The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-08
The Air Ship and Daring Explorers
Spitzbergen to the Polar Sea.
New York Herald.

atterWard in the accident to the balloon
Zenith. The project lay in allegiance until
1890, when it was taken up again by two
Parisians-Hermte and Besancon-who
submitted a plan that was carefully and
scientifically thought out to the minutest
detail
Let US hastily run over the plan of these
gentlemen and see wherein it comedies
with and wherein it differs from the propo-
sition of M. Andree. The most difficult
problem to face in attempting with any
chance of success to traverse SO great an
area as the polar basin consists in prevent
ing all variation in the height of the bal
loon, as such variation is inevitably attend
ed with a loss of gas. The only known
method of accomplishing this with reasona-
pie security is by the guide rope, invented
Dy the English aeronaut Green in 1850.
The theory of the guide rope is simplicity
itself. 1t is a long trailing rope, one end OF
which Is attached to the car. When the bal
loon from whatever reason loses its as
cending force some portion of the rope
rests on the earth and acts to that extent
as un6aIasting, thus preventing the balloon
from railing too low. On the other hand, if
the gas dilates and too lofty an ascent is
threatened the balloon lifts up enough rope
to act as additional ballast, and thus to re-
SlSt the ascensiOnal impulse.
A CURIOUS AIR POCKET.
To counterfeit the influence of the varia-
the atmosphere the gas, according to the
Hermite-Besancon plan, must be main
tanned constantly under pressure. An in
side air pocket will accomplish this. If the
gas dilates' it eXpels the air contained in
this pocket If it contracts a ventilator
sends the air under pressure into the pocket
and maintains the rotundity of the sphere.
With the aid of a SUFFICIENT guide rope
and an air pocket balloon will be enabled
to maintain itself in the air so long as it
has any aScensiOnal force. But this force
is subject to gradual diminution by the in
evitabie loss of gas through the envelope,
or what is scientifically known as endos-
mOsis Therefore the length of time in
which the balloon will be able TO remain in
the air may be determined with a fair de-
gree of accuracy by the amount of ballast
carried from. the start, which must be
thrown out from time to time to counter
balance these continuous losses.
Now, the balloon proposed by Besancon
and Hermite was to be thirty meters (about
one hundred feeD in height of $500 square
meters in diameter and 1900 cubic meters
in capacity The envelope was to be COM
posed of three thicknesses of Chinese silk,
covered with impermeable Varnish and
glued together so as to present a resistance
of 10000 kilogrammes per square meter.
To maintain the aeronaut at an even level
whose maximum height should not exceed
500 meters, NJ. Besancon decided to q
guide rope 1900 meters long, of which 1,2Go
meters would be formed OF light silk and
the remaining COO meters would be purpoSely
heavy, being thick hemp surrounded by
steel wire, in such sort that it could be
used to compensate for inequalities in at
moSphere, etc To reVitalize the parent
balloon when the loss by endosmosis had
become serious a reserve of sixteen small
balloons, arranged around the equator OF
the large one, could be successfully uSeo
for the purpose of imitation.
This project, which, on paper at least
appears perfect in all its details, remains
alas! in the air Its two inventors have
been unable to raise the 250000 francs al
which they estimated the probable cost. SC
Sweden and M. Andree have stepped into
the breach. The King of that country ano
the late M. Nobel, the inventor OF dyna-
mite, contributed together the sum OF
100000, and M. Andree decided that this
would suffice.
His plan is more economical than the
French one. He reduced the volume of the
proposed polar ballon to 1850 cubic meters
He dispensed with the air pocket and the
subsidiary gas balloons. The upper part OF
the envelope he decided should be made OF
three thicknesses of Chinese silk or pongee
and the lower. beginning at two meters be-
low the equator, of two thlckneSSes. spe-
cial glue was to be used to faSten these
thicknesses together and then the whole
envelope, without and within, was to re-
ceiVe successive layers of Varnish until its
impermea bility was assured.
INSTRUMENTS FOR OBSERVATION.
The basket or car, which depends from
the balloon was to be egg-shaped, about
seven feet in diameter and five feet in
depth. The lower edge on one side was to
be cut away, so that if it struck the ground
it would not turn over The edge thus
shaved away was to face the direction in
which the balloon was going. The car was
to be provided with a strong wicker work
lid with a trap door large enough for the
entrance and exit of the traveller, whose
sleeping place was to be inside the car.
Only one person could sleep there at a
time. The others were meanwhile to be at
work in the observatory as the space inn
mediately above the basket was called. The
To Cfn he hfT
which would be a free space of some eight
feet. BarometerS, thermometers, sextants
were to be ranged for convenient access in
a ring about three and a half feet above
the level of the basket lid. Twenty-Five feet
below the roof of the basket hung the cook
ing stove. By means of a string running
down an India rubber tube, a match could
be struck and a spirit lamp lighted. In half
an hour water could be boiled. soup made
or meat cooked then by puff down the
tube the light could be eXtinguished and
the food would then be ready to be hoisted
up and enjoyed. But the stove could only
be used in fair weather. At other times the
travellers would have to confine themselves
to the canned goods stored just below the
bearing ring.
A steering apparatus and three sails were
to complete the equipment. The sails were
to be attached to bamboo spars lying across
the bearing ring, and beneath the balloon
proper the sails were to be suspended by
straps from the top of the balloon, the
straps being held in place by being threaded
In the ordinary way the sails would only
help to carry the balloon directly before the
wind But if the guide rope were moved a
point or two to the right or the left on the
bearing ring the sails instead of being di-
rectly before the wind, would be brought to
a slight angle to it, and the action of the
rope dragging behind would keep them
there, with the result that the air ship, in
place of going directly before the wind
would move in direction at a certain
angle from it.
The balloon was built according to these
specifications in Paris by Lachambre. Or
May 1918 of last year 1t was exhibited tC
the public in the Champs du Mars. and was
then folded up and forwarded to Danskoe
in SpitZbergen. On the 23d of July ii was
inflated with gas, and on the 9th was an
nounced as ready for raunchng.
For sixty days Andree, with his proposed
and Strindberg, waited for favorable
breeze. Unfortunately the breeze broke al
its former records and refused to arrive
Winter came on, and the project had tC
be abandoned for the year 1896.
Eckholm withdrew from the enterprise
He had all along contended that a balloon
of this size was insufficient for the enter
prise Andree and Strindberg, however
ers are equally confident of eventual sue
cess. I.achambre has been employed in
making some improvements on the polar
apparatus The balloon has been aug
mented in size, and it's capacity is now in
creased to 900 metres by the addition of an
equatorial zone. The envelope has been en-
tirely revarnished, and new scientific in
struments have been purchased. Early In
May the courageous explorers will be back
again a their quarters in Spitzbergen
eagerly awaiting the advent of a favorable
wind
1t is not probable that a repetition of last
years fiasco will occur The polar winds
are usually as regular as the Atlantic trade
winds An UNPRECEDENTED irregularity such