New-York tribune., 1908-07-15
MILLION FOR BALLOONS
Il COAST DEFENCE PL1N.
Ordnance Board Wants M en- TRAINED
IN Dropping Explosives.
IFrorn The Tribune Bureau. ]

From Tribune Bureau.l
Washington. July 14-Convinced of the utility
of dirlgible war balloons the board of ordnance
of the War Department will make recon-
mendation, which is to be embodied in the an
nual report of the Secretary of War, for a large
appropriation by Congress for military balloons
as a fer coast defence Officers of the
signal corps OF the army, including General AL
len convinced that the government can af-
ford to invest $10GGlOOO in this type of military
air craft but the amount to be urged iminedi-
ately will be even S1,OO,OOo. If this appro-
priaton is granted it is the intention to estab-
lish coast defence balloon stations and to drill
men in the dropping of high explosives from bal
looms These stations would be located at Bos
ton, New York, Norfolk, Charleston Mobile, San
Diego, San Francisco and Bremerton, and the
moral effect of such adjunct to the coast de-
fence is counted upon of inestimabie value
The amount 70 be sought at the next session
of Congress is just four times what was urged
last winter. The signal corps then wanted S2oo,-
600, but scaled its estimate down to S2oooD.
and Congress appropriated nothing 1t is now
believed that with the demonstrations made by
Count Zeppelin in Switzerland and the progress
made this summer in aerial navigation as an
object lesson Congress will heed the appeal to
be made next winter. Whatever the attitude of
the legislators the recommendation will be made
obtained from abroad. as we'll from the ex
perments at Fort Myer next month. will be
spread before the Military committees Officers
of the signal corps expect the coming expert
ments to demonstrate that the heavier than air
flying machines are without promise for practt-
cal military purposes, and that before Congress
meets it Will be apparent that the dirgbe bal
loon is the only really available thing in this line
for military purposes.
The United States is the only leading power
that has yet signed the declaration of the last
Hague conference prohibiting the discharge OF
projectiles and explosives from balloons. That
declaration ratified by the Senate on March
10 last, and it prohibits for period extending
to the close of the third peace conference the
discharge of projectiles and explosives from bal
looms or by other new methods of similar nat
ure. But the declaration by its express terms
is bin--lg on the contracting parties only In
of between two or more Of them,
and ceases to be binding when in war between
contracting powers one of the belligerents is
joined by non-contracting power.
This declaration has not been signed by Ger
many Austria Hungary. China, Great Britain
Italy Japan. Russia and number of smaller
countries. Until other large nations sign the
declaration it is not binding upon the United
States and as those countries which have made
the most progress with dirigible balloons did not
sign it it is contended that the United States
should be prepared to meet them on an equal
footing by equipping itself with fleet of aerial
war craft y
Three air craft will be tested next month st
Fort Myer under the auspices of the signal
corps in response to its recent proposals. The
Baldwin dirigible balloon is now on It's way from
Hammondsport, n. Y, to Washington, and will
be assembled in a week two. Baldwin is
f,o mil
flight within thirty days after July 81. The only
other contestants will be A. NJ. Herring, of New
York, and the Wright brothers. They will sub
nit heavier than air. machines. The Herring
test must take place within thirty days after
August 13 and the Wright brothers flight must
be within thirty days after August 2S. Each
test will be held separately and in public