Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-07-16
Air.Ship Building.

Although it i5 only hundred years since
the first balloons were made, it would take
books enough to ell a good.s;zed library to
record in detail the myriad styles of flying
machines and balloons that have been in
vented, most of them within comparatively
few years. 1t is scarcely necessary to say
that all the flying machines have proved
utter failures, because Of their being based
or no natural law. Balloons inflated by
hydrogen or coal gas have not materially
advanced in utility since the day OF the
Montgo6ers. With all our boasted skill in
other fields, we have been obliged to submit
to. the caprices of the wind when in the air.
There has been no method found Of propel-
ing or guiding balloon filled with gas The
great surface which a bag containing hun
dreds of thousands of cubic feet Of gas offers
precludes this. But man is going to navi.
gate the air at will. 1t will be accomplish
ed by the vacuum system. This method al
lows of firm structure, shaped so as TO Of
fer as little resistance to the wind as the
hull of vessel, for instance. The vacuum
method is to be used by DR.. A. De Bousset
as The ascensional power of the vacuum air.
ship designed by him, and for which House
committee has reported fayorably bill ap-
proprating $150,0G0 10 aid in its construc-
ton. The vacuum theory is not new by
any means, and is based on an unalterable
law of physics, which proves the practica.
bility fits asceusional force. AS previous
ly stated, hydrogen gas is only fifteen times
lighter than air, while c complete vacuum,
or, rather, as nearly e complete vacuum as
could be obtained, is the very minimum Of
weight. 1t will be seen how much great
er ia the lifting power of the latter than
the former. This, however, is somewhat
counterbslanced by the greater weight of
the structure required, but not so much as
not to leave the advantage with the vacuum.
The immense advantage of the system over
all others is the opportunity it offers to build
firm structure, shaped 80 as TO offer the
least resistance to the wind, and descrip-
tion Of the De Bousset invention will prove
it. The machine will consist of 8 steel
cylinder 654 feet long, with diameter of
1873 feet. The ends will be conesbaped.
1t will be propelled and steered by air
screws capable Of exhausting $4,000 feet of
air, per minute, which, it is calculated, will
give speed of rs miles an hour. A 100.
horse power electric motor will drive these
screws, and that, in turn, will derive its
energy from storage batteries. 1t is esti
mated that one-third of this power will be
necessary to propel the ship, the rest being
held in reserve The cylinder will be built
of steel plate, one forty-fourth of an inch
thick. These plates have already been
tested and found capable of sustaining
double the pressure they will be called upon
to bear. The interior of the vessel will be
divided into compartments, which, together
with braces will give the proper strength to
the structure. The whole is intended to
weigh 26O $50 pounds. The volume of air
contained in the cylinder would weigh
719,707 pounds, which would give lifting
power, were the vacuum complete, of 459 027
pounds outside of the cylinder itself. Even
if the vacuum is not complete-say within
third-still the lifting power would be 306,-
OILS pounds, or $4,000 tons-quite sufficient
to carry nearly 1000 passengers. There will
be what might be termed a superstructure,
under the cylinder, on which the engines
for sxhausting the air and propelling it will
be placed, and upon which the freight and
passengers will also be carried. 1t is by aid
of the exhausting pumps that the machine
is to be raised and lowered. The altitude
attained will depend entirely on the COM
pleteness of the vacuum, A greater height
can be reached with this air-ship than with
the hydrogen method, because there will be
no danger of the thing bursting, as has often
occurred in the old style, by the expanding
of the hydrogen. The bill describes the yes.
sci as being medium for rapid transporta-
tion of freight and passengers for long or
short distances, overland or trans-oceanic /;
for purposes of commerce and for explora-
tion, observation, etc. The constantly. in.
creasine cheapness of aluminium, which is
three times lighter and three times stronger
than steel, gives great promise for the fu-
ture of the vacuum system, as it will reduce
the weight of the structure to almost Is per
cent of that of stee.-Boston Transcript.