The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-07-23
BALL oNs in WAR;


/ " Tsars Asa
| The ANNOUNCEMENTS thai the BALKAN \
Destined to play role In The present war
with Spain recalls the aaronautic expoei.
ments made BY the French during the
great war in 1870 and 1871. Al early a.
1893 balloons were used for military dig
mailing In France. But In our times dur
Ing the siege Of Paris BY the German
troops frequent attempts ware made BY
Frenohmen to communicate with those
inside the beleasuMed city and to dis
patch men and matter from the capitol by
means OF balloons. In Paris itself, under
the direction Of Postmaster Ramport, q
balloon post and transport seryice was
established for carrying persons and eoy-
ernmentsl a. we'll a. private mail matter
from the besieged capital. Among the
public men leaving the city in this wsy
M. dambetta will ever be remembered,
Homing pigeons were also sent by this
route to carry news back to Paris. A total
Of 90 balloons, according to Tissandiers
EN- BalloD Pendant ie Siege Dc Paris, I"
left the besioged city, and 1853 persons, 49,
l& Kilograms Of postal matter, including
5000, 900 letters, Sd8 boomers, Ave dogs and
two boxes Of dynamite, were dispatched
By tho aerial route. OF the balloons 50
descended In France, five in Belgium, four
N Holland, TIVE In Germany and one in
Norway. Only i've Of them were captured
by tho Germans, and two were never heard
Of, having been lost In the ocean.
W all voyages Of that time, however,
none could compare for exciting and peril
Gus incidents with that of the we'll known
aeronaut, N. Nadar, who left Tours for
Paris with important government dis
patches at O'Clock one fine December
morning. At II he was In view Of the
capital on the Seine. While floating about
5000 meters above Fort Charenton, Nadar
suddenly observed . second balloon on the
horizon. Thinking 1t to DO one leaving
Paris the French aeropaut ct once dis
played the tricolor Of his country, and the
other balloon responded by exhibiting the
same flag. Gradually the two balloons
approached one another, being drawn In
the same direction by the same currents
Of air. When they were separated by only |
. short distance, several explosions were |
heard. The stranger had commenced to |
fire shots at Madras balloon, tho Intre-
pide, which regain to descend rapidly. The |
French flag had by this time been replaced
In the other balloon by tho Prussian COL
ors Tho Parlsians, who were Watching
the affair from tho forts below, and who
now realized tho true character and object
OF tho last arrival, cried out that their
plucky compatriot was lost but they were
mistaken.
Nndar had scrambled from the car up
the network Of his airship after tho first
shot from the enomy to stop hole made
In tho tissue. Presently he descended to
the car as the balloon righted itself, and,
throwing out quantity Of ballast, caused
1t to rise higher and higher. Then, seiz-
Ing his rife, he fired shots with rapid sue
cession into the Prussian, which suddenly
split and sank to the earth. On reaching
tho ground detachment of uhlans, who
had been watching tho combat from the
plain, picked up the German aeronauts
and rode off to the Prussian outposts.
Nadar then alighted in safety within the
srdle of the Paris forts, meeting with an
enthusiastic ovation for his victory in tho
lrst balloon duel.-Baltlmore Sun,