Tethered balloon

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 emphasized 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 ladder.

Consequently, if exigencies demand, it may be operated from the deck of a warship, so long as the ladder 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.

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 recognized 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 employment 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 Lousadotte, who was assisted, among others, by the well-known Captain Renard.