The Washington times., 1905-11-19
AERIAL TORPEDOES
FELL WITH EFFECT
Astonishing Experiments
With War Balloon.
WAS UNHURT BY BULLETS
Esstb Targets Twenty Yards
Square Struck With Deadly Ac-
curscy by Balloon.
WAS UNHURT BY BULLETS

TOUL. France. Nov. $50 much nee
esssry and official secrecy was thrown
around the remarkable experiments con-
Quoted by II. Berteaux, the French min
lister OF war in the Lebaudy dirigible
balloon that only now have the details
become known.
The experiments were conducted here
because TouI Is regarded as one of the
great danger spots OF the frontier de-
fenses OF Frano-. being on the main
road to Strasbourg and Germany The
military problem which It was sought TO
solve was whether Toul having been
captured by an attacking army 1t would
be possible by means of aerial warfare
to destroy the captured fortress together
with the holding enemy.
Trial Was Successful.
The result was eminentIy satisfactory
the campaign OF the airship lasting
from the 18th to the S1st OF October,
and being carried on both By night and
day.
Speaking from the aeronaut's point OF
view. it was found that the airship, with
four persons on board. could travel from
thirty-flve 10 forty kiIometers an hour;
could remain in the air at least six
hours and during that time could
travel two hundred kilometers without
slighting. Airs OF every kind blew dur
ing the experiments. and in all of these
even IN The most violent agitations-
the Lebaudy made her course and an
swered her helm
The lift Of the balloon was such that
II rose easily to a height OF 500 meters
al elevation considered necessary for
daylight Inspections and attacks. The.
quivering OF the airship IN flight was so
little that Photographic pictures were
taken without the least trouble The
movements CT troops. the empIacement
of batteries. works Of all sorts were
easily Inspected. and the results of these
inspections were sent 10 earth By teIe-
graph without the least interruption
So FAR as the vertical discharge Of
pro1eetiles went the absolute precision
OF the results was astonishing. At a
height Of e0ls meters aerial torpedoes
We're dropped so accurately that % Der
cent OF them struck fat target or
twenty-five meters square.
Motor Worked Well.
The motor employed was of fortV-
horsepower. and it worked from first
10 last without single INTERRUPTION.
The envelope consisted of two thick
nesses Of silk, Joined with q double
coating OF liquid rubber, which resulted
In an inlperIneability so great that the
loss OF gas by percclation did not go
above ? per cent a day.
Moreover it was found that the en-
velope POSSESSED a curious quality Of
elasticity. Rife bullets either did not
perforate ut ali or made such minute
punctures thar the escape of gas througl
them was a negligible quantity II was
found also that the bullet wound often
closed entirely after the passage Of the
ball. just as II does In the case OF flesh.
In the attacks on the airship made bv
artillery in motor cars it was found that
even when the balloon was at no greater
altitude than from 200 TO coo meters, the
ability to hir the balloon was almost nil
IN conclusion it was officially declared
that the dirigible war balloon had sue
cessfully met all the severe tests to
which IL had been put and that as an
engine Of war It was new and drsad-
ful acquisition