“It has always appeared to the writer that it would be absolutely impossible to make a dirigible balloon that would be of any use, even in a comparatively light wind. Experiments have shown that only a few hundred feet above the surface of the earth, the air is nearly always moving at a velocity of at least 15 miles an hour, and more than two-thirds of the time at a velocity considerably greater than this. In order to give a balloon sufficient lifting power to carry two men and a powerful engine, it is necessary that it should be of enormous bulk. Considered as a whole, including men and engine, it must have a mean density less than the surrounding air, otherwise it will not rise. Therefore, not only is a very large surface exposed to the wind, but the whole thing is so extremely light and fragile as to be completely at the mercy of wind and weather. Take that triumph of engineering skill, the ‘Nulli Secundus,’ for example. The gas-bag, which was sausage-shaped and 30 feet in diameter, was a beautiful piece of workmanship, the whole thing being built up of goldbeater’s skin. The cost of this wonderful gas-bag must have been enormous. The whole construction, including the car, the system of suspension, the engine and propellers, had been well thought out and the work beautifully executed; still, under these most favourable conditions, only a slight shower of rain was sufficient to neutralise its lifting effect completely--that is, the gas-bag and the cordage about this so-called airship absorbed about 400 lbs. of water, and this was found to be more than sufficient to neutralise completely the lifting effect. A slight squall which followed entirely wrecked the whole thing, and it was ignominiously carted back to the point of departure.