Year: 1879




Professor KtuE Making Experimental


BALLOONS.


Philadelphia Record.


In large hail, at tiltY-secOnd street
and Lancaster avenue, about twenty
girls and three men are engsged in cut
ting out and sewing signets and preparing
nets of two lsrge xperimenting balloons,
to be used by the ge-onaut, Professor
King. The signets are large strips OF
very fine linen, and are cut out by
pattern TO suit the size of the balloon
The pattern is about four feet in width
in tue center, and tapers off toward eac
end until it finally terminates about the
breadth of an eighth Of an inch. These
strips are sewn together by sewing
machines that are kept busy rattling
away all day.


The two balloons will each carry IA, :
900 cubic feet of gas, and are to be used
in expeTime enting preparatory to a Yoy-
sge in the air acToss the ocean. The
balloons will be completed about the
middle of June, when the experiments
will commence st Manhattan beach,
New York.


Z" At the present time" said the pro-
fessor, "we have very little of the infor-
nation necessary to navigate a balloon
across the Atlantic. The principal ex-
| periments st Manhattan beach viii be
to ascertain the effect of the different
changes of temperature on the balloon in
making for certain point, and what
will be necessary to overcome the effect
/ of these changes. Also how rain. dew
and the change of atmosphere will oper-
ate on the buOyancy of the balloon.
| When these fleets are reduced to q
science, and the method of c1unteracting
| them adopted, sn automstic gear OF
machinery will be constructed on the
! plan adopted that will regulate balloon
under these circumstances. This auto
matte apparatus will be placed in bal
! loon, and, having arranged a drop rope,
the weight of which will depend upon
the result of the experiments, the
! balloon will be sent across the ocean
without any person in her. The sea-
station masters will be requested to look
out for her, and the course of the balloon
viii be carefully watched as far IS pos
sible. It is expected that the machinery
| will adjust itself according to the opera
tioDs of the elements, and finally land
/ her in Europe. l it does not. then an
other one will be sent out with any i'm
provements that may suggest themselves
from the course OF the first"


! This will he continued until it is
/ thought advisable for the professor to
/ start on the trip scros5 the sea himself.
/ The balloon the Professor will start in
will contain 800 0U0 cubic feet OF hydro
/ gen gas. it will be equipped with a
/ large boat ard all the instruments for
navigation, TO prepare for any emer-
gency. Three people will accompany
/ the sc Onaut in this adventure. Scien-
/ lists have requested the privilege oil
crossing with the professor, but he has
not yet made his selections. II the trans
atlantic voyage Is a success, it Is the in-
tentiOn to Immediately apply the bal
! loon to the purpose of assisting in the
discovery of the north pole. 1t was
hoped by theJ ames GoTden Bennett polar
expedition to apply the balloon to this
purpose. and they consulted Professor
King on this subject. 1t was found i'm
possible, however. TO carry the necessary
appurtenances for using the balloon on
the ship. 1t was the intention of the
captain to raise the balloon from the
deck of the vessel, after they had reached
the dangerous localities, in order to
ascertain the best channel to pursue.
Captain Howgate, whose appropriation
for "a polar expedition failed to pass
the senate, had a plan of utilizing the
balloon that Professor King thinks will
yet be adopted. His idea was TO take g
vessel to port far north, where coal has
been discovered, and here generate the
gas from the coal and establish this pOint
as a headquarters from which to work
the balloon in conjunction with the ves~
sci. It was also the intention when the
ship reached q point north as far as she
could 60 to await fair wind and start
balloon in the direction of the great un-
known space and bide the results. The
professor was to conduct the ballooning
operations just described, and he even
had applications from people who desired
to remain in the balloon during its
course ever this unexplored wilderness
OF ice.


Preparations are now being made on
Manhattan beach to commence the ex-
peIiments. A large fence, thirty.fve
teet high, will be erected to shelter the
operators frOn. the wind, and an engine
will be used for drawing the expert
mental balloons down and letting them
up when desired. The first experiment.
viii be to discover the effect OF the sun
on the buOyancy of the balloon at it's
rising in the morning, and when it
reaches its meridian at noon, and also on
its lowering in the evening.