Airships past and present, together with chapters on the use of balloons in connection with meteorology, photography and the carrier pigeon . and nothing further is knownabout the state of the art in China. Unsuccessful experiments were made in Denmark between1807 and 1811 with a dirigible balloon; but it was not till 1886that an officer was sent to Belgium, England, and France, tostudy the question. This journey resulted in the giving of anorder to Yon, of Paris, for a complete equipment for one this arrived it served for various exercises till it waseventually worn out. Nothing
Airships past and present, together with chapters on the use of balloons in connection with meteorology, photography and the carrier pigeon . and nothing further is knownabout the state of the art in China. Unsuccessful experiments were made in Denmark between1807 and 1811 with a dirigible balloon; but it was not till 1886that an officer was sent to Belgium, England, and France, tostudy the question. This journey resulted in the giving of anorder to Yon, of Paris, for a complete equipment for one this arrived it served for various exercises till it waseventually worn out. Nothing further has been done in thematter. In 1885 a complete ballooning outfit was ordered by the MILITAEY BALLOONING IN OTHER COUNTRIES. 171 Italian Government from Yon, of Paris, and a company wasformed, which has done much work in the field. Englishmethods were, however, followed in 1887, goldbeaters skin beingused as a material, and steel cylinders being introduced forcompressed gas. At the same time French methods were notentirely discarded; silk balloons and gas generators wereemployed to some extent. A company was sent to the front at. Fig. 102.—After a lauding. the time of the war in Abyssinia, the balloons being transportedon mules and camels. The German kite-balloon was employedin the navy in 1900, and in 1901 the system was still more widelyadopted. A legend is still told of a Japanese soldier who mounted in akite during the siege of a fortress in 1869, and threw bombs onthe heads of the enemy. This may be true, but it has a slightlymythical sound, not altogether out of keeping with the air ofmystery which veiled Japan at that time from the gaze of theouter world. The first fact which is definitely known about 172 AIRSHIPS PAST AND PRESENT. Japanese ballooning activity in its military aspect is that thefirm Yon, of Paris, supplied them with the necessary materialsin 1890, though it was supposed at the time that theGermans might have received the order owing to the knownp
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