The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-04
FIELD AB1ooM WITH FRESH YOUNG BALLOONS

and it is safe to predict that in any
modern war of great Importance the
balloon will play an important part.
Signal stations can be built at any
hight by the use Of captive balloons.
I Observation towers. practically out or
the reach of hostile guns, but within
easy viewing distance, can be estab-
lished in the same way. With favoring
breeZes a balloon can be used 10 drop
the most deadly explosives into an
enemys camp. With these facts in view
the army is continually practicing the
management of balloons and their use
for these different purposes.
USEFUL TO WEATHER OBSERV-
Frs
The proprietor of the farm origi-
nally took up ballooning as a means to
the study OF meteorolOgy. Although his
attention is now devoted to the subject
of aerial navigation, he believes that
the balloon will prove of vast useful
ness in his former field. 1t stands TO
reason" said he, explaining the mat
ter. that the proper way to study the
weather is TO go where the weather is
made-that is, uD above ana when
one pretends TO study the weather and
to forecast it from observations made
practically at the earth's surface, he
Is III luG OOStliOll VI illetiA " III SITS
down and fishes off shore for whales.
To get the whales you must go to deep
water. where they are, and TO forecast
the weather you must go high up,
where the controlling influences are to
be found. will say positively that from
our own practical experience either my
wife or myself can accurately predict
the weather for the succeeding "a hours
after a visit TO the upper air. In fact
we have done so times without number.
I believe that in time the United States
weather bureau will find in the balloon
its most important ally. In fact they
are coming already to recognize its
usefulness.
"Of course many of the balloons built
here are sold to professional aeronauts
Tor their own use. The officers of the
thousands of county fairs and public
exhibitions held throughout the country
every year. find that the ascent is
still potent ir drawing crowds and re-
sort to il frequently. Take il all in
ALL said the proprietor, with what
may have been unintentional wit the
balloon business may be said to be
steadily on the rise; at least the inter-
est in the subject is constantly in
creasing-'
SAFETY OF BALLOON TRAVEL.
Has baIlooning become so far an ex-
act science that It is as safe as the
ordinary methods of travel on the |!
earth's surface?" was asked.
~Unquestionably the popular belief
that baIlooning is dagerous is founded |
on a mistake. In all my experience |
have never seen or known of an acct |
dent with a balloon built as are those
you have seen. There is nothing more |
safe than a hydrogen gas balloon in the !
air.
Almost all the accidents that have
occurred in connection with balloon as
have come from flimsy con-
struction, the use of not air or similar /
means Of imitation. or the use of the I
parachute in connection with the bal
loon The two have nothing to do with I.
each other and the use of the parachute
should he prohibited by law. Il is sure
sooner or later to kill whoever operates
with it,
Mrs Myers. the wife of the propri-
etor, is a practical aeronaut. She de-
clares that she feels as much at home
sweeping along a mile or two in the
air as she does when sitting on her
own porch, and apparently she does.
She claims that she can take a balloon
to any spot where she desires TO land.
except in tie most violent of storms.
She is the inventor of several devices
for use in ballooning. including al ap-
paratus which she calls the Flying
and which enables one to
steer a balloon in any direction.
VIII not the airship do away with
the use OF the balloon when it is COM
oleted in practical fOrm?" Mrs. Myers
was asked.
Il do not think so. OF course we are
all anxious TO see a practical airship
built. but there are some purposes to 4
which the balloon is admirably adapted
and for which no airship would answer
so we'll"
A MECCA FOR INVENTORS.
The balloon farm contains interesting
-hings aside from what might be
termed its specially Among them are
he plans of models of almost every
lirship ever projected. 1t has come to
be a sort of Mecca for everybody in
crested in the subject of aerial navi-
cation, and a trial ground for every
fresh invention, 1t is no strange sight
o the people round about to see
strange looking objects floating above
barf1 in fha a and the a dnapf Of a