New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-11-27
CAN YOU STEER A BALLOON?
TESTS OF ANDREES METHOD
MADE IN ENGLAND
HOW THE SAIL AND TRAIL ROPE ARE ADJUSTED
THEORIES NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
REASONING.


The question whether it is possible to steer a
balloon has been revived in England within the
last few weeks by an acronautic experiment
/ conducted by q Unknown expert The de-
scription Of his voyage and the announced in
tenton Of another trip which shall df all goes
welD extend across the Channel into France
have served to elicit the opinions Of a number
Of people who are fitted to speak with authority
on this subject a
Percival Spencer who both owns and has re-
peatedly navigated an airship. took up party
! Of four men, starting from Earls Court. in the
southwestern Quarter Of London His cOmpan-
! ions were two newspaper men and an officer OF
| the ROYAL Engineers In most respects the bal
loon was typical specimen. having a spherical
gasbag and a light suspended therefrom
The two novel features Of the outfit were a sail
and a trail rope.
The sail was about twelve feet square. and
was secured at its upper and lower edges to
light bamboo spars. The upper spar was at
tachei 10 the netting. and The lower one to the
car. in such a manner that 1t remained we'll
stretched. and did not change its position with
reference to either the car or the gasbag. When
il was desirable TO change the angle that it pre-
scented to the wind the whole balloon was
swung around, by means that will be described
| in a moment The sail moved with the bal
| loon hence no trimming of sheets was neces-
sary
The trail rope was about Ave hundred feet
long and weighed one hundred pounds 1t had
a diameter OF An inch or so. This rope was at
tachcd to the car by two cords, which entered
! the car from the outside at different points and
| then ran over pulleys. BY hauling in on one
cord and relaxing the other. the trail could be
| shifted from one side to the other Of the car.
During the first part Of the voyage, while the
| balloon was drifting from west to east over
| London the rope kept carefully coiled up
inside the car. and the airship itself was main
| tanned at an elevation of 5000 or 5000 feet
But after the rural districts beyond the city
we're reached the balloon descended to a height
Of only about 300 feet so that it was possible to
allow nearly or quite 200 feet Of rope to drag on
the ground.
Now the theory Of Andree and his imitators
is that so long any object floats with the
wind without impediment 1t will have no steer
age way; but If its progress can be retarded in
some way so that the wind blows past the ship.
it will then be practicable to navigate her to
some extent The rope is put only to lessen
the speed Of the balloon. The sail is not meant
TO facilitate movement. as on marine vessel.
Its function is entirely different The sail Is
really the rudder. 1t is by shifting this device
that il is proposed to change the course Of the
balloon AS already explained. the sail is shift
ed by swinging the whole ship around, and the
latter operation is accomplished by heavng the
trail rope first TO this side and then to that
balloon not provided with trail is liable 10 ro-
tate more or less as 1t moves through the air.
There is ordinarily no front rear to the craft.
But by afIixing this drag rope TO the car, Of
course II becomes feasible 70 check the rotative
tendency and keep any specified part Of the
balloon to the rear. and the opposite side to the
| front
The actual distance travelled by Mr.. Spencer
and his companions was about twenty-six miles;
and along twenty Of them the chief aeronaut
was endeavoring to what he could accom-
psh in the way Of steering. The direction
which the balloon took when left free to obey
the breeze was a trife north Of east, so that
the course Law through Essex north of the
Thames But it was found that by swinging
the ship and it's sail around in one way. the
{ rection could be altered nearly point and
half TO the right. and on the other tack nearly
A point and a half 10 the left The whole range
Of the deviation a little less than three
full points Of the compass-not over thirty de-
grees Of an arc At no time could the balloon
he steered off its natural course moro than fif-
teen degrees There thirty-two points to
a mariners compass. and each point corresponds
tho wind is to sail eight points off the wind.
II will thus he seen how small was the deVa-
zion secured hv the steering apparatus used by
Mr. Sponccr If Andrfe did no better than THIS
il is no wonder that he was at the mercy Of un-
favora HE winds
The line Of reasoning in which the advocates
Of this system Of navigation indulge is we'll SCI
forth in this paragraph from a leading London
newspaper:
ia sailing vessel is anchored in a crowded. mar
row place. with a strong tide running 50 tiat
she cannot he got under way without mourning
great risk Of drifting foul OF vessels anchoIed
close astcIn. she DIRE iges so as 10 GET cicar OF
them-thai Is. the cable is hove sh9r. "nlI"
causes the vessel 10 drag slowly. and me 'ld',
running undor her at a faster rate than she Is
dragging. affords stecrage way ana cndhles tne
hclmsn,an TO direct his craft she drifts down
stream Stern first It is also the custom Of the
Norfolk whcrrNmcn to drop down the narrow,
rapid river at Yarmouth with sails turicd ara
long chains trailing from NOR 1 p oyer r .se
muddy bottom. thus reiardinG 'hcir p'osIeSS
and providing tho stccraSe way needed 10 Keep
them clear Of obstacles and shoot me brldst''
Now the conditions Of balloon floating in the
air are exactly those Of a vessel win sails low
cred drifting on the water.
But any one who is at all familiar with the
principles involved in the operation just de-
scribed can see the difference between the condi-
lions that prevail In the two cases Nhlch are
here compared. A ship has keel when OFFERS
a considerable resistance to lateral drl1'; ana
when by dragging anchors or other means
: her hull is swung around point or TWO OH
The direction Of her drift. this keel supplements
the other appliances in its tendency to Keep hei
from going straight with the tide. The balloon
has no such structural feature. However much
# may rotate a vertical axis. II presents the
same resistance TO the wind. This Is not true
Of ship yacht
How much might be accomplished by rigging
. centrehoard under balloon or some sort OF
q keel remains 10 be seen Whether or not such
a device would do any good Is an interesting
is fallAcN In the