Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1902-09-03
A BALLOON FARM.
Unique Business Carried On In the
Western Part of New York.

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Western Part of New York.
There Is at present general inter-
est in air ships, for which the late ex-
periments Of Mr.. Santos Dumont are
largely responsible, and in view of this
many will read with more than ordinary
interest the clever description Of the
great balloon farm Of Mr.. Carl E..
Myers, written by Mr.. Chauncey Nc
Govern for the September Pearson's.
"You would be inclined to think you
were dreaming" says Mr. MGovern,
were you to walk through the farm Of
Carl E. Myers, nine miles from the city
Of Utica, state Of New York. Here can
be seen, on constant view in summer
time, a large variety Of aerial craft
air ships that actually fly, just as they
do in the story books, doing strange
things that you had supposed could
never happen in reality.
Besides the array Of new kinds Of
air craft, it is a fact little known that
every American-made hydrogen bal
loon in use in the United States
whether by the government or by pri-
vate individuals-is q product Of this
one farm.
Most striking among the things to
be seen at the balloon farm Is a flying
machine that really flies. not merely a
working model Of an air ship that
flies a few feet along track on the
ground, but a fully completed flying
machine that scars into the actual
skies as high as any bird-a machine
that ascends, that turns and dives as
readily as an eagle does.
Many other curious aerial vessels
have been turned out from the Myers
balloon farm, and some greater Won
ders are in course Of construction. It is
not only his own inventions that Mr..
Myers constructs on his balloon farm.
He makes all sorts Of aerial contriv-
ances-scientific kites, freak balloons,
air vessels-for other inventors.
1.-The greatest number Of the balloon
farm products, however, are big hydro
gen balloons"
1.-The silk used in balloons Is Of var
ious grades; but the best balloons
such as are used by the war department
and the United States weather bureau
are made of the coarse silk which the
European peasants obtain from the
wild cocoons. Ordinary balloons are
made of cotton only, but Of the most
expensive kind. 1t Is that known In
commerce as long fibre south sea is
land cotton
"And when a balloon Is to be made,
the raw silk or cotton is run through
a machine, whose construction Is Sc
cret, where it receives from 13 to 81 diff
ferent coats of varnish. This is the
only place in the world where balloons
labor is employed elsewhere and dou-
BILE coating Of varnish is about the lin
it, Machine vanishing has this great
advantage in that none Of the coats
are thick enough to be detected by the
sharpest eyes. 1t takes 10000 coats to
make a single inch in thickness.
After the rolls Of silk and cotton
have been vanished enough they are
hung up on lines to dry. Next the rolls
are cut into segments and sewed to-
gether by the women Of the neighbor-
hood. A final vanishing Of the seams
only and the balloon is ready for ship
ment.
"It does not take long to make big
balloon. Not so long ago, Mr.. Meyers
received telegraphic order for 20 large
balloons for the United States govern
ment signal service. The whole batch
Of them was finished within the phe-
nomenally short time Of three days.
1t is interesting to compare this time
with that required to build a single
balloon for Andre. And his balloon
was vanished only thrice!
"And besides these 20 balloons, Mr..
Myers has made hundreds Of others
for use by tie United States govern
ment, in the war department and in the
of agriculture"