The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-29
A DISASTER in THE; FIR
IT Showed the German Government That
Metal Balloons Were Possibility
s. Schwartz in every possible way.

Mrs. Schwartz in every possible way.
This was not the first time in the his
tory of the world that men were en-
gagged on a job in which they had no
faith. Therefore, believing as they did
that the balloon would not be able to
raise itself, to say nothing OF the mo-
tor and passengers, from the ground,
they cut away all the apparatus that
to them seemed superfiuous. There was,
for instance, a clever device for regu-
lating the descent of the balloon; and
another for frightening the four feet
of the car in order to reduce to min
imum the shock of landing. Both OF
these devices were done away with, as
adding to the weight of the ship. An
other arrangement employed was also
sacrificed-a sacrifice, which, as we
shall see In moment, was most dis
astrous. The balloon was operated by
four screws, two Of horizontal move
ment and two for vertical movement,
run by benZine motor of 1912 horse
power. The ship, as shown in the illus
'trations, was an immense cylinder with
cone-shaped end. The dimensions were
colossal, the body of the ship being l34
feet long, 46 feet high, and AZ feet
inches wide. Yet, Notwithstanding the
size, the weight of the whole was only
5,720 pounds. With the mere exception
of the driving belt and the brass bear
THE SCHWARTZ BALLOON.
No one probably, except the inventor
and his wife, will ever know of the
discouragements which marked the his
tory of the Schwartz balloon, notwith
standing the help of the German gov
eminent. The completion of the air
ship, however, and the final arrange
ments for trial trip, threw discourage
ment into the shadow, and lent a rosy
tint to the hopes of the inventors wife.
She was the only one who knew that
the monster airship, with it's silvery
cylinder, would do the work for which
it was intended, and it may be believed
that the first two days, while the bal
loon was being filled, were to her days
of excitement and weary waiting for
victory.
1t was necessary, in filing the bal
loon, that all the air should be expelled
from the aluminium cylinder before the
gas was injected; and this operation
was completed by a peculiar arrange
ment of SchwartZ's own. "A colossal
silk receptacle, the size of the cylinder,
was constructed, and this was placed
inside the cylinder, the hydrogen gas
being slowly pumped into the silk bag
AS this bag expanded it gradually ex-
PEELED the surrounding air from the
cylinder, and when all the air was
driven out, the gas in the silk bag was
allowed to escape into the outer recep-
tacle.
The imitation, if such it might be
called, of the aluminium balloon, was
one of the last stages in the preparation
for ascent from the Luftschiffer park,
and as the moment approached for the
trial trip, the excitement was intense
Already, by its vain efforts to get free
from the ropes which held it to the
ground, the balloon showed that the
inventor was right and his critics
wrong. Herr Jagels, the engineer under
whose charge the machine had been
built. although not an experienced
aeronuat offered to make the ascent-a
plucky offer, considering the feeling
against the balloon, and the fact that
more than one man was necessary to
attend to the steering and propelling