spare power or it would have risen to the cell
ing but allow that it was not completely infla-
ted ,'or that 81 feet by would sustain the Is
pounds; this would contain about 269 cubic
feet, and float capable Of sustaining weight
Of 40 900 pounds, and built in the same proper
ton would require 10 be of the enormous d.
mansions Of 300 feet long by 100 in diameter,
and as 200 passengers weigh about 10000
pounds, this would leave only 10000 pounds,
for the weight Of the structure, steam engine,
my haoo.Oa f,,al RI and No rao.ooahl. - -