The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-11
BALLOONS AND AIRSHIPS.
Possibilities of Ballooning- Recent Pro-
gress in the Art of Balloon Steering.
Renard and His Last Experiment in Steering
Balloon Against the Wind-Earlier
Efforts and Their Failure.

the I'D of September the banks of the Seine.
about Mendow, were thronged with an eager
crowd of curious Frenchmen, drawn together by
the report of balloon ascent to be made by
Captain Renard and his brother from the camp
the aerostat rose suddenly in M air, sailed off
successfully to the east, west, north, south, and
finally took its course straight Tor the Pont du
Jour, about three miles from the starting point.
Here the balloon, descending slightly, paused;
then, obedient to the helm. it sailed back to the
camp of Chalais, where it descended. On the
following day the experiment was repeated.
The War Office authorities, who watched the
trials, profess to be satisfied that the problem
has been solved. A dozen schemes are already
on foot for utilizing the new highway thrown
open TO the public.
Five hundred years ago Roger Bacon imag-
ined large copper globe, to be thin walled as
paper and filled with fire. This ball he was sure
could be made lighter than the air, and could be
guided through it on principle analogous to that
of steering ship. 1t is 100 years now since
Mongolfer took the first practical step toward
realizing all these visionary conceptions by his
experiments al Apnonay. Balloons and balloon
ascensions have grown too common to longer in
spire the poet or the dreamer. The air-ship
which was to bear another Columbus on his voy
age to explore third realm of mans kingdom
has done little more than divide the attention of
gaping crowd with the big pumpkin at a
county fair. Within the last year or two fresh
interest has been excited in the balloon, and
fresh claims urged in its behalf by enthusiasts,
who have been Frenchmen mostly, English
balloonists have maintained skepJcal attitude
toward all these successes. The same Captain
Renard, whose recent feat is attracting public
attention. made a balloon voyage in
company with Captain Krebs, in Novem-
Der last. Starting from Mendon, in France,
he directed his course to Bellancourt, proceeded
some miles in that direction, and returned to the
spot from whence he came alighting in forty i've
minutes. Prior to this attempt, in August, 1884,
he assembled from Mendon, steered his balloon
against the wind veered it around. and brought
it back to the starting point The success Of
these efforts created breeze in all the military
circles of Europe, and the French Academy OF
Sciences thought the matter worthy of its
yard. English ballonists still unconvinced,
and to all glowing accounts OF Renard's successes
they have but one answer to give-spectators
the earth cannot know how currents and coun-
ter currents moving in the air. Renard's
changes of direction have commonly followed
some little ascent or descent. Nobody but the
aeronaut, himself, can tell how far he has prof
often what has looked like motion against the
wind has been only drifting with stratum of air
moving in direction opposite to that of the sur
face breeze.
1t was in the year l786 that small gas bal
loon, without car or passenger. was inflated at
Sandwich, England. Three hours afterward it
was found near Lisle. France the first aerostat
that crossed the Channel The drifting of this
balloon across those stormy waters arose the
first aeronautic craze. Those aeronauts were as
uulck IN claim &C M RAna r2 today hut
investigation proved the worthessness of each and
every device. Nor is this wonderful, consider
ing the enormous size of balloon for the con-
veyance of two passengers even. Thirty thou
sand feet of gas it must contain, and the effect
of pull of three or four pounds-the most that
man could obtain by rowing in such thin
element as the air-would be insignificant.
Every attempt to steer balloons by manual force
proved failure, nor did steam power succeed
much better. NJ Giffard claimed entire success
in guiding balloon by means of screws set in
motion by steam engine in the car, but there
is no proof that he really accomplished
the feat Reasoning prori it would seem that
machinery revolved by steam power is too heavy
for such purpose. and if not, had Giffard's
plans beer practicable, since his experiment was
made in 1852, the invention would certainly have
been used by the friends of the beeagured Paris
ians in 1870.
SRecent aeronauts have looked to electricity as
the most hopeful motive power for their steering
apparatus The balloon used by Renard last
November was cigar shaped and pointed at each
extremity In the car were seats for two passen-
gers and the balloon had a rudder and direct
ing apparatus. The force was obtained by a
series of electric accommodations of ten-horse
power Whether Renard has or has not accom-
plished all that he claims to, no other agency is
so promising as electricity. Engineers have
been predicting thai in the course of the next ten
years it will be possible to compress into
chine the size of an eggshell electricity enough
to drive an express train from Boston TO New
York. Aeronautic cranks abound. Schemes
have been set afioat for reaching the north pole
by balloon, for exploring the interior of Africa
by balloon for crossing deserts by balloon.
Most of the results that have thus far been OBJ
tanned by the aid Of balloons have followed the
use OF the stationary aerostat. The fire balloon
has greater possibilities. but the attached is
more easily managed. The captive balloon has
been employed with good results in for pur
poses of reconnaissance. At the siege of Rich
mond a telegraph wire was attached to the
of captive balloon, and the President, by its
means. at distance of many miles, was kept
informed of the course of events upon the battle
field. 1t has been proposed of late to extend
the field of operations of the captive balloon 1t
was shown in the last century that captive bal
loon might easily be towed from place to place
by means of ropes held by infantry
soldiers. Twelve well-trained horsemen,
Fred Burnaby estimated, could easily convey a
balloon holding %, 900 feet of pure hydrogen,
and 1oated at a considerable altitude above
them, at a rate of from seven to eight miles an
hour staff officer in the car could sweep the
horizon with his field glass for miles, and obtain
much important information in the shortest
space of time. Had such q balloon corps accom-
panied the English troops in the Soudan, some
pages of recent history might have told differ
ent tale. Some daring minds have even proposed
the use of light Gardner guns from captive bal
looms. Colonel Burnaby wakes eloquent upon
the subject, putting at minimum the danger
incurred from the return fire. A balloon. he
says, is the hardest of objects to hit, owing to
the aeronauts ability at any moment to increase
or decrease his distance from the earth
But, however useful the captive balloon may
be made in certain conjunctions of circum-
stances, the imagination dwells with more pleas
ure upon the free air-ship taking the line by
which the birds fly. Aside from the question of
thus far has been the waste of the gas which
supplies the huoyancy. The neck of the balloon
is lett open; through it passes line which is at