Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1884-10-09
THE STEERING OF BALLOONS.

LLrltement Caused BT the Recent Experi-
meat ~ Meudon-Aa Alleged saccess-
me History OF Aeronantie, Dlstin-
ruished sersic-s Of Ga1nbettz-
No little excitement has been caused
in France BY the news that a successful
experiment in bailo0n-steeriag has been
performed AZ Meudcn. near Paris We
are unable 10 judge the importance of
the alleged invention. for It's authors
are the tsE0 military officers in com
mznd of the Government aerostafsc
works. which were instituted under NJ.
Gambefta anspices. and the technical
secrets q their contrixance have, Of
course. ben disclosed TO the War Office
only As already reported. the expert
ment WAS tried in calm weather and
With balloon Of eliiptical form. which
carried an electric motor. a screw and
n ruddcr- The motor Is said 10 be COM
PISSED Of accumuiators whick ean SUP
ply during four hours the power Of ten
horses. ard they are moved by the
screw which serves as 4 propeller to the
apparatus The balloon Was made OF
Hight. strong silk. and was covered Is
usual with \ netting. - which the car
was suspended An the ropeliinr
mechanism was contained within the
car- the rudder alone projecting outside.
Ike That OF q boat The CIR Was
mounted By Captain Eenard. director
OF the talioon-works. aud bF his assist
ance, Captsin krcbs. both engineer or
GERS On beng released from the earth
Tie balloon al once rose 70 height o.
about ls0 feet. and. urged By a swSf.
rotary movement 90 the screw.
ma1e ; straight course for the
Hermitage Of FIllebon, about seven
miles distant as the crow flies A
wand WAS moving aga nst il at Z speed
of about eighteen feet second Captain
kcnzrd worked the propeller. Casfa.n n
Arees steercd- Nillebon had been fixed
upon as the goal OF the journer, and
Whea shis place was reached Captain
Arebs waved fzg rs signal that he
was going 10 turn The spectators.
who were \ party of officers with some
passers-by. attracted by the sight Of the
i'slloon. was then .-ama ed and de-
lighted TO sec the balloon gracefully de-
scribe = curve Of three hundred meters
rad.u and sal back 70 Meudon-- On
approaching the lawn from which the
ascent kad been made. the balloon
assembled in obiique direction and with
steady motion. showing that the en-
eine was completely under Captain Rem
auds control When within twenty
feet of the ground the machine was
sased. reversed. stopped, and a TO, g 1
fcing thrown ont from the car. the I
balloon was hauied gently down and 1
t0ucaed Garth without the slightest
shock The whole journey had occu-
p ed about forty minutes.
Snch IS the description of an expert 1
ment on which the Acadcmy OF Sciences
has 50 far been called upon 0Ossor only
congratulations. but No criticism With
out expressing an opinion since we
have no date tor i0ing Son the rslae
OF IN invention which has not been sub
mltted 70 public scrutiny. we may
briefly recall what has been the orncress
~ acronautics since the FIRST balloon
rose into the air little more than a
century ago. At tins time last year the
town OF Ann0nsy was celebrating the
centenary OF eallooning bv the inau-
garafiOn o. = monument 70 The
brothers Esierne and Joseph Mont
golfer, but tie first practical idea as Il,
ssersal navigation may be credited to an
eccentrlc character wlo lived n th-
seventeenth century. Cyrano de Bcr-
gcr1c. Cyrano wrote a number of
fantastic books which were consaltod
hF swift for his s-Gnllirer.' bF Volfaire
ser his --Aiersmegzs. aud by Fonien-
e.ie Tor his '-Aondes-" In tho most
popular OF these. \ Trim Through the
Moon. the hero IS made 10 ascend from
earth by means of bladdsrs filed
with hot air The Monfg0lEcrs i'm
proved upon this notion BY subsfituf' NJ
one globe OF silk for several bladders.
N cfler respects t.le-r balloon Was an
adaptation q Bergerac's idea. for It hal
IN aperture II IL base into which hot
AIR rose ir0m \ charcoal stove in the
car The first hof-air balloon was sent /
NJ on the sth of June. 17sS, without a
car IN August Of the same wear an
engineer named Charles started a hal
loon in fafed with hydrogen gas. In !
September the Montgoifiers launched 4
new tiro-ballOon with a car IN which
were placed . sheep. scock and duck.
who all returned safe fc land: AMI in
October .he first human aeronaut. =.
Francois bilafre 6es RozierS, who gas ,
afIerward killed in crossing from ]
France 80 Englsnd, assembled in = /,
capure balloon tefhered 20 the earth by ,
ropes. In November this adventurous /,
gentleman masie his first ascent in
free tal-Oon. and went mp TO n hei Eht ,
c.f three thousand feet-an achievements
which excited the wilslest enthusiasm !
and the most fanciful anficipafions- !
Al the practical scientists of Europe T,
became smiffen with 3 craze for aerial
naFigats0n; books and pamphlets on {
isie subject were published By the !
'z0re, and it was believed that a method
for steering balloons would be confrived ;
without much difficulty !
The first ascent in England was made :
rom Hoolwich in November. f7s.i; in G
IN 1854 Sag. Lunzrdi started in hal :
Don from M0orfielas. and in I75j Mr. 4
Blanchard and Dr. Je1rics performc I
lie T famous Journey from Dover 10
czlais in two hours After this no dis T
inst advance was made in balloOning ;
until 1871. when Mr. Green used ordi- :
nary c0ai-ras instead of hydrogen for 4
purposes The manufacture h
u hydrogen had been troublesome and &
* ensi<e- but the sabst tut on OF coal 1
-as enab'cd balloons 10 be blown at n
comparatively small cost. and from tins
inse shey became popular objects of
in pabiic gardens ] he IA +
neus trips Of The great Nassau" bal !
oon- which went up from EaHxhall r
5ardens in 1886. are still remembered
y many living persons with wonder :
he ~ assau' was l57 feet N csrcunl- }.
crencs. is full height from car 20 sum- Z
nit VAS 90 feet 4 WAS made Of 2Jl
ards o. crimson and white six, and :
.onfaincd 7o.0JJ cubic feet OF Gas !
SIne persons could be carried in its
ar On one Of It's first voyages II de-
cended in the Durhy OF Nassau. hav-
NJ Travelled ab0nl I've hundred miles c
; eigbfren hours From Mr. Green's i
lays until now no genuine advance b
as been made n baliooning. There o
-. IL. - I'll.