New Mexico state record., 1921-02-04

I Nht "hiNh dttdSilcs ~ tltsc leSpi VI
now scattered about through the vari
Gus departments. Many of them hav'
been In the past absolutely neeessar.
to secure the well-being of dependen
persons in the United States, person
whose fathers or brothers gave thei
all TO country. If the records had no
Deen In existence poverty would hav,
been the part of some of the desery
| ing.
Service and Other Records in DANGER
Today in one of the structures erect
| ed during the war, great three-stor,
building, said to be fireproof, bu
which Is not so. are stored the greater
part of the service records of the mel
who fought in the World war. Thess
records are In filing cases Of metal
thin metal which could not stand the
heat of fire of any size. There are
acres of buildings on the Mall and
i'll the heart of them is this brancl
OF the adjutant generals department
where the records are housed. Fire
Is no respecter of records of whatever
kind.
In the state. war and navy building
there are hundreds of valuable docu
ments, The building is not fireproof
although 1t probably could resist fire
unless II gained too much headway
The original Declaration of IndepenS
ence Is in the state, war and navy
building. II is kept in vault. and
therefore this document which senti-
mentally and historically is the most
priceless one in the possession of the
people of the United States. probably
could survive any fire which did not
entirely destroy the great department
building which treasures IL.
There are scores of patriotic soci-
cites In the United States. entrance to
which depends upon the ability of the
candidate for admission to prove his
right to membership through descent
from one of the forefathers or fore
mothers of service. Many of the ap-
plicants for admission into the socie-
ties based on ancestry service obtain
their proving data from the state capi-
tails, but there are others who must 90
TO the War department In Washington
10 get the proper attestation of their
right 10 Join.
Balloon Still Useful In Warfare.
The fearful suffering and the escape
from death by the narrowest shave
Of the three naval balloonists, Lieu
tenants Hinton, Farrell and Kloor.
who recently landed near a Hudson
bay trading post, will not deter serv-
Ice alrmen from continuing to experi-
ment with every known kind of air
craft.
The navy balloon, which was driven
by storm into the northern wilder.
ness, was not diriglble. 1t was ell
tlrely at the mercy of the air cur
rents. Under the storm conditions
which prevailed, the balloonists had
little or no idea where they were.
Their attempted observations virtual.
ly were useless and they knew that
ON chance alone their lives depended.
Dirigible service balloons and air
current balloons are two entirely diff
ferent propositions. 1t was predicted
In Washington when dirigibles first
came into being that the usefulness
Of the air current balloon would pass,
but II has been found that II has uses
10 which the dirigible cannot be put.
and so probably II has come to stay
rs part of the materiel of the armies
Df the world until the armies are
abolished in the glad time OF univer-
sal peace, II ever such a time Is to
,ome.
few experiments were made with
balloons In the Civil war days. and
IN one or two occasions they proved
heir effectiveness. In 1871 a high I,
french official escaped from be-
Paris by means of balloon. !
I passed unscathed over the heads of |
he German hosts and the Frenchman y
arried his message 10 its destination. |
In the Spanish and World Wars.
In 1888 the American army tried |
'alloon for observation purposes in
he campaign of Santiago. Lieuten-
nj MaXfield of the old signal serv-
ce and one or two other officers. made
he attempt to put the balloon to use.
Va sooner, however, had II risen to
he proper observing height than the
'paniards turned loose on ii, and IL
orthwith had to descend. This was
captive balloon and the fact that
made such n prominent mark, out
med as IL was against the sky, led
[ that time to the thought that bal
)ons as necessary parts of an army's
quipmcnt were at the end Of their
sefulness.
In the last great war however. cap
We balloons were of inestimable sery-
e to every army engaged, and more
han occasionally nondirigibles with
% anchorage connection with the
round, were found to be seryiceable
nder certain conditions and for Ger.
lin purposes
Captive balloons occasionally we're
estroyed by fire from ground guns.
ut II was the airplane which the
,server In the captured balloon had
ost to fear.
In every balloon there was a para
lute ready for the use of the observ-
;. When the gas bag was struck by
! incendiary bullet there was a burst
fame, a pillar Of ascending smoke
nd the balloons days were ended,
Id occasionally the days of the OBJ
rivers with 1t. 1t took quick work
the part of the occupants of the
isket TO throw themselves out TO
I clear of the immediate danger.
hen they fell the danger was Of
urse great that the parachutes
Duld not act properly. but generally
py did and the balloonfstS ae