Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-05-18

A MONSTER BALLOON. Mr.. Samuel King,
the celebrated Rronaut of this city, is about
| completing the construction of monster bal
| LOOM which in point of size will Outstrip any,
| thing of its kind ever brought into actual use
| in this country. 1t is very appropriately
| called the COLOSSUS" The body of the
| balloon is a perfect sphere, except there
is the usual eiOngation on the lower side for the
| neck. Its circumference is one hundred and
| niuety-one feet, and its capacity is nearly one
hundred thousand cubic feet. Only in the large
cities could a supply Of gas be found to fill it,.
| Twelve hundred yards of forty-nch best Lyman
mills cloth, furnished expressly for the purpose,
| were required in its construction, aud FIVE
months have been devoted TO the work, not
| outstanding the fact that sewing machines
materially lessened both time and labor
Four barrels of oil varnish of the kind general
| ly used by Mr.. King to coat his balloons and to
make them impervious to the gas, were used to
cover the surface of the Colossus The cloth
is in single thickness except the top, where it is
double to secure greater strength, and to make
the mammoth envelope strong in other parts
there are twenty-four stays or bands running
entirely around 1t. The name is painted upon
the side in letters seven feet high. Suspended
10 net work of strong cords will be two cars.
The upper one is intended for scientific obScrYa-
tons, and will he fitted up with scientific instru-
ments and for the accommodation of the observ-
ers The lower car will contain the other pas
seDgers and the ballast. The collapsng cord,
which is brought into use only when it is deSra-
BILE TO collapse the balloon and let out the gas
suddenly, as for instance when landing is made
in Il gale of wind, is sewed into a seam for the
distance of seventy-five feet fiOm the neck up
ward. In OBTAINING the balloon on the ground in
alightlng three anchors will be used in place of
one, which would be sufficient in the case of ball
looms of ordinary size. These anchors will be
arranged IN peculiar manner, and in several
particulars Mr. King has introduced improve
ments in connection with the balloon. The gas
envelope, netting and basket will weigh fourteen
hundred or fifteen hundred pounds. Filled
with hydrogen gas the COLOSSUS would be adj lie
to carry between six thousand and seven thou
sand pounds into the air, and with earburetted
hydrogen, or the common illuminating gas
which has much less buoyancy, fifteen or
twenty passengers can be taken, together
with scientific apparatus, and a sufficient
quantity of ballast for long VOYAGE.
From the figures already given it will
he seen that the eronautic craft is indeed
Colossus" A comparison with the size of
some of the other balloons frequently used in
Boston by MIR. King, will assist our readers to
form a better idea oil its immensely. While the
Colossus" has a capacity of nearly one hun
dred thousand cubic feet, the "Gen Grant," with
which MIR. King has made MANY aScelsons
here ana elsewhere, holds only fifteen thousand
cubic feet. The Queen of the Air had capac-
ity of thirty-three thousand feet, the "Star
Spangled Banner" fifty thousand feet, and the
HYPERION which, on its first trip, carried no
less than eight persons from Boston distance
OF seventy-fiVe miles, and on the day following
made another long voyage, capacity of sixty
five thousand feet. The new monster is a yeri-
table giant among Mr. Kings numerous family
oil balloonS.--BOstOa Journal.