The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-09-03
BALLOONS HARD TO hit.
Rifles Can't Harm Airships and Rarely Bring
One Down.


Rifles Can't Harm Airsfips and Rarely bring
One Down.
IJournal des Dcbats.l
The aerial spy has for some time been
closely studied by the French, German,
Austrian, and Russian officers, and the re-
suits of recent experiments are noteworthy.
It appears that it is not easy to shoot down
a captive balloon. The balls of the modern
rifles don't harm it much. The holes which
they make in it are so small that the escape
of gas is insignificant. This has been clearly
proved by the results of infantry fires at
balloon held at an elevation of 300 meters.
The only possible enemy of balloon is the
shrapnel shell. Experiments with these
shells have been made with balloons at ele-
vations ranging from 200 to 800 meters, and
at distance of from 5000 to 5000 meters
from the firing ground. Out of 30 shrapnel
shells the Russian artilleryman put % balls
through balloon 200 meters high and ., 700
meters from the firing ground. At 5000
meters from the firing ground the Germans
made 90 holes in balloon 200 meters high
out of 26 shrapnel shells. But when the
aid ship was 800 meters in the air and the
firing distance 5000 meters, only two balls
struck it.out Of % shells, and three balls out
of 80 shells during the experiments last
year in Austria.
Wounds that the balloon receives are not
generally mortal. Indeed, it often happens
that the shrapnel and the broken fragments
of the shells produce no more effect upon the
balloon than the bullets of the small-bore
rifles. With eight holes in the envelope the
balloon still preserves its ascending power,
and those that are brought down fall very
slowly, like the parachutes. But, on the other
hand, when huge rent happens to be made
in it, the balloon drops rapidly.
From all these experiments the conclu-
sions are that to keep the balloon be-
yond the reach of dangerous projectiles, it
must be kept 5000 meters from the enemy
at an altitude of 500 meters. These con-
ditions are severe, especially as in the ex-
periments the oscillations Of the air-ship
were calculated at 20 meters only, whereas
in reality they are greater.
The trials were then recommended with
the balloon rolling and with frequent
changes in its position. The Budapest,
which was the target, is q balloon 10 meters
in diameter and IA in hight. They let it up
to hight of 800 meters. A battery Of eight
guns was placed at $3.50 meters from the
windlass. Firing was begun, but the bal
loon constantly changed iitsoposition. Men
III ouSttSl ulOfCu tuC'0iLuidc5 Wy 1hCdAo VA
a cable. This obligated the gunners to alter
their pointing constantly. They fred 80
shells at it, that is toisay, all that were al
lowed for the experiment, and when the bal
loon was hauled down itf was found that
there were only three insignificant holes in
it, which had little or no effect upon its as
cending power. ~
Now, it should be remembered that the
so shrapnel shells represented 10000 balls
and pieces of broken shells. So the Austrian
officers came to the conclusion that balloon
at that elevation and moved in the manner
described had very many chances to escape
all danger from the fire of the enemy, and
that the efforts of the artillerymen should
be directed against the windlass and the
servants of the balloon.
An altitude of 800 meters is considered
the maximum. Beyond that observations
are uncertain. The distance from the enemy
should be from eight to ten kilometers.
Maj. Renard, who has charge of the Depart
ment of Military Aerostation, at Meudon-
Chalais, who compiled the documents that
we have here condensed, says that in order
to foil the fire of an enemys artillery it is
not sufficient to move a balloon in straight
line, because it is clear that instead Of fol-
lowing it in its backward and forward move
ment the enemy would confine his attention
to the extreme points Of its reach and fire
upon it only when it came within the line
Of range. It is necessary to vary the direc-
tion of it's movements and even its altitude
In this way the enemy would be compelled
to altar the pointing of his guns constantly !;
and while this operation went ON the aero
naut could quietly attend to his business in
the line of observations.
To put the thing in nutshell, the capt
i've balloon is able to defend itself with con-
siderable facility.