The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1886-09-30
A RECENT BALLOON Trip.
Some Valuable Discoveries Which Are
Claimed-DrOpping Bombs on Ship.


Some Valuable Discoveries Which Are
CIaimed-DrOpping Bombs on a Ship.
According to foreign papers, which
give detailed account of it, the balloon
trip made few weeks ago from Cher
bourg, France, to Tottenham, near Lon
don, England, was not as great sue
cess as the dispatches indicated it to be.
M. F. L'Hoste, a professional aeronant,
and NJ. Joseph Mangot, young astrono-
mer, left the coast of France in the bal
loon "Torpilleur" at II o'clock at light,
passed across the English channel and
over the isle of Wight, and arrived in
the vicinity of London at about the
next morning. The journey could have
been made quite as quickly by boat or
cars. 1t was the intention of the bal
loonists to make their descent in a mill
tary park in the city, but they were not
able to do SO. As their coming was
anticipated, thousands were on the look
out for them. They were warmly well
coined, and were given a cordial recep-
ton by the members of the British
Aeronautical society. The occupants of
! the balloon stated that they met with no
accident ON the trip, which was pleasur-
| eiOAO anu my 1I4SLIuCI1NS. IuSY dC-
mitted that they derived scarcely any
benefit from their steering and propel-
ling apparatus. They claimed, however,
to have derived very great advantage
from new system of using ballast.
They employed an apparatus called a
tiatteur, which is suspended from the
basket of the balloons, drags in the
water, and enables the aerial travellers
to take in and let out water ballast when
ever they choose to do SO.
In all previous attempts to manage
balloons there was no way to make them
descend or to keep them near the sur
face of the earth except to open the
valve and allow part of the confined gas
to escape. 1t often happens that this
gas is wanted before the trip is COM
pleted. So, too, there was no way to
make the balloon ascend except to
throw out ballast, which usually consists
of bags of sand. By the use of the APP
partus employed by these Frenchmen all
the gas, except what escapes through
the cloth, is kept till the end of the trip.
III making voyage requiring a day and
night, the tendency of the balloon is to
sink after sunset and to rise after the
sun has made Ats appearance. If the
voyage is made over water the appa-
ratus employed by these. Frenchmen will
keep the balloon as near the surface as
is desired all the time. Unfortunately,
however, the apparatus can not be used
while passing over land.
These balloonists think they made
another valuable discovery. In passing
over several vessels they let drop some
small torpedoes, which exploded on their
decks. They accordingly claim that
balloons may be made very useful in
war by enabling persons to drop torpe-
does, bombs, and various explosive in
struments on vessels, in Notifications, |
and on buildings in towns. They claim |
by dropping a heavy bomb the balloon
would be given such an impulse upward |
that the occupants would be beyond the |
reach of bullets before the persons below
would have time to fire. In case the |
vessel was demolished by the explosion
of a bomb, there would be no one left to
firearms.
It is scarcely likely, however, that
balloons will ever be used for the pur-
pose suggested. Only highly civilized
nations could employ balloons in ware
fare. Among such nations civilization
extends to the arts of war as well as to
those of peace. The people who would
drop torpedoes from an elevation on YES
sells and unfortifled towns would be likely
to be classed with those who fire explo-
5ive bullets and make use of noxious
gases and virulent poisons. They would
be given place among the enemies of
the human race, and treated as SUCH
Times.