The Opelousas courier., 1892-10-08
CAPTIVE BALLOONS In WAR
| OBSERVATION CARS USED TO GET
A VIEW OF THE ENEMY.
How the Scheme Worked I'm the
Franco-Prussian War McClei-
p.-Ye RoRInnu

TYaHE alarm which prevails in
Russian army circles over the
German balloons that have
q crossed the frontier in mid-ai
to study the Notifications of the great
carbon along its border-line from a
strategic standpoint is but a repetition
of the surprise with which the captive
balloon was hailed during the war of
seventy.
The Franco Prussian war and the siege
of Paris have amply demonstrated the
utility of the balloon for the purpose Of
investigation and communication, which
without it would have been impossible.
During that siege of five months, lasting
from the 23d of September to the 26th
of January, not less than sixty-ive
balloons with q crew of 155 men, 1853
carrier pigeons and a tonnage of &c, 1000
pounds of mail matter, consisting Of
letters, dispatches and newspapers, were
sent from Paris to the provinces. The
carrier pigeons we're used for carrying
back news from the provinces to the
locked-in capital. That the plan worked
successfully is proven By the fact that
ffty-seven carrier-pigeons returned with
more than 100, 900 dispatches. When it
is borne in mind that this mode of COM
munication was the only one left to q
metropolis numbering its populace by
the million this modest result assumes
enormous importance, and the future
besiegement of large centres will UNI
doubtedly bring a repetition and i'm.
provement of this method.
During the last century the French
military engineer employed captive
balloons, which were held with ropes
by the privates of his corps. From the
car attached to the balloon observations
could be made of the territory, the
battlefield, or the fortress occupied, and
a correct idea could thus be formed Of
the position and movements of the
enemy and the Notifications erected by
them. As early as 1893 and 1874
balloon ascensions were made for this
purpose during the sieges of Valen-
c%iennes, Maubeuge and Charleroi, and
the battle of Fleurus. General McClel-
Ian was unusually fortunate in the
employment of his balloon June /, 1862,
during the battle of Richmond. His
headquarters were connected by tele-
graph with the observation car of the
balloon and he directed the battle
according to the flashes of intelligence
received from there.
These and many other examples, dem
onstrating the superior advantage of a
bird's-eye view of the situation assume
still greater range when the trajectory
power of our present firearms is consid-
cred, together with the Introduction of
smokeless powder. Tie battlefelds
must of necessity expand, the fighting
distance become greater, and that side
which discovers the enemy frshwill have
many points of advantage, enabling it to
a certain degree to shape and outline the
developments of the contest. A brief
lookout from the car of q balloon 1000,
to 1900 feet in the air reveals more
plainly the position OF the enemy TO the
eye of the strategists than all the infor-
nation that can be gathered from re-
connoitering parties, outposts and spies, |
1t is a connected picture that is thus
presented of all that would other wise
have to be gradually united into a whole
from new and reports as they come.
What can be seen from an observation
car is a complete chart, not one CON-
posed of isolated fragments, no matter
how correct they may be.
These facts, bearing so closely upon
the tactics of future wars, have resulted
in an increased utility of the captive bal
loon, the first essential of which is that
it shall be ready for service at short no.
tice. Napoleon /. abolished Coutelle's
corps OF ~aeronauts only because they
were unable to keep up with his army.
The military corps of ~aeronauts at
Chalais- Meudon, in charge of Rensrd,
succeeded at last in constructing an aero
naut's park, the special arrangement of
which is kept as secret as that of the
English and German parks of this class.
Gabriel Yon, n of the most noted
Partisan engineers, who assisted in the
building of the gigantic captive balloons
exhibited at the worlds fair of Paris and
London, has constructed his aeronaut
parks after the Renard model and sup
piled with them Italy, Russia, Chin aud
other countries.
Two opposing elements govern the
construction of q military balloon, and
to harmonic them great care and judg-
ment is required. One ls absolute safety
for the lives of the ~aeronauts; the other
utmost lightness in weight of the balloon
and its outfit. The first demands aeon
struction insuring durability and safety;
the second of minimum weight. To eff
feet a compromise between the two only
the best material can be used, and care
full calculation and many tests are neces-
sary to achieve the desired result. This
weight carried by the gas is by no means
small, for Yon's Italian. balloon weighed,
with MESSENGERS. etc. comnlete. a little \