New-York tribune., 1898-10-30
THE BALLOON AT SANTIAGO.
GENERAL GREELY's REPORT ON THE
SIGNAL CORPS WORK WITH IT.

IMPROPERLY HANDLED UNDER GENERAL sHAF-
TERs ORDERS HE SAYS. IT ACCOMPLISHED
VALUABLE REsULTs-NEGLECT TO NOTICE
GOOD WORK IN OFFICIAL REPORTS.
Washington. Oct 90 (SpecaD.-The experience
with the balloon at Santiago has convinced
Army officers that aerial reconnaissance improperly
conducted Is about disastrous dynamite in
campfire not only TO the aeronauts. but to every
body In sight
General Greely, the Chief Signal officer in his
annual report. however tells the whole story Of
the invaluable work performed by that balloon be-
fore It mlsused and. aside from the fact
that. result OF the ascensons in Cuba the
Army Is to be equipped with military
balloon service equal TO that Of Germany. Cen
era Greelys account Of what achieved
with the Santiago balloon is Of unusual his
torical interest. After relating how Congress
had persistently failed TO provide balloons in spite
OF frequent appeals. he says the beginning of the
war found the Army with only single balloon
manufactured by members Of the Signal Corps by
hand, with the cheapest possible accessories in
spite of the recognition by military experts every
where that balloons were necessity for reconnoi-
trng purposes. The report continues:
After the war began. while inability to promptly
obtain funds conjoined to the fact that everything
connected with a balloon has TO be manufactured
TO order. made it necessary 10 conhne active bal
yet balloons. generators. compIessOrs and steel
tubes ordered soon allotment was
made. These however. did not reach Tampa until
the expedition aboard transports and so were
too late for the Santiago campaign.
Colonel Joseph f. Maxfeld. United States Nolun-
feF + 10 bs GS5 aSrs 10 ihe @ ad 6
that the successful operation Of the war balloon at
Overcoming almost insuperabe difficulties at
Tampa Fla, the balloon. with It's accessories. such
as generator and reserve hydrogen gas compressed
transport Rio Grande IN three days When the
the Commanding General prohibited the balloon de-
tachment from landing. and II remained on me
transport until June IS. when 1t was ordered ashore
ORDERED 70 LAND WITHOUT MATERIALS.
On June % urgent verbal orders given by
the commanding General of the Fifth Army Corps
to Lieutenant Colonel Greene that the balloon de-
tachment should instantly land and proceed to the
front for the purpose Of making a balloon recon
noissance Lleuenant- Colonel Maxfeld lmmeiiat tely
requested authority to land the generator with
the necessary materials for initiating the balloon
thus holding the compressed gas. stored IN the steel
tubes for The commanding General re-
fused and operations began by drawing imme-
date.y on the reserve gas whereby only one lnila-
tion OF the balloon possible instead OF dozen,
which could nave been had by following usual
methods. The balloon detachment reached the
headquarters of the commanding General Al 81
honey on the night OF June S. ana II moved with
tacilities for storage during the VOYAGE and the
extreme heat had impaired the balloon. which was
neare wonld have been considered unsafe Tenn
porary repairs were speedily completed. and three
ascensions were made on the Afternoon OF June ~
s Ty yv y adwn o the sgna cop the
by Lieutenant W s Volkmar. OF the Signal Corps
thIrd aq bT Leutenant one MaXed and Chief
Engineer officer Derby. OF the Fifth Army Corps
Se m % % nd nd o
streams directly in front OF the Army. which had
remained undiscovered during the previous week
Lieutenant Colonel Maxfcld says:
THE fact that the Spanish fleet Of Admiral Ger
DEFINITELY settled II could not be determined. how
ever. how strongly ,he fortihcatons in our front
were held nor could they be located. except with
the greatest difficulty. A most fattering verbal
report as TO the value OF the balloon in war was
made by the Chief Engineer officer to the com
mandinC General with the recommendation that It
be employed during the battle planned for the next
day
That evening verbal orders were brought 10 Leu
tenant-C Colonel Maxdcd hy The Chi"f Engnecr ON ON,
General rcpcrt with the balloon al as early an
tour az practicable AT Fl Poso which was to be
the headquarters OF the commanding Eeneral our
ing the battle and that there he would find the
Chief Engineer Officer. who would accompany him
Reporting the morning Of July y, at El Pos" Peso
the summit Of the hill. none 2f The oficers at
tached headquarters were visible. and II was
markedly accurate shrapne fire from the enemy's
guns Here mis- horse having been shot under no
place In the river bottom about quarter OF
mile to the rear, and an ascent made Colonel
Derby and myself occupying the DaSket. FROM lils
point message was sent to the Adjutant General
OF the corps setting forth the movement OF troops
at FL Caney our right and upon the road to
orders from the Chief Engineer officer the balloon
was then pulled down to within n few hundred feet
of the ground the occupants OF the basket still re-
mainnC I'm n and towed toward the front until
more suitable postion for viewing the intrench-
ments at San Juan could he found 1t was sup
posed that the balloon would be halted ~ FL Poso
and that point taken as station for the balloon
detachment had been originally intended. As
this not done. statement was maze by me as
% ne result of artillery firing at balloons in
detrimental work abroad and the conclusions to be
drawn from such and the fact stated that In my
opinion II was unwise 10 carry the baHoon turther
made as it was felt that the Chief Engineer on
Ger was the representative or the commanding
General and that his desires were to be carried out
THE BALLOON AT THE FRONT.
"As a consequence. the balloon carried rap
idly to the front until, It Immediately in the
rear OF the troops. who then deploying for an
attack upon the biockhOuee and trenches on the
San Juan Hill As further progress to the front
could be made the balloon was then carried across
the bed OF the San Juan River and into "A large
meadow just to the right Of the road and the
river. In passing through the trees and brush
along the river banks the ropes holding the balloon
captive became ba fly entangled In this brush ana
no movement for a time was possible; nor FOR the
sary elevation to enable It TO do Its best WORK
Nevertheless. from this position the fact was de-
termined that the intrenchments on the san Juan
Hill Immediately In our front were strongly heln
and a message 10 this effect was sent 70 the com
mandina General. with the suggestion mar tne az,
tillcry upon the hill at FL Poso should reopen is
the occupants OF the basket was given almost
solely to an examination OF the ground hed Dy ti.
enemy and that Immediately In their 'front.' anu u
was Impossible for that reason 10 state WHAT WAS
the disposition OF troops IN the Iinmsu'ahe hh W.
cinity. most OF whom were hidden Dy ne .vair,
II was noticed. however. that dismounteo caVa'1