The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-06-09
The New War Balloons,

Balloons are going 10 play an important
part in the work of our navy around
! Cuba; and each day OF delayed action will
4 make them more needful in observing the
Spaniards' strengthened lines Of defence.
The tortuous Waterways and the gen.
orally land-locked nature of the harbors,
: their narrow fortified entrances. and the
excellent retreats the wide reaches
OF water offer TO their ships, make II i'm
perative that we have some fairly safe
. and reliable means OF making reconnois-
sances Of the Spaniards' positions. The
fighting tops, even the mast-heads. are
, OF little avail for observation az the dis
tances imposed by the watchfui batter
| les or the enemy; and the captive balloon
. alone solves the difficulty
The balloons viii really be three balloons
| acting in concert. The first and largest
! IS Ike an immense sausage, and bears
the main burden Of the loaded car. The
second is somewhat similar in shape. but
| hugs the lower end Of the big balloon like
a creeping caterpillar. This second and
smaller balloon acts principally in the ca
pacity of q rudder, and aids materially
in holding the balloon in peculiar posi-
ton, while the third and small spherical
balloon trails along Independently behind
at some distance. and serves in the same
steadytng capacity that kites tail does.
The observation car Is pendent from the
| main balloon, which passes in the air az
an angle of about forty-five degrees, prac-
| tically like the position of the kite COM
mon to every school boy; and it is just
in that way that the force OF the wind
is utilized to increase the balloons buoy
ancy and to subserve also to that pecu-
liarly marked steadiness or directness of
flight. Made up, as it Is, in three sepa-
| arts 10 fot1 la To toto in
slant collapse in case OF puncture, and
1t is even possible TO secure a wider mar
gin af safety by subdividing the interiors
| by thin membranous walls and fitting
them with little valves somewhat like
| those now used on bicycle tire, which
would enable the balloon TO be filed, but
| which a the same time would shut off
| automatically an injured compartment by
virtue of the unimpaired force Of the
neighboring good ones. a happy chance
shot that might damage one or even two
of the compartments would only cause
the balloon to sink slowly like an exhaust
ed bird, and would either enable the
aeronauts TO prepare for jump in safety
or permit the balloon to be drawn beyond
the reach of further attack before touch
ing the water.
These balloons are built up in sections
out of a wonderfully light but very tough |
fabrication Of silk-a strip yard long be- |
ing equal to bearing a Burden of half a
ton; and a balloon capable of raising a |
party of four persons will scarcely weigh |
more than a good-sized boy Of ten.
The special advantages of the balloon |
for naval work were discovered so re-
Gently as 1894. In that year the Russian |
monitor Rusalka foundered, with all |
hands, in the Gulf of Finland. An expedi- |
took to discovere the location of the lost
vessel by using a captive balloon for the
purpose Of submarine observation; and
while he was unable to find the craft still
the results of his search were fruitful in
valuable information for future naval pur-
poses. The balloon, which was held cap
tive by large naval transport fitted up |
for the service, assembled to attitudes vary
ing from ESQ TO something just over I,40O
feet.
Two observers, who were relieved ev-
cry three hours, were constantly in the
car. and it was found that the naked eve
was better adapted to discerning objects
at the bottom of the sea than were the
aids of telescopes or glasses. With IA
vorable light, rocks and sandbanks were
clearly defined at depths of from nine
teen to twenty-three feet. Large, light
sandbanks-such as prevail about Cuba
could be seen more or less distinctly, de-
pending upon the color Of the water, at a
depth of even forty feet,
The view from the car reached to a dis
lance of quite forty-five miles. and it was
possible to hear the sounds of distant can
which was inaudible to persons
on land. Objects on the surface of the !
water were more easily detected than they
could have been on land, and the character
hal |
naval was easily discoverable, and final
ly, it was found that the stedier nature
Of the air currents over the water made I
certain delicate observations possible
where the broken currents over the land
would have made them prohibtive.
Backed by the rejecting bottom sand
about the Cuban ports, explosive mines in
the shallower waters will stand out c
strongly silhOuetted, as would also other +
opposed to our ships ap- i
that could not be de- 4
ected with safety in any other way. shis L
seems a strange power of the air, but
1 is only because the eye is carried above
he highest angle of the suns reflected
light. and the water becomes as a slree
If glass faced squarely with the light ]
behind ones head.
With the modern equipment of long dis +
ance or telescope photography it is pos
dble from a base SO steady as one Of c
hese balloons TO take pictures of the en- a
my's coast, forts. hidden batteries and =
he locations of his vessels and his vul-
lerabie positions. This Is not speculation
tut an accomplished fact ),
Now, let us see how the work will be !,
lone. In all probability one OF the auxi-
airy vessels Will be assigned each feet to >.
erve as a balloon depot ship. and a good :
vide stretch of deck will be set apart for =
he stowage Of the balloon, its initiating. :
nd for its ascension and subsequent re- ;,
urn. The hydrogen gas will be made
ither down below and supplied by pipe
o the balloon on deck, or stored under =.
reat pressure IN stout steel cylinders, :
Which can be carried where most conve- :
lent and fed directly into the great folds 4
f the ''aerostat."
When all Is ready the observing officers
tep into the car, fine steel rope under :,
Mechanical control, IS let out. and the bal :
bon rises like great kite high into the =
If. The ship gets under way. and with Z T,
be balloon appearing scarcely larger than ( =,
good-siZed orange starts in toward the
cast on its mission Of observation and
election. Telephone communicate IS -
ept up with the occupants OF the car. =
nd the direction and the speed OF the -
raft are at once responsive TO the guild =.
nee OF the watchers in the tiny car a =
uarter OF a mile above When they have -
1mpleted their reconnaissance the wind "
z machine is started and they are
lickly and easily drawn down. while a -,
tile skilful maaoeuvering lands them on =