Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-09-10
BALLooNING OVER ATLANTIC
weIIman GasbRg Being Inflated for
Projected Trip over the
Ocean.

A serious attempt TO fly across the At
lantic Ocean will be made from Atlantic
City. n. j.. within the next two weeks.
The public has hardly realized the seri-
BUSINESS of this attempt and the elaborate
ness OF the preparations are revelation
to all who see them. Walter Wellman Is at
the head Of the enterprise and has asso-
ciated with him Mr. vanniman, skilled
engineer of high repute, and a corps OF
assistant engineers. mechanicians, etc
The ballon is now being inflated with by
drogen gas, and this process has been in
progress for nearly a week. The gas works
are attached to the hanger and consist Of
a series of cylinders containing sulphuric
acid and iron filings, which, when brought
into contact produce hydrogen gas. This
is drawn into the balloon by Its own sue
ttion at a very perceptible rate. The bal
loon on Sunday was apparently three-quar-
tiers full Of gas. and should be fully inflated
by the end of the week.
The balloon rests in a building nearly 800
feet long by seventy-five feet high, erected
by the enterprise Of the Atlantic City hotel
keepers 1t lies behind the base ball park
at the inlet. The front is near the beach
pointing toward the sea, and consists Of
tarpaulin that is easily detachable, so that
when the signal is given the cigar-shaped
airship can move forward directly toward
the European coast.
The balloon itselfis about 200 feet long, and
is made of heavy silk, strong and durable
portion Of the envelope was used in Mr..
Wellman's experiments at Spitzbergen and
in his attempt to fly to the North Pole but
since then 1t has been heightened and a
carrying weight of 1900 pounds has been
AIDED.
! The buoyancy of the balloon is made ap-
parent by the extraordinary efforts needed
| to keep 1t down, although 1t is less than
three-quarters inflated. Bags of sand in
clusters OF five are suspended by ropes
from each side of the balloon. Already
nearly ten tons of this ballast are hanging
from the partly filled envelope to restrain
1t from rising through the roof, and it
will probably require 10000 pounds OF sand
to keep the balloon in the hanger when it
| is fully inflated.
When the bag is full it will be held by
heavy chain anchors, as we'll as the sand
ballast bags, while the car is being at
tached, The car, in the unscientific Ian
guage. is made of drawn steel, about 15O
feet long. 1t will be fitted with seven COM
partments, wide at the top and narrowing
at the bottom to a gangway Of wood.
a ribbon of heavy material-which might
be termed a 'pleat"-extendS all around
the balloon. The car will be attached to
this pleat with heavy hickory sticks woven
into 1t and attached to the car by steel
| drawn wire. Underneath the car is a long
tank, pointed at each end like a torpedo
about $50 feet long and nearly two feet in
diameter. 1t is made entirely of drawn
welded steel and will be filled with gaso-
| line
There will be two engines OF eighty-horse
power each, similar to those used in motor
boats. They will drive four immense pro-
pellers two on each side, which resembele
the fins Of fish. They are made of wood,
and have tremendous thrust that can
propel the airship at twenty miles an hour
There will not be the same danger from