Show J V Q H 1 am I TIC balloons rsm 1 I 1 Q float floal to Us S ch ef of forestry service explains how airborne air bo borne rne missiles operate washington A government official says that japans bomb carrying balloons being sent against america are launched in the home islands and are controlled by an automatic ballast dropping device says the associated press lyle F watts chief of the united states forest service told in a radio interview how the unmanned balloons operate the forest service has been assisting the army in preventing damage the army and navy recently disclosed that some of the balloons have landed in the western part ol of this country and said they had caused no property damage watts said the balloons made of fine layers of silk paper and 35 feet in diameter are taken to japanese war plants where officials make a lot of speeches stir up workers to a frenzy and then launch the balloons ba 1 from the plant for their trip to the united states ballast regulates height the hydrogen filled bags ascend to heights of to feet where they reach air currents which travel constantly from west to east he asserted each time they descend to feet from loss of gas a barometric pressure switch automatically mati cally drops a sandbag release of this sandbag causes the balloon to rise again to about feet if the japs have figured right watts said the last sandbag has been dropped only after the balloon has reached this country A second automatic switch which controls the bombs then takes over he continued when the balloon drops to feet a bomb is released the balloon goes back up then down again and another incendiary is released and so on as it travels across the united states when the last incendiary cen diary is dropped a fuse is is ignited automatically and sets off a demolition charge which destroys the balloon speed miles in an hour hoar the only balloons found on the ground are defective ones which failed to explode watts said the balloons travel up to miles an hour taking from 80 to hours to reach this country he reported the forest service has increased its air patrol to sight as f many as possible in the air and shoot them down it also has increased the number of parachuting fire fighters there is a point id like to bring out the forestry chief said we are less worried about this japanese balloon attack than we are about matches and smokes in the hands of good americans hiking and camping in the woods lumber for crating our war goods going to the pacific is still a very critical item we must protect our timber |