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Show BALLOONS IN THE NAVY, M How They May Be Used for the Purpose of H Spyiiijj on the Enemy Great Aid H to tlic Admirals of Plccts. HK1 nalloens are sola to play an lm- JK poiust part In the work or our nary H$ around Cuba, tad wch day of delayed g action will make them more nrdfl r In observing in Spaniard's strength- K nd Hum o( ilofens. HJ The tirtuous waterways and tho i' generally land-locked nature of the H. harbor, their narrow fortified en- p) tranees, and the excellent retreat the K't lde reaches of water offer to their K ships make II linperstlve that we baTO K tome fairly aafe and reliable rnesns of Hp making reeonnolsssnce of the Span- tarda' position. The lighting tops. yes, eten the maMheada, are of little - avail for obaenatloa at the distances K Imposed by the watchful batterloa of H Hit enemy, and the captive balloon j ) solves the dlRlculty Tbla la cs-m cs-m pcelally o where blah prornontorlea B like thoie of Pantlago de Cuba and San Juan completely shut out the harbor from view and make hlttlne a fleet therln ttioro gueeswork. llecent experl- nenta In Germany, France and llus- sla have empbaslted the Importance of the captive balloon In Idcnlng a fleet's I powers of observation. Just In the aame I way that the rapllvo balloon will aerve I the army; and the patient trlala and J atudy of the Qormasa have evolved n I rurleui aerostat that by virtue of Ha I shape and peculiar iroperlli hi oe-I oe-I peclally well adapted to the graler I Tancsi of sevai work, and It la qjlte I- aafe to say oar own bsllnour will ie-I ie-I Vujy the general feature f she It man design. The balloon will really be Hireo bal- i loon acllnr In concert The'firet and largest I llko an Imrarns sausage, ! and bear the aialn burden of the load ed car. The aecond la tomewhat elm!-lar elm!-lar In shape, but hugs the loiter end f the bin balloon like a creeping caterpillar. Thla second and entailer balloon acta principally In the capacity of a rudder, and alda materially In holding the balloon In a peculiar posl. tlon, whllo the third and amall spherl-cal spherl-cal balloon tralla alone Independently behind at aome dlitante anil serves In the aame steadying capacity that n klta'a tall doe. In action, tbla triple balloon float with great steadiness or immobility when not under way something Impoailble lo the pear-ahaped pear-ahaped affair familiar to all ef in. The obaervatlon car la pendant from the main balloon, which police In the air at an ancle et about 45 degrees, practically like the poaltlon of the kite common to every school boy, and It la Justin that way that the force of the wind la utilised to tncreaae the balloon'a buoyancy and to aubierva alao to that peculiarly marked stendl-rent stendl-rent or dlrectnci of flight. Made up, a It la, In tbreo trparalo parte, It Is leu liable to total and Instant In-stant collapse In case of puncture, and tt Is even poss.ule to aecure a wider margin of safety by subdividing the Interiors In-teriors by thin membranous walla and fitting them with little valves aome- I list like those now used on n bicycle tire, which would enable the balloon to be filled, but which at the aame time would shut off automatically an Injured In-jured compartment by virtue of the unimpaired force of the neighboring good one, A happy, chance ahot that might damage one or even two of the compartments would only cause the balloon to alnk slowly like an exhausted exhaust-ed bird, and would either cnablo tho aeronauta to prepare for a Jump In safety or permit the balloon to bo drawn beyond the reach of further attack at-tack before touching the water. These balloons are built up In aectlona out of a wonderfully light but very lough fabrication of allk i strip a yard long being equal to bearing a burden of halt a ton; and a balloon capable of raising rais-ing a party of four persons will scarce-ly scarce-ly weigh more than a good-tlied boy of 10. The especial advantage of the balloon bal-loon for naval work were discovered o recently as liOI. In that year the Tttualan monitor llusalka foundered with all hands In tho flu!! of Finland. ' An expedition, under Colonel Nicola ' d'Orloff, undertook to discover tho lo- j cation of the lost vessel by using a ', raptlt e balloon for the purpose of sub- marine tbscrvatlon, and while he was I unable to find the craft, mill' the re- salt of hi search were fruitful In valuable val-uable Information for future wvol pur. t poses. The balloon, which was held sapttve by a large naval transport fit-tad fit-tad up for tho service, ascended to altitude al-titude varying from 6M to something Just over MOO feet. Two ottnrers, who were relieved every three hours, wsre constantly In the ear, and It was found that the naked eye wa better adapted to discerning objects at tho bottom of the sea. than were the alda of telescope or glasses. With a favorable favor-able light rocks and sandbank weru clearly defined at depths of from 1) to X3 feet. Large, light aandbanka aucb as prevail about Cuba could be seen mar r If is distinctly, depending upon the (elor of the water, it 1 1 nf ertn It feet, bv l a not -.o I'll to dlatlagulah ' " uuj.. U '. deeply subnet. iw fium ih ear ' 'tied to i llstecco ' quite 45 and U . - pc ',! to hear tho ot el lat - wading which pm luaufll . te ions on land. Oh- jg on the ace of the water were J ua vlly detected than they could '& iiv been on land, and the character of distant craft, whether mercantile or aaval, waa eaaVl discoverable; and, Anally, It was found that the steadier naturo of tluIr current over the water made certain dellcato observations observa-tions poMlble where the broken current cur-rent over the land would have mada them prohibitive. Docked liy the reflecting bottom Mnd about the Cuban porta, exploelve mines In the shallower water vlll aland out wrongly ellhouctletl, aa would also other obstruction opposed to our ships' approach-something that could not bo detected w Mi aafety In any other way. Thla seems a strange power of the air. but It la only becanse tbo eye la carried above the highest anglo ot the aun'a reflected light, and the water becomea aa a ehect of gins fared squarely with the light behind one'a head. With a modern equipment ot longdistance long-distance or telescopic photography It I possible, from a base ao ateo-ly wi one ot these balloons, to take picture of the enemy's corst. fort, hidden batteries and the location ot his vessels ves-sels and his vulnerable positions. This Is not speculation, but an accomplished accomplish-ed fact. Vow let it see how the work will I") done In all probability. One of the auxiliary vessels will bo aaiasncd each fleet to rrve as a balloon depot ahlp, and A good wide atrelch of deck will ke set apart for the nonage of the balloon, lu Inflating and for Its asmu slon ui stibMquent return. The by-iVogen by-iVogen gat will ke aaeule r4thr down bAtov.wwl auptilled fcy Pipe tutlm bal-Ukin bal-Ukin us drt, ot stored, (sjder great pressure, la stout steel cfllndcrs. whlvti ran be carried where most convenient and fed directly into tho great folds ot tbo "aeroatat." When all I ready, tbe observing oQcera step Into the esr, a flno steel rope, under mechanical control, la let cit, and the balloon rises like a great kit blah Into the air. The ahlp get under way. and. with the balloon appearing scarcely kirger than a good-sited orange, starts In toward the coast on Ita mission ot observation and detection. Telephonic communication communica-tion la kept up with the occupants In the ear, and the direction nnd the apeed of tho craft are nt once respona-Ivo. respona-Ivo. to tbe guidance of the watcher In that tiny car a quarter ot n mile above. When they havo completed their recon-nolteaneo recon-nolteaneo the winding: niachtno Is atarted, nnd tbey are quickly and easily drawn dawn, vthllo a little skillful Bwucuverlng laula them on deck ami tbe nimble seamen soon have the balloon bal-loon snugly anchored and covered against mishap. The work con bo car ried on night or day mid with wider applications than possible to a fixed military baae, and Its use on board a naval craft a an auxiliary to operations opera-tions of the army would bo ot Inestimable Inestim-able value. Tlie Illustration depicts the balloon moored to a speeding torpedo lwat aad the result, perhaps, ot a very good night's work In our behalf. Tho balloon bal-loon has ascended from tbo depot ship as i who I, but when at tho desired height waa fattened to the light-draught light-draught and fleeter torpedo boat. This boot has crept In lo the neighboring coast under cover of darkness and sought the temporary nhetler of aome Jutting arm ot the land. As tlie first tnlsU of tho early morning rlao, tho balloon, like a poising eagle, soar high abovo the enemy's defeot.es, but not so far a lu bo beyond tho piercing reach ol Ita telescopic eye. There, practically practical-ly aafe from harm's rcucli, It absorbs so much that la vital to tho mem) 'a welfare, wel-fare, and at the first shot ot alarm tho boat ikirts out from cover, atid before cither boat or balloon caa bo caught In saneo they are hirtt-ctan away to th oSV: with a wealth of Intimation Intima-tion and such dclruion oa It la lmrs- gjUEite Wfnm I n ft. J is fi V W 1 1 cS Si a if I If fJl i ill 8 if I $ JJu MSotL IJjyP JRi f'ori'stf "" ,0V ,0 Wlrd Wlnst be- hSL."1"" h" '"'". bnt they .hlfti; "'rr """ nd tba ,. iV0""'' "' '" ' . but rtniJl "one-not even hie eoaet-ihrr,"h' eoaet-ihrr,"h' "d " It bo for hon,kl? of lnot- ,h "MCaful Soli ?" br 0I,", ''1 . ?L' .' ,r"nd """'rtod action of ?Jr 8"rt " ,h" '" ' " Pie means of Information with the least Mscnre of life. .mi!" ,rh our mnr even .11 . "',,, " "" Hnrt 'nB he !iii ijZL" " ,0o",, "P from nd "! netted m the gray of dawn, will he oeriuardlan high above and touched by ta fir.t allot of the coming day-an day-an enn, ot heaven's guidance nnd a premise of xidn victory itnnKiiT o aitKitiiRTT. MAK1NO OMBflVATIONB KJIOM A YfkVSUVt, |
