Interesting time warp. Does Ohio still produce that much natural gas? This strip was drawn 7 years after the Wright Bros first flight. Many people still believed the future of flight was balloons.
Given the volume of their gas bag, don’t think that natural gas will the same lifting properties as hydrogen. (Assuming that they were using hydrogen since the Hindenburg disaster hadn’t happened yet.)
Where I came from in Oklahoma, we had were close to the sources of natural gas. The gas we got, being so close to the source, was mostly hydrogen. As kids, we used to seal clothing bags, fill them with gas and watch them go high in the sky. My brother took some that were filled with gas and taped a bundle of matchsticks on them with a fuse attached and sent them up at night where they would make an impressive fireball in the sky. I also know that the gas that was piped to the east ended up as being mostly methane and of course would not float up like the gas we had.
Steve Bartholomew over 8 years ago
Interesting time warp. Does Ohio still produce that much natural gas? This strip was drawn 7 years after the Wright Bros first flight. Many people still believed the future of flight was balloons.
WebSmith over 8 years ago
Given the volume of their gas bag, don’t think that natural gas will the same lifting properties as hydrogen. (Assuming that they were using hydrogen since the Hindenburg disaster hadn’t happened yet.)
blackdawne over 8 years ago
Ohio still produces some of the biggest gasbags. We have one for a governor.
I Go Pogo over 8 years ago
Such was a time when access to knowledge was limited and it was easier to accept flights of fancy.
Kip W over 8 years ago
I like how the bag is limp and empty and the ship just hangs low instead of crashing. That’s how it works in dreams.
a swino over 8 years ago
Gas pressure issues kept Nemo awake? Fart jokes used to be a lot more subtle…
stuart over 8 years ago
Helium was a byproduct of natural gas production:http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/heliumnaturalgas.html
Daniel Jacobson over 8 years ago
Where I came from in Oklahoma, we had were close to the sources of natural gas. The gas we got, being so close to the source, was mostly hydrogen. As kids, we used to seal clothing bags, fill them with gas and watch them go high in the sky. My brother took some that were filled with gas and taped a bundle of matchsticks on them with a fuse attached and sent them up at night where they would make an impressive fireball in the sky. I also know that the gas that was piped to the east ended up as being mostly methane and of course would not float up like the gas we had.
Stickmaker over 8 years ago
I’m assuming the pipe in that guy’s mouth isn’t lit. :-)