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Show i w.1 it iJbw, Balloons (or Warfare. The new signal corps post at Fort (Special Letter.) National Balloon Park Uyer is under the command of Major which our army is building Joseph E. Maxfleld, U. S. A. Just now at Fort Myer, across the it has the double function of a training Potomac, near Washington, school for raw signal corps recruit unwill be the most modern dergoing instruction for the Philippine post of the kind in the service and of a depot for signal corps world. It will concentrate supplies of all kinds. A large barracks, with all modern signal corps instruction to one place, the posts at Fort Logan, Improvements, has lately been erected Col., the Presidio, San Francisco, and upon the crest of a hill rising in front San Antonio, Tex., having been abol- of the balloon house. In this cheery ished. and building are full acOne of the largest balloon barns in commodations for 110 men. the world has been erected within the The most unique employment of new park. This Is a great, rectangular, captive war.baloona like ours lately corrugated iron building with a slant- conceived hy the world's military ing roof and great doors which throw ' aeronauts, is for the transportation open the entire front end of the struc- of bodies of soldiers over rivers not ture. The Blze of thebe swinging doors spanned by bridges. Imagine, for ingives some hint as to the proportions stance, that our army wishes to invade of the monster which will make its ex- Mexico and that it is concentrated on this side of the Rio Grande, many its and its entrances through them.A dragon is to abide within the iron miles from the nearest bridge. The walls of this great barn. This dragon great dragon balloon, together with vehicles, which is to be employed to help tight Uncle the two make up our aerial fleet, are anchored Sams future battles. If all things come so that they overhang the center of to pass as they are now being prophestream. Numerous ropes hung the sied by army officers, this war dragon from each, are fastened on the Amerwill belch forth fire, like Its mythical ican side. Soldier after soldier grasps ancestors; will devour men by tho hun- a rope and swings himself to the Mexdreds; will wipe formidable fortresses ican bank. All the ropes thus used from the face of the earth. are fastened in the latter side until Uncle Sams war dragon is the twin the last has been used. Then all ropes brother of the flying monster with are unfastened and the portions of which the German army lately equipthe balloon are shifted until the next ped Itself, it is an airship which com- detachment of men selected for crossbines all of the virtues of the man- ing can reach the endB of the great carrying kite and captive balloon; cords. Then the balloons are moved which eliminates the evils of both. To over the center of the river again, stray rather broadly from classical until the second body of soldiers has simile. It may be best described as a Bwung itself across. By such means giant sausage, tilted up on one end and regiments can cross not only un having a smaller sausage curled up over its lower extremity after the fashion of the squirrels tail. This smaller envelope sucks up air which iSressrs against a diaphragm or partition within the larger envelope and thus keeps the covering of the latter always snugly tight, regardless of how much the gas contained therein may expand or contract: The entire balioon is held by a cable and remains poised at the same spanned streams, but precipitous and threatening abysBes. The new angle which the kite presents to the currents. Like it air the kite, dragon balloon will perhaps lie used by upper flies higher and higher the faster the navy. Its prototype was lately flown with great wind blows, whereas the ordinary cap- from a German success. of The this experiment object as tive balloon dips lower and lower was to test the dragon balloon's value the speed of the breeze quickens. Inside the great barn Is to be in- as a floating maritime observatory. The dragon balloon will be the eye stalled every equipment for filling the monster and his consorts with gas. For of the commander of our land forces 1.200 above Inflation hydrogen will be employed. A in the next war. If flown a view of the will command it earth, complete plant for its manufacture will the horizon fifty miles away on a clear be an Interesting adjunct to the big day, and over level country. Althongh balloon house. A smaller corrugated it be miles and mileB away, the floating Iron building has already been erected. craft will communicate directly all The gas manufacturing and compress- that it secs. A long electric nerve ing plant will later be Installed within emanating from the observer in its It The hydrogen will be compressed basket will descend the controlling caInto cylinders eight feet long, three or ble of the big airship and connect with four Inches in dlamether, and with con- the field telegraph line reaching the tents of one cubic foot of the gas, very commanders post at the front Wireless telegraphy will be a feahighly compressed. Hundreds of these tubes, after having been charged at the ture of the new ballooning school's new compressing plant will be borne curriculum. The advantages of this to the balloon house In wagons and new mode of transmitting thought connected to the main valve of the new would be Infinite in case of war, and in connection with aerial fleets of war by rubber pipe. The army now has two other new craft. Drill in the dropping of explosives captive war balloons. Both of these are will be another feature of the new class. The larger of the but Biich experiments will have work, of In 40 has a la feet diameter, capacity to far from populated centers. be 14,000 cubic feet of gas and will carry of dynamite dropped by pounds Fifty four men. The smaller holds 13,000 cuballoon so as to explode the dragon bic feet of gas and will carry three within 200 feet of the most powerful men, with all necessary signal apparabattleship would wipe the latter off tus. the bosom of the deep. The envelopes of these two balloons are made of goldbeaEcrantrlcltlM of Genlo. ters skin, a membrane taken from the statement la made by The following entrails of the bullock and subjected to Mr. Havelock Ellis from the study of various stages of curing. Each animal 859 men and e women of note furnishes one piece, about 15 by 24 in Britain. The upper and middle Inches in diameter. classes, according to Mr. Ellis, are Ultimately, regularly scheduled bal- rich in geniuses. The country and loon drills will be held at the new small towns produce genius more often post than cities, and the clergy father Some time ago It was prophesied in the children. most distinguished the public prints that Uncle Sam Geniuses tend to come of large famiwould have to equip himself with a lies. to be the children of elderly parfleet of modern war balloons if he ents, to be precocious, feeble in health in early life, but fairly They have usually excellent education; a large proportion travel extensively in early years. There is among geniuses a tendency to remain unmarried or to marry late in life. Persons of unusual Intellect are often subject to gout, asthma or angina pectoris (nervous diseases), to stammering, melancholia or insanity. Pictorial Rumor 11E . well-light- ed pear-shap- ed can-on- B man-of-w- pear-shape- d ed forty-thre- long-live- A rnl Court d. nrtnr. John Philip Sousa, whose departure Cnrle Mm's War Dragon, wished to be ready to cope with European powers, in case of hestilities. This necessity was soon realized by General Greely, the chief signal officer of the army. Some months ago, while that distinguished officer was traveling abroad, he happened to witness the performance of the German dragon balloon. lie straightway ordered a duplicate of the Kaiser's monster from its inventor, a lieutenant in the German army. Our war balloon fleet is the newest In the world. It is directly beneath the ehJef signal officer, and is a part of the train. flying field-telegra- has left all musical London mourning, was once the direct means of stopping what might have been a bad panic. He waB conducting before 12.000 people in St. Louis, when the electric lights in the hall suddenly went out. The usual rush for the doors had just begun when Sousa gave a signal and his band started playing, Oh, dear, what can the matter be?" A tiny ripple of laughter that went round the audience showed that the spell was beginning to work nnd when the band passed on to "Walt till the clouds roll by," the laughter broadened into a roar that gave way in its turn to much cheering when the lights were turned on again. London Tatler. self-satisfi- WORTH THE MONEY. , Para FuiIbmi, Klose la MoJlgger Your friend making plenty of money these days. Thingumbob Thats strange. I saw him yesterday and he looked rather seedy and discontented. McJlgger Thats his foxiness. He's afraid to spruce up for fear some one will want to borrow from him. "Ive had an offer of 3,000 for my book." "Heavens, you're no author!" I know it. Im publishing your love letters." HAD PLENTY OF NERVE. jult ut . woman. "I hardly think my wife sees the Joke yet, said Brown with a smile, "and I am also inclined to think that she has an idea that I was deliberately trying to create a false impression, to which I plead guilty. "One night last week I thought I heard some one prowling about the house, and as there have been a number of houses broken into lately I concluded that the noise was made by burglars. As I sat up in bed listening, I chanced to glance into the next room, the door of our bedroom being open, and there stood a burglar coolly examining our silverware. With this startling discovery came the chilling thought that I hadn't such a thing as a firearm in the house. But I determined to run a bluff, so turning to my wife I said in a loud voice: "Where's my revolver?" "John. she answered In a voles equally as loud, "there Isnt such a thing in this house, and you know it! sure-enou- De Stangay Were you embarrassed when you proposed to Miss bags? FluBhington Yes, financially. Money- - ar kite-ballo- pear-shap- Mo DaaoUat Flghtlag. But what fault have you to find," aaid the puzzled orator, "with the statement, He bared his breast to war's terrlfie dangers? Because I didnt," said the truthful hero from the Philippines, blushing deeply. "It was pretty hot there, hut I always liked to have a pocket with a pack of cards in it in front of my cardiac region. A DOSE. Henry Ignorance. "Henry, said Uncle Amos, from who was visiting Mb city nephew, "who's that man in the house on the other side of the street? Every morning he stands in front of a window an' shaves himself. He's done it now for three days I suppose he has done It every morning for the past ten years, uncle," replied Henry. Has he lived there all that time? "Yes, and longer thfi that, for all I know. I've been Ik ' wnly ten years myself. "Who Is he?" I dont know."' Up-cree- k, hand-runnin- g'. 7 & "What does be toiler ?" I havent the slightest idea, uncle. Uncle Amoa put on his hat and went out In an hour or two he returned. "Henry," he said, that chap's name is Horton. He runs an Insurance office down town. Hes wuth about 827,000, owns that house an lot, belongs to the Presbyterian church, has three boys an one girl, an hes 46 years old. Ive found out more about him In an hour than yon have In ten years. Blamed If I dont believe livin in the city makes people stupid." , Little Elsie Papa, where have yon been?" Papa To the barber shop, Oh, I know! my dear. Little Elsie You went to get the splinters pulled out of your face, didnt you, papa? She Why are you go anxious to meet your mother-in-laHe If I meet her In public I may escape kissing her. at the depot? w WHAT HE COULD DO. "Minn GlggU Falls. Some years ago I visited an old friend of mine In Minneapolis," said a Milwaukee railroad man, "and he spent considerable time taking me about to show me the many interesting places In that Interesting city. One day he took me out to see the famous Minnehaha Falls, and after I had feasted my eyes on this beautiful work of nature he Invited me to accompany him down the gulch through which the little stream Hows at least half a mile nnd there called my attention to a little cascade that Is an exact miniature of Minnehaha Falls. What do you call this cascade? I asked of my friend. We call this Minne Giggle.' Milwaukee Sentinel. well-kno- The Only Safe Way. He took the money out of his pocket and counted it. "Too much, he commented. He put a 10 bill buck in his pocket and lild the rest away under a pile of shirts in a drawer of his dresser. "Why are you doing that?" asked his wife. "We're going to the church fair tonight, aren't we?" j returned. "Yes. "Well, I know Just how much I can afford to let the ladles of the chureb guild get, and I'm taking no chances, Chicago Post h-- |