Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1898-10-12
Government War Balloons.
Daily Ascension at the Trans-r1iss-
issippi Exposition Grounds.

ment's exhibit at the Trans -Mississ-
ippi Exposition at Omaha, none is
attracting greater attention than the
war balloons. Besides the monster
captive balloon which was used by
the American forces at Santiago,
there are four other large balloons,
each with capacity of 81 900 cubic
feet, sufficient to carry three or four
persons, and score of small signal
balloons. In charge of the balloons
and the half dozen carloads of ap-
paratus accompanying them are
Captain A. Warren Yancey and a
detachment of twenty-three mem
bers Of the United States Volunteer
Signal Corps, Of whom about one
half were engaged in the operations
before Santiago.
The big balloon used at Santiago
is an object of intense popular inter
est. One or other of the big balloons
makes several ascensions daily from
the Exposition grounds.
These balloons, as stated above,
have capacity of 81 900 cubic feet
Of gas. This is sufficient to raise
about 1900 pounds. The balloon it
self, with the car and ropes and cable
weighs in the neighborhood of 1900
pounds. Each balloon can carry
four persons of average weight.
The balloons are equipped with
complete telephone and telegraphic
apparatus, communication with the
ground being obtained by means OF
insulated wire paid out as the balloon
ascends. Captain Yancey has with
him at Omaha two coils Of this wire,
each 2 800 feet long. The wire is five
eighths of an inch in diameter and
consists of sixteen stands of nickel
steel and twelve stands of copper.
1t is used for the double purpose of
holding the balloon and of establish
ing telegraphic or telephone commu-
nication with the ground. The wire
is wound on q reel, connected with
brass bushing and so arranged that
the communication is not interrupt
ed as the balloon ascends or descends.
The daily aseeEsions= are mada- to
about the limit of one of these coils
Of wire, and from height of from
2 900 to $500 feet an excellent view
of the Exposition grounds, the cities
of Omaha and Council Bluffs and the
surrounding country is obtained.
A building forty feet square on the
ground and fifty feet high has been
erected on the north tract to house
the balloon over night. 1t costs in
the neighborhood of $50 to initiate
and it is cheaper therefore to retain
the gas from day to day than to gen.
crate fresh gas for every ascension.
In order that the gas may not be al.
lowed to escape it is necessary to
protect the balloon from the wealth
er, for the vanished silk of which
it is made is very quickly ruined
when little rain gets to it.
In addition to the quarter of a
hundred balloons, large and small,
Captain Yancey has with him at
Omaha two stationary generators and
one portable generator and portable
boiler, two gasometers, one of which
was made in Omaha, and 25O tubes
each of which will hold about 15o
cubic feet of gas compressed.
OF almost equal interest with the
balloon ascensiops are the daily ex.
hibitions of visual signaling which
are given by Captain Yancey's men.
Every member Of the United States
Signal Corps is an expect signalist
either with the telegraph or the hell
ograph or with the flags. The flags
signaling, or wigwagging as it il
termed. is very interesting to watch.
The signalmen are provided with
small colored flags with which they
do their talking. A dip to the right
or the left or some combination Of
such movements represents each let
ter of the alphabet in accordance
with what is know as the Myer code
The two squads of men are separated
by the lagoon at sufficient distance
to pre- vent any verbal communication
but near enough for the public tt
watch both operators at the same
time. The exhibitions with hello
graph, or signaling by means of SUI
flashes are also OF great popular in
terest. 1t is interesting to note tha
both the wigwagging and the hello
graph systems of signaling were de
rived from the Indians.
The people of the entire nation ar,
wondering when the republican ad
ministration expects to give some in
timation of it's determination to re
peal the revenue tax imposed for wa,
purposes. The opinion is freely ex
pressed that in view of the fact tina
the D:ngley bill is producing in