IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF NAVIGABLE AND OTHER BALLOONS AND APPLIANCES FOR STEERING AND PROPELLING BALLOONS IN EVERY DIRECTION PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Frederick Wilkins at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th April 1882.
FREDERICK WILKINS of 55 Poland Street in the County of Middlesex Civil
Engineer IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF NAVIGABLE AND OTHER
BALLOONS AND APPLIANCES FOR STEERING AND PROPELLING BALLOONS IN EVERY
DIRECTION PARTS OF WHICH ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES
The principal object of these inventions is to construct gas or hot air balloons
capable of being steered and propelled by steam or other motive power, by any
suitable mechanism, such as screw propellers, fins, wings, paddles or other contrivances,
in any direction irrespective of the wind.
For this purpose I prefer uniting any number of small balloons together, thus
constituting a train of balloons each such balloon being provided with its motive
power, and carrying its due sharo of passengers and goods. When one balloon
only is used it should be of the cigar or fish shape. 1 adopt five varieties of
balloon; the ordinary spherical gas or air balloon; the captive balloon; the kite
balloon; the cigar or fish shaped balloon; and the cylindrical or oval balloon
for balloon trains.
For this purpose I do away with the Cars, and place the crew or passengers or
goods in cabins or recesses inside the balloon.
Long shaped balloons (of the cigar class or fish shape like whale salmon or eel)
I divide into sections or compartments cach section with its cabin forming a
complete balloon; by this arrangement all the weight may be divided and spread
over the whole length of the balloon, instead of connected in a car.
The required stiffness for maintaining the even outside form of the balloon may
be maintained by using pillars or props inside the balloon, together with the inside
air chamber hereafter mentioned. Within each gas balloon or compartment I place
a small balloon or compartment of atmospheric air.
I also use an air-pump for supplying extra gas from a stove of compressed gas to
keep the balloon well filled; this pump is used for withdrawing the gas and
returning it to the stove when desired.

page_text: I use two or more such metal drums so arranged that the heat generated by
compressing gas into them may be used when required for expanding the gas in
the balloon.
These balloons may be propelled (preferably by two persons opposite cach other)
by any suitable mechanism but I recommend one or more screw propellers set on
axles at right angles to each other or at other angles expedient on the pitch of the
screw blades so that the working blades will strike the air at right angles to the
line of motion.
Balloon trains may be drawn by horses duly harnessed thereto when worked on
this system; they may be provided with kite-like inclined planes, the effect of
which is to aid the buoyant or lifting power of this balloon.
The motive power is but applied on both sides of the axles so that the strain in
one direction will be neutralized by a similar strain in the opposite direction.
In other cases I use a feathering fan or axles at right angles to the longitudinal
centre of the balloon.
For small machines worked by muscular power (manual labour) or by paddles
double-action-endless-ropes.or.driving bands are best.
The various gas compartments into which long fish-shaped-balloons-are-divided
may be connected by a flexible tube.
I sometimes use a small quantity of water as ballast; a tube runs from end to
end of long balloon or hollow train.
Wheels of fans set at angles as described are also available for blowing air as
fans or punkas or driving water: also for use as windmill and water-wheels for
driving machinery and for propelling ships by steam or other motors.
I also sometimes use a gas pressure gauge and screw press to regulate the internal
pressure-of-the-gas-in-the-balloons.
I also in some cases fill the balloons with small tubes pillars-or-cells-filled_with_.
bydrogen or other gas.
The keel or beam (if any is required) of long balloons or balloon trains should
be made of two thin sheets of steel slightly hollowed then placed face to face and 3
welded together at the edges as great strength and lightness is thus obtained they
are tapered towards the ends. The floors of the cabins for the convenience of
passengers and for the machinery &e will rest on this, radiating cords, woollen
fabrics or wires will also tie it to the upper parts of each compartment.
.
The head or tail of balloons may be flexible so as to turn and act as rudders: I
also use other portable rudders if required; these may be of the nature of inclined
planes (or otherwise).
I use a bag of canvas with a hoop round the top as a water anchor, one rope is
fixed to the upper part & the other to the bottom.
The cabins may be of various forms or positions in the balloon, as in the sides, 4
the bottoms, or opening upwards.
The air balloon or compartiment inside for adjusting the tightness or fulness of
the gas balloons are furnished with a self-acting safety valve so that air will be
expolled instead of gas.
All balloons may contain two or more balloons within each other; these may be 4
filled with relatively different gas mixtures, space between the outer ones and tho
next may be tightly filled with air only, the object being to maintain stiffness &
uniformity of shape without using frame work.
The inner balloon may be longer than the next so as to be always loose and not
bear any strain to injure the texture.
The outer balloon (or skin) may be loosely quilted to the next.
I sometimes apply glycerine or almond oil to the. inside of the balloons.
Tubular gas ribs may sometimes be used to give firmness or rigidity to the forms
of balloons.
5
Floors of cabins to be suspended from the roof by silk or other cords or woven 5
fabrics.

page_text: Internal air-cabins for passengers &c. may be used in this and in ordinary balloons,
dependent on wind for motion.
Balloons may be lined with eider-down or other non-conductors of heat.
The necks of ordinary balloons should be made stiff by an inner lining inflated
with gas between it and the outer skin.
One inflated air valve should also be used to it.