Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-11-17
SAILING THROUGH THE AIR,
How Balloons May be Made of Service
in Military Operations.
Fron he Natn YORK SIR.


The museum where war relics are dis
played on Governors Island was emily
ened Wednesday afternoon by the pres
ence of half hundred gentlemen dis
tingulshed in military pursuits. Stories
OF great magnitude were retalled without
stint until the second meeting Of the
Military Service Institution of the United
States Of the season Of 1886 was called
70 order by Vice President Gen. j, B.
Fry. Among those presen- were Gems.
/ W. d. Whipple, L. T. Rodenbough, Israel
Noydes and Il. IS. Jackson; Coils. John
Hamilton, A. l.. Hough, Charles Suther-
land and A. A. Woodruff.
"Dlrigible Balloons for War Purposes"
was the title of a paper read by Gen.
Russell Thayer, of Philadelphia. by dir
| lgibie balloons. Gen. Thayer explained
that he meant balloons that might ne di-
! rected through the air without regard TO
wind currents. The fear Of ridicule had
greatly retarded the advance of this
science. in which The greatest possibili-
ties were promised. Navigation through
the air at the rate OF 20 miles an hour was
not more strange than holding conyerss-
tion with a friend a thousand miles dis
tant. Ia times of war balloon operated
independently OF the earth, could be Of
great service. From it explorations
could be made and dynamite bombs
dropped into the camp of the enemy.
such an air ship would be made up of two
| essential portions. Tue buoyant part
should correspond to the hull OF a water
ship. and should be made OF strong silk
and rubber. It's shape would be that OF
a circular spindle, in which the long hOri-
zontal axis would be three and two
thirds times the length Of its diameter
amldships. This structure should be
hiled with hydrogen gas and be perfectly
rigid. The decks Of the ship on which the
| machinery would be placed should be be-
| low the buOyant part of the structure
and firmly supported therefrom and
! braced thereto, The opposite centre Of the
! slip is lower deck, completely inclosed
and separated from the rest Of the struc-
| ture, in which the source OF power will
| he located. From the motor a pipe leads
all or part of the energy untitled in the
! production of motion TO the ship, and is
| there terminated by a nozzle fitted on a
| ball and socket joint, and by movement
/ of the nozzle from the wheel the ship can
be steeIed in any direction.
! The motor consists essentially OF a
| high speed air compressor. coupled di-
rectly 70 a specially designed carbonic
acid gas engine and a reservoir into
which the compressed air is forced until
]
/ obtained. The rear end OF this reservoir
IS so arranged that at gwen intervals the
! confined energy is suddenly released, thus
! producing a powerful motive thrust for
| ward. The amount OF power thus rem
! dered aVaIble is dependent upon the dis
! charge. BY the Use of the carbonic acid
! gas engine the use OF coal or water is
| avoided. They are heavy and dangerous.
Another system of ballOoning explained
! by Gen. Thayer was that for transporta-
uon principally. 1t would be operated on
wires, similar TO those used for tele-
graphic purposes. and travel at the rate
OF sixty miles an hour. The wires would
he attached to poles easy OF transp0rta-
! lion and non-eXpensive, aud the balloon
ship forwarded by means OF electricity.
The lecture was of such q scientific ma
! ture that the gentlemen in att ndance
we're not prepared to discuss it at length.
| The thanks of the institute were voted to
! Gen. Thayer and the paper recorded.