The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-06-17

"When the tlmo arrives ior o1oaOA
ing Havana, we will view the whole
|harbor and city from balloons. Hang
ing aloft in the sky, observers sent up
from the American ships will overlook
every fort Of the enemy and will be able
to count every gun and every Spanish
soldier. From their outlook the town
and its bay will seem as If laid out ON
a map, and every movement OF the be-
lsieged will be reported instantly to our
feet" So spoke Brigadier General A.
w. Greedy, chief signal officer and chief
censor of the army, to q New York
World correspondent.
ssThe use of balloons will be an i'm
mense advantage. While preparing for
lour attack ON Havana and during the
actual bombardment the commander OF
the American feet will be able to watch
everything that is done by the Spaniards
and know exactly how much damage
the guns of his vessels are accomplish
ing. He will know precisely at what
noints he can direct his fire most advan-
tageously and destructively. In short,
the siege will be conducted on exact and
scientific principles instead OF by guess
work. as such affairs have been man
aged In wars hitherto.
"This branch Of the work with bal
looms will not come under my w di-
Irection, but will be managed by the
navy department. The balloons OF the
signal service, which contain about
IL. 600 feet Of gas, will be employed
only in operations ON land. For use on
shipboard, in the way I have described,
smaller ones are moro serviceable.
'sThey need only be large enough to
carry up two observers, the requisite
instruments and a cable. One naval
balloon is now at Tampa and will be
utilized before long. The war balloon
snn sea or land is always captive. The
free and dirigible balloon may prove
effective as O fighting machine at some
future day, but it has not done SO yet.
sThe island of Cuba offers the great
est advantages for balloon work. How
advantageous it would have been for
Commodore Schley to be able to inspect
the interior of the harbor OF Santiago
nv the simple process Of sending up q
balloon from the deck of one Of his
ships-no risk involved and no time
lost. In a few minutes an officer could
have assembled, viewed the landlocked
bay and reported with absolute certainty
as to whether the Spanish squadron wal
present there or not. Nearly all OF the
Cuban harbors have the Same sort Of
bottlelike shape as that of Santiago.
'sIt is not necessary for the observer
to descend to the deck of the vessel II
order to make o report. In the balloon
basket he has a telephone and q tele
graph instrument the wires from which
are inclosed within the cable that hold
the big gas bag captive. Thus the maj
in the air is able to keep up a CONVERSE
ton with the commanding officer an
to describe whatever he sees as fully a
may be desired. He a make sketche
and photographs. A photograph take
from a balloon is q pretty good substi
tute for a map. A new contrivanc
called a 'telobjective, which magnihe
objects at q great distance so as to brin
out minute details, is Of much value
this sort Of work.
1.-THE conformation Of Cuba topt
graphically is such as to make balloon
specially desirable and even necessar
for war urpos 1t is a mountainot
country, and much of it is covered wit
forests. To keep track Of the movement
of an enemy in such n region is o.
tremely difficult. But if we have ba
looms we can rise above the forests an
look over the hills, 80 as to be constan
ly informed as to the doings of the TO
1.-THE transportation Of the ballot
train in Cuba, where the country is
rough and tho roads few and bad, Wi
be attended with difficulty, but 1t wi
be lees troublesome than the handlii
of q battery of artillery. Six wagons a
required to carry the material. One
for the balloon and reel of wire cab
Four wagons convey the steel cylinde
which contain compressed gas. The
are "a of these cylinders to a wagon. o
hundred cylinders are required to infia
a balloon. Thus there Is a wagonful
gas to rcplenish leakage, and the six
wagon holds q spare balloon, with va
GUS tools and implements. The gas us
is hydrogen, and is forced into the cyl
ders at pressure Of 100 atmospheres.
"It would be a great mistake to ST
pose that our balloons in Cuba are at
likely to be destroyed by the enemy.
the contrary, the post Of observer duri
an engagement on land or by sea. sea-
in a basket suspended from a float
gas bag, is about the safest place
man can occupy. In the first place,
elevation of the balloon is so great G
to attack 1t with big guns is very di
cult. Shrapnel shells arc the only prof.
tiles that are at all effective against 81
an object, and 1t is almost impossible
deliver them with accuracy, partly
cause Of the altitude Of the balloon