The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1878-10-17
London War Balloons.

Experiments with war balloons viii
be continued at Woolwich for severn
months. A select balloon committee ha!
been appointed, who have instruction.
to report the result of the EXPERIMENT.
to the war department. Among th'
recent improvements in the construc'
tiou of balloons is q stronger fabric'thar
formerly used, the tear aud strain o.
captive balloons being very great. a
steel wire cable is fixed to the network
of captive balloon and terminates or
the ground. This cable is insulated,
and the telephone will be used as g
means of communication between the
officers and the balloon committee on
terra frma. The CRUSADER ascended
recently. with lifting power of one
thousand four hundred pounds. The
cable, which gives two hundred yards
to one hundred pounds in weight, will
bear strain of twenty two tons. Great
progress will also be made in balloon
instruments. There are telescopes
which command q twonty-milc range, a
vane which indicates the direction the bal-
loon is going, lamp which will burn in
safety in hydrogen gas, and pocket
aneroid to Indicate the exact altitude Of
the balloon. Another point in progress
is strategical one, enabling engineer
officers to leave besieged city in e bal.
loon, and return to it again. Assum-
ing that London was bssieged with an
enemy twenty miles round, and the gen.
eral commanding says to the aeronaut
officers, Take this dispatch to York
and return with FIVE field .elegraphists,'
the message would be conveyed as fol-
lows: The war balloon would leave at
q high altitude in the usual way, IF
the wind happened to be north. the de-,
scent would be made, say, at Leicester,
and an aid-de.camp would take the dis,
patch by the first or by special train
to York. The balloon. uninaated, would
then be taken by circuitous route to
say, Brighton, and be inflated at the
nearest gas works. when the north wind
would take it and tho field telegraphists
into London. IF a person in future
should want to BE- conveyed ont of be-
sleged city, or newspaper correspoa,
dent to enter it, they would be enabled
to do so at the cost of about Gl0O. An
other important Improvement is beau
tifuIly arranged system of balloon sig
nails. Before the experiments at Wool
uich are completed, five captive bal
looms will float at one time over Lon
don, mt -distaaosaef. f.6se--nilpp,=susa cUu-'
verse by signals with the greatest ease;
and if the order is given for balloon at
Woolwich. to 60 to Aidershot, it would
be done by attaching the earthend of the
steel cable to traction engine, railway
engine, or military wagon, the same
cable having pipe attached to a traV-
cling gas making apparatus to keep the
balloon aAoat any number of days. The
Crusader has already been moved aaoat
three miles in this way. In addition
to war balloons built for various degrees
of altitude. it is proposed to have a sea
class of balloons for use in naval war
fare. with a telephone and gas-making
apparatus (steam passing through iron
6ttinss) on steamer below, with sub
sidiary steamers to convey information
to the admiral oi the feet. The Cruz
sader yesterday made free ascent with
Capt. Tanplar and two others in it.; but
on a subsequent day it will remain cap.
tive. and her majpsty's troops stationed
at Woolwich will turn out in various
directions within an area of thirty
square miles, and the surveying officers
in the observatory balloon, possessing a
vision uuobstructed by hills, woods,
etc., will have to furnish information to
decide the best tactical and strategic
disposition of the troops, and by means
of field glasses to spy out the masked
batteries ambuscades, intrenohments,
and ou.works. to calculate the limits OF
the surrounding woods, and the relative
position, distance. and number OF the
surrounding 5 troops. They will have to
photograph The surrounding country,
and exercise the grestest vigilance aud
presence of mind to prevent military
surprises and. provide against disaster.
They will have to keep the general CON.
manding informed Of the assembly aud
attack of troops, the advance of guns,
mastering of cavary, down to an side
de-camp being taken prisoner. The
experiments will be made in the presence
of the select committee, several Of whom
were present yesterday. If their report
is satisfactory, war balloons will De
adopted..into the service, balloon-tralns
established, and officers of the engineers
Al