The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-02
NAVIGATING THE AIR.
QUESTION SURE TO BE SOLVED.


From the year f-ss. when the brothers
Montgolfer constructed the first balloon.
which Was formed Of paper and inflated
with hot AIR. very little Vas actually done
IN regard % steering or directing balloons
until ISL. notwithstanding that numer-
Gus attempts had been made and many
foolish theories proposed. However. i'm
this year il may be said that a really frst-
class engineer took up the subject Of aero
nautics- l refer 20 Henri Giffsrd. who was
said 20 be an engineer snd mechanic with
out rival. and she inventor OF that marvel
Gus instrument. the injector. by which q
stream of water without pressure il driven
into boiler against . pressure with no
other force than the steam from the boiler
acting directly upon the cold water with
out the interposition of any pistons or
moving parts whatsoever.
After n great deal of trouble and many
disappointments. Giffard launched his first
acrostat dirigeabis rapcur on the oath day
OF September, lss2. This aerostat was an
elongated balloon. pointed at both ends
and entirely eovered-excepting the points
and the lower partly a net. Cords hang
ing from the net on each side of the bal
loon were attached 10 a wooden beam 6S6
feet long. placed at q considerable distance
below the balloon; 1876 feet below the
beam was suspended platform, on which
was placed small steam engine and boiler,
with the necessary coal and water. The
balloon itself was thirty nine feet in diam
eier at the middle and 1si feet long, and
contained S., 29l cubic feet of gas. A tri-
angular rudder was attached to the balloon
and connected with cords. so as to be easily
manipulated from the platform. The fire
was enclosed IN such q manner that il could
not ignite the gas. The draught was induced
by the escaping force of the exhaust steam,
after the manner of q locomotive. The
fuel employed was coke Of good quality.
The engine shaft extended rearward, and
Was provided with screw propeller hay-
ing three blades The diameter Of the
screw was IL feet. and the force Of the en-
CINE was found sufficient to give the screw
10 turns per minute. The engine was
three horsepower. or equal to the work
that could be done by thirty men, Tho
weight of the boiler was ID pounds and
of the engine Us pounds. making in all
3is pounds, or ITO pounds for one horse
power, or about II pounds for the
power of one man. In order to have pro-
duced the same amount OF energy by hand
il would have been necessary to employ
thirty men. which would have repre-
sented weight of $3.50 pounds; that is
to say, nearly twelve times the weight
of the boiler and engine. On each side Of
the platform the fuel and water were
stored, and it was believed that this could
not be considered as adding any weight TO
the machine. because ballast would have
to be provided in any event. and instead
of throwing the ballast overheard, as is
usual in ordinary balloons. the ballast
was consumed by the engine. Had tho
machine been supplied with pure hydro
gen it would have had lifting force Of
6.160 pounds. which would have permitted
the employment of much more powerful
| motor, but at that time large quantities of