Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-11-24

Vi'lt diriSlDlc war balloons ana these
machines may play an important part
IN me next great conflict. France
| mas la Patrie, the ii ST ana perhaps
thc most practical OF all. Germany
nus the Parseya!, hot called after the
nero oil the Wagncrian opera, hut AT
Ter an army major: tho unnamed
cross balloon and the Zeppelin ais
snip. England has the Null Sccun-
aus, ana both Austria and italy have
war dirigibles which really sail It's
ar though very little is known oil
them.
France was the nrst country to dc.
VeloD an aerial engine of war which
was distinct advance Owe. the old
TIME balloon, such as did good ser
vice as far back as the siege of Paris
In lS7O-71. and which was used for
observation in tho recent RussoJapa.
nese struggle. On July ii of this
year, Mt the review of the garrison
OF Paris ut Lonschamps, La Pat 10
made her first appearance.
The motto OF signal In the air drew
the eyes of the crowd aloft and there
was a sure enough dirigible. looking
IKE II great whale. sailing over their
hcads, now with. now against and
again athwart the wind, ascending
ana descending and changing her
course M the will of her crew.
SThe later doinss of La ratrie-how
she sailed around the Einol Tower on
ihly %. with Premier Clcmcncean as
n passenger. called on President Fal.
nercs mt the Elysee l'alacc ON August
.. ana made various other flights IN
der test condIt.ons-nrc well known.
Inc French consider her one OF the
,''' n.ipottnh, features oil the ma
,' o''i uciehcc' Iheir coni,dcnce i'll
nv p''ch, a'rship Is suiiicient nj
", 80 100 no ,0 cause them TO appropri-
~, S'so'ooo Ior me construction OF
N",.' '"o'' upon Tue same model
me main body OF Ia patric ,cscm.
pres huge bologna sausage, except
.nNt AZ on" end II is pointed like a
cigar. Il Is nearly 900 feet LONG ana
atont 3i feet In diameter. 1t has
sore" propeiicrs. each of about s feet
uia'neter' which gives 1t an average
speed Oh about ~ miles an hour.
Tho car is suspended from tho body
Of the balloon and besides fuel TO-,
ten hour flight Il will carry n weight
OF more than $500 pjunds. All tho
framework is made OF steel tubing
ana the under side has n sheatbipr
of light. tough armor plat. caIculat
cd TO resist rifle bullets.
Equally like sausage. I'm, s,,ortc
md thicker. Is the latest cermnu mi
loon, which scems IN hpvr mn hotn
tho Parseval and thc Zennel;n ,nvon
lions I'm the shade ot lcoe, for ~,
present Il made It's first onno,ronoo
on July %, sailing to berlin from ,ho
artillery school Mt ,Junara. nhnidr onn
back again, remaininc i'm tho ai,.
honrs and % minutes.
Ii Is the invention of Noicr Croes
of the Tcgol acronantic battalion of
the German army. and IL Is undcrstood
that whole fiotilla is IN 10 con.
st mctcd on the Same general pof.
tern. The Germans continue 10 hack
Count Zeppelin also in his cynerl.
ments.
Ho has actually constructed nm mir.
ship OF aluminium 500 fcot long which
rose to height of 2.500 feet and
made journey of 80 miles, flying
over Lake Constance in 1906. The
enormous weight and size of this ma.
chine renders it hopeless ms an adj
Junct to an amy in the field and the
Count Is now busy trying to laild a
more manageable one.
The Austrian dirirlbles u,ero ers,t
heard OF on August last. Three of
them made a flight that day over the
fortihcations of Craco.'ia They re-
NAMED in the air considerable timo
and the other Governments believe
that they are serviceable.
The secret OF their construction has
been ca.efully guarded us has that
oil the Italian war balloon Little or
nothing Is known OF the latter except
that In the autumn field manoeuvres
of the Italian army this year 1t was
III constant operation and stan OIL
GERS. SO far as they would talk about