The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1917-03-06
Balloon Experience
Over Enemy Lines
By VIM. PHILIP SIMMS
fUnited Press Correspondent

EUnlted Press correspondent
With The British Armies in the Field
Feb. 22.-(By MaiD-what does it feel
like to have a hostile battery OF ;:1til-
Levy pick you up and begin shooting ct
you while you hang n q basket half a
mile high in a captive balloons
Suppose, as you danglei ut the top
end of the wire cable 40 thicker than
4 child g little finger, the German how
itzers should suddenly try 70 smash
the auto truck carrying the winch
holding the ground end CT the string.
Suppose, you, up there IN the win
ter sky, saw an aeroplane making for
you and you knew it would do It's best
to shoot fire arrows into your "sau-
sage,'' cause it to explode and chuck
you headlong to the frozen earth be-
lows
Or, failing to explode. the balloon
caught fire and you, to save yourself,
had to plunge downward at the tail end
of a parachute with shrapnel bursting
about you all the time?
Think you could do your work calm
ly, accuratelyg Think you would be
sufficiently eool-headed to call up on
telephone, whose wires disappear under
you in dizzy dip downward, and tell
somebody in little office about it and
have him get your own batteries work
iag9
These are working conditions of ev-
cry day of the soldiers attached to the
balloon sections of the army. Thanks to
the courtesy Of a ma or commander one
Of these sections I was allowed to go
up with an observation officer in one
Of these famous "Sausages.' The lat
ter was young lieutenant, in reality
an American, whose father once lived
in Cincinnati. High in the air, over a
world covered by four inches of snow,
while the noise Of the Big War up in
1umpy explosions and the conclusions
Of the larger guns could be felt dis
tinetly, he explained his work just as
you weu1d explain yours, in the Office,
shop or on the farm. Through the
glasses the zig-zagging white lines Of
the trenches showed plainly.
"see,'' he said, looking through his
glasses, "there are two distinct net
works of trenches, with narrow space
between which is free from criss-cross~
ing lines. That space is NoMan g
Land. Of course all activity on the
other side Of that space is German &C
tivity, and that is part Of the job we
are up here to attend to.
"see that village beyond the German
lines to the leftqo he continued steady
ing himself without touching the sides
Of the basket-one of the secrets Of ac-
eurate balloon observation. "That is
Blank. And, to the right there, that
road where you see the double row OF
trees, that is the part Of the line we
this balloon section-are interested in
Other parts are under observation from
those balloons you see to the north an6
south of us-though, naturally, we co
operate very closely one balloon will
another so THAI the minimum observa
bic activity gets past us. Troops il
march, supply columns. working parties
among or behind the trenches, thing
like that we signal to our artillery ant
get a battery-or several batteries
working. We give them the range an
and then, as they fire, we give then
corrections: So many degrees to RICH
or left, too long or too short. The Who'll
thing is done by telephone, right fror
this basket. Here: Put this on you