Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-12-09
AERONAUTS RENDER
BIG SERVICE IN WAR
Watch Every Move Behind En-
emy's Lines and Advise
Commanders.
U. S. DEVELOPS BALLOON
Observation From Bags Becomes
One Of Most Essential
Sciences.
U. S. DEVELOPS BALLOON


relief, or digging is begun on new
series of cmplaccmcn,.. but pair OF
keen eyes. steadily watching from
great observation balloons JUS, behind
the allied front. take notice OF it,.
Every movement. ever activity. is reg
istcred. until d schedule Of The usual
enemy routine Is built UP. and tho aver
age amount Of motion known Any de-
parturc from ;h!s schedule is sus-
pcious. A train running late or with
more cars than usual mon in the
trenches being relieved too frequently
new roads or e:nplacements being built
too earnestly. give tho FIRST hint that
"Fr!tz." across the line. is up to some
thing.
A keen halloonist notes any or these
changes. and at once telephones down
TO the ground. AN extra train Of six
cars passed ---- at lr:t0." half a
mile farth / down tho line another
pair OF eyes reports. Large convoy
moving Up TO front. range so-and- So
Still little farther down another sus-
pcious circumsta nee is noted. until the
general staff down below. assembling
all these straws. torcsecs tho begin
ming Of a big offensive across the line
Countcrme aaures are taken. batteries
directed, conveys and trenches smashed
up. and the enomy's plans thrown
askcw.
Possibly, however. the offensive IL
10 come from the balioonsi's own side.
The observer ascends with full knowl-
edge OF all the details OF action, chi
boldencd probably to move up much
nearer the German lines than usual. in
the belief that tho cnemy's artillery
will DC driven Off. The opening bonn
ba rdmcnt is a time Of ccasclcss and
vital work. spottin5 shot by shot
watching for new enemy batteries to
open UP, moving the barrage fire back
and forth with the advance OF the
troops. Any error here may send tho
steel wall into tho observers own
troops OF cost scores of lives later by
failure to make a complete demolition
OF the encmy's defense.
PARACHUTEs AND PYROTECuNICS
ALL FART OF DAYS WORK
Hostile airplane overhead" is apt
10 break in through the telephone wire
at any moment. A German aviator.
more adventurous than his fellows. is
swoopinS down. perhaps under n pro-
tecting cloud. in an attcmpt 10 put out
the ever-watchful eyes. The observer
makes ready his parachute. the ma
chine guns on the ground below click
off rain Of lead at the invader. and
the windlass men start bringing the
big envelope to ground with all pos
siole speed. Perhaps the invader Is
driven off; perhaps the balloon is
stricken into flames and the balloonist
forced to parachute TO the ground. In
either case il is all a part OF the days
work, which adds adventure and rn-
nance to the responsible work done by
the balloonist.
Such is. briefy-rery Lriefy-the
duty and work Of the balloon observer.
Calm. patient. ever watchful, he rides
far above the ground as the great on
velope sways on its long cable. Hours
pass, perhaps. but finally. as inevitably
as fate. the reward comes. \ single
fash. n slight movement across the
line. and another tiny claw of the Ger
man eagle reveals itself for the allied
artiilerymen beneath.
The vital Importance and develop
rnent OF this work has hardly as yet
been suspected in this country. over
there" balloon observation has become
IL science which, while perhaps less
spectacular than :i!rplaue observation
is none the less essential The bal
iooniSt. riGing steadily Tor hours g; :,
line with tho German lines spread
tut before him. and in direct telephone
communication with the ground, with
his batteries. and with other balloons
emasscs u maze OF details and accura t g
knowledge which his more vicariouS
and longer winged air brother cannot
hope TO secure.
The FIRST use OF balloons in warfar
dates way back to the Napoleonic wars.
when Franco employed them against
Austria. SO revolutionary was the pro-
servers were treated q sspics by the
Between TIL" States in this country.
Northern observers looked out across
the Potomac from near Washington
at the Coafederates. and gained very
valuable information. though under
very prccarious circumstances. Franc.
further developed the art in the War of
1870 against Germany, who later took
IL up on much more ambitious scale
i'll her Zcppelins. The science fell upon
slack times. however, as did that of
aEpidheS, anu INC war Department s
reports OF few years back arc full
Of brief statements that no work was
done in ballooning for lack of funds.
BALLOON SERVICE
HIGHLY DEVELOPED
The balloon services abroad, however.
had been carefully. if modestly, de-
volopcd for military purposes, and tho
moment that the war settled into the
trenches came into their own again.
II was at once discovered that work
could be done with them which could
be done in no other way. Balloon OBJ
servation began to assume vital i'm
portancc, until now hardly mile Of the
front lines Is without Its big. clumsy
envelope. A constant, ceasclcss vigil
Is maintained over every move Of the
enemy. over every shell fred by either
side, so that friends below may be
saved from surprise and enemies
r. CONTINUED on Eighth Pagc.)