Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 June 1894 — BALLOON IN WAR TIME [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BALLOON IN WAR TIME

THE SUBJECT AGAIN OF INTEREST TO ARMY MEN. Beoeot Advances In the Science Make Air Ships Valuable in Military Operations What Europeans Bite Accomplished - United States War Balloons. Useful for Observations. To have an effective balloon corps fully equipped and ready to take the field in case of war at a moment's notice is now regarded by all the great European powers as a matter of vital

Importance. Everything tends to show that if there is one branch of modern warfare, or rather, perhaps, strategy, which is likely to be watched with keen interest during the next war it will be that of military ballooning. It is generally conceded that France has made the greatest strides toward per-

section in this line, though the world at large has not been permitted to know the exact results oi Its latest experiments. There is a great deal of secrecy about the establishment of Meudon, where the Government Paro d’Aeroetation is situated. France has been and is spending a great deal of money in perfecting an absolutely faultless dirigible balloon, one that can be moved in any direction at the will of the aeronaut irrespective of the direction of the wind. The French experts claim that their war balloon,

the “General Meusnier,” attained a speed of twenty-eight miles an hour and could be guided with utmo t ease to any given point. However, since no outsiders were allowed to witness the wonderful performance, it might be a trifle exaggerated. The German Emperor does not propose to let his warlike neighbor monopolize this feature of army equipment. He has just presented to the German Society for Promotion of Aerial Navigation for the advancement of this science the sum of 50,00.) marks. This is to te applied for the construction and equipment of a giant balloon. This balloon will be as high as a four-storv house. It Will be fiitysix feet in diameter and will contain not le-.s than 2,530 cubic meters of gao It will be made of Egyptian cotton stuff and will be coated with vulcanized gum, a substance which is considered mperior to varnish. Kxpect to Adceiirl 33,000 Fe«t A very interesting feature rtf this monster balloon wilt be the provision of a special valve of a new construction which will keep the gas pure for a longer time and thus sustain the balloon for a longer period. It is proposed to make not less than fifty journeys witbin a year and to ascend as high as possible,- An altitude of 33,00j feet is thought to be obtainable by the use of artificial respiration. More than $2,500 wiH- be expended in purchasing scientific apparatus for this ba lton, which is . intended more for taking observations than for the purpose of war, i . Aside from this, the German army has this spring put in the field as efficient a balloon corps as that of France, though, perhaps, not so strong numerically. At Metz, during the last maneuvers, several successful ascenproved the vast °advanio*e P an * may derive trom these aerial observetones. A very interestinisexperiment ■

■ was also made to show that the balloons can, in an emergency, supply the wsnt of bridges. A good-sized balloon was supplied with a large number of ropes dangling from-its side. One of thes-: was seized by a soldier, who was carried across the river in the twinkj ling of an eye. As soon as he had landed he fastened the end of a line securely. after which ihe bailoon was hauled forward and back, and in less than no time transferred a battalion from one side to another. A new air torpedo, to be used in balloon warfare, is the invention of a Frenchman, who has disposed of his patent to the Russian Government. The inventor claims to be able to direct this with aa much accuracy as that of a submarine torpedo. It has a carrying capacity of nearly 1,000 pounds of explosives. The discharging of these can be made without subjecting the attacking party to any risks, owing to the remarkable guiding power of this aerial cruiser, which is to strike and glide away with marvelous rapidity either as it emerges from the clouds or springs unseen above the smoke of battle to let fall its missiles of destruction when least expected. No public experiments have as yet been made with thft flying torpedo, which, if it is all that the inventor claims, will pr >ve a most dangerous power of destruction. However, till a practical test has been made, no one can judge of its merits. War Walloons for the American Army. In building the war balloon “General Myer” for the signal service of the United States army the first real step was taken by the military officials of this country to advance with the great war powers of Europe in this lino of military work. It is modeled after both the French and English military balloons, and the mechanical details embody the best features of each. It resembles the English in the similarity of materiallrom which the envelope is made. The system of inflation is also like that of the English, the hydrogen being stored under pressure within steel cylinders. In the plan of its suspension gear it is after the French models. The envelope of the “General Myer’’ is spherical in shape, with' a capacity of 13,000 cubic feet, corresponding with the ordinary balloon used abroad for captive ascensions, and having a lifting power sufficient to carry two men with the necessary signal instruments.

The envelope is formed of gold-beaters’ skin, whioh is especially adapted to this purpose, as it is impervious to the hydrogen gas and is very light. The membranes from which this fabric, gold-beaters’ skin, is formed are taken fr< m the entrails of the bullock, each animal furnishing one. When stretched they are from eighteen to twenty-four inches long and ten to sixteen inches wide. After taking the membranes from the slaughtered bullock they are first scraped free from fat and soft parts and salted till needed for use. After taking them from the salt they are first culled, washed and soaked in fresh Wat r till the salt is taken out. Then a day or two before using they are placed in a vessel containing soft water, in which has been dissolved some fish glue, which adds to their adhering qualities when making the fabric of the envelope. In making the envelope, says a correspondent in Aeronautios, a cotton model balloon with a neck was made of the same size as the General Myer and its surface oiled. This cotton bag was then inflated with air by a blower and the neck securely fastened'so as to retain the air. The model was kept in a state of tension by applying the blower from time to time as'The air under pressure from within/leaked- through. The model thus fully inflated was suspended by ropes attached, to the neck and to the top or opposite hole. This suspension permitted the model to be turned as upon an axis, and thus brought every part of its surface in rotation within easy reach df the operator. A scaffold, framework, having a height nearly, .equal to the semidiameter of the model, was placed around one side, or semi-circumference, thus presenting to the workmen a nearly vertical surface on which to lay the membranes. The nice task of placing the membranes forming the fabric of the envelope was done by women. Each membrane was taken from the water, stretched out upon the surface of the inodel, smbpthed down by band, and sides or ends, where irregular, were cut off by a pair of blunt-

pointed Bbears, whioh the women used mostueftly. Being wet SSid fbJiargeCl with the’solution of fisijj glue, the membranes stretched taut cnrjjr the surface, and.adhered whilS damp to the model. The membranes in this way were placed side by side, the edges overlapping, until the entire surface of

the balloon model was covered with one coherent layer of the gold-beater's skin. Over this first layer a second and third were put. in like manner,, except that the membranes in each alternate were placed at right angles to ; the longitudinal diiectirn of the pre- | ceding series. Over the third layer were placed, from the top to the neck, long ribbons about an Inch wide, of the ; same material, and in lattice. These I ribbons were made by stretching a ! layer of gold-beater’s skin upon a long and smooth oiled board, and superimposing thereon five additional layers

successively, and, after drying, the fabric, which resembled parchment, was cut into narrow strips. These interlacing ribbons, or cords, appear as diamond-shaped figures, increasing in 6ize from each pole to the equator, and strengthen the balloon fabricand limit its tearing to rents no greater than about sixteen inches at the equator, in case the balloon should come in contact with any sharp-pointed object. Over these strengthening cords three additional layers of gold-beater’s skin were placed similar to the first three. Around the top and about the neck an additional layer was placed to further strengthen these parts, where the strain is great. After the fabric was thus completed the air was pumped out of tho model, the neck of the cotton tag was separated from that of the outside fabric and air was blown ip to the true balloon envelope between the skins and the cotton material, gently separating the skins from the oiled surface of the cotton model and permitting the latter to he pulled out through the neck of the balloon proper. There remained a translucent globe, which, except for the latticed ribbons in diamond-shaped figures, appeared homogeneous throughout, not the line of a joint or lap of the thousands of pieces of which it was formed showing. In the tot) of the balloon envelope was now ,cut a circular opening about eighteen inches in diameter, iDto which the valve ring or thimble was inserted and seized, and into the thimble was secured the valve. The envelope of the balloon being complete, it was placed within the netting, the top of yyhieh was secured about the valve ring, and upon ropes being attached to the ring the balloon and netting wore hoisted, air was again blown into thel balloon and the netting adjusted. After this the balloon was hoisted higher ar.d the suspension gear, with basket, was attached, after which came the captive gear—that is, the cable which holds the balloon when it ascenda All was pei feet and the “General Myer” was ready for use. Mow ih© Cable In Mudn. The cable serving to hold the balloon captive is made of several strands of steel wire, having in its center an insulated wire for telephonic work, the outside strands acting as return wires. The balloon, with complete equip-

ment, is now at the Fort Riley, Kan., School of Instruction, where it is being used in instructing the signal corps at that post. It has been pronounced by experts as a masterpiece in military ball on building. This is not the first time the United States army has made use of balloons. During the civil war the federal government recognized their value for making ob. ervations. In the month of September, 1861, one of the m st daring aeronauts, La Mountaine, furnished important information to Gen. McClellan. His balloon rose from the northern camp of the Potomac and parsed above Washington. The ropes were then cut and La Mountaine ro.-e to ths height of a mile and a half and found himself directly over the lines of the enemy. There he was able to perfectly observe their position and movements. When he had made his observations he threw out ballast and rose to a height of three mile*, when an air current carried him in the direction of Maryland, whero he descended in safety. General McClellan was so well satisfied with the observations taken that through his influence the war department leceived orders causing more balloons to be provided. The use of balloocns, however, was discontinued for manv years, but now it is believed they will be given a permanent place in the equipment of all armies. The s'cience of aeronautics has so advanced, new features being constantly added, that it is hard to disbelieve anything claimed by the enthusiasts in this line. The chances are that we will dispense entirely with ordinary fleets and do our fighting in the air. urrr~“7-

TRANSPORTING GAS ALONG THE COAST.

THE FIRST U. S. SIGNAL CORPS WAR BALLOON, THE GENERAL MYER

BURYING A BALLOON.

USING BALLOONS FOR CROSSING RIVERS

A DANGEROUS LANDIN G

BALLOON ATTACHMENT FOR GOVERNING ASCENT AND DESCENT.