Untitled record

Application filed November 11,,1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gael W‘. Peteesen, of the city and county of San Francisco, in the State of California, have invented certain new 5 and useful Improvements in Air-Ships; and I do hereby declare that the following specification, taken in connection with the drawings furnished and forming a part of the same, is a clear, true, and complete description of my io invention.

After a detailed description of the several features of my invention they will be separately indicated in the claims hereunto annexed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is an 15 end view of an air-ship embodying my invention, and as if the same were proceeding upward and forward. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same proceedingdownward and forward. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of the car 20 or body of the ship and its contents. Fig. 4 illustrates the mounting of a rudder wholly between the car and a horizontal guiding-sail. Fig. 5 illustrates in section the interior of the neck of the lifting vessel or balloon.

The lifting-vessel A may be of any desired form, provided it be capable of being reefed, and thereby made to possess a variable lifting capacity. The form shown is of the elongated spheroidal variety, and instead of being pro30 vided with the usual top valve for permitting the escape of the lifting medium it is wholly closed at the apex, and strongly re-enforced for obtaining a firm connection thereat with a reefing-line, a, which passes centrally down35 ward through the neck of the vessel to a point convenient of access by the navigator. The valueof this improvement will be obvious when it is considered that with the usual top valve the upward escape of gas is accompanied by 40 an upward flow of atmospheric air through the usual open neck below, so that when the valve isthereafterclosed the chamber contains a mixture of air and gas, and the proportion of air increases more or less at each opening of the valve. With my improvement, as the reefing is proceeded with from time to time the gas is forced downward and outward without permitting the entrance of air, and therefore the lifting capacity of the balloon can be much 50 longer maintained than when the discharge of gas is accompanied by a practically corre spondinginduetion of air. The downward discharge of gas as a result of reefing also wholly obviates the liability of an upward collapse, common to balloons having the top valve and 55 open neck.

As illustrated in Fig. 5, the neck of the balloon or gas-vessel is provided with a rigid diaphragm, of wood or other suitable material, through which passes the gas-supply pipe, 60 hereinafter described, and the reefing-line a, the former having a permanent gas-tight joint with said diaphragm and the latter a packed joint, which will admit the proper movements of the line and yet afford a reasonably tight 65 joint around it. In said diaphragm there is also an outlet guarded by a spring-valve, a', which is preferably adjustable, and is opened by the internal pressure of gas when so far increased by the reefing operation as to render 70 the discharge of gas desirable. A valve-line may be provided by which said valve may be opened for permitting the gas to be discharged more freely during the reefing operation whenever desirable. The spring-valve also serves 75 as an automatic safety-valve, which will permit the escape of gas whenever its tension becomes too great.

The method of and appliances for reefing may obviously be widely varied, and in some 80 cases it will be preferable that the netting be drawn toward the horizontal sail by means of lines attached to the netting near its crown, and working through blocks or eyes connected with the frame of the sail and extending to 85 the boat or car separately or united, and arranged to be worked by hand or by a windlass therein. Separate reefing-lines above the horizontal sail may, however, obviously be dispensed with and a requisite number of the sus- 90 pending lines of the netting be employed for reefing purposes.

The car B is preferably constructed in the form of. a boat, as shown, not only because of its utility when a forced descent occurs oh wa- 95 ter, but also because it is longer than it is wide, so that by shifting weights or shifting the positions of the navigators either end may be depressed or elevated when in the air.

Between the car and the gas-vessel or bal- ic loon is a circular guiding-sail, C, which is adjustable from a horizontal plane to any de256,366 sired angle. As shown, this sail is fixed with relation to the car so that it will occupy a corresponding position ; but it may, as an equivalent arrangement, be suspended from the bal5 loon, and be capable of angular adjustment independently of the car by means of blocks and ropes, and in this case rigid bars or rods may be provided at each side of the boat, to which, at their upper ends, the frame or hoop io of the guiding-sail will be pivoted, after the manner of trunnions. For properly uniting the balloon with the parts carried by it, the usual netting should be employed, and the suspending cords may be variously arranged with 15 reference to the car and the sail, giving due consideration to security and convenience. A sail, substantially as shown, in combination with a balloon provided with means for reefing it, and thereby reducing its lifting capac20 ity, is novel arid of great practical value.

At opposite points fore and aft of the guidingsail Ο, I employ rudders D, which are adjustable to any requisite angle. These, as shown, are novel in that they are circular in form, are 25 axially connected to the frame of the guidingsail 0, and each is diametrically stiffened and worked by lines or guys b, extending from the periphery of the rudder at various points through and secured to eyes c at opposite ends 30 of the pivoted brace d, which is set parallel with the large sail G, said lines being extended downward and rearward to the car, so as to be readily accessible .to the navigator. In Fig. 4 the rudder D is shown wholly below theguid35 ing-sail, and is pivoted between an arm, d', extending from the guiding-sail and an arm, d², extending from the boat or car; but it is provided, as before described, with the pivoted brace d and lines or guys b, which firmly brace 4c the rudder and extend to the car for steering purposes. The guiding sail C and the rudders D should be made of strong, light, textile fabric distended by means of hoops and other frame-work of suitably rigid but light mate45 rial. I prefer, as a novel feature, that the sail and rudders be made up of frame-work and two separate thicknesses of gas-tight material, so that said sail and rudders, or either, will constitute a gas vessel or chamber which may 50 be inflated with the lifting medium, light flexible conducting-tubes being connected therewith for conveying the gas-supply thereto.

I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to so construct gas-vessels for balloons 55 that their internal capacity could be diminished or enlarged for increasing or diminishing the pressure of their contents with a view to varying their lifting capacity; and I am also aware that it is not new to employ hori60’ zontal or vertical guiding-sails with non-reefable balloons, and I therefore make no claim to either of said features separately considered.

Although an air-ship embodying some of 65 the features of my invention may be successfully worked with heated air, I prefer to use the usual hydrogen gases, and in view of my maintaining the gas in my balloon without the undue mixing of air therewith, as hereinbefore explained, I am enabled to easily compensate 70 for the necessary loss of gas, because said loss is comparatively small, and I therefore employ an apparatus for making fixed gas from the lighter varieties of liquid hydrocarbon— such, for instance, as that generally known as 75 “ gasoline.”

In the car I have one or more air-tight tanks, e, connected with each other by a system of>

pipes provided with suitable cocks, and com-1 municatiug with a retort, f, so that either tank 80 jj may be relied upon to supply gasoline to said retort. The retort may be variously construct-’ cd; but for ready illustration I have selected the coil form. Each tank is provided with an air-pump, g ; or one air-pump with a system of 85 pipes connecting with each tank may be relied upon for attaining such atmospheric pressure within the tanks as will secure the proper delivery of gasoline to the retort. Extending from the upper coil of the retort upward 90 into the neck of the gas-vessel is a pipe, li.

A bulb, i, is provided in said pipe just above the retort, and beneath a cock, i¹, in said pipe, 1 from which a gas-burner or heater, k, is sup- j plied with gas for operating the retort. The 95 entire retort is inclosed within a suitable jacket, the requisite vent-openings being well guarded by fine wire-gauze. In working this gas-generating apparatus the cock i' above bulb i is closed, a, small quantity of gasoline 100 allowed to enter from either tank, and a handlamp is placed so that some portion of the coil will be sufficiently heated to gasify the gasoline in the retort, whereupon it passes to the heating-burner k, which is then lighted, and 105 as soon as the retort has been properly heated 1 a proper continuous supply of gasoline is fed J thereto by opening the proper cock, and the ji cock above the bulb is thereafter opened partially to permit the discharge of gas upward no into the balloon, it being only necessary that sufficient pressure be maintained in the bulb i to supply the heating-burner. The upper portion of the pipe h being open into the interior of the gas-vessel enables me to place in said 115 pipe, above the cock i', a manometer, I, for indicating the pressure of gas within the gasvessel. Various other arrangements of retort and burner may be employed.

If mechanical propelling apparatus is de- 120 sired, it may be operated by a gas-engine sup->

plied from the retort instead of from the bal-J loon, ashasheretoforebeen proposed by others.

With a screw-propeller but one rudder would be necessary.125

An air-ship constructed and equipped as described is operated as follows: For the initial ascent the balloon is preferably fully charged with street-gas, or from some other cheap source of supply. The car is evenly weighted, 130 so that it will be lifted in a horizontal position, and the rudders are set truly vertical.·

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In ascending the direction will be vertical, except as modified by prevailing wind, and as soon as the requisite speed in rising is attained the navigator and such weights as are needed 5 are 1 ocated at that end of the boat which is opposite to the direction desired, so as to present the proper incline of the upper surface of the sail C, which causes the ship to advance while rising. If the sail G be pivoted at the sides, as hereio inbefore indicated, it can be set at the desired angle without changing the position of the car. As soon as the desired altitude is attained the position of the sail is reversed and the reefingline drawn downward, which carries witlrit the 15 upper portion or crown of the balloon, forcing more or less gas from the vessel, and as soon as the balloon commences its descent the advancing movement is continued downwardly at a speed more rapid than was before ob20 tained during the upward movement. The gasgenerating apparatus, having meantime been started, is worked up to its most efficient pressure, as will be indicated by the character of the flame at the burners, and before the de25 sired downward tacfc or course is terminated the fresh gas is admitted to the balloon, and being in a more or less heated condition from the retort it warms the gas already in the balloon, thereby increasing its lifting power, as well 30 as by the fresh supply, whereupon the inclination of the sail C is again changed and the reefing-line slowly slackened, and then the balloon, in ascending, continues advancing in the same general direction as before. The rudders can 35 be set in an obvious manner for changing direction to the right hand or the left.

The novel combination of a balloon having a reefing capacity with the guiding-sail is of value, whether they be used in connection with 40 a gas-generating apparatus or not, because of the economic discharge of gas for descending without an undue admission of air. The gasgenerating apparatus operating on highly-volatile hydrocarbons, the reefable balloon and 45 the guiding-sail constitute, in my judgment, a specially valuable and novel combination of elements. The liquid hydrocarbon serves as ballasting, which isgradually transformedfrom ballast to a lifting medium, and a sufficient 50 quantity can be carried to furnish gas in volume equal to or greater than the maximum ca pacity of the balloon. If, however, additional sand-ballast be carried, it may be advantageously discharged at times for supplementing the ascents and economizing in the use of the 55 hydrocarbons.

It will of course be readily seen that the particular forms of the gas-vessel shown, the sail, the rudders, and the car may be widely varied, and that the details of construction of 60 the various parts and the manner of their connection can be obviously changed to an almost indefinite degree without materially departing from my invention; and it is obvious that an air-ship involving one or more of the novel 6ς features of my invention may be made of any desired size, according to the special ends in view in each case, and that a lifting medium other than gas of the character described may be employed. 70

It will be seen that the characteristic feature of my air-ship is its complete adaptability to beat or tack in the air, similar to a ship on the sea, the latter making its angular courses in a horizontal plane and my ship making similar 75 courses in a vertical plane.