Evening star., 1909-04-24
ARMY BALLOON IN AIR
Test Flight From City Made
This Afternoon.
SAILS OFF TO SOUTHEAST
Three Signal Corps Officers Pas
sengers in the Basket.
TOOK ALONG LIFE PREsERvERs
Direction Of Wind Makes Drop in
the Bay Possible-Fort
Myer Trials.
TOOK ALONG LIFE PREsERVERs

The aeronautic season in Washington
was officially inaugurated today by a
fight of the War Department balloon
from the gasworks at 18th and NJ streets
southeast at 12:05 Everything was salts
factory and the big bag with three pas
sengers started off in southeasterly di-
rection, promising to land somewhere in
southern Maryland.
The pilot was Lieut.. Frank Lahm and
the two other officers. Lieuts. Fouois and
Bamberger. The balloon was spherical
No. IL, Of 81, 600 feet capacity; one of the
yellow balloons bought from Capt. L. S.
Baldwin last year. 1t has made four pre-
vious flights. The ascent was made as
much for the sake of training the Signal
Corps squad in initiating as for anything
else. The Signal Corps men, fourteen in
number, who have been at Fort Wood
most of the winter, were all on the ground
before 10 o'clock. The initiation took
about two hours. There was a wind of
from fifteen to eighteen miles an hour
blowing and when the gas bag was about
half full the men had pretty lively time
controlling the yellow envelope. The shift
ing Of sand bags and other maneuvers
were carried out by whistle signal.
Took Cork Life Preservers.
There was room for but three pas
sengers in the car and the lifting capacity
OF the balloon with coal gas was not
much more than that. The travellers took
along seif-recording instruments, ther-
mometers. promoter and the maps of the
country over which they expected to pass
One precaution observed was to carry
three cork life preservers owing to the
f-ct that the wind was down the river
and toward the bay.
Lieut.. Lahm said that they were not
going to try for any records and that the
trip probably would be a short one.
The ascent was good deal swifter than
usual and owing to the wind the balloon
Travelled at good speed. The landing
probably will be made in lower Maryland
this afternoon.
Preparations are being made at Fort
Myer for the flights of the dirigible
there. The hydrogen apparatus has been
set up and the dirigible. of which the
army as vest has only one, will be taken
out of the balloon house next week and
given an overhaullng to see whether there
is any patching to be done. This will
take day or two and after that it will
take another three days 10 initiate with
hydrogen. so it is not likely that any
flights will be possible before the end
OF the week.
BALLOON W1releSS Outnt.
The Signal Corps during the winter
constructed a lightweight wireless ap-
paratus. and when the flights are made
this will be tried out, but the apparatus
will represent almost the weight Of a
passenger, SO that not more than two
men will be able to travel, even if the
ballast of the balloon is cut down very
low. 1t is not known how soon the WIRE
ha trta1 h,rt
eral flights probably will be made be-
fore it is installed.
One Of the things that officers want to
do Is to make a trip from Fort Myer
over Washington. This probably will
wait on a favorable wind, for the balloon
Is not manageable in a stiff breeze, and
the aeronauts do not want TO risk leav-
ing the fort and not being able TO get
back
No arrangements have yet been made
which has been designed by two Wash
ington men, but 1t is likely that there will
be several propeliers tried during the
summer, as the one now on the dirigible
is not the most effective type. A new
form of vertical rudder also will be tried.
but the chances are that the horizantal
planes by which the balloon is maneuv-
cred up and down will remain unchanged.
Awaiting the Wrights.
The officers Of the Signal Corps are
waiting with considerable interest the
coming of the heavier -than-air machines.
The Wright machine is due back here to
complete its demonstrations before the
end of July. There Is not any question
felt that the Wrights will be on hand
and, after the demonstrations that have
been given abroad for the past six
months there is no doubt at all that
the machine will fulfill all the conditions
of the contract. 1t is part of the con-
tract that the Wrishts shall train three
officers to handle the machine. and the
prospective pupils are looking forward to
that part of the performance with more
interest than the demonstrations, which
are regarded as practically accomplished
There is more speculation about A Nj
Herring, the man of mystery from New
York. Since this winter Herring has as
sociated himself in business with Glen H
Curtis, who built the engine for the Bald
win dirigible, and Courtland Field Bishop
the president Of the Aero Club They
have a great deal of money and a well
equipped factory at their disposal, and
1t is regarded as likely that Herring will
show up at Fort Myer with a machine
more on the plan of Curtis June Bug
than the lightweight flyer he showed to
the War Department last fall.
MRYocy