Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-27
SOME WAR NOVELTIES
Fleets Of War Kites and Mill
tary Balloons.
KITCHEN ON WHEELS
SCOUTS PUT IN PERIL TO DE-
vELoP THEIR COURAGE.
Some Innovations Reported by Our
Army Officers and Legation At
taches in the East.

Written for The Evening Star.
OF the war novelties kept in stock by
Japan and Russia in anticipation of their
present sanguinary struggle our govern
ment was already apprised when the war
dogs were unclaimed at Port Arthur. We
had for some wears maintained military and
naval attaches in Russia and the orient and
1t was their business to report these things
to their intelligence bureaus in Washington.
One perusing these reports cannot but mar
vel at the progress of an oriental nation
scarce generation out of fetldalism; whose
knights fought in armor within the man
hood of its present leading spirits. Nor can
he but admire the tireless military energy
OF people whose car and father, two
centuries back enlisted in the ranks of his
own army and apprenticed himself to a
Dutch shipbuilder that he might make his
country a war power
Aerial Devices.
An extensive feet of war kites, for sig
mailing purposes. forms part of the equip
ment of the thirteen new battalions of Jap
anese pioneers. The Japanese as well as
the Chinese are all natural-born kite flyers
and their feats performed with these cap
tive aeroplanes have long excited the Won
derment of their western brothers.
Ilght balloon train was lately purchased
by Japan. but in this form of aerial equip
ment the Russians are better supplied Near
st. Petersburg the cars army has for
some time maintained a central balloon
park. a school for officers and men sent
there periodically from the six fortress
balloon Darks scattered over the empire.
This system the Russians have modelled
after that of the French. AT their central
balloon park they maintain an aeronautic
experiment station. On the present war
~.
fortress parks a balloon corps of five Off
GERS and 136 men ca pable of handling three
captive balloons at the same time.
Carrier pigeons are supplied to the Japan
ese pioneers; also Morse telegraph instru-
ments and bicycles. Throughout the Rus
sian army-to all of the fortress troops, in
fantry regiments, artillery companies and
telegraph detachments-new bicycles were
Issued In January, 1900. The type of ma
chine was left to the discretion of the local
military authorities, but the folding frame
previously adopted was discarded as i'm
practicable.
Traction Engines and Cars.
Traction engines drawing armored trains
independent of rails are expected to figure
In Russia's campaign The Muscovites
have recently been employing them for
military use and are conducting expert
ments to perfect them as means of trans
portation. In the rear of the army they
carry material of every kind, and at rail-
road termini serve for loading and unload
Ing trains. In camp the engines furnish
electric light and pumping power. Over
two dozen traction engines were used by
the British in South Africa But the Rus
slams were the first to put them, to military
use. During their war with the Turks in
1878 the Russian and Roumanian railways
proved inadequate. and the dozen traction
engines driven on the ordinary roads trans
ported for the army in the field O. al tons
of material at a reduction of cost and saw
ing of labor.
gines over common highways or open fields
are decided novelty. The possibilities of
their use as moving fortresses-as land
battle ships go to speak-are, of course, in
calculable; Armored trains upon ordinary
railways have, of course, been used with
success. One was employed by us at the
battle of Calumpit Luzon. The British
used them in South Africa, and they fig
ured in the Cuban Instruction. They were
first employed in the Franco russian war;
and have been factors in nearly every great
war since that time When pushed forward
over track previously reconnoitered they
can safely be used to deliver effective ar
tillery fire. The Russians will undoubtedly
place them the trans Siberian railway
The progress of the temporary railways
being laid twenty-five miles over Lake Bal
kali which great body of water interrupts
the trans Siberian railways path through
tary engineers with great interest. 1t was
On this frozen lake that 600 Russian SOL
diers pushing on to the orient were said to
have been frozen to death last week. The
trans-Baikal railway forms the last reach
of the trans-Siberian road in the direction
of Port Arthur, and is recognized as the
most delicate point in Russia's strategic
system.
Steam Ice-Breaking Raft
A steam ice-breaking raft was placed on
the lake when the road was opened, June 1,
1900. This vessel carried trains across the
stretch of water to Myssovski where the
railway continued, and its introduction was
said at the time to have reduced the time
from st. Petersburg to Port Arthur to TWEEN
ty-nine days-about the same as that from
San Francisco to Manila, via the Pacific
The weakness of Japan's cavalry is a
point to which attention has not been drawn
by the war correspondents. The Japanese
are poor riders, and their mounts are small
thick-necked animals, weak in their hind
quarters, with narrow chests, short and
abrupt shoulders. They stand at thirteen
and one-half to fourteen and one-half
hands But the foresight Of the mikados
generals showed itself last year, when,
realizing that in time of war It would be
difficult to obtain good mounts in a country
SO poor in horsehesh, they considerably in
creased the supply of steeds. both for cav
airy and artillery. Japan had previously
improve the breed of its war horses by in
PRODUCING American, Hungarian, French
and Persian stations
Two million horses are estimated to be the
total supply on which Japan can now draw
without importations Russia, on the other
hand is the greatest horse producing coun-
try in the world Her supply is nut at
Is, 1OO, 600, of which 100000 are in her
Asiatic possessions The Russian steed is
wholly or half wild, but the Cossack is the
king of cavalryman and the past master
of the art of rough-ridine, as we have seen
demonstrated in our circuses.
Kitchens on Wheels.
Kitchens on wheels are distinct novelties
among Russias war equipment, designed
especially for the orient These prepare
hot food during forced marches and reduce
the time of halts. The type introduced is a
large iron kettle. with cover. safety valve
and chimney, the whole being mounted upon
the axle of light carriage. carrying also
provisions and fuel. About two hours be-
fore the time for halting on the march
water vegetables and meat are placed in
the kettle, and the fire is kindled in the fire.
box beneath, and refreshing stew is ready
to be served with cold rations, when the
period of rest is announced by bugle down
tho Hpao Ona oufh kitchen hoe baa,, 70