Evening star., 1894-01-06

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A-AX aerOnauticS, Wnicn
Lot distant future.
England. Germany and especially France
have been giving much attention to the
subject. though their experiments have
beer veiled in secrecy as far as possible
Within year the French have produced a
balloon that can be steered and maneuv-
cred In the teeth Of a wind blowing twenty
miles an hour.
In truth. the most important problem in
aerostation has been solved, and the di-
rigible balloon Is now an accomplished
fact Cigar-shaped air ships recently have
been run by propellers in France on calm
days at fourteen miles an hour. and there
is no doubt that double this speed will be
attained before long. The Germans are
said to have produced a balloon that can
be steered. and which carries great
weight, but little is known about it. The
supposition that atmospheric air is too
tenuous medium for propeller fans to act
upon Is an exploded absurdity, while 1t is
certain that rudder will operate to direct
the aerial machine IL the latter can be
driven fast enough to give 1t steerage way.
obviously, a balloon that is floating help
iessly with the air-currents cannot be steer
ed any more than a vessel adrift on the
water. But give IT even a small power of
propulsion, and 1t will obey the helm Such,
at all events. is the conclusion arrived at
by recent trials. The notion that an air
ship, sustained by gas. is not to be relied
on is another fallacy. Within the last few
years ballooning has been revolutionized
abroad and reduced to a science Experts
now understand how to make balloons
tight, SO that leakage is reduced to nothing
almost. When one has a gas-bag of gold
beater's skin that will stay afoat thirty
days he has something to start business
with
Aerial Batteries for Coast Defense.
II half-a-dozen aerial batteries of four
balloons each were stationed at different
points along the Atlantic coast no hostile
fleet could come near our seaboard cities.
The hostile vessels could be sunk within a
few minutes by dropping nitro-glycerine
cartridges upon their decks. This could be
accomplished with the utmost accuracy and
precision. DR.. Myers. the aeronautical en-
gtneer, speaks Of experiments made by him
in killing ducks by dropping shot from an
elevation Of 1.500 feet upon the water be-
low. Each splash showed where the last
shot fell. until the nth or sixth shot hit
sne bird and killed It. Falling from SO
great height the velocity of the leaden
pellet was as great as II fired from a gun.
Inc air-currents at a high elevation are
always moving from west to east. Accord
in9y II would be particularly easy for
sucn war balloons to ascend on the coast
ana noat seaward over an enemy's fleet
like 30 many birds carrying in their claws
engines OK destruction against which the
foe would be absolutely helpless. Havinr
wiped out the ships. it would be necessary
Tor the flying battery to return in the face
OF the wind. but this could be accomplished
very easily by using the propellers. At the
same time, for the reason above mention-
ed, 1t would be comparatively difficult for
balloons sent up from the hostile vessels
to advance toward the shore. inasmuch as
tney would have to encounter an unfavor-
able breeze.
Cheap and Elective.
Uncle Sam has been thinking of putting
more than s2OOOO,O 900 into coast and harbor
defenses for the Atlantic shore line. To
keep these in order after they were con-
structed would reqdire an expenditure of
millions of dollars annually. without con-
sidering the fact that the entire system
would have to altered over and remodeled
every few years. Such aerial batteries as
are here described would cost comparatively
little at the beginning. and could probably
be maintained for 81 900 per annum each at
made thoroughly serviceable off-hand. A
long course of preliminary experiments
woui be reQuired-in fact, just such work
as European nations have been quietly en-
II England should take a notion to come
down upon our cities with a flock of bal
looms from Montreal. we would be obliged
to sue for peace on any terms.
Safe From Attack.
Against balloons no armed force on land
or water can have any means of defense or
retaliation. No fort on land or afioat can
Withstand high explosives dropped from
alcft. The warriors who man an air ship
are absolutely safe from harm at an ele-
walton Of a little more than a mile. Owing
to the force Of gravity pulling it down, no
shot that can he fired from any sort of gun
will do damage beyond 5000 feet above
the surface of the earth. The gas bag is
practically secure from serious hurt at an
elevation of only 1,60O feet. At that height
1t Is easily hit. though not while passing
overhead. because its transit across the
field Of vision is then SO rapid. Besides.
bullets discharged straight up in the air
might do harm in falling back, inasnuch
as, according to q well-known law Of
physics. they would have the same velocity
on reaching the earth again as when dis
charged from the rifle or cannon. How
ever, as the balloon is passing away, the
line of sight Is changed SO slowly that
snhrpShooters couiu easily pepper IL with
accuracy.
Even so the balloon would not suffer i'm
portantly. Though pierced by a score or
even 100 bullet holes, its buoyancy would
not be seriously affected. A rifle bullet
puncturing a great gas bag containing
10000 or 10000 cubic feet OF hydrogen
makes only a little hole, which is partly
closed again by the broken edges OF the
fabric. Some gas escapes, but not enough
to be Of any consequence. But there is
no reason for passing over a hostile army
or fleet at so low an elevation, inasmuch
as bombs can be dropped just as well and
as accurately from a point high enough
to be out of reach. Besides the instant
that a bomb is thrown the balloon rises
rapidly, being relieved of that much weight.
nisnt, or in fog, it would be entirely
safe from observation. Or il is easy enough
for the airship to come down into the lower
part of a cloud, whence the crew can see
the enemy below, while invisible to them
Thus the latter are entirely helpless
Guns Not Needed.
These are the most important conclusions
obtained from experiments recently made
by foreign powers for the purpose of find
ing out what elements of danger are in
volved in balloon warfare. A missile dis
charged from a firearm in an airship ex-
bibits the roma "a hla pheparnopan