Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-06

Could anything appear easier at first
sight than to make a balloon, that in
vention that is playing such an impor-
liant part in modern warfare? AS
somebody f1ippantly remarked: "All
you have to do is just to take some gas
and then put some silk around it,
But actually the process is a very diff
curt and delicate one-neceSSarily some
what slow, too-and in this article I pro-
pose to take the reader for an excursion
Through a modern balloon factory, and
ITO give him as clearly as l can some idea
of the various stages in the manufacture
OF a complete and perfect aerial machine.
loon making is naturally to procure the
silk. 1t is a matter for serious con-
sideration h exact texture of material
you will employ to carry you into the
higher atmospheric regions. Various
questions have to be taken into ac-
count, chief among them being the pro-
posed size of the balloon. According to
the size so the resisting power of the
Silk has to be gagged to a nicely. OF
course, silk is not always used, cotton
and alpaca are cheaper materials, but I
am describing the making OF the very
highest class of b~alloon-chiefly used for
scientific purposes-so I will only deal
with the one material-silk, in this ar
ticle.
The test is applied by means of a
dynanometer, specially designed for the
purpose, which tells just what strain the
fabric will stand. Fol the Hercules"
the balloon whose construction we are
about to watch from first to last, the in
deX of the dynanometer shows a break
ing strain of over $3.50 pounds. This
figure appears to satisfy the operator.
So far, so good. The material ought to
stand. Now, how much will it take?
Ten pieces ~ninety-five yards long and
one yard wide will give a superficial
urea of $50 square yards. This, then, has
to be transformed into a perfect balloon.
- BEGINNING THE WORK.
One of the very first operations is to
prepare the diagrams of the projected
balloon and to cut the patterns some
what in the same way that a tailor or
Giressmaker adopts. To this end the
material is fixed on a long bench, and
forty thicknesses are cut out at a time.
To cut through all this material 81
simultaneously a peculiarly shaped and
exceedingly sharp Instrument has to be
used, and the deEterity with which the
operation is performed is simply amaz-
ing. Having cut out these forty thick
messes, you have forty strips identica,
i'm size and shape, which presently have
to be Joined together.
At this stage of the proceedings the
help of the fair sex is enlisted. A smart
corps of willing hands ply the needle
and roughly stitch the strips-or Sores
as they are technically ~termed-togeth.
er. From these needle women the work
passes to the sewing machine hands
whose work is just as delicate as this
first stitching operation is rough. Be.
tween every two stitches by hand tht
sewing machine makes several hundred
The strength of the thread used is
like the material itself, tested by means
of a dynaoneter, and where the strip!
are Joined, instead of laying the edge
one on the other, they are doubled
over, or interCalated-to use once NOR
"a technical-term-thus making the cove
particularly secure and strong.
The strips are finally put together il
sections, and in the balloon whose manu-
facture we are i~maginarily Watchin
there are altogether fifty-fsur sections
A small portion of the upper end of eacl
strip has to be cut away 50 as to leav
an al erture at the top of the balloon
from one to three feet in diameter. Thi
space is occupied by the valve.
To complete the operation of maxim!
the cover or envelope, the collars for tn
valve and the neck nave to be con
structd. Three strips of the silk ar
sewn together and fastened firmly t
make the collars. Then the cover i
practically finished, and although tn
description does not take long to read
itS manufacture has occupied abou
twelve days altogether, six neediewome
and four machinists having been full
occupied on it during that time.
MANY HANDS REQUIRED.
But during that time, the rest of tn
workers engaged in the construction O
the balloon have not been idle. A skill
ed mod sller has been carving out c
walnut wood the valve. The valve is
kind OF disc, divided through it's diam