The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-09-25
THE PROGRESS OF
AERIAL NAVIGATION
Balloon Must Give Way to Fly
ing Machine if Success Is
to Be Attained.

From tle Boston Evening Transcript.
Up TN very recently it has not been
possible to range accurately the power of
the various Aerial forces. A year ago it
was France which was hailed as the first
witt he. Giitisible, La Patrie. But La
Patrie showed her limitations by breaking
AVA in 4 gale OF wind and losing herself.
Eranee uhelsupon foll into the background.
and we heard much Of the Null Secundus
of lhe British army. Once mere the dir
igibie demonstrated it's inef.lciency, and
the Null :~;ocunduS was wrecked. Finally,
it was Count Zeppelin and his gigantic
aiiahip winch wrought such anxiety in the
hearts of all true I%'ritons. which drew our
| attention. The fate of this '"Terror'' has
not only set at rest British fears, but has
accumulated still more evidence against
the motor balloon.
To bring the matter n little closer home.
the United States war department is now
awaiting the results of the trials of the
Baldwin balloon at Fort Myer. What the
! outcome of Captain Baldwin attempt
Win be can he easily forecasted. If there
is no wind. barring accidents such as hap
| pened on the first test, the vessel will UNI
doubtcdly meet her specifications. But
Thursday. in d breeze OF but ten miles an
| ho,ti'. a mere zephyr, the captain refused
| to start out. BY this fact alone the value
OF the sasbag is clearly measured. On
nov many oNtGS!CIlS y lIlcIe ne an OBJ
| portunity to use her if she is so limited?
The weight or evidence against the type is
by no means lcssened, therefore, by the
! trials at Fort Myer.
1t is evident then that we must turn for
| real utility away from all forms of the
balloon. In so doing 1t is but natural to
look to the neavier-than-air machine. So
far as is known the United States is as
| yet the only one of the nations which has
! results so near at hand, none of the
European powers having realized the inn
portance of this form of aerial locomotion.
having been blinded by the bubble dir
iSible. 1t is still too early to make any
prophecies us to whether o" not the Ameri-
can aeroplane will succeed in fulfilling
their expectations, but from what has al
ready been accomplished it is evident that
! the time is not far Off when they will be
! able to do so. With the deathblow to tho
dirisible will perish that other bogcy. the
! airship used for offensive purposes, and
the true value to warfare of navigating
ilc air. This is we'll put by the aeronautic
expert OF the Fre..ch militaire, who in
writing Of WILDER Wright's demonstra-
lions with his aeroplaEe at LeMans saws
these have established the principal ways
in which the acroplane may be applied r.
the military service. The first, he saws. is
for the purpose Of reconnaissance in front
of an army, in which work 1t could en-
1irely supcrsede cavalry on account of its
speed and the possibility of securing more
full and accurate observations, owing ~
it's ability to soar to a height of 100 ree1
or more. The second is it's use as a moan
of conveying Information and instructions
along long-extended battle fronts in mod.
ern warfare, for which it is almost nc
practicable as the telephone.