“The first French balloon voyage to Russia, a distance of 1,300 kilometres in 21 hours.”
Comte Henri de la Vaulx communicates to the Aero-Club the synopsis of his voyage to Russia in the balloon 'Centaur' of 1,600 cubic metres. Starting alone in his balloon, as did also the Comte de Castillon de St. Victor and M. Jacques Faure in the balloons 'L'Orient' and 'L'Aero-Club,' he found his pressure of 15 millimetres and 18 millimetres of water. The diameter of these valves is 20 centimetres. Then there is another lower valve of the same diameter which automatically regulates the outflow of air from the inner air chamber at a pressure of 9 millimetres of water. The air is driven into the air chamber by means of a fan worked by the motor. The presence of this inner balloon secures the retention of the shape of the balloon by keeping up a normal tension of the envelope. This preservation of the shape of the balloon is considered essential, as it facilitates the motion of the balloon through the air.