January 1, 1912.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



1/D 



A Description of the Balloon '*Akron." 



{By a Special Correspondent.) 



THE original description of the balloon "Akron," which is 

 financed by F. A. Seiberling and managed by Melvin Vani- 

 man and constructed under the supervision of Alclvin 

 Vaniman and a corps of able aeronautic engineers of The Good- 

 year Tire & Rubber Company, and the construction of the balloon 



Hangar of the "Akron." 



part, were taken up in the September issue of this magazine. 

 This has now been completed, a few minor changes being made. 

 The length has been cut down ten feet in order to accommodate 

 it to the hangar in which it is housed at Atlantic City. The 

 gross weight carried is approxi- 

 mately thirteen tons. The shape 

 has been specially designed and spe- 

 cial allowance has been made for 

 stretch and strain, each of which 

 under trial has worked out well. 



The car consists of long trusses 

 of steel tubing of bridge construc- 

 tion design. The lower parts of the 

 trusses form the gasoline tank, 

 which holds about five tons of gaso- 

 line. There are three main engines 

 mounted transversely over the gaso- 

 line tank, each driving two wooden 

 propellers, one on each side. The 

 middle engine is an eight-cylinder 

 E. N. v., and the other two are 

 six-cylinder Sterlings; the first de- 

 veloping 80 horse-power at 1,500 

 r. p. m. and the second developing 

 90 to 100 horse-power at 1,000 

 r. p. m. Properly run, each of the 

 propellers will make 500 r. p. m. 

 The forward two propellers rotate 

 in transverse vertical planes, driving 

 ahead only. The other propellers 

 have a different plane of rotation 

 and can be turned about a hori- 

 zontal transverse axis by means 



of a special invention of Mr. Vaniman's, so that they aid in ele- 

 vating or depressing the ship as necessity demands. In addition 

 to these three engines, there is a small four-cylinder engine of 

 about 17 horse-power used for several purposes. It starts the 



main engines, runs the generator for the wireless apparatus and 

 also a small dynamo for lighting the ship. It drives the blower 

 for inflating the balloonet and can be connected with the hoisting 

 winch for handling the equilibriating device. 



The horizontal control of this balloon is secured by a rudder 

 attached to the rear, which is controlled from the steering post 

 at the forward end of the balloon. This rudder consists of a 

 steel tubular framework covered with specially prepared fabric 

 similar to that used on aeroplanes, and has three vertical plane 

 surfaces. The vertical direction of the ship is controlled by 

 three horizontal planes attached to the rear of the rudder and 

 two horizontal planes on each side near the bow. These can be 

 inclined upward and downward, both controlled jointly or in- 

 dividually from the navigator's position at the forward end of 

 the gasoline tank. The altitude is controlled partly by means of 

 planes, partly by after-orientable propellers, by the amount of 

 ballast carried and partly by means of water forced into the 

 balloonet. The longitudinal course of the ship is maintained by 

 placing of the weights and also by forcing air into the high end 

 of the balloonet, displacing hydrogen. There are two balloonets, 

 one front and one rear, into any one of which can be forced air. 

 It has automatic escape valves. There is one large gas valve in 

 the bottom of the balloon and an emergency valve directly over 

 this, controlled by cords which come down from the balloon. 



The wireless apparatus consists of Marconi instruments which 

 are claimed to have power to send signals for 500 miles. 



The lifeboat carried on board during trials is the one used in 

 the "America," but repaired and improved. It is about 27 feet 

 long, with watertight compartments. This boat is non-capsizable 



The "Akron" Just Outside the Hangar. 



and non-sinkable, these properties being of importance 

 The ship will be provisioned for ten days to two weeks. 

 The balloon bag consists of five distinct compartments and is 



filled with hydrogen. The volume of the bag is 375,000 cubic feet. 



