Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-07-27
On the Wing.

Aerial navigation, along with perpet-
szal motion, has been driven from the
workshop to the mad-house. The prob
HerH has been given up by most practical
aaen, and considered impossible of solu-
son by the world in general. But the
sabiect- has recently again been discussed
"a England with such plain mechanical
calculations and by such practical en-
aineers that it is likely to attract fresh
sttention and possibly to cause other
and more intelligent experiment.. There
sre several recent mechanical inven-
tons and Improvements that If properly
applied to aerial navigation may over
come the hitherto insuperable Difficult
Eies. Van Nostrand s Engineering Mag
e1st1,e contains paper read before the
Institution of Civil Engineers by Will
lam Pole, F. r. S., in which practical
application is made of several important
recent mechanical Improvements to the
problem. 1t may now receive lntelll-
gent instead of fanatical attention.
The first important step toward aerial
navigation at will was made by the APP
piication of the screw propeller to a ball
loon In 1850 Mr.. Henri Giffard con-
structed an elongated balloon, to which
ne attached a rudder and a keel, and it
assembled with an engine of three-horse
power, which gave the screw power to
oropel the balloon at an independent
velocity from four and half to six and
shree-quarter miles per hour. The bal
loon was steered at will, and the result
was theoretically all that could be de-
sired. 1t proved the important theory
that a propeller and a rudder attached
60 an elongated balloon would enable it
10 he propelled and directed at will.
The two great neutrality-suspicious.
aud steering-were thus solved. But
there were still great practical difficult
ties. In 1850 the envelope of the balloon
ceuld not be made impenetrable, and
there was no very cheap method known
of preparing pure hydrogen. Besides
these and other less Important difficult
ties of construction, the balloon would
support no greater weight than one
yserson beside the engine and the pro-
selling apparatus. This objection and
she lack of speed, of course, made it
staiOst valueless. During the siege of
Paris in 1870 the naval architect of the
French Government, NJ. Dupuy de LONE,
gsade another experiment similar to
Sfiffard's with similar results. Instead
a7f an engine, his power was the hand
power OF eight men. The practical diff
sicaitieS, however, that he could not
overcome were of the same kind as Gift
fsEd's-the lack of speed, the inability
20 carry any cargo, and many smaller
difficulties of construction.
Since these experiments, the weight
per horse power of engines has been
greatly reduced, and improvements have
been made in the manufacture of hydro
gen, In the structure of envelopes of
Balloons, and in many other mechanical
devices for lessening the weight of ma
efainery and increasing its power. At
ARy rate, satisfactory tests have been
made of these recent inventions in such
IA application. The experiments of
Giffard and De Kome lacked only speed
% prove the practical value of balloons
propelled by screw propellers worked
ny steam. By simple and intelligent
calculation Mr.. Pole has reached the
following results Maximum diameter
of the elongated balloon, so feet; length,
go; total ascending force, 1870 pounds;
weight of structure, $3.50 pounds; avail!
able ascending force, 600 pounds; horse
power of motor, s; weight disposable
for cargo, after allowing for fuel and
water (and reusing water by condensing
team-an important improvement since
Giffard's EXPERIMENT., $50 pounds;
saaximum speed through the air, indie
pendent of wind, II miles an hour, A
Balloon 100 feet in diameter, with $40
horsepower motor, would have availa-
bic weight for cargo of Is IL tons, and
could make speed of go miles per
&oar, Independent of the wind.
These calculations are astonishing
more because they are simple and rest
~Sn q basis on experiments than because
tEse results that seem attainabie are so
astounding. Are we really to have
serial navigation at last. Or are more en-
gaReers going to the mad. house?