The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-09-03
War Balloons.
From the London Daily News.


Experiments with war balloons
will be continued at Woolwich for
several months. A select balloon
committee has been appointed who
have instructions to report the result
of the experiments to the war depart
ment. Among the recent improve
ments in the construction of balloons
is stronger fabric than formerly
used, the tear and strain OF captive
balloons being very great. A steel
wire cable is fixed to the network of
captive balloon and terminates on
the ground. This cable is insulated,
and the telephone will be used as
means of communication between the
surveying officers and the balloon
committee on terra trina. The
Crusader assembled few days since,
with lifting power Of ], 400 pounds.
The cable, which gives 200 yards TO
100 pounds in weight, will bear
strain of twenty-five tons. Great,
Aprogress will also bemade in balloon
STumentsn There are telescopes
ypch commands twenty-mile range,
n Me which indicate the direction
- balloon is going, lamp which
burn satety in'hydrogen' gas, |
q 2 DOCK sRsroid to indicate the |
act altitude ofthe balloon. Another
point in progress is a strategical one,
enabling engineer officers to leave a
besieged city in balloon, and to re-
turn to it again. Assuming that
London was besieged with an enemy
twenty miles round, and the General
commanding says to the aeronaut Off
GERS, ''Take this dispatch 10 York and
return with five field telegraphists,"
the message would be conveyed as
follows: The war balloon would
leave at a high altitude in the usual
way. Ii the wind happened to be
north, the descent would be made, say,
at Leicester, and an abide camp
would take the dispatch by the first,
or by a special train to York. The
balloon, uninfated, would then be
taken by circultous route to, say,
Brigton, and be inflated at the nearest
gas works, when the north wind
would take it and the field telegraph
lists into London. If person in
future should want to be conveyed
out OF besieged city, or q newspaper
correspondent to enter it, they would
be enabled TO do so at the cost of
about 9100 Another important i'm
provement is beautifully arranged
system of balloon signals. Before
the experiments at Woolwich are
completed, five captive balloons will
float at one time over London, at dis
tances OF five miles, and converse by
signals with the greatest ease; and it
the order is given for balloon at
Woolwich to proceed af1oat, regard
less of wind, TO Aldershot, it would
be done by attaching the earth end
of the steel cable to traction engine,
railway engine, or military wagon,
the same cable having pipe attached
to travelling gas-making apparatus
to keep the balloon afioat any number
OF hours or days. The Crusader has
already been moved afioat three miles
in this way. In addition to war bal.
looms built for various degrees of al
titude, it is proposed to have sea
class of balloons Tor use in naval war
fare, with telephone and gas-mak-
ing apparatus (steam passing through
iron tittings) on to steamer below,
with subsidiary steamers to convey
information to the Admiral OF the
fleet. The Crusader made free as
cent with Captain Templar and two
nthars in IL Int on q subsequent day