AN IMPROVED NAVIGABLE BALLOON OR AEROSTATIC SHIP
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Stevens, Manager of the British & Foreign
Office for Patents, 1, Welbeck Street, Cavendish Square, London, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of" AN IMPROVED NAVIGABLE
BALLOON OR AEROSTATIC SHIP."--A communication from abroad by C. F.
Sealed the 27th September 1860, and dated the 3rd July 1860.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said harles Stevens at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declaration, on
the 3rd July 1860, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent Law
Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
STEVENS, Manager of the British & Foreign Office for Patents, 1º, Welbeck
Street, Cavendish Square, London, in the County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "AN IMPROVED NAVIGABLE
BALLOON OR AEROSTATIC SHIP," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto
me, my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters l'atent for
the same, and have made solemn declaration that it has been communicated
to me from abroad by C. F. Rablat, of Paris, in the Empire of France..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Stevens, do hereby declare the
following Complete Specification under my hand and seal fully describes and

page_text: ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in which the same
is to be performed (reference being had to the accompanying Drawings), that
that is to say:-
My Invention, which consists of a balloon furnished with wings & steering
apparatus (the car of which serves also as boat on descending on water), wil!,
by aid of the accompanying Drawings, be readily understood.
Fig. 1 represents a sectional front view of the apparatus; Fig. 2, side view;
Fig. 3, sketch of the entire apparatus seen from beneath; Fig. 4, valves or
compartments open; Fig. 5, valves or compartments shut.
A represents a light car or boat made of wood or metal capable of being
navigated on water, the upper edge of the car being furnished with a water-
proof cloth, which, filled with air, would render it almost impossible to upset.
The bottom of the car is furnished with strips of metal serving as springs to
deaden the shock on touching the ground. B, gearing work, having a suitable
motive-power to work the apparatus; C, fly wheel of wood coated with metal,
serving, by a three-quarter's revolution from right to left and left to right, to
cause the wings F & f to descend by means of the cords D & ; D, d, silken
waterproof ropes ; E, wooden blocks or pullies through which the ropes pass;
F,f,wings constructed of wooden rods coated with metal,small ropes of silk,
or hemp, taffeta, or waterproof tissues, and elastic bands, forming together
compartiments or valves I, opening in front and behind. They are moveable
on hinges which form springs. G, waterproof elastics serving to raise the
wings F, f, on end, being fixed to a spring at the top of the balloon; H, a
wooden equator coated with metal,connecting the four balloons O,the rudders
at the head and stern, & the frame on which the wings F, f, are attached; the
silk net is partially attached to it; I, valves or compartments of which the
wings F, f, are constructed in taffeta or waterproof tissue fixed one side on
the wooden sides Q, where the cords R, furnished with small cane rods, keep
them stretched and held to the ends and centre by the elastics J; K, head
rudder, made of taffeta or waterproof stuff, wooden rods, & small cords; it
guides the ship horizontally and perpendicularly; L, conducting cords of the
rudders K & M, of silk & brass, or iron wire; M, stern rudder, made of taffeta
or waterproof stuffs, wooden rods & cords, for guiding obliquely; N, small
pullies of either wood or metal; O, separate balloons of silk or metal, com-
pletely closed for preserving the gas for a long period; P, the dotted lines
represent pockets of taffeta placed outside the principal net,and enclosed in an
elastic one. These pockets are placed so as not to interfere with the move-
ments of the wings F, f, and are for containing the gas when it expands, the

page_text: gas passing into them by means of valves or openings placed beneath the
balloons O. On putting in movement the gear work B a three-quarter
revolution is given to the fly wheel C on which the cords 1) & d, one end of
which is attached to the wings F,f, are rolled. The cords oblige the wings
to descend, and when the cords D, d, unroll, the wings F, f, rise by means of
their elastics G & their springs. When the wings rise the valves I, Fig. 4,
are opened, & from their arrangement no resistance is offered to the air; the
valves close, Fig. 5, when the wings descend, and the air is thus pressed upon
and forms a resting point.
The apparatus ascends or advances according to the velocity given to the
wings F, f; when the wings Fascend, those marked fdescend,and vice versa,
so that the movement. is continuous. The entire extent of the wings is about
60 yards, but this of course may be varied; it will be at once seen on com-
paring the extent of the wings used & those of a wild duck, and comparing
also their relative weights, & taking into consideration the ascending power of
the gas,the considerable power that would be thus obtained; sufficient ballast
is put in to prevent the balloons alone raising the apparatus, but on putting
the wings in motion the machine at once rises and is able to travel in any
direction. Its form is such that it presents a sharp surface to the air, and all
parts of the apparatus are wedge shaped in front; the ballast used being
superior to the ascensional power ofthegas, the machine descends on ceasing to
work the wings. The balloon part is divided into four compartments, each
furnished with a pocket or secondary compartment contained in an elasticnet-
work, so that when in the higher regions on the gas dilating the secondary
receptacles receiveit, the gas re-enteringthe principalcompartment on descend-
ing. These several compartments add greatly to the security, as, on the gas
escaping from one or more by accident, the other balloons with the wings, which
form a parachute, see Fig. 3, render the descent quite free from dauger. The
size of the balloon must of course depend on the weight of the apparatus, the
driving power, and the number of persons to ascend. The wings may also
vary in size. The driving power used may be either steam, electricity, or
otherwise as may be judged advisable,and as the wings would not be required
to work with great rapidity, a moderate power might be employed.
Another modification may be made, viz., the balloon may be omitted and
the car ascend by means of a similar arrangement of wings, as above
described.
Having thus described my Invention, what I claim and desire to secure by
Letters Patent is -

page_text: 1st, the arrangement of wing & rudders as above described & represented
in the accompanying Drawings.
2nd, the adaptation of the wings as parachute in case of accident.
3rd, the car which may be used as a boat should it alight in water,together
with the several improvements herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Stevens, have hereunto set my
hand & seal, this Third day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty.
CHARLES STEVENS. (L.S.)