The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-25
not feel very unhappy if the balloons
were left behind.
BALLOONS IN Warfare.

Balloons were used in warfare during
the siege of Paris. They were ordinary
gas balloons, and they were used for
carrying people out Of the city beyond
the lines of the besieging army. These
people took carrier pigeons with them
and sent messages back to their friends.
This was in 1870 But the balloon in
warfare antedates the siege of Paris.
There are evidences that balloons were
used for the purpose Of reconnaissance
in 1894, and they were so used on the
peninsula during our own civil war.
Experiments have been made recently
in France and In the United States
looking to the more general use Of the
balloon in warfare. and as the defen-
sive side of the problem is always as
important as the offensive, tests of
various arms and ammunition against
balloons have been made. Russia, Ger
many, France, Austria and England
have all been considering experiments
and reports of them have been received
by the intelligence office of the war
department here. They show that a
balloon miles away and 1000 feet
above the earth can be hit with % out
of Sc shrapnel shells; that a balloon
miles away and more than 800 feet high
can be pierced with 20 out of 26 shells,
and finally that balloon 3A miles
away and half mile high can be
Besides, 1t is shown in practice that OBJ
seryations from the great height reached by
the balloon are defective because the angle
of vision leads to error in the estimation of
bodies of men. The flying machine would
have an advantage over the balloon. If it
could be made responsive to the will of
the operator. The balloon cannot be guided
except, by the uncertain method of raising
or lowering 1t so as to find faForing cur
rent of air. The aerodrome as planned Will
go in any direction at the will of the OPP
orator. 1t will carry machinery to operate
its huge wings, and parachute provision may
be made so that If the machinery should
get out of order the machine will settle
slowly instead OF falling quickly to the
earth. The great objection to the use of ma
chinery with devices relying on gas for ele-
walton was the explosive character of the
gas used, and the fact that even propulsion
by compressed air might produce through
friction a spark which would ignite the
gas and so destroy the balloon and the aero
naut.
The flying machine may use electricity if
a storage battery Of light weight is devised
At present the storage battery's weight is
one of the chief obstacles to it's practical
use. 1t was used for operating a street car
line in this city for a time, but the cars
were so heavy that they tore the track to
pieces and they required an enormous power
to move them. This would be a conclusive
objection to the present use of the storage
battery for aerodromeS
Compressed air, which has been used sue
cessfully Of late on a street car line in New
York, would be open to the same objection
now, because the steel tanks in which the
power Is stored are of great weight. Prof
Langley, in his experiments has designed
using a steam engine in his aerodrome. An
engine has been made which weighs less than
ten pounds to each horse power. 1t has been
estimated that such an engine will support
e weight Of 200 pounds in the air at a hori-
zontal velocity of forty-fve miles an hour
and still more at higher velocity.