The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-09-20
BALLOON DID NOT RISE
INITIATING APPARATUS WAS
DEFECTIVE.
Better Appliances VIII be Provided
and Another Attempt VIII be Made
Before Sunrise Some Morning.

An effort was made at o'clock last
night to initiate the balloon and make
tests as 10 the exact height TO which
the wireless telegraphy pole at the IA
imuki station should be erected.
The effort to initiate the balloon was
only partly successful, and hence the
experiments were not made. The bal
loon is made of canvas oiled with boil
ed linSeed oil. 1t is in the conventional
balloon shape twenty-five feet high and
fourteen i'm its largest diameter At
the lower end of the balloon the can
vas is fastened to a strong iron ring
about two feet in diameter To this
ring the ropes that are to keep the
balloon captive are attached.
The method of initiating attempted
was by digging a trench in the ground,
near the wireless telegraphy pole at
kaimuki over the leeward end of this
trench was placed a big plate of sheet
iron in which was short smokestack
or tiue about the size of the opening
into the balloon. Around this smoke
stack or 1lue asbestos was wrapped
and then the opening of the balloon
was placed right over it. A fire was
then built in the wlndWard end of the
trench, so that as the air was heated
it would pass through the trench, up
the fiue ana into the balloon.
The effort to initiate the balloon was
continued for over half an hour, but
with only partial success. 1t was found
that the trench was too short, so that
there was constant danger that sparks
from the fire, either passing inside the
balloon or flying outside it, would set
fire to the balloon itself. 1t was also
found that there being no draft from
the fire except into the balloon itself,
there was little to carry the hot air
from the lire into the balloon. In spite
of these defects of arrangement how
ever the aeronauts succeeded in more
than half initiating the balloon.
There was a very high wind all even
ing which initiated against the sue
cess of the experiment, even if the bal
loon had been successfully inflated.
Owing to these untoward circumstances
it was decided to abandon further effort
last evening. When this was decided
it was discovered that the half inflated
balloon swung around by the high
wind had torn the asbestos wrapping of
the smokestack out of place, bringing
the canvas of the lower part of the bal
loon in contact with the hot iron stack
and scorChing and burning it, so that
soine repairs will have to be made.
Before the next attempt is made
longer heating trench will be made, so
as to keep the actual fire farther away
from the balloon, and a device for Sc
curing draft will be put in. When these
tempt to initiate the balloon and make
the experiments will be made before
sunrise in the morning when there is
the least wind.
The purpose to be subserved by the
balloon is this: While some communi-
cation can be had at present between
the Kaimuki station and the one on
Molokai, The Cmmunication is blurred
and indstnct. This, it is supposed,
is because the pole at Kaimuki is not
at the right height to overcome all the
obstacles. It is proposed to initiate the
balloon. attach the instruments to it,
and send it up to different heights, I'M
til the exact height is determined.
When this is determined, the pole will
be erected to that height, and then it
is believed practical workings of the
system will be made.
F. j. Cross was present at the expert
ments made last night. He said that
while he was disappointed, he was not
discouraged, and should keep right on
until he had overcome all obstacles.