Secret of Greek Fire — Part Six
The Airship Takes Flight
Jacqueline accepts Abbas Pasha as a suitor and a sample of the Greek Fire has been secured. Now to test the Flying Machine.
The four of them proceeded to the barn. Jacqueline was determined to be more than a passenger, she insisted on helping wherever she could. As before, they opened the large barn doors and pushed the machine and the coal furnace into the yard.
“We have the liquid fuel, why are we still using the coal furnace?” she asked.
Herbert explained, “We don’t want to waste the precious liquid fuel for the initial, earthbound heating of the air in the balloon. Thus, we will still use the coal-fired heater.”
While they waited for the balloons to inflate, Jacqueline was given a leather jacket, helmet, and goggles to wear.
“Of course, we don’t really know much about the environmental condition up there. To date, balloons have only ventured a hundred feet into the air. While we won’t do much more on this first undertaking, we do have the potential of ascending thousands of feet,” Uncle George instructed.
“Now, we will light the boiler,” Howard said, when the balloon chambers were half-filled. “Again, we use coal while we are on the ground. Additionally, the exhaust from the boiler feeds to the balloon chambers to continually heat them while we are aloft.”
Jacqueline assisted the loading of several pounds of coal into the boiler.
Howard continued the instructions, “To minimize weight, there is no boiler like that found on a locomotive. Rather, there are only a few loops of tubing through the fire chamber. Water is converted to steam in these loops and this spins a flywheel inside those black motors. And that turns the shafts which are connected to the fans. And, the fans pull the flying machine through the air, even against the wind, if the wind is not too strong.”
“Of course,” Uncle George added, “this is how the machine is designed to function. This test will show us if it actually works. You must understand, Jackie, this could be quite dangerous. Should the basket or the balloon chambers catch fire, the whole thing will quickly crash to the ground. Your helmet is to protect your head should you bump into the overhead structure, but there is nothing which will help you if you fall from more than twenty feet, or so.” He paused. “It is not too late to change your mind, and join us on a future venture.”
Seeing how flimsy the whole thing was, every piece was designed to minimize the weight, she was concerned. However, she answered, “Thank you for your concern, Uncle, but… In for a penny, in for a pound.”
Soon the chambers were full of hot air and the motor flywheels were spinning.
“Why are the fan blades not turning” Jacqueline asked.
“You see,” Herbert explained, “to conserve weight, we have a closed loop steam engine. The engines on trains, for example, use the water only once. It is heated to steam in the locomotive’s boiler, the steam pushes the pistons, and is then exhausted to the air. That is why trains must stop frequently to refill their water tank. We cannot lift such a mass of water up into the air, and there is no way to resupply once we are aloft. Therefore, the steam remains inside the tubes after it spins the flywheel. It is cooled back to a liquid in those loops over there.” He pointed to several coils at the aft end of the basket. “The water then returns to the boiler and the cycle begins anew. To do all this, the flywheel also turns the pumps which move the water. And, as a consequence of all this, this steam machine cannot be turned on and off. So, there are clutches between the flywheels and the shafts to the fan blades. This way, the flywheels can continue to spin without also spinning the fans.”
“Is everything in readiness?” Uncle George asked.
The Herbert and Howard made final checks and nodded.
“Very well, Jackie, you may be the one to release our bond with the Earth. The basket is attached to the undercarriage by the means of three straps. If you would please pull this lever, the straps will be released, and we will float aloft into the atmosphere.”
Jacqueline smiled and pulled the lever. With slight jerk, the basket was released and they began to gently float upwards. Within a minute, they were above the trees. The wind was gently pushing them southward.
“Engage the fans,” Uncle George commanded.
Howard pushed two levers and the four huge fans began to spin. The flying machine began to move faster and to the east.
“Keep her into the wind. That’s northeast,” Uncle George continued.
Howard turned the ship’s wheel to the left. Jacqueline watched the cables move and she turned her head aft to see the rudder turn. The flying machine slowly responded, turning into the wind. With the added speed of the machine, the pressure of the wind increased on her face, and she pulled her goggles down over her eyes. She looked at the giant balloon overhead. She thought it resembled a ship’s sails.
“Uncle George,” she asked. “Does the flying machine have a name?”
“No, by George, she doesn’t,” he responded with a chuckle. “What do you suggest?”
“I don’t know. Nothing comes to mind. But, it seems to me that she is not so much a flying machine as she is an airship. I think we should call her an airship.”
“Aye, she’s an airship for sure,” Howard said. “And, clearly her name should be the Lady Cumberland.”
Jacqueline was silent, but she smiled as the other two men cheered their agreement. It was at this moment, she realized Howard knew exactly who she was. It was a bit of a surprise that Herbert had revealed she was the Queen’s cousin, but this might simplify their potential courtship.
“Very well, Captain Bennett,” Uncle George said, “adjust the ailerons and let’s see if the Lady Cumberland can climb under power.”
Howard pulled back on a lever and Jacqueline watched what appeared to be a horizontal rudder tilt upward. The airship responded by tilting the nose upward, and she climbed higher into the atmosphere. They were several hundred feet into the air when Uncle George gave the command to level the airship.
“Jackie,” Uncle George said, “be so kind as to watch the landmarks as we pass. Please draw a map of the Earth’s features as seen from aloft. We will need this map to guide us back to the barn.”
“Aye, aye, sir.” Jacqueline saluted and accepted the tablet and pencil from her Uncle. Looking over the side of the basket, she began her map-making task. They were traveling away from London, but looking down, she observed several people on the ground. They had all abandoned their tasks and were staring up at the airship. Jacqueline waved at them, but none responded. She imagined she might look like some creature from a nightmare wearing the helmet and goggles. The people below might think they were witnessing the Rapture instead of the latest scientific marvel.
As they flew northeast, they passed over several villages. While she had no idea what their names were, she did her best to draw their distinguishing features on her map. She had no idea as to their speed, but she attempted to add scale to the map by using the elapsed time from one hamlet to the next. She quickly understood the importance of the map; everything looked so much like everything else from the air. With nothing to guide them, they would have little chance of returning to Uncle George’s estate.
Time passed, and their excitement eased.
“Indeed, this is a wonderful day,” Uncle George exclaimed. “I dare to say that this day rivals the day man was kicked out of the Garden of Eden in importance. On this day, God has seen fit to afford us the means to join him in the heavens.”
Jacqueline’s earlier thought of the Rapture returned as she wondered what they would find in the space above the clouds. Will we be greeted by angels?
“I say, we don’t want to consume all of our fuel,” Uncle George commanded. “Our test is complete. Captains Bennett, ready about. Take us home. Jackie, keep a sharp eye out and guide us back to the barn.”
Howard spun the ship’s wheel and the airship turned around to the southwest. Going with the wind, they were clearly advancing over the ground at a faster pace. Uncle George throttled back the steam motor to conserve fuel.
Jacqueline followed her map and Howard followed her directions and soon they were passing over the barn. Howard reversed course again, and approached the barn traveling into the wind.
“How do we land?” Jacqueline asked.
“Well, I’m not so sure,” Herbert answered. “The plan is, we’ll approach upwind and adjust the motor until we are nearly stationary. Then, we’ll lower ropes with weights on the ends, and begin to vent the hot air from the balloon chambers. As the airship sinks, we will pull on the ropes to, in effect, pull the ship down. When close enough to the ground, I’ll climb down the ladder and make the ropes fast as I pull the airship down, back into its cradle.” He shrugged. “Either that, or we do our best not to crash.”
Jacqueline could see how the maneuver would be tricky if the wind were gusting or shifting direction. But, on this pleasant morning, the landing proceeded smoothly, just as Herbert had planned. The Lady Cumberland was back in the barn before a collection of onlookers arrived asking about what they had seen. Looking quite shocked to hear the tale of a flying behemoth, all four of them claimed to have been tending the garden. Since they were keeping their attentions downward, they had seen nothing.
THE END of Part Six
Part Seven, The Stolen Kiss
Copyright ©2023 by S. M. Revolinski All Rights Reserved
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