Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1898-10-07
GOVERNMENT WAR BALLOONS
Daily kscensions at the Trans Mississippi
ExpositIon Grounds

Daily kscensions at the Trans Mississippi
Exposition Grounds.
Among the many interesting features
Of the United States governments ex-
hibit at tie Trans Mississippi expOsi-
ton at Omaha. none is attracting
greater attention than the war bal
looms. Besides the monster captive
balloon which was used by the Ameri-
can forces at Santiago. there are four
other large balloons, each with a ca
pacity of 2l,000 cubic feet. sufficient 70
carry three or four persons. and a score
of small signal balloons. In charge
of the balloons and the half dozen car
loads OF apparatus accompanying them
are Capt. A. Warren Yancey and a de-
tachment OF twenty-three members Of
the United States volunteer signal
corps, of whom about one-half we're
engaged in the operations before San
tiago
The big balloon used at Santiago is
an object Of intense popular interest
One or other Of the big balloons makes
several ascensions daily from the ex-
! position grounds.
These balloons. as stated above. have
a capacity of q 900 cubic feet of gas.
This is sufficient to raise about 1900
pounds. The balloon itself, with the
car and ropes and cable, weighs in the
neighborhood OF 1000 pounds Each
balloon can carry four persons of av-
erage weight
The balloons are equipped with COM
pete telephone and telegraphic appar-
atus, communication with the ground
being obtained by means of insulated
wire paid out as the balloon ascends.
Capt. Yancy has with him at Omaha
two coils of wire, each $500 feet long.
The wire is fiye-eighths OF an inch in
| diameter, and consists of sixteen
strands Of nickel steel and twelve
strands of copper. 1t is used for the
double purpose of holding the balloon
and Of establishing Geographic and tel
ephOnic communication with the
ground. The wire is wound On a reel,
connected with brass buShing and so
arranged that communication is not
interrupted as the balloon ascends or
| deScends. The daily ascensions are
made to about the limit of one Of these
coils of wire, and from height Of
from 1000 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 neighborhOOod Of $50 to initiate, and
1t is cheaper, therefore, to retain the
gas from day to day than to generate
fresh gas for every ascension. In or
der that the gas may not be allowed to
escape it is necessary to protect the
balloon from the weather, for the var
nished silk of which il is made is very
quickly ruined when a little rain gets
to it.
In addition to the quarter OF a hun
dred balloons, large and small, Capt.
fancey has with him at Omaha two
stationary generators and one portable
field generator and portable boiler. two
easometers. one of which was made in
Omaha, and $50 tubes. each of which
will hold about $50 cubic feet of gas
compressed.
Of almost equal interest with the
balloon ascensions are the daily exhi-
billions of visual signaling which are
given by Capt Yancey's men. Every
ho, Oe
corps is an expert signalist. either with
the telegraph or the heliograph or with
the flags. The flag signaling, or wig
'wagging, as it is termed, is very in
'ereSting to catch. The signalTnen
are provided with small colored flags,
with which they do their talking. A
dip to the right or to the left or some
combination Of such movements rep
resents each letter of the alphabet, in
accordance with what is known as the
Myer code. The two squads of men
are separated by lagoon at sufficient
distance to prevent any verbal COM
imunication, but near enough for the
public to watch both operators at the
same time The exhibitions with the
Photograph, or signaling by means OF
sun flashes, are also of great popular
interest. 1t is interesting to note that
both the wigwagging and the hello
graph systems of signaling were deriv<
ed from the Indians