Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-10-07 | Page 60 | Government Wants Balloon Observers

GOVERNMENT HIS BALLOON OBSERVERS New and Attractive Branch of Army Service Opened by War Department. Word has just been received today of perhaps the newest and most interesting interest-ing branch of tiie army. This new branch 0-f the service is for the purpose of making mak-ing observations from captive balloons. The most exciting moments are when these captive balloons are picked as targets tar-gets by the enemy aeroplane, at which time the observers, who always have parachu'tes firmly attached to their persons, per-sons, jumn out of the balloon basket, even though they are snuo or -U00 feet from the ground, and float down to safety, while the friendly a irships immediately : arrive and attempt to drive off the attackers at-tackers from the unoccupied balloon. To those who were unable to gain admission ad-mission in the officers' training camps, tor one reason or another, this is your opportunity. The government wants men of the- caliber of officers for the United States army, and they must be between the ages of 2.5 and 35 years. Tho lowest rank is first lieutenant, with pay of 2000 per year and 50 per cent extra when in active service. This Is an opportunity for well-educated men, preferably graduates of technical colleges with athletic training who have hud broad experience and who have demonstrated dem-onstrated their reliability and accuracy of otservatinn. The course of instruction is a liule over two months. Those who are successful In passing the examination for commissions will be sent immediately to France and put into action at once. H is suggested that those Interested get in touch with C. S. Burton, president of the Farmers & Storkgrowers bank, local lo-cal branch chairman of the Military Training Camps' association, who has application ap-plication blanks for distribution and do- ! tails concerning this new branch of . the service, which is bound to become very popular. Only a limited number of ap-I ap-I plications can be received for this branch t liorefore, if you a re going to investi- gale this proposition, do so at once.