The Portland daily press., 1892-07-27
BALLOON WARFARE.
Professor Myers Says New York
Could Be Attacked From Above.

.
Gunners Could Not Hit the Balloons
European Countries Experimenting.
"Certain European powers are pos
sessed of powerful airships SO perfect
and complete that in the event of war
with the United States they could be
sailed over New York or any of the cities
near the seaboard and no power on
earth could serve to check them before
they had completely annihilated the
cities attacked"
The above paragraph in a Chicago
newspaper, extracted from longer in
terview reported with me, is going the
rounds of the press, accompanied with
many doubling criticisms.
Independent of professional secrets, of
which there are many among aeronauts,
there exists evidence that the dangers
referred to are very real. To make this
plain I may recall the trip made in a
hydrogen gas balloon by the woman
aeronaut, Carlotta, in July, 1888, when
she followed a prescribed and devious
route across Brooklyn, New York and
Jersey City, using variety of wind cur
rents simply by noting their elevations
and floating on one or another at will
by the usual method of dispensing gas
or ballast.
The route was from Washington Park
baseball grounds, Brooklyn, over the
city hall, down to the Battery or Castle
Garden; thence up the East river past
the Brooklyn bridge; then at right
angles across New York and to the Des-
brosses Street ferry; thence diagonally
down and across the North river to the
Pennsylvania Railroad depot, and thence
up the whole length of Jersey City to
Secaucus. Hundreds of thousands Of
people in these three great cities wit
messed this fight, as the hour was be-
tween and p. M, when the cities
workers were going home.
A swift return current high up made
it possible for the wind navigator to re-
turn in about ten minutes. A speed
test was made at the same time of the
resources Of civilization for rapid tran
sit below by boat, car, carriage and ele-
waited road. To travel the same distance
in this way required nine changes and
two hours time.
Now assume that Carlotta's ballast
cast out along the route had consisted
of infammable compounds and destruct-
i've explosives (not dynamite, but some
thing deadlier, which cannot be fired
from cannon), and one need only trace
on the map the course noted to realize
that broad swath of carnage and flame
would have more than taxed all the re-
sources of these three citiesx-its finest
police, its ambulances and hospitals and
its magnificent fire departments.
So much for the work of an old fash
toned gas balloon in the hands of a skill
full air navigator. AS a matter of ordi-
nary professional business am ready
to contract to duplicate this exhibition.
Recent tests by foreign powers with
modern artillery, firing at balloon tar
gets under favorable conditions (not OBJ
tainable in actual balloon warfare), in
dictate that little is to be feared by the
aeronaut. The mark itself is relatively
small when distant.
Let any investigating marksman try
his rife on toy balloon at moderate
rifle range, and then remember how
much easier of manipulation is this arm
compared with cannon.
How many of the cannon protecting
New York are adapted to elevations al
most overhead? What would be the
results of cannon balls or shells return
ing on the city after projection upward?
On the other hand, it is quite easy to
slide the most dangerous missiles broad
cast or on slant, with guiding planes,
in any direction from the airship.
The aeronautic services Of foreign ma
tions possess captive balloons for recon-
noissance or complete observation of
everything in sight, from above, over an
immense area; signaling, including the
transmission of cipher messages long
distances by electrical flash lights, with
the Morse code of long and short flashes
or any other, and search lights indicat-
ing the position Of an enemy at night
without revealing the position of the
vessel, fort or point to which the bal
loon is anchored
The value of these aids to modern
warfare can readily be appreciated
WHAT'S the position of the United States
in this matter? England, France, Spain,
Portugal, Germany, Holland, Belgium,
Russia, Italy, China and less important
nations are well supplied with valuable
aeronautical apparatus, schools Of prac-
tice, ETC., and many have construction
plants and experimental divisions work
ing more or less in secret on the con-
struction of power driven airships.
AS early as 1884-5 Commandment Rey-
nard, Of the aeronautical establishment
of the French war department, made
five trial trips with La France, on each
of which he was able to return to the
point of departure, and obtained max
imum speed of fourteen miles an ho1r
with an electrical motor of nine horse
power and total weight Of LIZA pounds.
Calculations show that by simply doub-
ling the known dimensions of Mis craft.
its increased lifting power would per
NIT the carrying of a motor of the same
proportionate weight-130 pounds per
horse power-which would produce a
speed of twenty-f five miles an hour. Ac