Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1907-10-10

will be received in Washington
in time for the President to issue
his proclamation admitting the
state before he starts west, but
this proclamation will be issued
Immediately on his return.
There has been a good deal of
interest this week in the perform
ance of the balloon corps of the
army in Washington. The army |
has just established such a corps
and while it is not large, thegov-
has already purchased
ten observation balloons and the
men are being drilled in theiruse.
The work in Washington t IN is
week has consisted in teaching
the enlisted men how to initiate,
pack and transport the huge
bags and how % handle them
while in the air. The work is un-
der the directions OF Lee Ste
phens, the professional acronaut
and Capt. de Forest Chandler OF
the Army. There have been six
ascensions made already an d
there will be thirty before t h e
series is finished. There is a good
deal more to the work than mere
ly tying the bag of the balloon
to a gas pain and letting h e r
fill All the intricacies OF the art
are being impaired to the men
and quite soon the army ought
to have a balloon observation
corps equal in skill if not in size
to that of any Of the foreign ar
mics.
The experience OF the Russian
balloon corps in the Japanese
war was not very encouraging
The report of the experts was
that satisfactory photograph
could not be taken from the cap
tive balloon car, both because o
the altitude and the vibration
though it is popularity supposed
there is no vibration in a bal
loon. 1t was said also that h
conformation of the earth wal
SO deceptive and topography 81
distorted from a safe observa
ton altitude that the balloon
proved almost helpless.
One interesting feature OF tn
work on which the governmen
is embarking, however, is t h
building OF a derigible balloon
The plans for this are alread'
drawn. 1t is said that the ba'
will be 100 feet long and it wi
be driven by two 120 horse pow
er gasoline motors. 1t is expec
ed that it will be able to max
35 miles an hour in still-air. Tn
projected cost is about slxt
: thousand dollars.
: 1t is said by that most usef'
of all persons, "the man closes
J to the President" thatthe'e WI
be no objection offered by tn
2 government to the reappoln
ment of We Tung Fang as Ch
8 nese Minister to the U. s. 1t wi
= be remembered that while M
WI was an entertaining perso
during his stay here, he often
e verstepped the bounds OF dipl
e macy in things he done and sal
e He was also credited with ha
t ing instituted the Chinese DO
t cott Of American goods on h
. return to China, so that tile
e we're various reasons why t
d United States might have obje'
J. ed to his appointment But it
p said that the President did n
d wish to show any animosity
'f China and he decided that VIII
'e there might have been wiser
l. pointments made from the star
a point of the American COVE
it ment, it was just as we'll to
e cept the old diplomat as thou
II he were the best possible sci
H. ton. 1t is quite certain howe,
10 that Mr.. WI on his second CO
i. ing here will not be accorded
" the diplomatic latitude he '
y allowed before.
l. C;rls ;f Won want red lips, lau