IMPROVEMENTS IN BALLOONS AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Michael Henry, of 68, Fleet Street, in the City
of London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BALLOONS AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH."-A
communication from abroad by Henry Giffard, of 33, Boulevart Saint
. Martin, Paris, France.
Sealed the 24th April 1868, and dated the 28th October 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Michael Henry at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th October 1867.
I, MICHAEL HENRY, of 68, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BALLOONS AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN CONNECTION THEREWITH,"
communicated to me from abroad by Henry Giffard, of 33, Boulevart Saint
Martin. Paris, France, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates mainly to captive balloons applicable for purposes of
military and other observation, that is to say, balloons retained by a guide
rope or its equivalent, which allows them to rise and move to a certain
restricted extent.
Instead of using an elastic arrangement at the bottom of the balloon, and in
order to maintain the tension of gas, notwithstanding variation of volume due
[Price 8d.]

page_text: to the rise of the balloon and differences of temperature, the suspending cords
which extend from the netting to the hoop between the body of the balloon
and the car are shortened, and the balloon as it expands under the increase of
the volume of gas assumes a more spherical and less oval or conical form.
The more the volume increases the more nearly does it assume a spherical
shape, and the more obtuse become the angles formed by the suspending
ropes, and the sustained pressure of the gas against the lower part of the
balloon keeps it duly stretched and prevents it from becoming disturbed or
misshapen. A heavy or weighted covering may be used for the same purpose.
The pressure of the gas is regulated by a set of self-acting safety valves which
exclude the air. To each valve is attached a short cord or handle, so that it
can be opened by hand and kept open. Between the valves a short rigid tube
descends from the middle of the bottom part of the balloon terminated by a
flexible pipe or elongated bag, at the bottom of which is an elastic ring.
through which the cord of the top valve passes, so that it may be within reach
in case of the cable breaking; to this valve is fixed a tube, to which is
attached the inflating pipe or air tube, which is carried down outside the balloon
over its netting and covering to the level of the car. The car carries a gauge for
showing the tension of gas by means of a flexible pipe and short tube fixed at
the side of the safety valves. The guide or anchorage cable which holds the
balloon is fastened to a small hoop, to which the suspending cords are fixed,
and the cable is carried down' through an opening in the centre of the car,
which is therefore made of annular form. The car has a double bottom to
receive ballast and anchorage ropes, preferably provided with india-rubber
springs. A gauge or steelyard shews the tension of the cable. The cable
passes over a guide pulley fitted in a frame and furnished with a counter-
balance weight formed as or on an extension of the frame. The frame turns
on an universal joint in a socket. The balloon is preferably worked by a two-
cylinder steam engine with right-angled cranks, one engine at each end of the
windlass the cylinder cranks cross each other at half right angle. The
engine shaft carries a break wheel. The steam may be supplied by a slide
valve with reversing levers which open and close all the cylinders. A regular
motion may be obtained for the descent of the balloon by working a main
inlet tap or valve, and it may be raised without operating the reversing lever;
but by opening an escape valve, through which the air forced into the inlet
pipes by the rising of the balloon is carried off; or such air may be expelled
by opening the purge cocks by a single lever or handle. The fence or
enclosure may be protected by canvas or planks, and strengthened by shrouds
or stays. When only a small space of ground is available for the reception of

page_text: the balloon arrangement the fence or enclosure is made of truncated cone
form, the narrow end downward. Steps may lead to the bottom of the recess
or well over which the balloon hangs.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Michael Henry in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th April 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MICHAEL
HENRY, of 68, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Michael Henry, Her special licence that I, the said Michael
Henry, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Michael Henry, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN BALLOONS AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN CONNECTION THERE-
WITH," communicated to me from abroad by Henry Giffard, of 33, Boulevart
Saint Martin, Paris, France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said Michael Henry, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that 1, the said Michael Henry, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement thereof, as communicated to me, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
This Invention relates mainly to captive balloons applicable to purposes of
military and other observation, that is to say, balloons retained or moored by

page_text: a guide rope or its equivalent, which allows them to rise to a certain height
and to move to a certain restricted extent.
The Invention mainly consists of improvements on an Invention described
in the Specification of former British Letters Patent granted to me as a
communication from the said Henry Giffard, bearing date the Twentieth day
of February in the year 1867, and numbered 466.
According to the present improvements, which constitute the subject of this
present Specification, instead of using an elastic arrangement described in the
Specification of my former Patent, No. 466, above referred to for tightening
the lower part of the fabric of the balloon, and in order to obtain permanent
tension of gas at that part notwithstanding variations of volume due to the
rise of the balloon and differences of temperature, an improved arrangement
is adopted in which this object is effected by shortening to the required extent
the suspending cords S, S, which extend from and fasten the netting to the
small hoop c between the body of the balloon and the car G; and the balloon
as it expands or swells under the increase of volume of gas assumes at its
lower part a more spherical and less oval or conical form. The more the
volume of gas increases at this part the more nearly. does this part of the
balloon approach a hemispherical shape (supposing the final or perfect form
of the balloon when expanded to be spherical), and the more obtuse become
the angles formed by the suspending ropes, so that when the balloon is fully
inflated the sustained pressure of the gas against its lower part keeps it duly
expanded, and prevents it from being relaxed or misshapen by the wind. A heavy
and weighted covering may be used for the same purpose. The maximum
pressure of the gas at the lower part of the balloon is moreover regulated by
a set of self-acting safety valves which also serve to exclude the re-entrance of
air. To each valve is attached a short cord whereby it can be opened by hand,
and in case of accident kept open by attaching the cord to the small hoop.
Between the valves and in the middle of the balloon a short rigid tube
descends, terminated by a flexible pipe or by a sort of elongated bag, at the
bottom of which is an elastic cylinder or flexible cylindrical obturator;
through this tubular arrangement the cord of the top valve g passes and is
guided, and it is within reach of the hand, so that the valve may be acted
upon in case of the cable breaking. To this valve is fixed a short tube, to
which is attached the air pipe used for inflating the balloon, which pipe is
carried down outside of the balloon over its netting and covering to the level
of the car. The car carries a pressure gauge or manometer for indicating the
tension of the gas at the lower part by means of a flexible tube and short
pipe neck fixed beside the safety valves. The guide rope or mooring o

page_text: anchoring cable which holds the balloon is fastened to the hoop c, and is
carried down through an opening in the centre of the car, which is thus made
of annular shape. It is advisable that the car should have a double bottom,
the space between the bottoms serving for the reception of ballast and mooring
ropes. The mooring ropes are preferably provided with strong india-rubber
elastic portions. p is a dynamometer or tension gauge for continuously indi-
cating the tension of the said rope or cable. The mooring rope or cable
passes over a guide pulley mounted on a frame, and is counterbalanced by a
counterbalance weight w placed below it and formed on or attached to or
forming an extension of the frame. The frame may turn in a socket sup-
ported on a universal joint. The windlass or crab or wheel and axle or
similar contrivance may be of any ordinary construction and actuated by hand.
or by steam or other power by any ordinary means or mode. For small
balloons which are not intended to ascend to great heights the coil of rope
may be worked by manual labour or any convenient motive power; generally
however the balloon rope is best worked by steam, but the steam engine
should be a two-cylinder engine with right-angled cranks. It is best that
there should be two steam engines exactly alike and complete in all respects,
one such engine at each end of the windlass, that is to say, in all four steam
cylinders, care being taken that the cranks cross each other at half right
angles. There may be any ordinary gear or connections between the engine
and windlass, and it is best to wind the cable on and off at the rate of half a
yard at each revolution of the steam engine shaft. There should be a break
wheel on the steam engine shaft. The steam may be supplied by an ordinary
slide valve and reversing gear with a single lever handle common to all the
cylinders. Regular motion may be obtained for the descent of the balloon by
regulating the supply by one common inlet tap or valve; and the balloon may
be raised without operating the reversing lever by opening to the required
extent a cock or valve for the escape of the air forced into the inlet pipes by
the raising of the balloon; or such air may be expelled by opening the purge
cocks by means of a single lever or handle. The fence or enclosure in order
to protect the balloon from the wind (when anchored) is furnished with canvas,
tarpaulin, or planks, and it may be supported by shrouds or stays either inside
or outside of it, or both. When only a small space of ground is available for
the reception of the balloon the fence or enclosure is made of truncated cone
form, the narrower or smaller end being downward, or in other words, of the
form of the frustum of a hollow cone reversed or resting on its smaller end.
Steps may lead to the bottom of the recess or well over which the balloon
hangs.

page_text: The accompanying Drawings represent a balloon and arrangements con-
nected therewith constructed according to this Invention.
The Figure represents the balloons with the means of mooring or anchoring
it in the intervals of ascent.
a, a, are the mooring cables, and b, b, hooks, holdfasts, or grapnels strongly
secured to the ground or to a firm foundation. The ropes a are fixed to the
small hoop c of the balloon; these ropes when the balloon is to ascend can
only be disconnected by working the motive engines in such manner as to
cause the whole arrangement first to descend a little way; also on its arrival
or return when the cables or ropes are again to be attached to the balloon the
car must be caused to descend a little below its proper position; the ropes
are then fastened to the hoop c, and the car is gently raised to its previous
and proper position by reversing the engines and opening one or more of the
discharge or purge cocks. d, d, are ties, or attachments, or lanyards fastened
at the centre of the periphery of the balloon about the middle of its height,
and attached to ropes e connected at their ends with whims, winches, tackle,
or blocks, whereby tension is put upon the ropes so as to haul them taut
and anchor the balloon steady. It is preferred to use ropes, cords, and netting
tarred over or coated with a waterproof and preserving varnish or coating, or
wire ropes and wire netting may be used, also wires instead of cords; also the
fabric or body of the balloon should be double, or what is sometimes tech-
nically called "double texture," that is to say, it should be composed of two
thicknesses or layers of material with a layer of caoutchouc or other like
waterproof substance interposed between them; the caoutchouc may be
vulcanized, mineralized, or otherwise. The sections of the fabric or body
or shell of the balloon should be cemented together, or they may be stitched
or sewn together, in which case or in both cases the seams or joints are
covered or protected by strips of caoutchouc or waterproofed material cemented
or fastened to them on the inner and outer surfaces of the fabric; finally, a
layer or coating of linseed oil or other like coating or agent which can be
renewed as required without taking down the balloon, and which acts as a
waterproofing or damp proof agent. A is the framework of the enclosure,
shewn in vertical section; g is the cover of the top valve; h, top hoop of the
car; p, dynamometer for indicating the tension of the rope B; G, the annular
car, shewn in section; D, foot bridge by which the passengers mount on the
car; M, the enclosure; r, guide pulley of the rope B; w, counterbalance
weight; X, steam engine.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same may be performed, I declare that I claim the improvements in

page_text: balloons and in apparatus employed in connection therewith herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Henry, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of April, in the year One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
Witness,
E. DE PASS,
68, Fleet Street,
London.
M. HENRY. (L.S.)