Gunnison news-champion., 1918-11-15
HOW CAPTIVE BALLOONS
fi4H AID IN WARFARE
Thrilling Stesy Giving Detail Of the
Death Of Lieutenant Roas.

In an interesting story Of THE Risl
Of the Balloon" telling how il now
rivals the airplane, Frederic J. Hask.
ins gives . version Of the death Of
Lieut.. Ross, the brother Of Nisi
Blanche Ross Of this city. This story
Sppeared in the Pueblo Chieftain ol
Nov. Is. We reprint here the portion
which refers to Lieut.. Ross:
Washington, d. c., Nov. 10.-A gray
day on the western front, with heavy
cloud masses hanging low in the sky;
An American battery il going into
action. While the artillery men are
working over their guns in hidden
emplacements, caterpillar tractor ID
run up behind the lines bearing Z
strange burden Of CANVAS and rope
which is . debated balloon, and fol-
lowed by . load Of great metal con-
tainers, which are hydrogen tanks.
In . remarkably short time the great
gas bag has taken form, and rises Ia
IN elevation Of several thousand feet.
II Is connected with its ground crew
Of fifty or sixty men by . steel cable
operated from . winch, and with the
battery by \ telephone line. This
balloon looks nothing like the spher-
ical gas bag that you have seen ut
county fairs. It Is oblong, and 1t one
end it has blunt jutting wings on
either side, and . long protuberance
curling under its belly. Il looks some
what like an elephant with exaggerat-
ed ears and trunk, but no legs, and
elephant" is what the men call it.
The ears and trunk are air sacks,
which are inflated by the wind, and
keep the balloon headed in one direc-
tion. wavering slightly like a fish in
a current, but leaving the basket al
most motionless.
That is the great advantage which
the captive balloon has over the air
plane. The two officers who occupy
the basket can study the enemy posi-
tions at leisure, and from fixed
point, while an airplane observer must
always move at high speed. Further
more, the balloon observer is in con-
stant communication with his battery
by telephone, while the airman must
come back to report, or send o mes
sage by pigeon or wireless.
These two observers are especially
competent. One rests his glass on the
edge Of the basket, which IL firm as q
rock, and studies out the enemy posi-.
tions in sure, leisurely fashion. The
other telephones the observations to
the officer in charge of the battery.
Now and then an airplane rises from
behind the lines and shoots out over
enemy territory. This means that the
balloon observer has suggested max
ing photograph Of some detail Of the
hostile positions which he cannot
quite make out. Tefts
It soon becomes evident that the fire
Of this battery is having deadly effect;
for squad Of enemy airplanes is seen
approaching. There is no doubt Of
their purposes. They hope to get
above the gas bag and put a shot thru
it. There are two parashutes fasten-
ed to the bottom Of the basket for
just this emergency. II the life Of
the balloon is threatened suddenly,
the two observers must desert their
balloon and drop three thousand feet,
One Of the boche planes makes q
rush ct the big placid-looking gas
bag, like a wasp attacking Q cater
pillar. It is met by two American
planes. There Is q rattle Of machine
gun fire high in the air. The boche
plane comes tumbling earthward, q
burning wreck. Another makes the
attempt, and meets like fate. And
yet another. The enemy is determine
ed to destroy that dangerous balloon
At any cost. The observers would b
justified in abandoning their perilous
position, but they refuse to do 10.
Leaving their defense to the airplanes
they continue quietly their study Of
the distant trenches. As7 70
There II not 3 boche plane in sight
now. Apparently the enemy has CIV
en- up the attempt to destroy the
balloon. But unnoticed, . great mass
of gray cloud, big with rain, hss
moved across the sky until II hangs
almost directly over the balloon
Out Of this cloud there suddenly
pitches downward, straight ut the gas
bag, small swift aifplane Of the en-
envy. II has been lowering out Of
sight shove the cloud for hours, wait
ing until this moving ambush Of The
heavens should be 81 Just the right
position. IL falls nose flfst, like q
shot bird, at two hundred miles N
hour; then suddenly checks n inidSfr
and circles about the bAlloon, pour
ing astfeam 6f bullets thru the great
vulnerable bubble of gas and fabric ips
The balloon bursts intb flame and
careens groundward. The two obsers
vers, already fastened TO their par
achutes, leap overheard. One Of them
becomes entangled in the ropes that
support the basket. The other, before
letting 80, stops to aid his companion.
Both swing free ct last, hovering
slowly earthward under their out
spread bits Of canvass. But the balloon
is now . mass Of flaming debris, and
10 piece Of this strikes the parachute
Of the man who aided his friend. In
sumed, and the officer falls q thous-
and feet to earth.
This is an account Of the death Of
Lieutenant Ross Of the Air Service,
the first American balloon observer to
lose his life on the western front, as 1t
was described by some Of his fellow
officers. The incident is given here in
detail because it illustrates 20 well