The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1909-11-26

army officers already concentrating themselves
'nt the new aeropane squad organized at the very
outset of the armys experiments in This most
branch OF aeronautics The outcome is sure to be in
contrast to the history of American military balooning
wherein there were innumerable disappontments Par.
tlcuarly this the case during the Snanisb
war when the war department sought to get results with
war balloons in the hands of who had had no op-
portunlty to specialize in this unusual line of wor The
Photographed aeropane detachment on the other
ano VIII grow up in military aeroplane work from
It's inception What is more these caretakers of the sky
sentres have acquired experience of the most valuable
KIND In establishing Uncle Sans first aviation field II
not meant OF course that the soldiers had hand
In clearing the field blasting sumps or erecting the
unpetentous shed that shelters the $4,000 craft but
they did almost everything else connected with setting
ng In ORDER not forgetting the transportation of army
aeropane NO. by wagon from its previous resting place
at Fort Myer Va dozen miles The insight Tins
gained into the how of such things will be well nigh in
valuable since will make possible to send this squad
around the country to lay out aviation fields wherever
needed by the army.
While, as has been explained the new aeroplane de-
achmen is entirely separate and distinct from the bal
loon squad, its brief history is linked at many points
with that of the older branch of aeronautcal dyi
on Some of the star members the original balloon
squad have attery been transferred the aeroplane
detachment and indeed the organization will have
sort OF dual existence as regular aeropane corps
and emergency balloon squad, since the members will
have charge of flights that may be from the
capital in signal balloons the regular balloon squad
having been transferred meanwhile Fort Omaha and
Fort Leavenworh The present membership of the aero
plane detachment alike that the balloon SQUAD is
expected to be merely the nucleus for a much more
numerous body later on-when Uncle Sam shall have
gone in more extensively for military aeronautics
The aeronautica division of the signal corps which
both the new aeroplane detachment and the balloon
squad are branches established as result of the
pride and interest aroused by Lieut. Lahms victory in
the first international balloon race held in Europe
in 1896 The young American army officer then barely
2S years of who unknown and unheraded defeated
the most experienced aeronauts Europe the self
same Lahm who is qualifying at College Park as our
premier army aeroplanist and who is in general COM
mand of the aeroplane detachment He had made about
40 balloon flights he assembled for the first time in
aeropane and he has the complete confidence of his
men-an important requisite in and untred realm
such as military aeronautcs.
The order formally creating the aeronautica division
of the signal corps issued August 1, 1907, and
the organization was launched with membership
of sole individual, Sergeant Edward Ward who has
since graduated to the position of head chauffeur for
the chief of the general staff Gradually the membership
grew to dozen more At first the work of the
organization merely with the old balloons of foreign
make which had been purchased by the United States
during the Spanish and had been in storage ever
since Then army dirigible No. 1, which the war
department purchased from Capt Thomas Baldwin, and
finally the initial Wright aeroplane which is at Col
lege Park At the outset the headquarters of the
nautical division were at Fort Myer Va and the nom
commissioned officers and enlisted of the
division displayed their versatility by handling
discriminatory spherical balloons dirigble aeroplane
When the signal corps completed it's fne new plant
for generating hydrogen at Fort Omaha it de-
cded make the western post the headquarters for all
army balloon work and the dirigble transferred
thher With it went the balloon squad Consequently,
when the Wright aeroplane accepted by the
preparations undertaken for establishing
government school for aeroplaniss, it necessary
20 organize aeroplane detachment adjunct.
As has been explained some of the most capable men
were transferred from the balloon squad and others
selected from the ranks of the signal