The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1878-08-22

Vi III
$1,000
Capacity, 5000 cubic metres-S5O,-
900 cubic feet OF gas.
To form an idea of the size OF the
balloon, all that need be done is to
compare 1t with that of Professor
King, the "City Of Buffalo," which
held 95, 600 cubic feet of gas, and 1t
will show that this big Paris balloon
holds
NINE TIMES AS MUCH GAS
as that little balloon did. It is made
OF seven thicknesses OF linen and pure
rubber cloth, rolled together into one
thickness, the tensile strength of
which is submitted to q severe test
by q machine provided for that pur-
pose. The test consists in taking
strip two Inches wide and giving 1t
3 square pull OF 3G0 pounds. In max
ing the netting no knots were used.
The cords were stretched on q frame,
crossing each other diagOnally at
proper distances, and were fastened at
the intersections by strong tRines-
due attention being paid, OF course, to
to the shape Of the balloon. In this
1
the great gas bag was obtained, rem
dering 1t more safe against the dam
ger OF an explosion. 1t will lift with
ease
SIXTY PEOPLE FIVRnILEs HIGH
in addition to the 6, 700 pounds Of bal =
last. At present it ls used for making
daily ascensiOns
TWO THOUSAND FEET HIGH.
1t has attached to it q rope or rath-
er haWser, three to four inches In dIa-
meter and 2, 400 feet long, and weigh
ing 5, 200 pounds, by which il is haul
ed down by two double acting engines
OF fifty-hOrse power, operating an
| iron drum, six feet in diameter and
sixteen feet long, on which the haw-
ser Is reeled. When anchored It is
held to terra firma by q series of
heavy tackles, the fastenings being
| equally divided all over the MEETINGS,
and IN addition, in case of high wind,
there are at hand 200 bags Of sand,
each weighing fifty pounds, ready to
/ be hooked on to the tscklIng In ten
minutes time, thus holding it as firm
ly to the ground as its own rocks. To
show the perfect control that they
have over this apparently unmanage-
able concern, will state that l have
seen forty people march aboard Of the
car-Rhich is shaped like q cheese
box and Is eighteen feet In diameter
make an ascension OF 1000 feet, and
be hauled down, debark Snd the bal
loon be anchored to its place, all in
fifteen minutes ! So admirably is the
balloon made, that after having been
inflated for two weeks, it hiss not
shown the least sign of loss of gas.
This triumphant specimen of the |
aeronautic art was constructed at the |
expense and under the order OF Mon |
sieur Henri Clifford, at cost, includ-
ing the steam engines and the appa- |
ratus for manufacturing the hydrogen |
gas, OF
100000 FRANCS,
or 100000. The machinery was made
by the firm OF Flaud & COhendet, of |
Paris. The seronauts in charge are
Messrs. Eugene and Jules GODDARD and |
Camille Dartois, the whole under the |
charge OF Monsieur CASTOR Tissan-
dier. One OF the brother GOdards Is |
the same gentlemen who made one
ascension in Cleveland in company |
with DIR. Sterling twenty years ago. |
II Is intended to make ten or fifteen
asoensiOns daily, and take passengers |
up at charge OF twenty francs each, |
but at present the ascensiOns made |
are experimental for the purpose of
satisfying the Project of the Police as
to their being safe before 3 permit is
given hence all who have ascended |
SO far have done 80 by invitation.
These French officials do show such 8
laudable desire to guard against acci-
dents and loss Of lives, and it would
be we'll for our American authorities
to copy more after them in that re-
spect.
1t was my fortune to be the recipi-
ent OF a polite Invitation from Mon.
sieur BillOis to make an ascension,
which l accepted, and went up in
company with fOrty-tWO French Ia
dies and gentlemen. AS we ascended
1t appeared IS though old mother
earth was sinking from under US.
Soon We were above the Tuilleries,
and the stOne-quay bound Seine was
seen for miles, spanned with numer-
Gus bridges and lined with its grand
palaces and buildings. The roofs OF
all Paris were apparently at our feet,
and we could see the hills of the city
two miles of, although We were less
than 500 feet in height. In a few
minutes we were up 1000 feet, and
losing the horizontal view, we lost
sight OF the appearance of the hills.
The immense Tuilleries commenced
dwaTflng in size, and Paris resem bled
q bird's.eye view map OF that city.
We could SEE the streets, avenues and
boulevards, apparently cut through
the thick masses of the six and seven
story houses, like so many canOns or
ravines. There was no wind, and our
majestic balloon rose straight above
the court Of the Tuilleries, and when
we gazed down directly beneath us on
the thousands who assembled on that
white-paved court, they appeared like
so MANY CREEPING INSECTS,
for, not seeing them horizontally, we
could only see the top OF their heads
and shoulders, and while walking,
their legs, when projected forward,
seemed longer than the whole body,
presenting 3 ludIcrous spectacle. By
this time We were up $500 feet. The
scene that was presented to us was
grand, magnificent, and, might say,
sublime. A city OF 1900, 900 inhsbi-
tants, covering thirty square miles,
with It's churches, oathedrals, palaces,
gardens, parks, avenues, the great
Exposition buildings, and the beauti-
full Seine, like an immense silver RIB
bon, winding its way through and
dividing the city into halves, ali sp-
peared to be within q circumference
of half 8 mile from us. We could
catch q glimpse Of Versailles, fifteen
miles of. Seven miles away the VIII
lsge Of st. Denis, with its historical
church, was clearly in view. The
country outside of the walls of Paris
seemed like 8 great green garden,
dotted here and there with mRnufsc-
turing establishments, houses and
villages. From below the rOsr of the
thousands Of carriages and Omnibuses
sounded like that OF Niagara. Close
by US, apparently, the BOis de-BOlt-
lOgne and the cemetery of Pere la
ChGiSe could be seen. At the altitude
of 100 feet the view We had was be-
yond description. The dSy was fine
and the atmosphere unusually clear,
and We could see st least thirty miles
off. All my fellow-passengers were
French, and the vOlubility they
showed In expressing their sdmiTa-
ton IN their language, combined with /
their rapid gesticulstiOns, WAS some
thing worth hearing and seeing. |
There was not 8 soul could converse |
with, for knew of none who could |
talk In our good old, expressive Eng.
lish tongue. The balloon remained
stationary for five minutes at the full