Improvements in or connected with Balloons.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Jan., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 14th Aug., 1893-Accepted, 30th Sept., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Balloons.
I, PATRICK YOUNG ALEXANDER, of Experimental Works, Bath, in the County
of Somerset, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows :-
My invention consists of improvements in or connected with balloons, and by the
employment of balloons fitted with such improvements greater safety is ensured,
and the aëronaut is enabled to control the balloon during the descent with greater
facility than heretofore.
It is
According to my invention, I attach a bag, made of any suitable fabric, to the
balloon, preferably at the lower part of the neck, the said bag having a vertical
mouth which is kept closed by a weight suspended to the lower end of same.
preferable to attach the weight a short distance from the edge of the material,
which thus makes the joint curved and gas tight. When the gas expands within
the balloon, the mouth readily opens and allows the necessary escape of gas, but
when the pressure is equalized the mouth is kept closed, thus preventing the
diffusion of the gas.
In order to prevent the balloon tearing a long distance vertically, I attach bands
or rings of silk or other material to the balloon at suitable distances apart.
Within the balloon, and at or about the equator thereof, I attach a number of
cords which stretch to the centre of the balloon, where they are connected together
and attached to a vertical cord which is under control of the aeronaut. The
pulling of this vertical cord draws the sides of the balloon inwards, by means of
the radial cords, and thus forces the gas out of the balloon.
Cords are connected in circles round the net at various distances apart, for
attaching the ballast bags during the inflation of the balloon.
A small ring or tube is attached inside the loose mouth of the balloon, through
which ring the valve line passes, and the said line is prevented from escaping into
the balloon by a knot or other projection below the ring. The loose mouth can be
held tightly against the ring by means of a rubber band, which latter can be readily
removed by a cord attached to same, within reach of the aëronaut.
In order to secure the safety of the aëronauts, I connect the zone of the balloon
to the net, by cords or other suitable connections, thus ensuring its conversion into
a parachute in the event of the balloon bursting.
The trail rope is employed to also serve as a grapnel rope, thus saving much
unnecessary weight. The rope passes over a pulley attached to the hoop of the
balloon, and carries the grapnel at one of its ends, whilst the other end is enlarged
or stiffened to prevent its passage through the pulley. When the grapnel is thrown
out, the rope which has been acting as a trail rope is drawn up through the pulley
by the weight of the descending grapnel, until the enlarged end of the rope is held
in the pulley. By this means the grapnel is allowed to descend more slowly, and
is ensured descending in a suitable position.
In some cases I dispense with the pulley attached to the hoop and fit the grapnel
with a suitable runner for travelling down the trail rope. When the grapnel is let
go, it runs down the trail rope until it is arrested by a swelling, which may be formed
on the rope at any suitable distance from the end of same.
Dated this 5th day of January 1893.
PATRICK YOUNG ALEXANDER.
Brewer & Son,
33, Chancery Lane, London, and 30, East Parade, Leeds.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Balloons.
I, PATRICK YOUNG ALEXANDER, of Experimental Works, Bath, in the County
of Somerset, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
My invention consists of improvements in or connected with balloons, and by the
employment of balloons fitted with such improvements, greater safety is ensured,
and the aeronaut is enabled to control the balloon during the descent with greater
facility than heretofore.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood, I will proceed to describe
same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters refer
to like parts in all the figures.
According to my invention, and in particular reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 of
the accompanying drawings, I attach a bag A, made of any suitable fabric, to the
mouth of the balloon, the said bag A being provided with a vertical mouth B,
which is kept closed by a weight B₁ suspended to the lower end of same, and as
seen in Fig. 4. It is preferable to attach the weight a short distance from the
edge of the material, which thus makes the mouth B curved and consequently more
gas-tight. A small ring C may be attached inside the lower part of the bag A,
through which ring C the valve line D passes, and the said line is prevented from
escaping into the balloon by reason of a knot or other projection D situated below
the ring. The loose base of the bag A. is held tightly against the ring C by means
of a rubber band M, which latter can be readily removed, if required, by a cord N
attached to same, and situated within reach of the aeronaut.
On ascending into rarer atmosphere, the gas within the balloon expands, and the
mouth B readily opens, allowing of the necessary escape of gas; but when the
pressure is equalized, the mouth is kept closed by reason of the weight B', thus
preventing the diffusion of the gas. The ring C above described may act as the
weight, or the material forming the bag A may be of such a weight as to keep the
mouth B closed.
In order to prevent the balloon tearing a long distance vertically, I attach bands
or rings E, made of silk or of other suitable material, and situated at suitable
distances apart.
These bands E are shewn in Fig. 1, and it will be clearly seen on
reference to that figure that the balloon would be prevented from tearing beyond a
band in the case of a tear tending to run up the balloon. The lower band E' is
made to hang vertically in order to throw off the water which runs down the
balloon in rainy weather, thus preventing the said water running down to the neck
and off in a stream into the car, as has hitherto been the case. The knots F also
prevent the rain water running down the leading lines onto the hoop G situated
above the car.
Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 shew means whereby the trail rope may also serve the purpose
of the grapnel rope, and thus the weight of a separate grapnel rope is saved. As
seen at Fig. 7, the trail rope H passes over the pulley J, and one end of the rope H
is enlarged at H', whilst the opposite end is attached to the grapnel K. The
rope H is used as a trail rope during the voyage of the balloon, and the grapnel K
being required it is thrown out from the car, and in falling pulls up the rope H
until the enlarged end H' comes to the pulley J, where it remains fast, being
unable to pass through same. By this means, the grapnel may be let go before the
usual time, and by having to raise the rope, it is caused to descend slowly and in a
suitable position.
By special reference to Fig. 8, the rope H, which may suitably be made of steel
wire, is provided with a swelling or enlargement H2 at a suitable distance down
A runner L is connected to the grapnel K, and when the said grapel is
same.

page_text: required to be brought into action, it is allowed to run down the trail rope H until
the runner is stopped by the swelling H³.
At Figs. 5 and 6 the action of this arrangement is clearly illustrated. Fig. 5
shews the balloon descending with the trail rope out, and Fig. 6 shews the action
of the grapnel which has run down the rope H until it has been arrested by the
swelling H, when the grapnel taking a firm hold on the ground has pulled the
balloon up at anchor.
The employment of a steel trail rope is not always advisable, as if the air is
densely charged with electricity, the rope may connect positive and negative
currents, and thus form a flash of lightning. I have on several occasions
experienced this, and have no doubt that if gas were escaping from the balloon at
the time of the connection, an explosion would be the result.
For the purpose of accelerating the escape of gas during the descent, I attach a
number of cords O, Fig. 9, to the interior equator of the balloon. These cords O
meet in the centre and are attached to a vertical cord P which is under control of
the aeronaut. By pulling this vertical cord, the sides of the balloon are drawn
inwards, and thus the gas is forced out of the balloon. The vertical cord P may be
connected to the grapnel rope in such a manner that the pulling of the grapnel will
draw the sides of the balloon inwards, and thas force out the gas through the mouth,
which should be of extra dimensions.
By connecting the zone of the balloon to the net S by means of cords or tapes R,-
which are sufficiently slack to allow the balloon to roll about inside the net without
tearing itself, see Fig. 10,-the balloon is ensured turning into a parachute in case
of accident, and thus the lives of the aeronauts are saved.
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. The bag A, having a vertical mouth B, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
2. The combination of the bag A having a vertical mouth B, with the ring C,
rubber band M and cord N, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. In gas, hot air, or fire balloons, the employment of bands E travelling round
the balloon at suitable distances apart, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
4. The employment of a band El hanging vertically, or nearly so, from the lower
part of the balloon, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
5. The knots or stops F situated on the leading lines, in combination with the
band E', whereby the hoop G and the car are kept dry in wet weather, substantially
as described.
6. The combination of the pulley J, rope H, projection H', and grapnel K,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
7. The combination of the rope H, projection H², runner L and grapnel K,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
8. The employment of the radial cords O, and vertical cord P, substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
9. The employment of cords or tapes R for connecting the balloon to the net S,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
10. The general arrangement, construction and combination of the various parts
forming improvements in or connected with balloons, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
Dated this 14th day of August 1893
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for Applicant.