The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-07-27

The NAvIGABLR BALLooN.-Unless our
San Francisco contemporaries are greatly
carried away in their expectations, Fred
erick Mariott's "Avitor," or navigable
balloon, has inaugurated an era as inter-
esting as that Of the appearance of the
first steamboat. At all events the Times
says that the inventor has secured, beyond
doubt, firm foundation around which
inventors of all civilized nations will cast
their offerings of improvements, until the
air will be traversed by men as safely as
it is by birds, and that the problem is
solved-arial navigation is no longer a
question of doubt The description given
of the machine is as follows
The carriage, which is merely large
working model, is balloon. shaped like
a cigar, both ends coming to a point. 1t
is thirty-seven feet long, eleven feet from
top to bottom, and eight feet in width
These are the measurements at the centre
of the balloon, from which point it gradual
ly tapers off toward either end Around
the balloon lengthwise, and little below
the center, is light frame work of wood
and eano, strongly wired together and
braced. Attached to this frame, and
standing up as the approach the front of
the carrega. are two wings, one on either
side. They are each five feet wide at a
little back of the centre Of the carriage,
and do not commence to narrow down UNI
til they approach the front, where they
come to point. These wings are made
of white cloth fastened to a light frame
work, which is braced securely by wires.
The main frame is secured in place by
means of strong ribbons, which 90 over
the balloon, and are attached to cores
ponding portions of the frame on the
other side. To the frame at the hind part
70 the carriage is attached a rudder or
steering gear, which is exactly the shape
of the paper used in pin darts, four planes
at right angels. This. when raised or
lowered, elevates or depresses the head of
the carriage when in motion; and when
turned from side to side, guides the carriage
as tudder does boat. At the center
and bottom of the balloon is an indentation
or space left in the material of which it is
built, in which the engine and machinery
are placed on frame work. The engine
and boiler are very diminutive specimens,
but they do their work handsomely. The
boiler and furnace are together only little
over foot long, four inches wide and five
or six inches in hight. Steam is generat-
ed by spirit lamps. The cylinder is two
inches in diameter and has three-inche
stroke. The crank connects by means of
cog wheels, with tumbling aods which
lead out to the propellers on either side
of the caeriage. The propellers are aech
two-bladed, four feet in diameter, and
are placed in the frame work of the wings.
The boiler is made to carry eight pounds
Of steam. When not inflated the carriage
weighs eighry-fonr pounds. The balloon
has a capacity for 1860 feet of gas. When
inflated and ready for fight, it is calcu-
lated to have the carriage weigh from
four to ten pounds
The private trial of the balloon on July
3 is thus described
1.-The gasometer was fully inflated at
o'clack, and the model was foated out of
the building and across the race track to
open space in the center. In six minutes
steam was got up-the rudder set to give
slight curve to the course of the vessel
and the valves opened. With the first
turn of the propellers she rose slowly into
the air, gradually increasing her speed I'M
till the rate of five miles an hour was at
tanned. The position of the rudder caused
her to described a great circle, around
which she had passed twice, occupying
live minutes each time. Lines had been
fastened both bow and stern, which were
held by two men when with her dog
trot.' AS she completed describing the
second circle pull given to the head line,
Internationally, caused the rudder to shift |
to fore-and-aft position, when the model
pursued straight flight up the race-track
about quarter of a mile she was then
turned round and retraced her flight to
the point of departure, whence, being du.
ly guided, she entered the building. The
fires were drawn, and the first extensive
flight of a vessel for aerial navigation was
accomplish. The total distance traversed
was little over a mile.
The public trial which followed appears
not to have been SO successful. The wind
was gusty, and the strain caused the bal |
loon to leak and burst at several points.
The chronicler, however, says:
FINALLY, about 80 P. NJ, damages
were repaired and the carriage moved off |
for another trial This time It was CON-
plete success. While yet the machine re-
manned, as it were, perfectly dormant, rest
ing upon the floor with less than sufficient
buoyancy to raise itself-requiring addi-
tional aid to relieve it from connection
with earth-the machinery was put in mo-
ton and the propellers commenced their
revolutions. At once life was impaired
to the whole body and it arose promptly
and gracefully and took its flight into the
air under guidance of the rudder, thus es-
tablishing the astounding fact that it had
power and could fy,and giving proof that
the grand problem had been solved"
The machine is represented to have
moved back and forth with steadiness, and
those present believed it to be quite sue
cess. The projectors consider that it has
developed facts of the greatest Importance,
among them that showing that the ma
chine obeyed the reflections Of the rudder
with extreme sensitiyeness, and was un-
der the most complete control conceiya-