The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-09-20
BIcrCLES AND BILLIONS IN VAR
wheels Used in Practice Manoeu're' ARC
Proving Most Satisfactory.

wheels Used in Practice Manoeuvres are
Proving Most Satisfactory.
WASHINGTON. September "a lauh1
Of a thousand miles through the ROCKY
Mountains. lately arranged Tor the DIZZY
o.e CORDS Oh the Twenty nth Infantry, -
am Illustration OF the hold mat MneeA"s
has taken upon the army. IL ls GEAR lou
mar i'm various countries the impression
crows that this form OK lOcOmolVh IS ~
he invaluable, not merely as an eAeiO471'
but tor actual campaigning against an
enemy. in the pro 5raInne TOT lne H1s
man manoeuYers this autumn Ia SAeaid-
appears a list of experiments To ue'el-
mine whether cyclist infantry can se'~o
and hold all important strategic P0'He'
keeping up communication as NHe! az
vance.
Ina foreisn countries attention IS given
10 a. French portable military bicycle when
can be taken apart in thirty seconds for
carving Oh the soldier back, and even
uut together again in a time as snort
The performance recalls one OF funch
old pictures If very tail caFMryman
with "a very small mount, Who menus mat
leis by footing IT, With the nag under MS
arm. The portable wheel, however Is 10
lest. but an important fact, which makes
clear that where tho man can 90 and the
horse cannot. nor even the man aatl4e
his wheel, he may stin advance with the
latter ON his back, and Jose praciicaAy
no time IN getting Il there. Tor dlspatch
carrying, pressing forward 10 seize III
pOrtant points getting on the nank OF an
enemy and opening fire there, moving as
support of a field battery, that Is gong
ahead at a gallop, pursuing Il retreaung
I'D
threatened part OF Notifications, the inn
portance Of the wheel Is lot likely TO be
overesumated.
The use Of balloons IN military opera
lions far antedates that of bicycles, and
has been familiar for generations IN ac-
tual war. They were employed IN our
civil war for reconnaissance on the PENN
sua IN 1852. and, In fact, were 50 used by
Jourdan over a century ago at the battle
OF Fleurus. in l13i In the French reyo-
luton all the republican armies were sup
piled with balloons, and one OF these at
tracted the enemy'S fire at the siege or
Mayence. The siege Of Paris by the Ger
mans I'm 1870 is the standard Illustration OF
the Importance Of balloons I'm carrying
both dispatches and persons from within
an invested city beyond the investing
lines.
The construction OF a great balloon az
Fort Logan with which experiments are 20
be made rev.yes the interest in this sub
ject for our army. At MeudOn, IN France,
many such experiments have been made
by capt Renard and others. while those
in England. at Lydd, have been in the d.
rection OF attacking balloons with ar
tillery or infantry fire. Our Ordinance De-
partment was interested some years ago In
the air ship projected by General Ihayer
which proposed a pneumatic motive APP
paratus insteg1 OF the electrical one used
by Renard. Years ago each corps Of the
modern French army was supplied with a
captive balloon equipped with steam
winilass. One military use proposed for
balloons has been that Of dropping dyna-
mite or other high explosives from them
upon the enemy beneath, whether his city.
his fort. or his army. and year dgo
there was talk Of such balloon being
constructed NJ Hartford for the Cubans.
As to the methods of destroying hostile
balloons. experiments many years ago az
Dungeness and Lydd indicated that shrap-
mel furnished the best mode OF attack
within the range OF the gun or howitzer
firing II. Some recent experiments IN Rus
sta, Germany, and Austria. taken together
showed that thirty shrapnel shells nred
NJ a balloon not quite n thousand feet
high. and aOout two miles from the firing
ground. succeeded IN putting twenty-five
balls through 10: that twenty-slr such
shells made twenty holes IN balloon
500 feet high and somewhat over three
miles away: finally. that when the balloon
was about half a mile high and about
three and n quarter mile away from the
firing ground. two balls out Of slxty-fve
shells and three out oP eighty struck T.:
these shells being from a battery OF eight
guns placed 500 meters from the windlass
Of the balloon. IL is noted that the eighty
shells represented about 10000 balls, besides
pieces Of the broken shells. IL should be
said. however. that the windlass was
used constantly 10 change the position OF
the balloon. 50 that the gunnegs had 10
alter their aim.
These results indicate about what ele-
walton a captive balloon must attain IN
order 10 be tolerably safe from serious
damage by an enemy's fire. But reach
ing this safe height and distance from
the enemy decreases the value Of obser-
vations. and IL IS found also. in practice.
that the angle OF observation leads 10
error in estimates OF forces or course,
also there IS the great difficulty OF using
optical instruments In a swayng bal
loon; but altogether there seems 10 be
q valuable residue OF benefits 70 be de-
rived from the balloon. In places where
its use IS practicable so that armies Will
undoubtedly continue 10 avail themselves
OF IL. while the experiments 10 be made
In our own service will be OF interest
New York Sun.