IMPROVEMENTS IN BALLOONS FOR USE IN AERIAL NAVIGATION
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Simon, of Number 7, St. Peter's Square,
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BALLOONS FOR USE IN AERIAL NAVIGATION." A communication from
abroad by George Baumgarten, of Gruna, near Chemnitz, in the Empire of
Germany.
Sealed the 30th March 1880, and dated the 4th October 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Simon at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th October 1879.
HENRY SIMON, of Number 7, St. Peter's Square, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster. "
IMPROVEMENTS IN BALLOONS FOR USE IN AERIAL NAVIGATION."
A communication from abroad by George Baumgarten, of Grûna, near Chemnitz,
in the Empire of Germany.
The Invention relates more particularly to the connection of the boat or car with
the balloon, and in the manner and means for actuating the balloon. Previous to
the said Invention the car was connected with the balloon at a comparative long
distance therefrom. In practice it is found advantageous to reduce the distance of
the car from the balloon. The balloon is composed of four or more separate com-
partments, each compartment containing a supplementary balloon of a comparative
small capacity to the outer bag or envelope. Each of the said compartments is
suitably formed with ribs or rods round their circumference, and may be kept in
position by means of bands. The body of the balloon is enveloped in a net which
encloses the four compartments. A strip or band of caoutchouc is passed around
and over the top of the balloon, and carries a number of metal rings. To the
bottom of the balloon a strong strip or band of leather is attached to which metal
rings are connected at suitable distances apart. The ends or point of the balloon
is also covered with leather. The metal rings are employed to stay and keep in
position the small and contained balloons by means of cords or bands. The car or
boat is connected in the following manner to the balloon:-The framing of the car
of the balloon is provided with rings of sufficient strength as required. To these
rings ropes are connected which pass between the bodies of each small balloon; the
ends of these ropes are connected to the top strip in a suitable manner, which will
effect the connection with the car or boat of the balloon. Additional ropes may
be employed to connect the small balloons together. From a point above the

page_text: centre of the boat a rope ladder is formed, and is connected to the top or apex of
the balloon. To effect the movements or steering of the balloon in a horizontal or
vertical path, screw blades working on a suitable shaft are employed. To guide or
steer the balloon two discs are connected with a suitable lever, which lever is
carried by a shaft fixed in the centre of the boat. The lower end of the shaft is
provided with bevil-wheels and gearing, and with a suitable steering wheel,
whereby the movements of tho balloon in a horizontal direction is obtained. To
assist the vertical action of the balloon through the air, and also the horizontal
movement, suitable frames or vanes to receive the pressure of the air are employed
and arranged to act in a suitable manner. The movements of the balloon may be
still further assisted by means of the employment of suitable frames to receive the
air pressure, which can be adjusted to any suitable degree of inclination to receive
the best effect from the air pressure. To the car or framing thereof is fixed or
attached one or more rods which carry a number of sails connected together by
means of ribs, and may be made in the form or shape of an umbrella, which can be
opened and closed at pleasure. Each compartment which forms the complete
balloon is inflated or filled with gas. The hereinbefore mentioned screw propellers
may be actuated by any suitable motor fixed in a convenient part of the car. The
shafts of the propellers are arranged on each side of the car, and are formed with
blades suitably shaped to effect the necessary movements of the balloon, and may
be employed to propel the balloon through water when required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Henry Simon in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd April
1880.
HENRY SIMON, of Number 7, St. Peter's Square, Manchester, in the County of
5 Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BALLOONS FOR USE IN AERIAL NAVIGATION."
A communication from abroad by George Braumgarten, of Gruna, near Chemnitz,
in the Empire of Germany.
The Invention relates to improvements in the construction of balloons employed
in aerial navigation, and consists in the first place in the employment of a number
of component parts to form the balloon. In each said component part or section of
the balloon a supplementary and contained balloon of a small capacity is placed,
and is connected to the lower and inner part of each said component part in order
to bring the centre of gravity of the parts as near as possible immediately over the
centre of the car. The Invention relates in the second place to the manner and
means for connecting the component parts forming the balloon together, and to the
car. To effect this said connection a strip or riband of caoutchouc, leather, or other
suitable material is passed around and over the four or more component parts
comprising the balloon, and a suitable number of metal rings are attached thereto
in order to stay and keep in position by means of cords or bands the said com-
ponent parts or sections. The car of the balloon is connected thereto by means of
a series of ropes which pass between the component parts, and are connected to the
top strip in such a manner, that the weight of the car is distributed equally over
the component parts of the balloon. A second series of ropes are passed from the
top strip and through the component parts, and in a reverse direction to the first
series, and are connected to the lower strips and to the car. The car is preferably
connected to the balloon by means of ropes and immediately adjacent thereto,
which is found to be an advantage, as the liability of the car to oscillate or swing as
heretofore, will be to a great extent prevented. The framing of the car is provided
with metal rings to which strong ropes are connected, which said ropes pass
between the bodies of each component part, and are connected to a rope, strip, or
band, which passes over the balloon, as hereinbefore mentioned. A portion of the
underside of each compartment is connected to the car frame, which is an important.
feature of the Invention. From a part immediately over the car a rope ladder is
connected to the top or apex of the balloon. The Invention relates in the third-
place to the employment of apparatus for propelling the balloon through the air in
a vertical and horizontal direction. To propel the balloon in a horizontal direction,
air pressure sail frames suitably formed to act upon the air are fixed to the side of
the car.
The said apparatus consists of a hollow shaft to which is jointed at its
outer ends a metal frame formed as a sale, which can be made to turn on its axis
by means of a connected rod formed with a universal joint, and which admits of
any desired amount of surface of the sail being exposed to the air. To assist.
further in the movements of the balloon in a horizontal direction, one or more
screw blades of a large pitch are fixed to the side of the car, and is or are caused to
revolve by means of gearing actuated by any suitable motor placed within the car.
To cause the balloon to ascend in a vertical direction, suitably formed apparatus are
fixed to each corner of the car, and are revolved by means of gearing. The said
apparatus consists of a number of vanes or of a series of sails which can be set at
any desired angle. In the Provisional Specification mention was made of the
employment of parts acting as wings and sail frames, and of sails formed of an
umbrella shape; but these have not been found to be of any great utility, and no
claim thereto is now made.
And in order that the Invention may be better understood, I have caused to be
appended hereunto a Sheet of Drawings marked with letters of reference to which
Drawings reference will now be made.

page_text: Figure 1 represents a side view of the complete balloon formed of four component
parts, but it must be understood that any other suitable number, more or less, than
four may be employed. Each component part is inflated with gas, and in each part
is fixed a smaller body a connected to the lower end thereof, in order to effect a
better stability of the component parts at their lower connection. The component 5
parts are enclosed in suitable network. A strong band or strip of leather b, b, is
passed around the bodies of the parts 1, 2, 3, 4, Fig. 4, to which band b the ropes c
are connected. A rope d is fixed over the top of the component parts to which
metal rings are connected, and to which rings cords e are attached, the other ends
of which cords are connected by means of rings to the leather strip b. The outer 1
ends or points f, f¹, are covered or capped with a strong piece of leather. Supple-
mentary ropes or cords are carried from the piece of leather f to the piece f¹, and
are connected thereto by means of rings. These ropes are for the purpose of giving
additional strength to the balloon, and to assist in keeping the component parts in
position. Diagonal ribs or ropes g, g, are connected from the strip of caoutchouc n
to the leather strip b, in order to equalize the strain of the car with the balloon by
means of attaching the lower ends of the ropes g, g, in line with ropes which are
connected therefrom to the car B. The rope ladder i is connected from the rope
at a part immediately over the centre of the car, and to the car itself, by means of
metal rings in order to allow of the ascension of the aeronaut from the car to the
top of the balloon if desired. The car or boat B is still further connected with the
component parts by means of ropes j, which are connected from the lower part of
the diagonal ropes to the car B. By which means the car B is connected with the
component parts in such a manner that the weight or strain of the car is equally
distributed over the four component parts forming the balloon.
Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1 and indicates more clearly the form of the balloon
when four component parts as 1, 2, 3, 4, are arranged and combined together, as
hereinbefore mentioned. One of the component parts is shown separately by
Figure 3 which is a perspective view thereof.
Figure 4 represents a transverse section of the balloon, and shows more clearly
the arrangement of connection. A series of bands e are connected at their upper
ends by means of rings to the rope c, and on either side of the centre thereof, and
their lower ends are brought near together and connected to the car B. A second
series of bands e' are passed upwards from the strip band are connected to the
rope d.
Figure 5 represents the connection of the bands e with the rope d by means of
the metal rings h, and also the connection of the diagonal ropes g with the
caoutchouc strip ', which latter is connected to the rope v.
Figure 6 represents an elevation, and Figure 7, a plan of an apparatus for
attachment to the car of the balloon. The shaft is revolved by means of a
suitable motor placed within the car. A wing frame formed with a wing on
each side of a parabolic form is connected by the boss b which is fixed on
the shaft 7, and turns therewith. Each wing frame k is covered with a suitable
air resisting material. The shaft of each wing is provided with a pin m which
comes in contact with a curved guide n after each shaft has made a half revolution,
whereby the wing frame is turned over at right angles during the next half
revolution, which brings the wing frame on the other side of the shaft at right
angles to the position it was formerly in, that is to say, when one wing frame is in a
horizontal plane, the other wing frame will be in a vertical plane. By these means,
when the face of one wing is opposed to the wind, the other wing will be turned
over on its side, whereby the balloon will be moved in the direction of the arrow.
Figure 8 represents a view of the berein before described wing shaft and curved
guide, against which the pin m comes in contact after each half revolution, in order
to throw over the other connected wing-frame for the remaining half revolution,
when it is again raised to a vertical position by means of the pin on the other
wing shaft coming in contact with the guide curve.
Figure 9 represents a form of apparatus to be employed when it is desired to

page_text: ascend in a vertical direction. A number of adjustable surface sails o are arranged
radially within the frame p. To and under each adjustable surface sail o a rod or
cord i is connected with a sliding bush q, which can be slid upon the shaft rin
order to set the sails to any desired degree of inclination, and can be rotated by any
suitable motor.
Figures 10 and 11 represent a form of apparatus to be employed to propel the
balloon in a horizontal direction. The shaft 8 is arranged to slide in the hollow
and fixed bush t. The shafts is formed of a semicircular form at its outer end
within which the air pressure sail frame u is held, and is arranged to rotate
therein. The shaft s is connected to the sail frame u, and is formed with a
universal joint v¹ in order to set the sail frame u at any desired angle. When
the frame sail is in the position represented by Figure 8, it will offer lease
surface to the wind, and when in the position represented by Figure 9, a greater
surface.
Having now described and indicated the nature of the Invention and means for
carrying the same into effect, it must be understood that various modifications may
be made therein, but what I claim is,-
First. The mode of constructing a balloon of several component parts, and
connecting it by its under surface to and in close contact with the car or boat,
substantially in the manner herein before described and as illustrated in and by
Figs. 1 and 4 of the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
Secondly. The indicated arrangements for securely connecting the component
parts 1, 2, 3, 4, together and to the car by means of ropes, cords, bands of leather,
caoutchouc, or other suitable material intersecting the said parts, and in such a
manner that the weight or any indirect strain of the car on the ropes will be equally
distributed over the component parts forming the balloon, substantially as indicated
by Figures 1 and 4 on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and in connecting the
underpart of the balloon with the car.
Thirdly. The form and arrangement of the apparatus for the herein before
described purpose of propelling the balloon in a horizontal and vertical direction,
and as illustrated by Figures 6, 9, and 10, on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof I, the said Henry Simon, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Second day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty.