A NEW MODE OR METHOD OF DIRECTING AND CONTROLLING BALLOONS
Year: 1876

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Marc Runkel at the Office of the
Cominissioners of Patents on the 8th June 1876.
MARC RUNKEL, of the United States of America, at present residing at 7,
Golden Square, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer. "A NEW MODE OR
METHOD OF DIRECTING AND CONTROLLING BALLOONS."
The object of this Invention is, firstly, to cause a gas balloon to rise at will
without throwing out any ballast, and to descend without losing any gas; and,
secondly, to steer the balloon in any horizontal direction.
To obtain these advantages I proceed in the following manner:-To the skiff
or car of a balloon, of no matter what form or shape, I apply a gas pump destined
to withdraw from the former any quantity of gas and to compress it into one
or more reservoirs, which form part of the apparatus, and which are able to sustain
a high pressure.
A connecting pipe or tube provided with a faucet or a stop-cock leads from the
interior of the balloon to the reservoir, which contains the compressed gas.
Whenever I desire to descend I set the pump to work, by which I diminish the
bearing power of the balloon, owing to the circumstance that compressed gas is
heavier than the air, and I may exhaust the balloon to such a degree that a safe
and gradual landing may be effected even without anchoring. If, on the contrary,
I desire to rise I only open the cock of the connecting pipe, by which I inflate the
balloon and it will rise to its highest capacity if I leave the cock open long enough
to permit a sufficient quantity of compressed gas to get into it.
The consequence is that the use of the pump and reservoir will dispense with
the transport of ballast and anchors, while the application of the connecting pipe
and stop-cock avoids the vasting of gas.
The only means known hitherto for the purpose of rising and descending with
gas balloons is the use of ballast and anchor. This mode is not only very onerous
but is also dangerous, because all the resources can only be made use of once, as
the ballast thrown overboard is irrevocably lost, as is the gas blown off by the valve.
Having thus described how the balloon may be caused to rise and to descend at
various altitudes I will now explain by what means I direct it in a horizontal
direction.
For this purpose I use projectiles or weights of no matter what form or shape
but of equal weight; they are fastened to the balloon or to the skiff or car by means
of a cord, rope, or other equivalent. These projectiles or weights are destined to
be thrown forward in as horizontal a direction as possible by a spring or compressed
air vacuum, or explosibles, or any known power.
D 5.71

page_text: It is obvious that a projectile of a certain weight if flung powerfully will impart
some of its impulsion to a balloon to which it is fastened, but it would not give a
constant strain, it would act by a jerk, this has to be avoided. I also am well
aware that if a projectile of but trifling weight is thrown out of a balloon it will
cause it to rise immediately, which likewise has to be obviated.
For this purpose, instead of fastening the projectiles directly to the balloon, or
its skiff, or car, I proceed as follows:-I fasten two projectiles of equal weight one
to each extremity of a cord or rope or its equivalent, which is run over one or
several pullies, and in such a way that one of the projectiles is hanging down while
the other one is ready to be thrown forward in a horizontal direction. The projectile
so thrown forward pulls up its counterweight, while the rope that unites them presses
always with the same weight on the vertical pulley, and by that the power of pro-
jection will not only hoist up the other projectile but it will also impart its onward
tendency to the whole apparatus without jerk but always pulling gradually as the
one of the two projectiles acts as a counterweight to the one which is projected,
and of course as the same weight rests constantly on the vertical pulley by meaus
of the cord that holds the projectiles it is impossible that the balloon can risc.
This projectile so united by a cord, rope, string, or any equivalent change their
respective position and work vice versa, so that while the one is darted or thrown
out it will hoist up the other one. A series of sets of these projectiles working
alternately may be used with advantage.
The vertical pulley over which the rope is run is so disposed that it swings three-
quarters of a rotation so as to allow the projectile which was hoisted up to be
placed horizontaily and to be thrown out on its turn.
The projectiles by means of a turntable or a pivot arrangement may be thrown
out sideways to any degree or direction the balloon should take.