Aerophilia | Page 4

been inaugurated, and, up to
a point, have proved popularly, if not commercially, successful, while
tentative efforts have been made to utilise the aeroplane as a
mail-carrier. Still, from the view-point of the community at large aerial
travel is as remote as it was centuries ago.
It is somewhat interesting to observe how history is repeating itself.
When the Montgolfiers succeeded in lifting themselves into the air by
means of a vessel inflated with hot air, the new vehicle was hailed not
so much as one possessed of commercial possibilities, but as an engine
of war! When the indomitable courage and perseverance of Count von
Zeppelin in the face of discouraging disasters and flagrant failures, at
last commanded the attention of the German Emperor, the latter
regarded the Zeppelin craft, not from the interests of peace, but as a
military weapon, and the whole of the subsequent efforts of the
Imperial admirer were devoted to the perfection of the airship in this
one direction.
Other nations, when they embarked on an identical line of development,
considered the airship from a similar point of view. In fact, outside
Germany, there was very little private initiative in this field.
Experiments and developments were undertaken by the military or
naval, and in some instances by both branches, of the respective Powers.
Consequently the aerial craft, whether it be a dirigible airship, or an
aeroplane, can only be regarded from the military point of view.
Despite the achievements which have been recorded by human
endeavour in the field of aerial travel, the balloon per se has by no
means been superseded. It still remains an invaluable adjunct to the
fighting machine. In Great Britain its value in this direction has never
been ignored: of late, indeed, it has rather been developed. The captive
balloon is regarded as an indispensable unit to both field and sea
operations. This fact was emphasised very strongly in connection with
the British naval attacks upon the German forces in Flanders, and it
contributed to the discomfiture of the German hordes in a very
emphatic manner.
The captive balloon may be operated from any spot where facilities

exist for anchoring the paying out cable together with winding facilities
for the latter. Consequently, if exigencies demand, it maybe operated
from the deck of a warship so long as the latter is stationary, or even
from an automobile. It is of small cubic capacity, inasmuch as it is only
necessary for the bag to contain sufficient gas to lift one or two men to
a height of about 500 or 600 feet.
When used in the field the balloon is generally inflated at the base, to
be towed or carried forward by a squad of men while floating in the air,
perhaps at a height of 10 feet. A dozen men will suffice for this duty as
a rule, and in calm weather little difficulty is encountered in moving
from point to point. This method possesses many advantages. The
balloon can be inflated with greater ease at the base, where it is
immune from interference by hostile fire. Moreover, the facilities for
obtaining the requisite inflating agent--hydrogen or coal gas-- are more
convenient at such a point. If the base be far removed from the spot at
which it is desired to operate the balloon, the latter is inflated at a
convenient point nearer the requisite position, advantage being taken of
the protective covering offered by a copse or other natural obstacle.
As is well known, balloons played an important part during the siege of
Paris in 1870-1, not only in connection with daring attempts to
communicate with the outer world, but in reconnoitring the German
positions around the beleaguered city. But this was not the first military
application of the aerial vessel; it was used by the French against the
Austrians in the battle of Fleurus, and also during the American Civil
War. These operations, however, were of a sporadic character; they
were not part and parcel of an organised military section.
It is not generally known that the British War office virtually pioneered
the military use of balloons, and subsequently the methods perfected in
Britain became recognised as a kind of "standard" and were adopted
generally by the Powers with such modifications as local exigencies
seemed to demand.
The British military balloon department was inaugurated at Chatham
under Captain Templer in 1879. It was devoted essentially to the
employ ment of captive balloons in war, and in 1880 a company of the

Royal Engineers was detailed to the care of this work in the field. Six
years previously the French military department had adopted the
captive balloon under Colonel Laussedat, who was assisted among
others by the well-known Captain Renard. Germany was somewhat
later in the field; the military value of captive