But it is the Parseval which is regarded as the finest type of
airship flying the German flag. This vessel is the product of
slow evolution, for it is admitted to be a power-driven balloon.
Even the broad lines of the latter are preserved, the shape being
that of a cylinder with rounded ends. It is the direct outcome
of the "Drachen-Balloon," perfected by Parseval and Siegsfeld,
the captive balloon which is an indispensable part of the German
military equipment.
The complete success of the suspension system in this captive
balloon prompted Parseval to continue his researches and
experiments in regard to the application of power to the vessel,
so as to induce it to move independently of the wind. The
suspension system and the car are the outstanding features of the
craft. It is non-rigid in the strictest interpretation of the
term, although, owing to the incorporation of the steadying
hollow "mattress" (as it is called by its inventor), the strength
of the suspension system, and the substantial character of the
car, it conveys an impression of great solidity. The thinnest
rope, both manilla and steel, in the suspension system is as
thick as a man's finger, while the car, measuring 30 feet in
length by 6 feet in width, carried out in wood, is a striking
example of the maximum of strength with the minimum of weight,
being as steady and as solid as a boat's deck.
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