The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1869-06-11
TRANSATLANTIC BALLOON.
ING
Preparations by Mons. CheValieT
for his Aerial Voyage to Europe.

The TRIBUNE gives lengthy account of
the plans and preparations Of Mons. Cheva-
lier for his contemplated balloon voyage to
Europe in July. 1t says:
Chevalier has made one hundred and sixty
five ballOn voyages, and may be presumed
to have a moderately good understanding
of the difficulties lahle to a voyage across
the Atlantic. He declares that these difficult
ties are not peculiar to the Atlantic voyage,
except as it is one of unusual extent and dur
alton. They naturally range themselves
under two heads, viz:
l. Maintaining the buoyancy of the bal
loon.
2. Keeping to direct course.
The great cause of the diminution of the
buoyancy of a balloon, is the rising and fall
ing in the altitude of its course In the
case ofthe ordinary balloon every fight taken
above the average level costs an expenditure
of both gas and ballast The gas is lost by
expansion and consequent overflowing from
the mouth of the balloon, this loss OF gas
then causes the balloon to sink below the
course, which IN turn compels the throwing
out of ballast to bring it up again. The loss
of gas in fluctuations is a very serious con-
sideration in the case of balloon of the
size of that in which Prof Chevalier is to
make his trans Atlantic trip. 81 Esper-
ance," for that is its name, has a capacity
for thirty thousand feet Of gas. At the
height of thirty thousand feet the atmospher-
fc pressure is, say One-tenth less than at-the
surface of the earth, and the gas consequent
| ly expands one tenth in volume at that eleVa-
tion. If, every time Chevaliers balloon
| should rise three thousand feet it were to
| lose one-tenth ofits contents equal to ninety
| ci v ynnpIS Of ininu II Wnut1 not no
two days before az Esperance' would sink
into the sea never to arise again.
HOW THE GAS AND BALLAST ARE SAVED.
1t is here that NJ Chevaier's own invention
the ''compensator' balloon, comes into play.
Attached to the lower part of "LGsperance
! is a second or reservoir balloon, which is not
inflated at the earth, but is ready to receive
the excess Of gas resulting from expansion
at high elevation. Prof Chevelier has also
devised an ingenious contrvance TO secure q
rebound of the balloon from the depression
consequent upon one of these flights without
any expenditure of ballast which, of course,
is most precious on a long ocean trip
Across the hoop, to which is fastened the
netting that covers the balloon above the car
below; he has extended a windlass made of a
hollow cylander. A rope of sufficient
strength and length is attached to and wound
upon this windass At the lower extremity
of the rope are fastened, at proper intervals,
:. number of small waterproof canvass bags,
whose mouths are kept open by small rings.
Between these at stated distances are dispos-
ed number of small conical floats, which
are intended to serve the purpose of support
ing the length of rope when it reaches the
sea by the depression of the balloon. As
the balloon descends the lower portion of the
rope is gradually deposited upon the surface
of the sea- relieving the balloon ofits weight
until a sufficient quantity has been thus dis
posed of to arrest the balloons further de-
scent. Suppose the balloon to have passed
through the rain showers or clouds highly
charged with vapor during the night, and
the ropes of the netting and other parts Of