The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-16

Features of the Trade.
New York Evening Post.
Probably the public knows as little about
balloon-building as any other industry In
the country. And this is not surprising,
when one considers that few persons ever
stop to think of 1t as an industry. so
vague an Idea have persons on the value OF
a balloon that no doubt the man who found
himself with a secondhand balloon in his
possession would a~nathematiz his luck.
and give the first offer, S to cart IL away.
And yet, If the balloon was of silk and in
good condition, you could get from $4,000
to 5000 for Ii, and IL 1t was cotton, about
500. The same balloons. new, would cost
balloon, unlike any other commodity In the
universe, improves under use, and gains
steadily In value until "old age sets in.
"Old age" comes in about four years, and
no a~eronaut has yet found out what causes
II. Little holes no larger than pin pricks
appear, and grow and grow until the Dig
The decomposition supposedly comes from
the action on the fbers of silk, cotton, or
the chemicals used In coating them TO an
air-proof condition.
These coatings, as a rule, are linseed oil,
but there are many things mixed with this,
and every balloon maker has his secret
combination which he seldom reveals. Then.
too. each has his own way of cutting out
his balloons, for In balloon building there
are no such things as patterns: All the
stitching Is done by rule Of thumb. and a
two-foot stick marked with 1000 even SUBJ
divisions is the rule generally used.
To make a balloon silk is the first thing
to be considered. Only one firm imports
from China the required brand. and a bolt
of Ii containing forty yards weighs only
four pounds and one ounce, but costs 800.
This silk is as delicate in appearance as
the fiimsiest handkerchief, and 1t is also SO
strong that few men can, with their fingers.
tear a piece in two. Besides this, 1t is
waterproof. After the silk, the barn" or
building loft Is next to be considered. The
barn must be at least sixty feet high
with no floors in 1t. The silk is hung over
the roof poles and painted very lightly with
the a~eronauts own composition, which, in
cidentally, usually contains a lot of arsenic.
After the first coat the silk is allowed 70
dry four days, and then Is cut into half
segments of the size demanded. This is
where the rule OF thumb comes in. Unless
the hole left at the top for the valve fits
unless every segment matches every other
to a hairs breadth. a few thousand dollars
worth Of material and energy have been
thrown away, for the balloon as an airship
Is worthless.
The stitching is done on an ordinary sew
ing machine, and the best quality of silk
to each seam, and the seams are fiat and
Inlaid. After the sewing is all done. the
balloon Is turned inside out, so that there
can be no possible ridge for the ropes of the
net that supports the car to chafe.
Then the great bag is placed over a
a bellows operated by a wheel,
the ground a gang of "coaters' stand
around 1t and give 1t a coat Of sizing, trans
forming the original dainty whiteness of
me china SILK to a dingy yellow brown;
that is. keep its full shape and keep off
the floor, and then for eight to ten days 1t
is watched every minutes OF the twenty
four hours so that any sign of collapsing
may be taken in hand at once. If IL should
collapse and the sticky folds get together.
1t is just a question of starting another
balloon. Then If the balloon is to be used
at once, 1t is allowed to leave the shop, and
after two or three ascensions. is given an
other coating, but a very thin one.
If the balloon is not to be used fmme-
diately 1t gets it's last coating in the shop.
and is laid away. Every month or so ii
must be taken out. inflated. given a long
bath of sun and air and sprayed with kero-
sene. If his is not done il will die I'm
less than six months.
The average balloon holds about 1900
cubic feet of hydrogen gas, is about 26 feet
in diameter. contains 2S to 30 segments and
can carry two men. There are not many of
these silk gas balloons in proportion to
the cotton, hot-air contrivances, that are
used for the ordinary parachute work at
the country fairs.
The hot-air balloons are made of spe-
cially prepared muslin that costs about
80 cents a yard. They are coated only with
alum water and a little glue for the first
ascension. After that the smoke from the
Darrel stove ana gasoline freS needed to
start them skywards coats the interior SO
beautifully that no further filling" is
needed.
Prof" Leo Stevens, who is completing
an airship in which he will race with Sam
tos-Dumont week after next. is said to be
one of the leading balloon builders in this
country, and gave these facts about IL in
his "balloonery" at Manhattan beach:
He was one of the first to make a para
chute jump and did it for IS in Cleveland in
1884. He landed safely, but in Lake Erie.
and has been studying aeronautics ever
since. He now pays young gymnasts in his
employ SIS for every jump they make, but
he will never trust any one but himself to
send up the balloon.
ut all depends" said he, ION getting
your balloon filled quickly with good hot
air and releasing II the instant it is full.
If you don't start the balloon right. II
won't go up far enough to give the para
chute a good chance to fill, and If the para
chute does not fill, there is another story
entitled Horrible Death of Young Aero
maui
IF one knows how and takes a little
care, ballooping is the safest sport know.
Such veterans as Allan, King and Wise
went through forty years of it without a
scratch, and every accident I've known has
been due to carelessness. / won't have
such a man work for me. I VAN to live
a long while, and / want my men to work
with the same view in mind