The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1859-02-05

Prof. Steiner. the young American ~aerenaul
that made an aerial fight from Cincinnati tc
New 1ork last fall, alightitg in TIL. figilb ring
cornfeld, has been engaged tof some time ii
attempting To solve the problem of aerial nav
igation, and, il is thought, has been successful
The Aenia News announces that he is about &c
make a ianetlcal application Of the results d
his experimenting. The editor Of that paper
has been show6 the plans and specifications d
u monster air ship, designed to cross the
Atlantic in sixty hours, for The construction o
which Prot. Steiner desires to secnre the aid Of
Congress. The general idea Of the plan for It's
construction is thus given
The bottom is to be of thin sheet copper
weighing not more than half a pound to the
square tool. 1t is to be cigur shaped, very
much like the Winans steamer, 800 feet long
aud 50 feet thick at the centre. |iapering to-
wards each extremity. Beneath this balloon
IS TO be suspended by wire cables a platform Of
the same ceaieal shape with the balloon itself
On The central part Of this platform is to. be
placed the machinery Of the air ship and the
cabin Tor passengers. The surface measure ol
the balloon will be l5l 1926 square feet, and its
total weight viii be 3l1s tons. 1t will certain
2.o94.4G0 cubic feet Of gas, which will s,ipport
IN the air a weight Of 961s tons. The plat
lnrmi cabin machinery, ETC., are estimated AT
Il tons, leaving still power euougl to elevate
p tons of passengers, freight aud ballast.
1t is proposed 10 propel this vessel by means
~ itrgr paddles or cans, to work in the air as
ile paddles Of a steamboat work IN the water.
lhefe Is to be one wheel on each side Of The
vessel. and at the stern is to be a screw propei.
Ter, all Of these to be worked By steam engine:
placed at the centre of the platform. The side
wheels have the paddles so arranged as to fold
up like d Iady's fan Us they enter the wheel
house above, and 10 unfold again as they strike
NE air m the desired direction. There are 10
be three snail oscija'itg engines, Of five horse
power, one for each wheel.
To co;ifine the balloon to a piyru bpi,bt
above he water, it must be evidently bal asted
and attached to u copper float in The water,
connected tn the platform underneath the air
ship by d COLL Of wire rope. An ingenious con.
l%rIyalce, which cannot be satisfactorily ok.
planned on paper, is attached to the platform,
whereby the ~ilailoou is as certainly stecred as
It veSse! in the water.
ff"i' .. thinks he has eifectnaIly overcome
HE tw" great difficulties encountered by an
eSlel i'heats III aerial navigation. viz the en-
FnnSlon and contraction Of gas, and the Il fiji.
cuity III eNtlauSiing the omlnon air from u
balloon with rigid sides, without having il,
crushed, The means used to obvia'e these diff
lcnilIes we have not the space to explain but
saihce to say, the process seems wholly l.rac-
ucab'e aud effective.
1t is calculated that, with head w,uds, Il
speed Of forty miles an hour can. be obtained
with this air-ship, and with favorable gales the
speed would be increased to 100. Prof y, es.
Inmates the cost Of building each balloon al
$4,000.