Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-06-22
TO CROSS THE SEAS
New Ballooning to Be Tried by Two
Frenchmen.
GREAT INTEREST IN EXPERIMENT
A Transatlantic Trip VIII Be
Attempted.
A ~ UvINI~ q y ~
ALSO A MEDITERRANEAN
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

| la NaulX personally VIII conduct fNe pas
| sengers across the Mediterranean in an inn
mense new balloon with many novel adj
| juncts The eyes of all France-and Eu-
| rope-will be on this experiment The new
ballooning' in the hands of the fashion
able and wealthy young men of the Aero
and Automobile clubs of Paris is looked on
| in Europe as the first fruit OF the dawnlng
century. In this way the Italian aeronaut
Merighi is preparing to cross the Adriatic
| from Trieste to Venice, while Louis God
| dard, the celebrated balloon maker of
| Paris. is at work on an immense sphere OF
| 1900 cubic yards, in which he declares
| himself sure to traverse the Atlantic IL
self. These are not vague plans for the
| indefinite future. The cable may flash
news of their accomplishment any day this
present summer.
In France thanks to the mingled rivalry
| and friendly combinations of the military
balloonists of Meudon-Chalais and amateur
experts of the Aero Club, the new sport
has become pre-emnently French as
| automobiling itself, while at the same time
press and public willingly look on it as
| a new and precious guarantee of the from
| tier. Count Henri de la EaulN is the young
man who in the exhibition balloon races OF
| last summer, and accompanied by single
| friend, made the first aerlal voyage
| from France to Russia.
| Two weeks later he repeated the feat, on
| the Same Gay Nllell NNO pil4t4 ~ IN ~
Jacques Balsan and Louis Goddard. accom-
pIished it. one cry of admiration went up
| from all France. 1t was pointed out mat
! given the Russian alliance, the geograpAlca.
| position of Germany between the allied
countries and the direction of continental
| air currents. and invincible military
| weapon had come into the national posses
| sion French balloons could float over Ger
many and safely land in Russia, while Ger
! man balloons would ind 40 winds 10 carry
| them over France. Therefore the present
De la Vaulx project took on immediltely a
| patriotic and national character SubScFil'-
| lions flowed in almost unaskcd-
The patronage committee has for rs Ron
orary president Prince Roland Bonaparte,
| Among its members are the Comte de la
| Omong its members are the Comte de Ia
| Valette Comte de Castillon de Saint-Ff"tor
| Cwho accompanied De La Naulx on his trips
| to Russial; Robert Lebaudy, +. Archd@1con.
| the Comte Arnold de Contades, GuStaVe
Riyes Santos Dumont. the Comte de La
peyrouse, Jacques Balsan. Deutsch de la
| N"urthe A. Oberkampf and the Comte
| Economies. These names represent every
| thing that is at once aristocratic and sport
| ing in Paris.
Objects of the Voyage.
| The other patriotic and national feature
will be the presence among the five passen-
| gers of two French naval officers. They
will trace routes, scout the Mediterranean
coasts experiment with signals and wire
less telegraphy. make meteorological OBJ
servations and record the air currents.
| They will let loose carrier pigeons. They
will try to keep in constant communication.
with the land. They have arranged ma
| chnery for night signaling. In word. the
patriotic and scientific object of the voyage
! will be, first, to establish a line of COM
munication between France and the Al
gerian coast by means of the air currents,
| and, secondly, to experiment with that new
| ballooning device called the deviator, with
| whose aid it is hoped that at least tack
| ing maneuVpr of real SftlcaCE NAV be
gained for aeronautics- Lastly, the naval
| officers will report on the services which
| free balloon, floating over the sea, may
| render to fleet in time of war.
| They are making no secret Of the impor
lance which the impressionable French
| navy attaches TO these experiments. [ have
| just learned the views of Lieut.. Tapis-
sier, one of the two officers who to ac-
| company De La VaulX Although young.
| he is already chevalier of the Legion of
! Honor, gained by brilliant services in Ton
quin, Dahomey and Madagascar. In 1S!lS
| he became director of the Toulon maritime
| ballooning station, to which position he
owes his present authority on the trip
| The balloon can render the navy i'm
| mense services he said, Ion condition
always that its direction be assured
| Floating over the sea, it be at once
| birds -eye scout and an offensive auxiliary
| OF such delicate character that-and
here he hesitated-''the general service of
| the marine has not Yet been able to preoc-
cupy itself with the matter. We can no
/
| hour approaches when balloons, become
new military engines. will have acquired,
| from the point of view of battle results a
| great If not decisive action de guerre.'"
| The lieutenant's meaning Is wrapped up
| automatically in vague words; but he
| means dropping explosives on the enemys
| fiotil}a
THE Germans so we'll understand the
| Importance of maritime ballooning,"' con-
| tinued Lieutenant Tapissier. that their
experiments have become disquieting
| Have we not seen them in the course of
the last year. over Lake Constance. giving
themselves up to the most expensive kind
| Of experiments with an automobile balloon
| which might come to promenade pacitical-
ly but proudly the German coiors in the
sky above Paris? This is one reason why
1 think the trip or trips of Comte de la
VaulX ought not to be delayed a single
day
Toulon as Point of Departure.
| For these and other reasons Of more
technical character the winner Of the long
distance balloon race Of the exhibition will
turn his attention to maritime work The
inconv enient features of ballooning over
| land disappear. Changes of temperature
which cause the balloon to rise and de-
scend and so attack those elements which
make its life; that is to say, its gas and
it's ballast-are less frequent over the sea.
Water makes the best kind of ballast.
Over the sea it can be taken up and
thrown out at will De la VaulX has,
therefore, chosen Toulon, a military bal
looming station, his quarter general.
There, along the well-protected little
beach of Les Sabetts, he has built his
hangar. high shed, for the housing
OF the filled balloon. The TouIon torpedo
squadron is in readiness to follow the bal
looms evolutions, and the lighthouses and
signal stations of the entire coast have
been acquainted with the expeditions sig
nal code
The new balloon will cube 1900 meters
that is, it will have capacity Of nearly
1000 cubic yards. 1t is spherical and will
be filled with hydrogen gas. An interior air
balloon. into which air can be pumped at
will from the passengers basket, will guar
antee its spherical form. The stuff of the
balloon is French silk of kind that is
lighter and tougher than the Chinese pom
gee heretofore used when the best results
were sought. There are two valves, one
small, for ordinary maneuvering. the other
large, for the purpose of quick landing. One
long pull of a rope will tear the balloon al
most in two, at the same time closing the
gap so that the half-sized balloon will fall
rapidly. but safely.
The balloons basket, which will measure
1917 by feet, is incased with waterproof
y7afarial and furnished with foofaro