IMPROVEMENTS IN BALLOONS AND IN ARRANGEMENTS RELATING THERETO
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 ARRANGEMENTS RELATING THERETO." -A communication from abroad
by Henry Giffard, of 33, Boulevart Saint Martin, Paris, France.
Sealed the 16th August 1867, and dated the 20th February 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Michael Henry at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with bis Petition, on the 20th
February 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 "IMPROVEMENTS
IN BALLOONS AND IN ARRANGEMENTS RELATING THERETO," communicated to me
from abroad by Henry Giffard, of 33, Boulevart Saint Martin, Paris, France,
to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to balloons and especially to captive balloons, or
such as are prevented from escaping, being retained by ropes, and thereby

page_text: controlled in their travel. The captive balloon is within an area surrounded
by an enclosure whereof the height is about the same as the length of
diameter of the balloon, and the breadth about twice the height of the
apparatus, the enclosure is smoothed and rounded at top. The holding rope
passes over a pulley, and is worked by a windlass or the like actuated by a
steam engine or otherwise; the ropes are disposed obliquely or conically
downward. The pulley and its frame work on a ring or appliance fixed in a
wall or bed in a trench with conical or sloping sides which receives the car
to bring it to the level of the ground, and persons mount it by wheeled plat-
forms; the car with its ropes and hoops is enclosed in a cage formed of a
large and smaller hoops and ropes, the upper suspending ropes being attached
to the top hoop, and the lower ropes to the large hoop, and then they unite
with the holding rope, the car is thus kept steady. The ropes may be provided
with springs or balances for excluding air and keeping the lower part of the
balloon in shape, notwithstanding the wind and variations of inflation, there are
elastic arrangements or caoutchouc or other flexible bands, and also springs
at the lower part of the balloon. At the bottom is a tube having a stuffing
box through which passes the rope or stem for working the valve, and from
this appliance flexible tubes lead and rise upward into elbows hung from the
net, and then descend nearly to the ground where they open and thus act as
exit and safety valves; they are kept in shape by internal rings or spirals, and
are connected with the car by elastic attachments. Between the plates of the
top valve is a tube which descends towards the ground to receive and admit the
gas, the excess passing away through the flexible pipes, thus maintaining the
gas at a constant density. The upper part of the balloon and net are covered
by a waterproof covering which hangs down at bottom forming a loose protective
edge; at top is a small cover or diaphragm held by elastic attachments to
allow the free exit of gas when the valve is open.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Michael Henry in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30
20th August 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MICHAEL
HENRY, of 68, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, send
greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BALLOONS AND IN ARRANGEMENTS RELATING THERETO," 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 inmediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, 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 following statement
thereof, as communicated to me, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The Invention relates to balloons, and especially to captive balloons, or such
balloons as are prevented from escaping or as are retained by ropes, and
thereby controlled in their travel. The captive balloon is placed within an
area surrounded by an enclosure whereof the height is about the same as the
length of diameter of the balloon, and the breadth is about twice the height of
the whole aerostatic apparatus. The enclosure is smooth and rounded at top.
The holding or tow rope passes over a pulley, and it is worked by a windlass
or the like actuated by a steam engine or otherwise; the ropes are disposed
obliquely or conically downward. The pulley and its framework on a ring or
appliance fixed in a wall or bed in a trench having conical or sloping sides,
and which receives the car so as to bring it to the level of the ground; and
persons can mount it by wheeled platforms. The car with its ropes and hoops
is enclosed in a cage formed of a large and a small hoop and of ropes, the

page_text: upper suspending ropes being attached to the top hoop, and the lower ropes to
the large hoop, and they unite with the holding rope, the car is thus kept
For excluding
steady; the ropes may be provided with springs or balances.
air and keeping the lower part of the balloon in shape, notwithstanding the
wind and variations of inflation, there are elastic, caoutchouc, or other flexible
bands, and also springs at the lower part of the balloon. At the bottom is a
tube having a stuffing box, through which passes the rope or stem for working
the valve, and from this appliance flexible tubes lead and rise upward into
elbows hung from the net, and then descend nearly to the ground, where they
open and thus act as exit and safety valves; they are kept in shape by internal
rings or spiral wires, and are connected with the car by elastic attachments.
Between the plates of the top valve is a tube which descends towards the
ground in order to receive and admit the gas, the excess of such gas passing
away through the flexible pipes, thus maintaining the gas at a constant
density. The upper parts of the balloon and net are covered by a waterproof
covering which hangs down at bottom forming a loose protective edge or
valance; at top is a small cover or diaphragm held by elastic attachments,
so as to open freely to allow the free exit of gas.
The accompanying Drawings exemplify the mode in which the Invention
may be carried into practical effect.
Figure 1 is a front view of a balloon constructed according to this Inven-
tion, and provided with arrangements also in accordance with this Invention.
h, h, is a spherical or nearly spherical balloon disposed in the centre of a
circular space a enclosed by a fence a, the height of which is about equal to
the diameter of the balloon. The height ought not to be much less than such
diameter, because in that case the balloon when near the ground would not
be protected sufficiently against high winds; and, on the other hand, the
height should not greatly exceed the diameter of the balloon, because in such
case when the balloon was floating in the air the towing cable would be
prevented from taking a degree of inclination sufficient when the wind was
high without rubbing against the upper edge of the fence or enclosure. The
diameter of the arena or enclosure should be about double the entire beight of
the whole balloon or aerial aerostatic arrangement, so that when the balloon
is held by its cable the whole arrangement might be always protected by the
fence or inclosure, although the balloon is left, free to describe an arc or move
in a path forming an arc of a circle round the points at which it may be
retained when moved by a Ligh wind or stiff breeze. The top a* of the
enclosure or fence a is curved or formed so as to present a smooth and

page_text: rounded surface, a sort of cushion in fact, so that the rope b, b, which.
retains the balloou may slide gently and easily on such surface, in case that
a violent and sudden wind should incline the rope beyond its ordinary limits.
The tendency of the arrangement to remain steady and to resist the impulsion
of the wind depends on the power of ascension of the balloon, and therefore
the tow rope should be of sufficient strength to counterbalance such force
without being thereby impaired. The tow rope passes over a guide pulley »
on to a windlass s of any ordinary construction and worked by any suitable
power, but the power which I prefer is a double cylinder reversing steam
engine. The ropes should be throughout their length conically disposed, or
should gradually diminish downward from the point at which it is attached to the
balloon. The guide pulley r with its frame works on a joint or ring * firmly
secured in a strong bed R of brick work, stone, beton, or other like substance
placed at the bottom of a trench t having sloping sides, which.allow of the
car n being brought to the level of the ground, so that persons may easily
embark thereon by means of planks, platforms, or bridges u running on wheels,
so that they may be brought nearer to or farther from the car at pleasure.
The car n with its ropes and suspending cordage is enclosed in a sort of frame
c, c, d, m*, formed of a large hoop d made of wood or other rigid substance,
to which hoop ropes c, c, are attached on one side, and these cords c, c, are
fastened to a small hoop c*, which serves as a general connection for all the
upper suspending cords; on the other side of the hoop d the cords m* are
attached to such hoop; these cords join into one main or common cord b
which constitutes the tow or holding rope, which rope by this arrangement holds
the balloon very securely and keeps it evenly, and the car is prevented from
sloping out of the horizontal, that is to say, it is prevented from following the
various inclined positions assumed by the balloon, and it is therefore always
retained in the proper position. The ropes c and m* may be furnished with
springs or weights indicating the tension and upward force. The lower part
of the balloon is kept in a continuous state of tension so as to enable it to
resist the wind without losing its shape, notwithstanding the continual varia-
tions of the gaseous volume; this is effected by an elastic arrangement e
composed of threads or strips of caoutchouc or else of coiled or spiral springs
of thin steel; this contrivance has, moreover, the effect of preventing the air
from re-entering. At the bottom end of the balloon is a short tube / having
a soit of gland or stuffing box at the middle, through which the rope which
works the valve m passes. On one or both sides of the tube l is another small
tube, through which a flexible pipe f pasess; such pipe or
pipes is bent

page_text: upward and fastened to an elbow pipe 9 suspended to one of the snugs on the
net, and the pipe f then is carried down as near as possible to the ground and
the lower ends are open freely; these pipes fact as safety valves or as overflow
pipes, and their height below the lower part of the balloon regulates the
degree of tension sufficient to overcome the elasticity of the springs; this
pipe should be kept quite round and freely open, especially in the portion
between f and g, and this is effected by fitting within them wire or cane spirals,
coils, or boops which keep them duly distended. The short pipe f is, more-
over, connected with the hoop of the car by one or more cords of greater or
less flexibility, the object of which is to prevent the balloon from caving in.
m is the valve placed at the top of the balloon, as is usual, but it is fitted,
according to these improvements, between the two valve doors with a short tube
or hollow neck and a tube z, which latter is carried down to the ground, so
that gas may be admitted therein whenever and as desired; the gas thus
entering at top through the valve m, and the waste or excess escaping below
through the pipes f, g, the gaseous contents of the balloon can always be main-
tained in the same condition of denseness and lightness, notwithstanding
leakage; P is a waterproof protective covering made of some light fabric which
covers the upper part of the balloon from h to i, and is intended to protect
the same from sun, rain, and weather. The lower portion i of this cover hangs
loosely like a flounce or vallance, so as to keep the rain or snow from the
netting and ropes. The top valve m and the cover P are also further protected
by a small round cap p of waterproof fabric fastened to the cover P by clastic
cords, which do not interfere with the free exit of the gas when the valve is
open as the cover lifts freely.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same may be performed, I declare that I claim,-
First, the employment of an enclosure with a fence within which a balloon
is attached, such balloon being guided and restrained by a tow rope, and a
trench and bed, or secure block for securing the balloon being provided,
substantially as described.
Secondly, the mode of suspending the car, so that it may always hang evenly
from the balloon, substantially as described.
Thirdly, the employment in combination with the top valves of balloons
of tubes or pipes, through which the gas may be charged and discharged,
substantially as described.
Fourthly, the employment of an elastic arrangement or frame at the lower
part of the balloon, substantially as described.

page_text: Fifthly, the employment of a protective cover with a hanging border,
flounce, or vallance, as described.
Sixthly, the general arrangement and combination of parts described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Henry, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
ERNEST DE PASS,
68, Fleet Street,
London, E.C.
M. HENRY. (L.S.)