Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-12-12
BALLOON SIGNALLING
MADE BY w. A.
EDDY, THE KITE EXPERT.
VERY USEFUL IN WAR TIMES
Flags Shown by Parachutes, Which
are Dropped at Different Periods
of FIight-FiIipinos First 70 Use
New Method of Conveying Inform
alton of the Enemy.

PHILADELPHIA. Dec IO.-During my
many experiments at Bayonne, n. j.,
with parachutes suspended below fire
balloons sent up by daylight, W. A.
Eddy, the kite expert, says he found
that a variety of signal messages for
army use in an emergency can be
sent aloft with great facility and at
small cost, particularly at times when
the field telegraph or wireless system
Of signaling is not at hand owing to
the rapid movement of troops. He
suspended two or more parachutes,
made Of differently colored tissue pa
per, from fire balloons of the same ma
terial, twelve feet in diameter. The
parachutes were attached one below
anothr like a chain, their junction TO
the balloon and to each other consist
ing of a slow-match cord, timed to
burn at the rate of an inch in five
minutes. By varying the color OF
the parachutes, of the flags suspended
below them, and of the balloons, he
found that a great variety Of signal
messages, derived from different COM
binations of color could be sent to
high point in the air and the messages
read with a glass at a distance of
twelve miles, as arranged by code.
For distances exceeding twelve miles
various shaped flags would be needed,
since the form of a flag is visible
farther than it's color. Objects sus-
pended in midair can be seen at
greater distance than when near the
earth, because the air aloft is relative
ly free of dust PARTICLES.
His first experiment demonstrated
that when both parachutes were sus-
pended below the fire balloon the re-
sulting weight caused the balloon to
recede without rising more than 200
or 300 feet, until the parachute
farthest from the balloon dropped
away, when the resulting decrease of
| weight caused the balloon to rise to a
| height Of 1000 feet before it dropped
the remaining parachute, when the
balloon again rose to height of
from 5000 to 1900 feet 1nI this
| experiment the balloon was thoroughly
inflated with hot air from an initiating
furna &c, besides carrying with 1t
burning paraffine to sustain its heat.
How far away was my balloon
visible? | received from Professor
S. P. Langley of the Smithsonian In.
stitute at Washington mathematical
formula giving the distance to the
horizon line at sea with any object at
a given height, not counting refrac-
ton, and l found that at a height OF
5000 feet the horizon line at sea or
over level ground is visible 70 miles
away, and at 1000 feet IS miles away
OF course, interposing chains Of noun.
tains or high hills considerably short
en- the distance from which signaling
| balloons are visible at the earth Elk
cept with sup-fiashing flags Of nickie
or silver-coated paper the longer dis
lance would cause the parachutes to
| fade out of view even with a powerful
glass. The signaling fire balloon, with
flags suspended from a horizontal
trapeze bar, slowly rotates, especially
if slight whirl is impaired to it at
starting, enabling the distance OBJ
server to obtain a full view Of the
flags at regularly recurring intervals.
In using this system in the mountains
at Stamford, N. Y, | first sent up
pilot balloon to attract attention. 1t
was followed in five minutes by the
| message signal balloons. l found that
a balloon weighing less than half
| pound would carry up five pounds,
and that twenty-five of them would
be moderate load for a pedestrian.
They could be inflated, fired and sent
up by aTtillerymen with the same
rhythmic regularity with which can
non are fired, and that is as regular
as the beating of a brass drum
Mr.. Eddy thinks it surprising that
tire balloons for military signaling
have not been used before. The Fill
pinos were the first to use fire bal
looms for this purpose, at the time
they first attacked the American
troops, but they did not use the sus
pended parachutes or various color
combinations for transmitting worded
messages.