The record-union., 1897-03-13
Flying Machine Devised for Military
Purposes.
Uncle Sam Hay Adopt This New Cor
trivance for Circumventing
the Enemy.

| vided with an appendage very much
like the tail of kite. The continuance
is such that the little balloon is held
pended at q distance Of a dozen yards
or more from the main one, and the
apparatus has the advantage of re-
naming perfectly steady in the air,
even when the haGdest gale is blowing.
In this and many other respects it is
far ahead of any ether flying machine
thus far tried for use in warfare.
| The main balloon has the shape of an
elongated cylinder with hemispherical
ends. 1t is filled with hydrogen gas. To
its rear end is attached q vertical rud-
| der which is nothing more or less
| than a bag that is kept inflated by the
wind. The bag has the form Of half a
ring and its purpose is not for steering
exactly, but to prevent the balloon from
| webbing from side to side. The bas-
ket is suspended from the rear half Of
the balloon so as to cause the latter
to form an angle of about twenty de-
grees with the horizontal, it's under sur
face acting like the surface of a kite.
But not the least essential part of the
whole affair is the auxiliary balloon,
which steadies the machine and keeps
~ II I'M l'IlNaiiilt5 anu lOSSIHS.
This new style of military balloon
holds a 900 cubic feet of hydrogen, and
is made of cotton cloth treated with
rubber, SO as to make it perfectly air
tight 1t is necessary to dye the stuff
yellow in order to protect it from the
chemical action which the suns rays
would otherwise have on it, Cotton is
found much better than either silk or
goldbeaters' skin. Goldbeaters' skin,
which is obtained from the intestines of
| the OK, is superior in some respects, but
it soon rots. Silk. while light and
strong, is highly electric, and when
treated with rubber its electric quail
ties are dangerously increased. Some
years ago there was a dangerous acct
dent in Berlin with a balloon made
from silk treated with rubber When
it was brought out for an ascension and
the men put their hands to it, they re-
ceived a violent shock and their hair
stood on end. An instant later the NaI-
loon burst into flames and the gas ex-
! ploded. One man was killed and five
We're seriously injured.
THE SUPPLY OF GAS.
The gas used is obtained from works
| which produce chemicals in the man
ufacture of which hydrogen is a by
product. 1t costs 10 cents a cubic
yard, under pressure of 80 atmos-
| pheres. 1t is transported in steel tanks
three feet long, and the contents of 100
| tanks Of gas are required to fill one
| balloon. In Germany. where balloons
of this type have recently come into use
for military purposes, six wagons are
| provided to tho fa~
each balloon, each wagon holding twen-
ty tanks. In time of war the supply
would be doubled. each ballon being ac-
cOmpanied by twelve wagons carving
tanks. Thus each balloon would have
always at hand two filings of gas, two
more being kept within the nearest am
munition train, and tanks for still two
| more on the road between the army
and the chemical works furnishing the
| hydrogen.
The kite balloon is always a captive
| being held by a small but very strong
| steel cable. 1t carries a basket made
| OF Spanish reeds, which is four feet
deep, four feet long and four feet wide.
III the basket sits trained observer
who is provided with a telephone and
| telegraph instrument. His written
communications and sketches are sent
down the cable on a wire ring. in
tin can. The telegraph instrument is
attached to little board which is fas-
tened around his waist. The telephone
used is what is known as the cavalry
| patrol apparatus. IT is carried in a.
leather sling over the shoulder in such
a manner as to be always near the OBJ
servers ear. Attached to each instru-
ment is an insulated copper wire which
runs down to the ground through the
steel cable.
| The observer is further provided with
an apparatus for taking instantaneous
! photographs, which consists of a cam
era screwed to stock of a gun When
he wants to take a picture the occu-
pant of the balloon puts the gun stock
TO his shoulder, sights on the object to
be photographed, and makes the ex-
| posture by pulling the trigger. Such
photographs taken vertically downward
make pretty fair maps. Minute details
! or objects at distances may be photo
| graphed by adding the telescope at
! tachment to the camera. II IS possible
/ in this way to photograph d fortress at
a distance of six miles, so as to show
Its outline and the number and position
! OF the guns mounted. In Germany the
| cleverest officers are selected for bal
! loon work, for which special training
| is given. They learn to telegraph pho
tograph and make rapid outline maps.
! and to report clearly and briefly every
| thing which may be of use to the com
handing General-and no more. Fur
| thermore, they must be men who never
get sick in a basket
COST OF \ KITE BALLOON.
| The kite balloon is made strong and
tight by applying the cotton cloth
| in number of thicknesses. Balloons
! of gold beaters skin are built over an
| inflated form of cloth, which is subse-
quently withdrawn. but it is not so
with the kite balloons, the pieces of
which are cut out and afterward sewn
together by machine a strip being
pasted and sewn over each seam. The
seams are stronger and less likely to
! leak than any other part of the gas
| bag. A kite balloon holding II 1000
The vehicles employed in balloon work
are as strong and mobile as those of a
| field battery. The balloon wagon car
ries two large chests one of which con-
| tains the balloon and basket, and the
other tools and implements. A second
wagon carries reel. on which the steel
| cable is wound A rubber hose is used
for filing the balloon. Attached to the
balloon detachment, which consists of