Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1885-07-18
A p1RIGrBLE BALLOON.

Mrs. Carl Myers, the aeronaut, who
has made over $50 balloon ascensions, has
recently been granted letters patent for a
balloon, cut Of which we present below. 1t
is remarkable as being the first patent of the
kind granted to woman beside contradict
ing the oft repeated story that woman can
not invent
In answer to inquiry she thus describes
her apparatus:
MOHAWK, N. Y, July S.-This apparatus
is the first and at present the only contriv-
ance ever in practical use by any aeronaut
for diverting balloon from the path of the
wind, and though its apparent frailty makes
it seem dangerous and inefficient, it is much
more substantial than the element it navi-
gates, and my use of it, doing more than 100
aerial voyages, indicates its capacity to pre-
serve itself and passenger from injury.
The feature of special importance is
''rudder platform formed of an oval board
of twenty by thirty inches area and one-half
inch thickness, entirely inclosed in an elastic
netting bag of hammock Irvine, suspended
at its open mouth by an expansion hoop"
which is connected to a hydrogen gas bal
loon by cords. Thus attached the platform
is of very unstable equilibrium" somewhat
like a light paper boat on water, and tips
alarmingly or changes its plane or level with
every different position of the aeronaut stand
ing upon it. Without other attachments this
arrangement is competent to modify the
direction of fight upward, as it acts like
rudder; while on falling, instead of taking
the vertical line it may be diverted toward
any point by simply lnclining the level OF
the rudder platform toward that point, and
in calm air a landing may be effected at any
desired spot in a considerable area below.
On landing, several ccnverging steel spikes
projecting from the bottom of the platform
are merged to catch and hold the ground
like fingers, while if much wind be blowing
and the balloon attempts to drag the spiked
platform along the ground like harrow,
the weight of the aercnaut upon the rear eni
forces the rear spikes deeper as the forward
spikes raise by movements of the balloon,
SO that the commonly dangerous and de-
structive dragging is avoided. This fragile
apparatus weighs seven pounds, AMI when
connected with a spherical receptacle for
hydrogen gas, of twenty feet diameter, it
sustains a weight over two hundred pounds
in the air. The additional attachments for
propelling and navigating weigh two and
one-half pounds. The propeller is a ere
volving sair' of loose cloth converted into
screw by turning a cranked shaft which
rests across the expansion hoop. 1t inclines
toward any point by the aeronaut's weight
upon the rudder platform. 1t has this ad-
vantage over becalmed sail boat-instead
OF 'whistlmg for a breeze, you simply turn
crank and ''raise the windr'
At the rear is a kite-shaped rudder COM
posed of large square of cloth stretched
upon four extended arms joined by pivot.
One arm is attached to the expansion hoop
by peculiar universal joint, which, acting
somewhat like human hand and ARM per-
mits the rudder to be turned, swung, twisted,
inclined OF thrust in any possible direction
or position which common fan might
occupy if held in ones hand, so that it dis
penses with q double rudder' or a com.
bined horizontal and perpendicular rudder,
as it performs the functions of either at
will. CARLoTTA E, MYERS.