The record-union., 1898-08-21
BALLOONS IN WAR.
A Novel Battle in Cloudland Near.
~ Thirty Years Ago.

~ Ih1rty Years Ago.
Ihe announcement that the balloon
Is destined to play role in the present
war with Spain recalls the aeronautic
experiments made by the French dur
ing the great war in 1870 and 1871. AS
early as 1852 balloons We're used for
military signaling in France But in
our times, during the siege of Paris by
the German troops, frequent attempts
were made by the Frenchmen to COM
munlcate with those inside the be-
leaguered city and to dispatch men and
matter from the Capital by means of
balloons. In Paris itself, under the di-
rection of Postmaster Ramport. a ball
loon post and transport service were es-
tablished for carrying persons and gov
ernmental as we'll as private mail mat
ter from the besieged Capital. Among
the public men leaving the city in this
way NJ. Gambetta will ever be remem-
bered. Homing pigeons were also sent
by this route to carry news back to
Paris. A total of sixty-six balloons. ac-
cording to Tlssandier's EN- Ballon Pen
dant lie Siege de Paris" left the be-
sieged city. and 16S persons, 10, 1874 kill
ograms of postal matter, including
3,00OOoO letters, 1868 homers dogs and
boxes of dynamite, were dispatched
by the aerial route. Of the balloons %
descended in France. 5 in Belgium, In
Holland, in Germany and l in Nor
way. Only five of them were captured
by the Germans, and two were never
heard of, having been lost in the ocean.
Or all the voyages Of that time how
ever. none could compare for exciting
and perlous incident with that of the
Well-knoWn aeronaut, NJ Nadar. who
left Tours for Paris with important
Government dispatches a 6 O'Clock one
fine December morning At II o'clock
he was in view of the Capital on the
Seine. While floating about 5000 me-
ters above Fort Charenton, Nadar sud-
denly observed a second balloon on the
horizon. Thinking it to be one leaving
Paris the French aeronaut at once dis
played the tricolor of his country. and
the other balloon responded by exhibit
ing the same flag. Gradually the two
balloons approached one another. being
drawn in the same direction by the
same current of air When they were
separated only a short distance several
explosions We're heard. The stranger
had begun to fire shots at Nadar's bal
loon-the ntrepide-which began to
descend rapidly. The French flag had
by this time been replaced in the other
balloon by the Prussian colors. The
Parisians, who We're watching the af-
fair from the forts below, and who now
realized the true character and object
of the last arrival, cried out that their
plucky compatriot was lost. But they
were mistaken.
Nadar had scrambled from the car
up the network of his airship after the
first shot from the enemy to stop a
hole made in the tissue. Presently he
descended to the car as the balloon
righted itself, and, throwing out a
quantity of ballast, caused it to rise
higher and higher Then, seizing his
rifle, he fired shots in rapid succession
into the Prussian, which suddenly split
and sunk to the earth. On reaching
| the ground a detachment of Uhlans
who had been watching the combat
| from the plain, picked up the German
| aeronauts and rode off to the Prussian
outposts. Nadar then alighted in safe
| ty within the girdle of the Paris forts
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