Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-07

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| been proven already in the Russo-Ja panese
| war Experiments during that conflict in
| the use of cameras in war balloons for the
| purpose of furnishing views of the enemy's
| camps and fortifications have not been so
| successful. At the height at which such
| pictures have had to be made it has proven
| difficult to distinguish Russians from Jap
anese.
The New Balloon Train.
The balloon train at Omaha barracks will
| consist of three wagons for the carriage of
| tubes of compressed hydrogen, and one
wagon for the balloon and appliances. The
balloon wagon will carry a large reel or
| drum, wound with a mile two of cable.
The balloon having been transported to
any desired location in the field. It will be
unpacked from the wagon, spread upon the
ground and filled by connecting stout hose
fed by the iron tubes of compressed hydro
gen gas The envelope having been inflated,
what is known as the ''maneuvering bar
will be attached to the epd of the cable
wound on the reel wagon. and the necessary
amount Of cable viii be paid out. The
| height of the balloon above ground will be
regulated by the length of rope. The OBJ
server in the car will, from aloft, direct the
manipulation of the balloon through field
telephone.
The equipment of the car will consist Of
an aneroid barometer, for measuring at
mospheric PRESSURE; a prismatic compass,
for finding direction; telescope. field glass,
under survey, camera and the field tele-
phone mentioned. This phone is somewhat
of a novelty in this country. although 1t is
closely akin to the "buZZer" receivers used
in wireless biography.
While managing in one hand his powerful
| field glass and surveying Herewith the out
most edges of the horizon, the observer in
| the war balloon will hold in his other hand
an instrument combining In one piece of
mechanism the functions of receiver and
transmitter, both telephone and telegraph
ic. From saucer-shaped mouthpiece held
before his lips VIII extend an arm securing
| an ear-piece, or receiver. A reel controlled
| from the ground Will unwind 1000 meters of
| insulated wire connecting this instrument
with its exact duplicate on the ground. In
| an emergency forbidding reliance upon the
simple telephone powers of this device 1t
Will be employed for telegraphy. The OBJ
server will then rest his finger upon an cleo
trio button in the handle of the instrument
and telegraph in the Morse dot and dash
code. Each press of the button will dis
patch down the connecting wire peculiar
buzzing whistle-like the death wall of
humble bee-audible to the receiver below
| Thus will the secrets Of our future wars be
whispered from the clouds, unless some
genius inyents a more compact device. 1t Is
believed that wireless telegraphy may soon
be relied upon for the purpose.
Our War Balloon Fleet.
Our army already has fleet of three war
balloons. Two of these are pear-shaped,
while the third is cylindrical. The latter Is
new; In fact, it has never been inflated in
this country, although the accompanying
picture shows 1t in a trial flight made
abroad before being delivered to our army
1t is of what is known as the dragon
type, adopted by the German army. Some
time ago, while in Europe. General Greedy
inspected the kaisers aerial fleet and be-
came convinced of the superior merits of
this type of balloon. He therefore pur-
chased one from Lieutenant Won Siegsfeld
10
cylinder, 70 feet long by % feet in diameter
and during flight is poised al an angle of 20
degrees TO the horizental-or about that of
the average kite. In fact, the great vehicle
Is known alse the kite balloon" and it
possesses all of the combined virtues sug-
gested by the name.
The faster the wind blows the higher 1t
mounts the air, but the gas in its envelope
keeps it aloft in calm. 1t is divided in
ternally by a diaphragm separating It's gas
envelope. forward, from an air envelope,
aft. The latter is always kept stiff by the
external air rushing into it. 1t presses the
movable diaphragm up against the gas en-
velope, the latter has tendency to grow
| fiabby through decreasing pressure of the
upper air heights. The new balloon has
tail or rudder, which curls up over its back
after the fashion of the squirrels caudal
| appendage. 1t is covered by envelope of
| cloth doubled, treated with rubber and dyed
| bright yellow, which coloring best insures
| protection against the chemical rays of the
| sun.
hounQ Balloons In D1SfaVor.
| The army will probably discontinue its
| use Of the pear-shaped and cylindrical types
| of war balloons. In a high wind 1t is we'll
| nigh impossible to elevate them above the
| danger level. Dipping down over an en-
| emy's territory as the result of sudden
| squall they would probably be punctured by
| a gun or even captured. Moreover, the en-
| veIopeS of these old-fashioned one-com-
| partment balloons loosen so, as they mount
I into attitudes of decreasing atmospheric
pressure, that their sides often cave In and
| offer to the wind a sail surface.
| The new war balloon has q capacity of
| COCO cubic feet of hydrogen. Given its
| full contents 1t will carry one observer to
| height of 1880 yards, two observers. 436
/ yards,
| Its usual crew will be two men-one an
| experienced aeronaut, controlling the valve
| ropes, anchor and sand bags; the other. the
observer manipulating the equipment de-
| scribed. For very high observation, recon-
| noissance or signal work over mountains.
| hills, forests, other distractions or large
| open spaces II will be necessary to lessen
| the cars weight to minimum and reduce
| the complement to one passenger, combin-
1 ing the functions OF aeronaut and observer
Emergencies demanding hasty change
| of the field OF action and forbidding the
| usual delay Of enlptying the gas receptacle
before the balloon IL moved will further
! prove the great superiority Of the new air.