, 1902-02-25
NEW WAR BALLOONS.
MONSTER ENGINES OF OESTRUC.
TON NOW BEING BUILT.
United states Army Service 10 to Have
the Best In the WorId-Unique Fin
pioymsnt Planned for These Giants Of
tho Ar.
Especial letter.

N'N
IN which our army is building
at Fort t.yer. across the
Potomac. near Washington.
will be the most modern
~ post of the kind in the
world. 1t will concentrate.
signal corps instruction to
one place, the posts at Fort Logan.
Col. the Preside. San Francisco, and
San Antonio. Tex. having Deen abol-
ished.
One OF the largest balloon barns in
the world has been erected within the
new park. This is a great. rectangular.
corrugated iron building with "a slant
Ing roof and great doors which throw
open the entire front end OF the struc-
ture. The size of these swinging doors
gives some hint as to the proportions
of the monster which will make its eX-
Its and its entrances through them.
A dragon Is to abide within the iron
walls of this great barn. This dragon
Is to be employed to help fight Uncle
Sans future battles. If all things come
to pass as they are 10Y being prophe-
sled by army officers. this war dragon
will belch forth fire. like its mythical
ancestors; Will devour men by the hun
dreds; will wipe formidable fOrtresses
from the face OF the earth.
Uncle Sans war dragon is the twin
brother Of the flying monster with
which the German army lately equip
ped itself. 1t is an airship which COM
bines all of the virtues of the man
carrying kite and captive balloon:
which eliminates the evils of both. To
stray rather broadly from classical
smile. 1t may be best described as a
giant sausage, tilted up on ooe end and
having a smaller sausage curled up
over its lower extremity after the fash
ion of the squirrels tail. This smaller
envelope sucks up air which presses
against a diaphragm OF partition with
In the larger envelope and thus keeps
the covering of the latter always snug
ly tight. regardless of how much the
gas contained therein may expand or
contract: The entire balloon is held by
a cable and remains poised at the same
angle which the kite presents to the
upper air currents. Like the kite, it
flies higher and higher the faster the
wind blows. whereas the ordinary cap
tive balloon dips lower and lower as
the speed of the breeze quickens,
inside the great barn is to be in
stalled every equipment for filling the
monster and his consorts with gas, For
imitation hydrogen will be employed. A
complete plant for lis manufacture will
be an interesting adjunct to the big
balloon house. A smaller corrugated
iron building has already been erected.
The gas manufacturing and compress
ing plant will later be installed within
1t. The hydrogen will be compressed
into cylinders eight feet long. three or
four inches in diamether, and with con-
tents Of one cubic foot Of the gas. very
highly compressed. Hundreds Of these
tubes, after having been charged at the
new COMPRISING plant, will be borne
to the balloon house In wagons and
connected to the main valve Of the new
kite-balloon by rubber pipe.
The army now has two other new
captive wal balloons. Both of these are
Of the pear-shaped class. The larger
is 40 feet in diameter, has a capacity OF
IA 900 cubic feet of gas and will carry
four men. The smaller holds 5000 Gu
bic feet OF gas and will carry three
men. with all necessary signal appara-
tus.
The envelopes OF these two pear
| shaped balloons are made Of goldbeat-
er's skin. a membrane taken from the
entrails of the bullock and subjected to
various stages of curing. Each animal
furnishes one piece, about Is by "a
inches in diameter.
Ultimately. regularly scheduled bal
loon drills will be held at the new
post.
Some time ago 1t was prophesied in
the public prints that Uncle Sam
would have to equip himself with a
fleet OF modern war balloons II he