The Mineral argus., 1885-02-19

&A8Uo8y 8SVO8418s
Although it il Just ninety years ago
since the French first established mil.
itary balloon corps, our drst serious
step in this direction was taken only the
other day by the formation of q school
of military bailooning at Chatham. As
. rule, We are rather late in adopting
what prejudiced mind considers o. an
innovation; but in this case bet US hope
that our own experiences and those of
observers for the past century will &,
far TO make this school the foundation
Of what with Ms ought to become o per-
manent military institution. In 1874 o
military serOnautic school was founded
ct Meudon, unIer the superintendent
Of Colonel Coutelle and . chemist,
named Guyton de Morveau. Four bal
looms were speedily manufactured for
the use of the armies operating in the
north, on the Sambre, ON the Meuse.
and in Egypt. InJune Of the same year
Colonel Coutelle. accompanied by his
adjutant and the general, made an as
cent in captive balloon Of four h mrs
duration, for the purposes Of observa-
ton before tho battle OF Fleurus, and il
il reported that to this was mainly due
the victory, owing to the moral effect on
the enemy, who we're greatly disconcer-
ted at their positions and movements
being discovered, thus preventing the
possibilities Of Q sruprisc from their
side. This balloon was inflated with
hydrogen gas. In 1890. during the
African campaign. military ballooning
was attempted on o small scale, but
with no valuable or even practical re-
suit. Again, in 1870, reconnaissance
was made in balloon sent up from be-
fore Venice. We find again that, in
the italian war VI 1852, althOu gin there
VAS no military balloon crops ready at
the time, the French made use Of
balloons managed by professionals, and
that an important reconnaissance was
made in fire balloon before the battle
Of Solferino. During the late Ameri.
can war balloons were much used bv
the Federsls. General Mcclellan had
q regular balloon crops attached to
the staff Of his army. This crops con-
sisted Of a captain, an assistant captain,
and about fifty noncommss ned officers
and men. The APPAREL was carried in
two fOur-hOrse wagons; these wagons
also carried the generators. There
were acid carts besides. and hydrogen
gas was used. There were two balloons
in use, one Of capacity Of IL, 900 cubic
feet, the other of 10000 cubic feet.
Their imitation usually occupied from
three to four hours; and it is only
fair to presume that. o. these balloons
were in constant use till the close of the
war, some material value must
have been drawn from them.
During the siege of Paris,
the only means Of communication that
the bcleaguered garrison had with the
outer world was through balloons. Two
immense Government manufactures
were started at two Of the principal
railway stations, and many hundred men
and women were employed, the women
in cutting and sewing, the men, chiefly
sailors, in knotting and splicing. In
all sixty-four balloons were sent up;
several were captured by the Pm ssians;
MANY were fired at One descended at
Christiania, after a journey Of fifteen
hours' duration. The average capacity
of these balloons was from 10000 to
72,OO cubic feet. Experiments were
triel at Alicrshot in ls6263. and again
in 1850 with the Inflated Sala'lin, in
which, later on, poor Mr.. Powell lost
hr life; but these experiments were on
no very large scale. Captive balloons
are always more dangerous than free,
md can only he managed with any safe
~ in calm or moderate weather. Each
balloon should be supplied with para
clnite. On Sept. II, 1902, Garnerin
,e.t his balloon at height of three
quarters of mile from the earth. At
fist he descended with great velocity:
bit his descent became more gradual.
AMI i'm four minutes from the time he
gifted his ballon he landed gently and
sdely on terra firma. Small parachut
cl would also he found useful for low
eing sketches, reports. messages, etc.
British Army aud Navy Gazette.