The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-08-24
BALLOONS IRE
LIKE VINE
Ones Constructed Of Silk viii
Improve With Age.
VERY COSTLY INDEED
All Constructed With Infinite
Amount of Care.
VERY COSTLY INDEED

about baliccn-bu ss any other IN
| dustry IN the country. And this II not
surprising. when one considers that sew
persons ever stop 70 think Of Il as an
| Industry. SO vague an ide& have persons
on the value OF a balloon that 40 doubt
the man who found himself with z So
ond-hand balloon IN his possession would
snathematize his luck. and give the nrss
| ofI@r. S 10 cart away.
And yet. II the balloon was of silS and
in good condition. you could get from
p.ooo 70 s. co for IL. and X Il was cot
/ ton. about $50 The SAM balloons. new.
would cost only $3.50 and ISIS. respective
~. but the balloon. nike any other
commodity IN the universe. improves IN
der use. and gains steadily Ia value until
odd age" sets IN.
odd age comes IN about four years.
and no aeronaut has yet found our what
causes H. Little holes no larger than
pin pricks appear. and grow ard grow
untn the big bulb assumes the appear
snce or a sponge The decomposition
supposedly comes from the action on ths
nbres Of silk. or cotton. or the chemicals
used IN coating them TO an air-proof con-
dition.
These coatings. as a rule. ara Inseed
of. but there are many things naked
with this, and every baloonmaker has
bis secret combination which ne seldom
reveals. Then too. each has hts own
way Of cutting-out balloons for IN bal
loon building there are no such things
as patterns All the delicate cutting ard
absolutely perfect stitching Is done BY
! rule Of thumb. and two-foot stick
marked with loo even subdivisions 10
| the rule generally used
] To make balloon silk r. the arst
( thlag to be considered only one nrn
imports from China the required brand.
and a bolt Of Il containing forty yards
weighs only four pounds and one oVnce.
but costs sl2o. The silk Is a. delicate
in appearance as the anest handkerchief.
and It II also 50 strong that few men
can. with their fingers tear a piece IN
Two. Besides this. II Is waterproof After
the silk. the barn" or building iofi -
: next 10 b considered. The barn must
be at least sixty feet high with no floors
IN IT, The elk ia hung over the roof
/ poles and painted very lightly with The
/ aercnaut's composition. which. incidental
~. usually contains lot Of arsenic. After
/ the first coat OF silk g. allowed 20 dry
four days. and then is cut into hair aes-
men;s OF the size demanded. This r. where
/ the rule % the thumb comes ln. rnienx
/ the hole left 80 the top FOR The waive hts
70 the ons-thousandth part ~ an inch.
/ and unless every segment matches ev-
cry other to a hairs breadth. few thou
/ sand dollars worth Of material and en-
ergy have been thrown away. for ths
balloon a. an airship IL worthless
The stitching r. done on an ordinary
sewing machine. and the best quality
81 silk thread is used Three fo1s =
stitching 70 each seam. and tha seams
are rat and iniaia After The sewing
IL ali done. the balloon - turned lualde
cut. - that there can BE- no possible
ridge Tor The ropes n the net that sup
ports the car 20 chafe.
Then the great bag IL placed uvsr a
blower or bellows operated BY ~f~~i
and inflated with ordinary air As u
leaves the ground a gang q cost~ra''
stand sroond 8; and give 81 p cat q
sizlag. TRANSFORMING the original dainty
whiteuess ~ the China siik 81 n einEY
yelio~ brown. Teis shoaid make ne
balloon hold Itself thar r. kc<3 ifs
fuu shape and keep 81 fte foer end
then for eiEhf 81 Ten days 90 ls watch
81 ever unlnlte - fhe fvsHtY-saar
hours - thst any align % oaiiaRaiax
mzy BE- taken in hard ~ once r e
should co1erse and the sticky foiGs Rst
together. S. e lfzFt q quastfcn - start
ing another baiioan. Then ~ the tsfioea
~ r. hs used AZ oncs. q is aliouss - isav-
issa. Or
Sons j. Kisen another coating baf a
very thin one
n M balloon . ros 81 - ase1 srs-
mssi2tsly. - Rsfs - 49, coating ia ths
shop. ard - lad azag E.ery uaafh er
70 IL uusf - tassu ost inflated asTsa
iong bath - eaa ssd ar. gna sgfsyst
xsth kerosene u fnis il sot deas - sl1
&C. in ieas fhan - nsn-fhs
m avsrxs baIeen beds aboaf 1Gapa
cetic fset * nferaxea ezs. - asess -
feet sn esarss3sr ard caafaios ~ e. d So
meats ard carry tWs nssa. rhe~e
ara rot naany q fsese aik nas halieers
ia prssarfifn 81 ere cotton. hef-ssr een-
srfv4acss. shas sr~ .ssss ~ she srtinary
parachute worx 81 shs easnfT fairs
rs hef-afr aalaaaa are n.aes - sae-
ri4l5 prsearef rn4sifr fasf rasfs ssea2
sflrsy csats gard TEsy are eoste5
erfg ssfs alen safsr ars lffie rs
for Ire srst ase~.ssea- Asfsr fsst we
szasss srasn ~ taFf~i stove go xasea~
sres aees~i - starr fsea sxFwsrea easss
~ iatsrieT ~ oessfffzl5g ftat - f-rfs
~ fzz = us-sisa
Fref la ssf1rses So aa cess tz
sn sirs1.z ia ~al1a - rses wra