The Forrest City times., 1891-07-03
SCIENCE AND PROGRESS
MATTERS OF INTEREST AND IN-
 SEDUCTION FOR ALL.
Protecting Workmen From Furnace Aeat--Why . Man Can't Fiy--An Automatic Candlestick--Ad- vice to Amateur Photo-
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A New York Air Ship.

There seems to be prevailing im pression that air navigation will SCOT be an accomplished fact. N. Helmel of 129 Fourth avenue is now at work on designs for an aerial ship in which the electric motor operated with stor age batteries will be the power tc whirl the vessel through space. The balloon is a long, cylindrical affair containing smaller cylinder connect. ed through pipe with an air pump on board the passenger car. The inner cylinder is used to displace some of the gas in the outer, which opera tion, by reducing buoyancy, will cause the ship to gradually sink down to | the earth.
 The balloon sails laterally and car. ries a finlike sail which causes 1t to face the wind. It is connected with the car by means of number of ropes converging at s swivel several feet above the car proper. The swivel per mits the car to swing around in every direction of the compass by means of a fan-wheel and rudder. The swift ly revolving fanwheel imparts velocity to both the car and the passive bal loon overhead, the latter being so con- trived in Mir. Helmer's plans as to make 1t impossible to come athwart the current. The pipes communicate Ing with the outer and inner balloons are provided with the most simply constructed safety valves, which Mr. Helmer thinks will render accidents by explosion impossible.
 He proposes to make the outer bal loon of aluminium sheets prepared so as to withstand five pounds pressure to the square inch. The inside balloon will be made of vanished silk so as to swell and decrease in size at will Mir. Helmer said recently: If this whole plan will be thoroughly investigated, l have no doubt that the most critical thinkers will be satisfied with it. In justice to myself 1 would emphasize the fact that l have given merely the outline, but this outline demon strates the principle as accurately as do cause and effect. The filling of the balloon, the method of holding it in place while filling 1t, and of releasing 1t when full, the construction of the safety valves, the trussed frame under the balloon, and other details are still my own personal secrets. But 1 can assure the public that the whole mat ter Is the essence of simplicity and can not possibly miscarry.
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 Heat.
 At one of the German iron works, an ingenious method has been adopt ed of protecting the workmen at the pudding and heating furnaces from the heat.
 A rectangular iron screen is hung from an overhead rail, and can be made to cover the whole working side of the iarnace, or can be pushed aside when not required, or when it inter- feres with the work of the men. The lower end is bent into gutter, winch has a slight fall in the direction of it's length, and the upper edge is provided  on the inside, the nearest the furnace, with pipe bored through with small holes about ! inches apart, which is Tn connection with the service pipe supplying water for coolingthe sides ot the bed When in use the inside of the plate Is kept constantly wet from the supply pipe, the small jets trick ling down to the gutter at the bottom and running away to the cooling bosh at the side A notch at the bottom IS left for the passage of the rabble, and short inclined plate Is provided for the clnder to run over; but with these exceptions the whole surfac1nis screened by the water-cooled plNee. The arrangement, which was first ap- piled experimentahy to a fewfurnaces, has worked so satisfactorily that it has been fitted to the whole of the pudding furnaces in the works, IS it Is found that the puddlers, being pro- tected in great part from the exhaust ing effects of the heat, can work full time even in the hottest summer weat her.