AN AUTOMATIC AERIAL BATTERY, OR REGULATED AEROSTAT, FOR WAR AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
1
I, FREDERIC ALLEN GOWER, of 68, Fleet Street, in the City of London,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for, AN AUTOMATIC
AERIAL BATTERY, OR REGULATED AEROSTAT, FOR WAR AND OTHER PURPOSES,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon,
that is to say -
My Invention relates to an improved automatic aerial battery, for use in war,
but applicable, as a regulated aerostat, to other purposes, such for example, as
carrying letters or dispatches, or for transmitting intelligence.
I proceed to describe my Invention with reference to the accompanying Drawings
which represent one way of carrying my Invention into effect, the principal
feature of which consists in the means and method for maintaining an acrostat at
a fixed height in the air, thus enabling me to utilize for the purpose of sending
these batteries or regulated aerostats in a given direction, the existence of a wind
current in that-direction at some particular height previously ascertained.
It is well known that wind currents of different directions frequently exist at
the same time above a given point upon the earth's surface, each of such currents
being found at a level above or below the others. And the difficulty hitherto
chiefly experienced in the attempted devising of aerial batteries has been their
tendency to return against those who had sent them, through their having
encountered a contrary current of wind to that at the level for which they were
first adjusted.
i
Several well known causes unite to produce rise or fall of an nerostat as usually
constructed. The appearance of the sun from behind a cloud may so expand the
gas as to cause the aerostat to rise, and disappearance of the sun, a moment later,
may cause such contraction of the gas as to result in a fall much greater in
proportion to the change of volume of the gas, since the force of gravitation
imparts to the falling aerostat a momentum which may carry it far below its
natural level. And if,- as not infrequently happens, the air upon the lower level
thus reached is more rarefied than that at the upper level, through the prevalence
of a different wind, the aerostat is unable again to rise and must continue its course

page_text: in the direction of the wind at its new level. Substantially similar result may be
produced by the passage of the acrostat through a rain cloud, the approach of
night, or a sudden change of temperature for any reason.
To obviate these difficulties, 1 so construct and equip an aerostat as to enable it
to maintain its given level with sufficient accuracy, without the intervention of
any conscious agent, and until its supply of ballast shall have become exhausted.
In the accompanying Drawings Figure 1, shews, in vertical section, an automatic
aerial battery, constructed according to my system and ready for being released,
and arranged to maintain itself at a fixed level.
The cord or wiro F, is attached to the top of the aerostat and to the valve of the
ballast tank G, containing water, or other liquid, and having its top open to allow
passage of the cord or wire, as shewn. The cord or wire C, is attached to the
lever P, P, at the top of the aerostat, and thence to the spiral springs S, to which
it can be attached at any desired tension. This spiral spring is firmly attached to
the bar T, T which passes through or around the ballast tank, at a point above its
centre of gravity, and by which the tank is suspended from the netting of the
aerostat.
The explosive agent is contained in the case K, which is arranged to be released
by the burning of the fuse L, when this has reached the point I.
The fuse here-forms-the fastening for a latch which holds down the ends of the
two rods H, H, upon-which are loose rings, to which the-ends-of-the netting are
attached, and these rods are hinged at the points V, V, to-short-rods fastened
perpendicularly to the sides of the case K. Upon the freeing of the latch by the
burning of the fuse, the ends of the rods H, H, are released and they at once
assume a vertical position, working upon the hinges V, V, and allowing the rings,
carrying the ends of the netting,-to-slip off the rods, thus causing the fall of the
case K, and subsequent explosion of its charge, by concussion upon-the-earth,-or
any object below the aerostat. And it is obvious that the time of this effect may
be determined_in_advance_by_the length allowed to the fuse L, whose rate of
combustion is known.
The manner in which the aerostat is made to maintain its level is shown in the
detailed Figures. In Figure 2, A is the gas valve made with beveled edgo to fit
the opening in the top of the acrostat, which is here strengthened by a circular
backing of stiff leather, wood, or other suitable material. The valve is normally
kept closed by the force of the spring B, which carries it, and also by the upward
pressure of the gas. But it may be forced open by the slightly greater force of the
spring D, working as shewn. This spring is, however, in its turn acted upon by
the lever P, P, to which the cord or wire C, is attached, and this cord or wire is
made fast at its lower end to the spiral spring S, as shown in Figure 1. It follows
that, if the cord or wire C, be relaxed beyond the degree of relaxation which is
taken up by the recoil of the spring S, the spring D will be released by the
lever P, P, and the valve will be forced open, allowing gas to escape and preventing
rise of the acrostat. And as an aerostat in first rising must expand laterally, in
proportion as the atmospheric pressure upon its outer surface decreases, and thus
decrease its vertical diameter it follows that the height at which, in this case, the
discharge of gas will begin, depends simply upon the degree of tension placed upon
the spiral spring at the outset. This can be varied in a simple and convenient
manner by using any one of a number of hooks, attached to the cord or wire C,
each of which thus corresponds in effect to a certain number of feet of elevation of
the acrostat.
The discharge of gas thus caused almost instantly checks the rise of the aerostat,
and gives it a tendency to fall, by the contraction in volume of gas which it
contains.
But such contraction, as is well known, involves increase, however slight, in the
vertical diameter of the acrostat, and the result is that the cord or wire C, regains
its tension and the valve is closed by renewal of the pressure exerted by the lever
P, P, upon the spring D. At the same time the elongation of the aerostat has

page_text: increased the tension upon a cord F, (Fig. 1) which controls the action of the valve
of the ballast tank G. This valve is normally kept closed by the spring M, upon
which it is carried and by the weight of the water, or other liquid, contained in the
tank. It is made with a beveled edgo to ensure accurate fit, and from it a tube H³,
of rubber, or other suitable material, carries the water, when discharged, below the
level of the case K, containing the explosive agent.
Increase of tension upon the cord F, at once causes the valve to open, releases a
certain amount of the liquid ballast, and chocks the tendency of the aerostat
to fall,
The aerostat has therefore found its level, as intended. It cannot rise without
expansion of its gas, and this will at once open, however slightly, the gas valve, by
decrease of tension upon the cord or wire C. It cannot fall, because this will at
once open, however slightly, the ballast valve, by increase of tension upon the
cord F. It therefore follows that, the acrostat will tend to travel with the current
of wind at the level it has first attained until its ballast is exhausted.
Care must be taken to provide sufficient ballast to maintain the buoyancy of the
acrostat beyond the time fixed for the fall of the charge.
During inflation of the aerostat the spring D is prevented from opening the gas
valvo by means of a small wedge of wood, or other convenient material, inserted
under the long arm of the lever P, P, behind its point of articulation at O. This
is disengaged, when inflation is complote, by a sharp pull upon the cord or wire C,
which then made fast to the spiral spring, as already described.
The explosive agent may be of any nature desired, provided that it be used in
bulk, or in separate quantities, intended to fall at the same time, or in several
masses intended to fall successively from the samo acrostat, through the action of
fuses of different lengths.
But it will frequently be found desirable, as in night attacks, bombardments,
operations against fleets, &c., to extend the area of effect produced by each
battery at a given moment.
For this purpose, the explosive agent may be arranged as shewn in Fig. 4. A
frame formed of the rods b, radiating from a central ring with an outer
strengthening ring d, carries a small central charge a, of explosive agent of
moderate force, to be fired by the fuse 1, at a given moment, without having been
previously separated from the aerostat.
Surrounding the charge a, are cases filled with a very powerful explosive agent,
capable of exploding by concussion upon the earth from a certain height, but not
liable to explode from the minor concussion produced by the explosion of the
charge a.
To guard more effectually against the latter contingency, the inner ends of the
cases containing the powerful explosive, are protected by facings of felt, or rubber,
or other suitable elastic material, capable of modifying the concussion resulting
from the explosion of the charge a.
Instead of this explosion, any mechanical device may be substituted capable of
producing, at a given moment, the dispersal of these several charges, without
causing their explosion at that time.
The frame of rods is supported from the netting of the aerostat by cords, made
fast at the intersection of the rods with the outer strengthening ring.
It thus results that, a cord f, or wire, of slight tensile strength, passed around the
outer ends of the cases will suflice to prevent their slipping or sliding from tho
frame while offering practically unimportant resistance to the explosion, or
mechanical device, used to disperse them.
The ultimate effect of this arrangement is to cause an extended circle of very
heavy explosions upon the earth, or object below the aerial battery, and to fulfil the
conditions required for this result an explosive like that known as panclastite,
possessing great power with comparatively little sensibility to concussion, must be
employed.

page_text: The aerial battery may be fitted to a vessel of war, if desired, as is now done in
the case of torpedoes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
First. The combination with an aerostat, of mechanical means for maintaining
the same at a given level, substantially as herein described.
Second. The combination of an aerostat as above claimed, with a charge of
explosive material, for use in war, substantially as herein described.
Third. In combination with an aerostat as above claimed, the use of explosive
material so arranged as to be dispersed from the aerostat by a preliminary
explosion, or by mechanical means, substantially as herein described; and for the
purpose set forth.
Fourth. The improved automatic aerial battery, or regulated aerostat, having
its parts arranged, combined and operating substantially as horein described and as
shewn in the Drawings.