Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-07-14
Balloons in War.

The attempts of our signal corps men
at Santiago to use the balloon in MAX
ing observations both were and We're
No. successful. The balloon was sent
IN from the flagship New York. soon
after General Shafter landed with his
army, and from among the clouds the
aeronauts took notes of the fleet in the
harbor, the. enemy's Notifications, ana
defensive preparations. They gained
considerable useful information, but
presently some part of the delicate APP
paratus was out Of order, and there
being no means of repairing it in that
part of the world the balloon has not
been used of late. 1t is established,
however, that the usefulness of the
balloon is great on such occasions and
no doubt there will be more work for
our American balloons and balloonists
during the Cuban campaign.
The balloon used at Santiago was one
of large number recently bought py
the government in France. 1t contains
when fully inflated 10000 cubic feet of
hydrogen air and the car is five feet
square. This is the first time that we
have been able to make a practical
test of ballooning in war. Our army,
however has made many previous eX-
periments. The most notable was in
Chicago during the Worlds Fair, when
the Signal Corps balloon was for a
time one of the star attractions of the
big show.
The French were the pioneers in
aeronautics, although the discovery of
the lightness of hydrogen gas, which
made balloons possible. was made by
an Englishman. 1t was in 1888 that
the Montgolfier brothers made their
celebrated trip of % miles, setting the
pace for all future voyagers. This ex-
pertinent excited worldwide comment,
and it was predicted that the present
century would dawn upon a new era in
methods of locomotion. A glance
through the illustrated press of the
closing days of the 18th century shows
countless numbers of cartoons depict
ing imaginary trips to the North and
South Poles in balloon ships. and also
a regular line of transatlantic air
liners.
In spite of these optimistic predic
tons the art of aeronautics is little
further advanced now than it was a
hundred years ago. But while the bal
loon is not yet factor in our trans
portation problem its use in war was
firmly established 104 years ago, when
the French general. Jourdan. won the
battle of Fleurus through information
of the movement of the Austrian forces
by means of balloon observations.
During our Civil War the aeronaut
played a not inconspicuous part. In
the Virginia campaign the feat of tee-
graphing from a balloon was success
luIly accomplished by mon aero
naut. On one occasion General Fitz
john Porter from the car of balloon
while watching the operations of the
enemy narrowly escaped being taken
prisoner. The cable holding the gre At
gas bag broke. but a kindly current OF
air waited him back to his own lines.
1t was in the Franco German war,
however, that the war balloon Was
demonstrated a thorough practicable
ty. After repeated failures success
| came during the siege of Paris. More
| than 20 balloons were used by the i'm
| prisoned Parisians. They passed and
| repassed over the German lines and
kept the captives fully informed of the
| invaders movements. They were also
| utilized for the transportation of the
mails. More than ten tons of letters
| were transported by the French post
| office officials by air routes to their
| proper destination.