The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1909-12-02

Army officers are already congratuIatIng themselves
tha the new aeropane squad organized at the very
outset OF the armys experiments in this most imporant
branch of aeronautics The outcome s sure to he In
contrast to the history of American military baooninp
there were lnnumerable dsappointments Par.
uculary was this the case during Spanish American
war when the department sought TO get results with
war balloons In the hands men who had had no ON.
portumy 10 specialize in this unusual line work The
newly-organized aeropane detachment on the other
nand VIII grow up in military aeropane work from
ts inception What Is these of the skv
sehrles nave acquired experience of the valuable
Kind In establishing Uncle Sans first aviation field II
is not meant of course the soldiers had much hand
IN clearing the field, blasting out stumps erecting the
unpretentous shed that shelters the 100000 craft but
they did almost everything else with setting
things in order not forgetting the transportation of army
aeropane NO by wagon from its previous resting place
at Fort Myer Va dozen miles away The insight thus
gained into the how of such things will be well nigh
valuable, since will make it possible to send this squad
around the country to lay out aviation fields wherever
needed By the army.
While, has been explained the new aeroplane de.
tachmen is entirely separate and distinct the bal
loon squad its brief history is linked many points
with that of the older branch of the div
sion Some Of the star members of the original balloon
squad have latterly been transferred the aeropane
detachment and indeed the organization will have
sort OF dual existence as regular aeroplane corps
and emergency balloon squad, since the members will
have charge of any flights that may made from the
capital in signal corps balloons regular balloon squad
having been transferred meanwhile to Fort Omaha and
Fort Leavenworth The membership of the
plane detachment alike to that of the balloon squad
expected 10 De merely the nucleus for much more
numerous body later on-when Uncle Sam shall have
gone in more extensively for military aeronautics
The aeronautcal division of the signal corps which
both the aeropane detachment and the balloon
squad branches, established result the
pride and interest aroused by Lieut. Lahms victory in
the great international balloon race in Europe
In 1896. The young American officer, then barely
2S of who unknown and unheralded defeated
the most experienced aeronaus of Europe. is the self
same Lahm who is qualifying at College Park
premier army aeropanist and who is in general
m a hp a
40 balloon flights he ascended for the first time in
aeropane and he has the complete confidence of his
important requisite in and untred realm
such military aeronautics
The order formally creating the aeronautca division
of the signal corps issued August /. 1907. and
the organization 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
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
since Then army drigibe No. l. which the
department purchased from Capt Thomas Baldwin and
finally the initial Wright aeropane, which is at Col
lege Park At the outset the headquarters of the
nautical division at Fort Myer Va, and the
commissioned officers and enlisted men of the aeronau
tieal division displayed their versatility by handling in
discriminatory spherical balloons drigble and aeropane
When the signal corps completed its fine, new plant
for generating hydrogen gas at Fort Omaha 1t was de-
cded make the western post the headquarters for all
army balloon work and the dirigble transferred
thither With 1t the balloon squad. Consequently,
the Wright aeroplane accepted by the govern
preparations undertaken for establishing
a government school for aeropansts, 1t was necessary
to organize aeroplane detachment as new adjunct
AS has been explained, of the most capable men
were transferred from the balloon squad and others
from the ranks of the signal every