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Show THE BALLOON IN BATTLE. How It Is Managed and Information Transmitted Trans-mitted and Received. Balloon and wagon have formed a junction junc-tion and aro ready to start with the troops. Away goes the wagon, with the balloon hanging on to its tail, while the attendant sappers on each side keep it steady. The train moves along at a good round pace, easily keeping tip with or even passing the infantry, and makes for the particular spot at which it has been determined to commence balloon operations, opera-tions, which is usually on the- top of a good high hill. An ascent is an easy enough matter and is soon accomplished. The balloon is securely fixed to the end of the wire rope, and the two men who are to ascend take their places. At the word of command com-mand the men who have been holding down the car let go, and up shoots the balloon, unwinding the rope as it rises and allowed sometimes to ascend to a height of 1,000 feet. And suppose the officer receives instructions to move the position of the balloon, is it necessary to haul it down? Not a bit of it. A man is placed at the end of the wagon who carefully guides the connecting rope so that it cannot get entangled or run risk of being cut, and away goes the wagon, sometimes at a trot across fields and up and down hill, until the balloon itself is a long distance away from its original station. Neit, suppose that it is necessary neces-sary to lower the balloon. Is it needful to wind in all the wire rope that has been paid out from the reels? No such thing. The balloon is brought to earth in a much more expeditious manner. A long, stout pole, in the middle of which is a pulley wheel, is laid across the rope. Half a dozen men seize the pole and run it along the rope, and their weight soon brings the balloon down to the ground. Passengers can then be exchanged, ex-changed, or any other operation can be carried on, and then the men run the pole back, and up shoots the balloon again many hundreds of feet into the air, without having been away from its exalted position more than a few minutes. But it is not necessary to lower the balloon bal-loon in this or any other way whenever it is required that messages should be exchanged between those below and those above. There are various contrivances for doing this. Sometimes, for instance, a wire is attached, through which messages mes-sages can be sent to a telephone. Another plan is to send messages down the wire cable. A little wire hook is fastened around the cable, and the letter or paper, pa-per, weighted with a small sandbag, ia sent fluttering down. The human voice, it may also be added, can be heard both from a considerable height and depth, so that verbal communication is not difficult if there is no wind. Good "Words. |