The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1918-03-13

-, s--sA| pair Of keen eyes. stead.
ny watching from great observation
balloons just behind the allied from
takes notice of it.
Every movement, every activity Is
registered until IA schedule of tho usu.
ai enemy routine is built up and the
a'''"se amount Of motion known.
any departure from this schedule is
'uHi"clous, writes Il captain In the avi.
"'ioh corps In the New York Sun A
'Ia!h running late or with more cars
'''in usual men in the trenches being
renewed too frequently, new roads or
eHiplhceinents being built too earnest
~ give the first hint that Fritz across
'"' 'ihe' Is up TO something.
"A Keen ballOonist notes any Of those
,iiaheeS, and at once telephones down
u the ground: IAN extra train Of six
'aIS passed - at 10 40" Half n
-''iie farther down the line another
p"ii oi eyes reports: Large convoy
''''' 'he up to front. range 50 and So"
sun little farther down another
suspicious circumstance is noted. IN
III the general staff down below. as
seiiloiiilg all these straws, foresees the
pegihnlng Of a big offensive across the
me. CONFERENCE.-The are taken. bat
'eFles directed, conveys and trenches
smashed up, and the enemy's plans
thrown askew.
D,oeil,I,
POSSIBLY. however. the offensive is
10 come from the balloonist's own side.
ne observer ascends with full knowl-
euee OF all the details Of action. EN-
boldened. probably. to move I'D much
nearer the German lines than usual
IN the belief that the eneInys artillery
VIII be driven off.
The opening bombartlment Is q time
or ceaseless and vital work. Spotting
shot by shot. watching for new enemy
batteries to open up. moving the bar
rage fire back and forth with the ad-
vance of the troops. Any error here
may send the steel wall into the oh
servers own troops or cost scores of
lives later by failure to make a COM
plete demolition of the enemy's de-
Tense.
Work Of Vital Importance.
Hostile airplane overhead" is apt
to break in through the telephone wire
at any moment.
A German aviator more adventur-
Gus than his fellows is Swoopng down.
perhaps under protecting cloud. In
an attempt to put out the ever-watch-
full eyes. The observer makes ready
his parachute. the machine guns on
the ground below click off a rain of
lead at the invader. and the windlasS
men start bringing the big envelope
To ground with all possible speed.
Perhaps the invader is driven off:
perhaps the balloon is set afire and
the balloonist forced to parachute to
the ground. In either case it Is all a
part of the days work which adds ad
venture and romance IN the RESPONSE
BILE work done by the halloonist.
Such is briefly-very briefiy-the
duty and work of the balloon observer
Calm. patient, ever watchful he rides
far above the ground as the great en-
velope sways on its cable.
The balloon service abroad had been
carefully if modestly developed for
military purposes. and the moment
that the war settled into the trenches
came into its own because IL was at
once discovered that work could be
done with them which could be done
in no other way.
Balloon observation began to as
sumo vital Importance. until now
hardly a mile of the front lines is
without It's big. clumsy envelope.
constant, ceaSelesS vigil is maintained
over every move Of che enemy. over
every shell fred by either side. so that
friends below may be saved from sur
nrise and enemies across the lines may
feel the weight of every shell hurled
at them.
The United States is building up
such force literally from nothing.
LAST November the old field out West
was overgrown with weeds. the gas
reservoir out of repair, the whole
place stagnant. In the last few
however. the field has been
cleared and brought back 10 activity,
the air once again Is filled with big.
friendly balloons. and keen-faced men
are being trained for immediate serv-
ice abroad. Already the first Ameri-
can detachments are in France. the
of a large American balloon
force which ultimately will be as COM
plete as any other branch Of the army.
Duties Of Observers.
The work thf d, this force will do
will be invaluable. With the airplane
spotters and photographers. 1t will
romnlete the vast air service which
II is expected will blind the German
army and prepare the way for the ar
tillery and infap ry to break up the |
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Enchantment Of Winter.
ivory day we come in from the |