Tissandier, 1878, Le grand ballon captif à vapeur de M. Henri Giffard

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Gaston Tissandier, "Le grand ballon captif à vapeur de M. Henri Giffard", La Nature, Vol. 6 (1878), pp. 295–298.

(Actually this proves to be a lengthy series, with articles published in issue after issue of La Nature (of which Tissandier was editor in chief) describing in detail the various technical elements of the balloon.)

w:fr:s:Projet de construction d’un grand ballon captif à vapeur par M. Henry Giffard

Describes Henri Giffard's huge balloon at the 1878 Exposition Universelle. (Let's call it Ballon Giffard, 1878 for the sake of a page name.)

Follows up from Tissandier, 1876, Exposition internationale de 1878. The great balloon was now in place between the Arc de triomphe du Carrousel and the ruins of the Palais des Tuileries. Which is to say here: ~48.86208 N, 2.33184 E

Le ballon formera une sphère de 36 mètres de diamètre, d’un volume de 25 000 mètres cubes. Arrimé à terre, la partie supérieure de la sphère sera située à 55 mètres au-dessus de la surface du sol et dépassera par conséquent de 10 mètres le sommet de l’Arc de triomphe de Paris. Cet aérostat enlèvera dans les airs à l’extrémité d’un câble de 600 mètres, pesant 3000 kilogr., 50 voyageurs environ. Deux machines à vapeur de 300 chevaux actionneront le treuil autour duquel s’enroulera le câble.

Detail from the netting
Construction of the netting

Tissandier comments on the netting (filet) for the balloon:

J’ai visité récemment la fabrication de ce filet immense ; elle s’opère à Vincennes, à la corderie centrale de MM. Fretet et Cie sous l’intelligente direction de MM. Yon et Dardaud.

We know that Gabriel Yon's father was a ropemaker, so the workshop could well be his father's. At the same time, we know that the son had a relationship with Giffard dating back to 1855, when Giffard took him along on a balloon trip at age ~20.[1] (Being now ~43, it's possible that Yon fils had was working in the same line.) How Giffard became associated with the family is an open and possibly answerable question. (We don't yet know Fretet or Dardaud.)

References


Original title Le grand ballon captif à vapeur de M. Henri Giffard
Simple title The large captive steam balloon of Mr. Henri Giffard
Authors Gaston Tissandier
Date 1878
Countries FR
Languages fr
Keywords captive balloon, steam, Henri Giffard
Journal
Related to aircraft? 1
Page count 6
Word count
Wikidata id

Sources

  • Brockett 1910, page 828, entry 11942: Tissandier, Gaston. Le grand ballon captif à vapeur de M. Henri Giffard. Paris, G, Hasson, 1878, 8°, pp. 68, ills. 42. (11942