The Opelousas courier., 1894-02-17
FLYING OVER THE OCEAN.
A CONTEMPLATED A1E1AL TRIP
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.

N1loI LoooA
- UnitedS States Weather Bureau,
is going to make an aerial voy-
age across the Atlantic. he
will travel with a balloon. 1t Will e
directed. by means of propellers and a
rudder, and it is expected to stay
afoat two weeks or more, though the
trans oceanic trip may require only
fifty hours.
The balloon will be a small n COM
paratively~ speaking. Professor Hazen
considers that an envelope containing
100, 900 cubic feet should be plenty
big enough for a voyage to Europe.
If enough cash for the purchase of such
a one cannot be got, the attempt may
be made in a balloon of so, 900 cubic
feet.
The chief difficulty met with in
aerial voyages is leaking of gas. But
science has recently learned how to
construct balloons that will not leak.
The material used is goldbeaters' skin,
which is obtained from a part of the
intestines of the OK, called the
,'cecum."
The goldbeaters' skin comes in small
sheets, the biggest obtainable being
twenty-five by ten inches. 1t looks
somewhat like oiled tissue to the eye,
but it is not porous. Six layers put
together make about the thickness of
letter paper, with nearly the same
weight as silk. However, four thick
nesses will serve for. a balloon, the
sheets being OVERLAND upon each other
in such a way that there are no joints
or seams. The first step in the con-
struction of the balloon is to make a
cloth bag of exactly the size required,
which is oiled and inflated. Then the
eoldbeaters' skin is laid over the out
side of it, one thickness at a time,
being made to adhere in a manner
which is yet a secret. Finally the
cloth bag is taken out, and you have
your balloon.
The balloon will be filled with ny
drogen, which has a lifting power of
seventy pounds for each 1000 cubic
feet. The bag, contemplated to hold
100, 900 cubic feet, will thus have a
total lifting power of 1000 pounds. 1t
is estimated that the whole aerial ma
chine, including the net, basket, drag
rope, anchor, etc, will weigh 800
pounds. Three men will add a weight
Of $50 pounds, and $50 pounds more
may be allowed for provisions and
water. This reckoning leaves a mar
gin of $500 pounds, which would be
taken along as ballast i'll the shape OF
sand and in bags.
Az a great height the gas has a ten
dency to escape at the neck of the
bag. In order to avoid that contin-
gency Professor Hazen intends to have
o small balloon hitched alongside of the
big one, the necks of the two being
Joined together. When the hydrogen
flows out of the large neck of the bag
it will enter the little one and will not
be lost. The SUI shining or q balloon
heats it and causes the gas to expand,
so that it is apt to escape at the neck.
The gas can be returned to the big
balloon by simply pulling down the
small one.
At times it is desirable to keep at a
low level when the high current is in
the wrong direction. Professor Haz-
ems plan is to lower a large bucket
from the basket near the sea. This
could be filled with water by means
of a small pail as fast as weight might
be required to hold the balloon down.
The big bucket could readily be emp
tied from the car, when desired, by
opening a valve III its bottom.
1t is most important that the aero
naut should be able to place his bal
loon at any level of the atmosphere he
p~leases. OF course. the currents of
air at various elevations commonly
flow in different directions. There
may be an unfavorable wind at 1000
feet, and at the same time just the
right breeze may blow at $1,000 feet.
Professor Hazen thinks of taking with
him a small pilot balloon, which may
be run up to the height of a mile above
the great gas bag, Sc Is to ascertain
the direction of the breeze at a higher
level without taking the trouble to as
cend in order to find out.
The attempt will not be made with
out trying a preliminary voyage from
Denver to New York, or, perhaps,
from San Francisco to New York. II
that can be accomplished there should
be no difficulty about crossing the
ocean. TO come back across the At
lantic would not be practicable, be-
cause the air currents are in the OPP
posite direction. In order to return
by balloon it would be necessary to
go all around the world, reaching San
Francisco byway of the Pacific.
It is proposed to employ means of g
simple nature for directing and pro
polling the balloon. There will be nc
complicated machinery, but merely q
rudder and propellers. The latter will
be worked by nan power, very likely
by the feet, bicycle fashion. Prob.
ably the propeller shaft will be made
to project both ways, having o screw
in front, thus getting double power
and incidentally preserving the bal
ance.
Professor Aazen thinks there is nc
reason why balloon voyages around
the globe should not be made some
day. He believes that the North Pole
will eventually be arrived at by aeria
navigation.
The professors air ship, holding
100, 900 cubic feet of gas, will cos
$4,000 or $4,000. He can get one will
q capacity of so, 900 cubic feet fol
$4,000. One of his ideas is to make
l H. L.slra4 L. laa 4le III