The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-06-12
AIRSHIPS IN WAR.
They Will Surely Come if Not Barred
 Out

From the moment that M. santos Dumont alighted softly on the sword of the Bois de Boulogne, after encircl- ing the Eiffel Tower, new era began in the man-conquest of the atmosphere says George Lynch in The Grand Magazine. "The aeronaunt had suc- ceeded in solving the problem he had set himself, and, thenceforward had merely to perfect the details. Assum- ing, as we are entitled to do, that M, Santos-Dumont's new ship proves success, and that, in addition to carry ing crew of eight or ten, it will have la lifting power for a small cargo, see what a powerful and novel weapon of offensive warfare is at the disposal of the nations. .s
 'In the next continental war it is un- conceivable the effectiveness of such a mode of attack will not be until eized. After the lessons of the, recent siege of Fort Arthur any one can real ize the immense service practicable war airship of sufficient siege would have been to the besiegers, and what a difference there might have been in the history of the operations If, in- stead of the enormous labor of hav- ing to bring immense siege guns from Japan in order to destroy the ships in the harbor, lyddite could have dropped upon the vessels decks from above. Unquestionably the cheaper form of Iy ;,, I,; t,,, been by airships.
 Tt will perhaps be urged that the gasbag of large airship would offer a comparatively easy target, but, at a sufficient elevation, think, this is by no means the case. During the siege of Laysmith I myself saw our captive balloon brought slowly to the ground by Boer rife fire alone; but then 1t must be borne in mind that the balloon was stationary and at a low eleva- ton, very little higher than the hill from which the firing came. A moving lairship at a considerable elevation if only slight damage was inflicted, there would always be the chance of being able to get away outside the eni- mics lines before having to come to earth. Shrapnel fire will probably be found the most effective against such vessels, but there must always be the difficulty, of getting the proper eleva- tion for the guns, and they could not be fired vertically without the chance of the projectiles on their return do- ing more harm to the side that fired them than they inflicted on the ene- my.
 "A curious connection arises between submarines and air ships, because the latter will probably be used as a means of attacking the former. At present submarines are quite invisible from the ships they attack, but from ithe elevation of balloon or airshir their. movements under the water can be observed with the utmost distinct ness. Airships, will probably, there fore, be used to reconnoiter the move. lments of submarines on behalf of the ships the latter are about to attack land may furthermore be used to dror Iprojectiles upon them. If one fleet em- Iploys airships to watch submarines SC will its enemy, and then the timt iriust come when the new craft will at tack each other, and the first aii flight will take place. Not many years will pass before Tennyson's prediction will be realized, when he
 Heard the heavens fill with shouting
 and there rained 8 ghastly dew. From the nations airy navies grap'
 bling in the central blue;
 Far along the worldwide whisper oi
 the south wind rushing warm.
 With the standards of the people
 plunging through the thunder. sorm.
 By his trips over the Mediterran- can and back M. Santos s-Dumont has proved that it will be quite feasible when his new ship is ready, to sail a. |cross from Paris and hover over Lon don. Imagine the sensation of Lon doners if ship should appear in thu Iupper air and commence taking pot. shots at the dome of St. PauPs, or ex. pectorating Jumps of lyddite on the Bank of England! The inhabitants would be powerless to reply, and tht only people who would enjoy real safe ty would be travellers in the Two penny Tube of the District Railway.
 This is no fantastic Jules Verne like situation that l am suggesting; il has come withing the practical fielt of actual military operations. Airships will have to fight airships and defend cities against. their attacks, and wher 1.-the first appears equipped by any