The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-05-01

direction or IVY BdldWlhf Abt hottu
aeronaut, flies about 100 feet in the air.
From its lofty position It commands
splendid view OF New York Harbor, and
the officials that arc stationed in the bal
loon can see fury fifty miles out TO sea.
with this splendid observation tower the
United States. or that part Of 1t which
begins at New York Harbor. is in no
danger Of a surprise from. Spanish war
ships.
other balloons are being made at the
United States balloon factories and II
the Spanish become very saucy these
will soon fly all along the Atlantic and
Pacific coasts TO be used as signal sta
lions.
The Font Wadsworth balloon. which
L. of silk. Is inflated with 1900 cubic
feet Of gas. The balloon is forty feet
in diameter. Below the balloon. ana
fastened 90 II Is a basket large enough
for four men. From the basket "a sHaii
cable runs TO the ground. rms cdpIe
holds the balloon fast and at tho Same
time serves as a means OF communlca-
fion. A wire runs down the middle
Of the cable connecting telephone ser
vice between the basket ana the sIoulu.
The men stationed in thC balloon oasneI
can ring the bell. call up the men on the
,.-o,,nd and tell them what is going on
a. sea. Their eyesight IS bounded oniy
nv the horizon. and they can tell the
moment a Spanish war ship comes up
over the horizon line. Ell
when these balloons afc sent up me
cable IS paid out very caretuily.
balloon is not allowed 10 shoot UP m
- country picnic height from the giouhu.
as strain upon u
"a II rises up In the clouds without
Ssrneee 10 cable or occupants. III can
&c tog,ered either by the balloon appara-
ms or by pulling in the cabie. rU
ouino OF the balloon. steel tuoes eihn
,cen inches in diameter ana lour - ',
bich are used The gas IS conn IessCu
into this to one one huhuIeu '"''U
tiotb of its natural volume,
IN CIVIL WAR.
rreat many people think that thls
.. ,he 6rst instance in which the Ohiteu
e.atos army has made uso Of balloons
49,, tbie Is not so. During the civil war
one of the most daring asrohau'9' 10
Dfountaine. went up in balloon ior Cen
eral Mcclellan His balloon rose from '"e
rortb camp Of the Potomac ana passeO
over Washington. The ropes were '''..
emf and La Mountainc rose up 10 ti'o
height OF a mile and halI over li,o
enemv's lines He distinctly Observed tnel.
nosjtion and movements ana Wheh ne DaU
taken in the situation he threw OUT li'e
ballast from the balloon and went 10 'he
height OF three miles. AS soon as ne
rescbad a favorable air current he went
80 the coast Of Maryland and return
ed in safety. General Mcclellan was so
rTsased with the observation that the
war DEPARTMENT received instructions 10
have balloons provided.
with the declaration OF peace. however.
the use Of balloons was practically dis
continued. few only being stationed mere
and there for experiment.
The use of the balloon in Germany is
varied one The German Emperor IS on
the lookout for war as everyone knows
and should Germany ever engage IN
combat with a civilized nation II VIII DC
f,,llv prepared for war marvels. The Ger
man Emperor's proudest balloon as the
Kaiser Wilhelm. This balloon has been
used up TO this day only for bridge pur-
noses but it is very useful thus II
regiment Of soldiers desire 10 cross
river where there is no bridge. the balloon
is sent up with a great many ropes dan
Cling from it, One OF the soldiers grasps
a rope and swings himself across the
river He then fastens the rope securely
on the other side Of the stream. The
balloon is then pulled back and the sol
diers grasp il and swing themselves
across. In this way d whole regiment
can pass over a river in an incredibly
short space Of time. and by method
which looks like magic TO the enemy.
Any athletic man can swing by his
arms for a period Of three or four min
utes. or long enough for a swift balloon
10 carry him over river and those who
cannot swing in this way can secure a
rope around the waist.
If the balloon, after being used. is cum.
bersome the air can be let out OF it and
II can be buried until such time as the
army returns 10 get il.
A WAR BALLOON.
The balloon which went up the other
day on Columbia Hill, in the Orange
Mountains is one that was made for the
United States TO use in offensive opera
tons This balloon is fitted with four
guns. each copable of sending a powerful
shell into the enemy's ranks. IL has also
quick steering apparatus which enables
80 TO dart into the smoke over the enc
mys camp. fire the shell and dart out
again. II requires the utmost presence OF
mind to manipulate IL properly. but old
soldiers say they would feel much safer
in such a balloon mile above the
ground than in q regiment face to face
with the enemy
There are now being built several dyna-
mite balloons which are TO run up without
any passengers. These balloons con-
tain little batteries set for from one 10
five minutes. II the air current is very
swift. and the enemy is very near, the
balloon is timed for one minute. II is
then released and away it goes floating
7 over the enemys camp. At the end of one
| minute the shell explodes and falls down
little dynamite balloons are self-destroy-
ing and they break in the discharge Of
! the she'll
A balloon that is now under considera-
| ton by the government is a sort of
air torpedo. 1t can be directed with as
; much accuracy as a submarine torpedo
II has a carrying capacity Of / 900 pounds
| OF explosives. The dschargng of this
does not subject the attacking party TO
1 any risks, owing to the remarkable swift
| S-ss with which the aerial cruiser glides
| away. It lets fan its missile Of destruc-
ton and gets out Of the way without in
| Juring itself
The French government now uses bal
! looms for towing ships-or at least II has
! experimental with them sufficiently to be
sure IT can be done. The German En-
! peror's twin balloons. or air ships for
| towing cruisers are well known to naval
/ experts.
OF course there must be considerable ex-
pertinent in balloon making in order TO
! ascertain which is actually the best
| therefore tLose in charge of the navy