Improvements in Balloons.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 21st July, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 21st Apr., 1892-Accepted, 21st May, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Balloons.
I, WILLIAM AUGUSTUS FYERS of 19 Onslow Gardens London S. W. Knight
Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath and Licut.-General in the
British Army do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This my invention relates to improvements in balloons especially adapted for
naval and military purposes and the object of my invention is to so construct a balloon
that it shall be capable of supporting the weight of the car in water and so that it
will not obstruct the car in the event of the voluntary or accidental descent of the
balloon into the sea, which frequently happens, thereby endangering the life of the
aeronaut and other occupants of the car or cars. My invention will be found also
applicable to balloons for the purposes of reconnoitring and taking observations in
time of war and for explorations.
In carrying my invention into practice I form the balloon in the shape of an open
hollow ring surrounded or encased by network said network having a ring of ebonite
or other suitable material from which the car may be suspended. By my invention
a balloon may also be constructed with a number of air or gas tight compartments
so that in the event of one of the said compartments being perforated by a bullet or
otherwise the remaining ones will contain sufficient gas to sustain the balloon and
the weight depending therefrom.
The body of my improved balloon may be of any required dimensions and
capacity, and is made preferably of silk but any other suitable material may be
employed for the purpose.
The car is adjusted so as to hang vertically under the centre of the ring formed
by the body of the balloon so that in the event of the balloon falling into the sea
the car would be surrounded by the balloon and be supported thereby and not
obstructed as in a balloon of the pear-shaped configuration. In order to facilitate
the control of the balloon by means of the valves the vertical distance between the
car and the balloon is much less than is usual with those of the ordinary shape.
The car may be encased in waterproofed canvas or some other suitable material
impervious to water, or it may be made boat shaped.
The balloon is filled with a suitable gas through a pipe from any convenient
source and is provided with a valve for the escape or emission of the gas when
necessary for lowering the balloon in the usual and well known manner.
My improved balloon may be divided into a number of compartments by means
of gas tight diaphragms or partitions so that in the event of one of the said com-
partments being injured the uninjured portion of the balloon will contain sufficient
gas to sustain the weight of the balloon and prevent the rapid descent of the same
to the earth. When my balloon is thus divided I prefer to provide a separate
supply pipe to each of the said compartments the said pipes extending radially
inwards being joined to a union or main cock which may in turn be attached to the
gas supply in any convenient manner. Each of the said branch pipes is provided
with a valve under the control of the aeronaut by which the gas may be prevented
from escaping from the uninjured compartments through the rupture in the injured
chamber.
When required I provide my balloon with a removable cover of any suitable
textile material waterproofed or otherwise and secured to the netting of the balloon
so that it will enable the balloon to descend gently and steadily by reason of the
parachute form assumed by the balloon when the covering is in place and the said
cover also affords protection from the sudden expansion and contraction of the gas
contained by the balloon. The covering may be readily attached to or detached

page_text: from the network of the balloon in any convenient manner so as to enable it to be
readily removed in case of necessity or it may be provided with a central aperture
or valve for a like purpose.
When used for reconnoitring purposes at sea the balloon may be connected to a
vessel or when used on land to any suitable object by means of a cable by which
telephonic communication may be made as desired.
It being desirable for purposes of safety in time of war that the balloon should
ascend to a greater height than is necessary for taking observations I propose to
attach to the car a second car at a convenient altitude so as to render the balloon
less likely to be injured by the shot of the enemy. Provision is made by which the
occupant of the lower car can communicate with and reach the upper car when
necessary.
Doted this Olet dor of July 1801
HORN & SON,
Applicant's Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Balloons.
1, WILLIAM AUGUSTUS FYERS, of 19 Onslow Gardens, London, S. W. England,
Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, and a General in
the British Army, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
This my invention relates to improvements in balloons, especially adapted for
naval and military purposes, and the object of my invention is to so construct a
balloon that it shall be capable of supporting the weight of the car in water and so
that it will not obstruct the car, in the event of the voluntary or accidental descent
of the balloon into the sea which frequently happens, thereby endangering the life
of the aeronaut and other occupants of the car or cars.
My invention will be also found applicable to balloons for the purposes of
reconnoitring and taking observations in time of war and for explorations.
In carrying my invention into practice, I form the balloon in the shape of an
open hollow ring, surrounded or encased by network, said network having a ring of
cbonite or other non-conducting material or an insulated metallic ring from which
the car may be suspended. By my invention a balloon may also be constructed
with a number of air or gas tight compartments so that in the event of one of the
said compartments being perforated by a bullet or otherwise the remaining ones
will contain sufficient gas to sustain the balloon and the weight depending
therefrom.
In order that my invention may be more readily understood reference should be
made to the accompanying drawings in which-
Figure 1. is a side elevation of the balloon and the car attached thereto con-
structed in accordance with my invention.
Figure 2. shows a balloon divided into a number of compartments and various
details hereinafter mentioned.
Figure 3. is a plan view of a balloon as shown in Figure 2.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts in all of the figures.
A shows the body of my balloon which may be of any required dimensions (the
shape of the same being readily understood from the drawings) the said body being
made preferably of silk, but any other suitable material may be employed for the
purpose. The balloon A is encased in the netting in the usual and well known
manner and from the netting is suspended a car C in which the aeronaut ascends.
It will be observed from the drawings that the car is adjusted so as to hang
vertically under the centre of the ring formed by the body A of the balloon so that
in the event of the balloon falling into the sea, the car would be surrounded by the

page_text: balloon and not obstructed as in a balloon of the pear-shaped configuration. In
order to facilitate the control of the balloon by means of the valves the vertical
distance between the car and the balloon is much less than is usual with those
balloons of the ordinary pear-shaped configuration, and the said car may be
encased in waterproofed canvas or some other suitable material impervious to water
or may be made boat-shaped. The balloon is filled with a suitable gas through a
piped from any convenient source and is provided with a valve d' for the escape or
emission of the gas when necessary for lowering the balloon in the usual and well
known manner.
.
My improved balloon may be divided into a number of compartments as shown
in Figures 2 and 3 in which a' are a number of gas tight diaphragms or partitions
by which the balloon A is divided into separated chambers or compartments a and
in the event of one of the said compartments being injured or pierced by a bullet
or otherwise, the uninjured portion of the balloon will contain sufficient gas to
sustain the weight of the car and prevent the rapid descent of the same to the
surface. When my balloon is constructed in the manner just mentioned each of the
compartments or chambers a is provided with a separate supply pipe c which
extends radially inwards and is joined to the union or main cock d' which may in
turn be attached to the gas supply by means of the connection d d in any other
convenient manner. Each of the said branch pipes c is provided with a valve c¹
under the control of the aeronaut by which the gas may be prevented from escaping
from the uninjured compartments through the rupture in the injured compartment.
When required I provide my improved balloon with a removable cover E as
shown in Figure 2, of any suitable textile material, waterproofed or otherwise and
secured to the netting of the balloon so that it will enable the balloon to descend
gently and steadily by reason of the parachute form assumed by the balloon when
the covering is in place and the said cover also affords protection from the sudden
expansion and contraction of the gas contained in the balloon. The covering may
be readily attached to or detached from the net work of the balloon in any
convenient manner so as to enable it to be readily removed in case of necessity, or
it may be provided with a central aperture or valve e for a similar purpose.
When used for reconnoitring purposes at sea the balloon may be connected to a
vessel, or when used on land to any suitable object, by means of a cable by which
telephonic communications may be made as desired.
It being desirable for the purposes of safety in time of war that the balloon
should ascend to a greater height than is necessary for taking observations, I
propose to attach to the car a second car F at a convenient altitude, so as to render
the balloon less likely to be injured by the shot of the enemy. Provision is made
by which the occupant of the lower car could communicate with and reach the upper
car when necessary.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. A balloon in the shape of an open hollow ring in combination with a car
attached thereto, said car being suspended from the balloon in such a manner as to
hang vertically under the open portion of the balloon the whole being constructed
and arranged substantially as described and illustrated.
2. A balloon in the shape of an open hollow ring divided into a number of gas
tight compartments in combination with a series of supply pipes leading to the said
several compartments, the said supply pipes adapted to be controlled by the
aeronaut and a car suspended from the said balloon substantially as described and
illustrated.
3. The combination with a balloon in the shape of an open hollow ring with a car
or basket suspended thereto, of a removable cover attachable to and detachable
from the said balloon in any convenient manner, substantially as and for the
purposes described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

page_text: 4. The combination with a balloon in the shape of an open hollow ring with a car
or basket suspended thereto, of a second car suspended below the first and connected
to the upper car and the balloon by a rope cable or other convenient means,
substantially as and for the purposes described and illustrated.
Dated this 21st day of April 1892.
HORN & SON,
Applicant's Agents.