Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-20
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.
An Experimental Balloon to Be Sent
Over Before July A.
TO MAKE THE TRIP IN 80 HOURS.
No Human Freight Will Be Carried on the
First Expedition.
THE PLANS FOR THE AERIAL VOYAGE

PHILADELPHIA, June 19.-To cross the
Atlantic is the enterprising mission upon
which balloon will start from German
town within the next week or two. The
balloon will not carry any passengers, but
1t Is intended to pilot the way for monster
alrship that will carry at least two voyagers
Inc inventor of this new airship is Charles
Z. Fest, of 1856 Lena street, Germantown.
MI. Fest has been working on the prob
lem OF aerial navigation for the past 30 years,
and is now convinced that he has solved it.
lie is an eminently practical business man,
and works at his invention at odd hours
He has tried every scheme of aerial naviga-
tlon that has been suggested in the past
decade and halt, and has reached the con-
cluslon that all schemes of propulsion by
machinery are impracticable. The air cur
rents, In his opinion, form the only motive
power that can be relied on. The balloon
winch MIR. Fest has now projected is on the
old principle of the hot-air ship.
Inc experimental machine that will be
started across the Atlantic is completed,
and is an exact model of the larger one that
IS expected to later carry over the inventor.
The hot gas that will initiate the bag will be
generated from gasoline, which is chosen on
account fits enormous volatile proportions
and great lifting power.
To Europe in Thirty Hours.
In the completed machine the gasoline
will be carried in rectangular tin can hold
ing exactly ten gallons. A small tube runs
from the can to an upright brass pipe about
three inches in diameter and about six feet
long. This pipe is lined within and with
out with asbestos. 1t passes up into the
gas bag, while the tin receptacle remains
below. The gasoline is ignited at the tube
that passes into the pipe near the bottom,
and the flame shoots up the pipe to.the top,
where it is arrested by q cap.
The bag is made OF preparation of pa
per and is rugged SO that it cannot sway and
come in contact with the flame. This flame
will be constant, and experiments show that
the ten gallons will last just 40 hours, or
ten hours longer, according to Mr.. Fest's
calculations, than will be necessary to carry
the airship across the Atlantic. Mr.. Fest
believes that the balloon will make the
passage in 30 hours.
The gas bag on the pioneer balloon meas
ures 221f feet in diameter Underneath the
oil can has been suspended a copper buoy
shaped like big top and weighted at the
bottom, so that it will float in the water in
an upright position. 1t is surmounted by
an American flag and Is suspended by a
hook that will unfasten if 1t comes in con-
tact with the water. This will be filled
with directions to be returned, if found.
This will only become detached in case of
accident and in the unexpected event of the
balloon falling in the water. In the large
balloon for passengers it will be made
large enough to float the yoyagers in case of
accident.
Only Floating Power Needed.
Mr.. Fest declares that it has been clearly
proven that there is a constant air current
to the east that will watt his airship across
the ocean in 40 hours at the outside, and
the only problem that has prevented aero
nauts from crossing the ocean before has
been that of keeping balloon up sufficiently
long to make the voyage. The existence of
these currents was shown by Professor Wise
when he made his trip from st. Louis to
New York, and he then declared that he
could cross the ocean if he could only keen
his airship afoat.
Mr.. Fest thinks that he has solved this
problem by providing constant and uni
form supply of hot gas. The size of the oil
receptacle can be expanded to almost any
dimensions that will give them sufficient
fuel to keep afloat for long time. Mr..
Fest has already sent up over 200 small
balloons made on this principle, so that his
calculations are based on reliable data.
The date flor sending the balloon on its
transatlantic trip has not yet been fixed
but Will be decided on shortly. It will
probably be before the Fourth of July. The
gas bag will be decorated with the shield of
the United States, for, although Mr.. Fest
was born in Germany, he is veteran of the
war and an intense American. 81 want
America to have the glory of solving this
problem, he said yesterday.