Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-12-02

Aerial war ships, armed with ex.
plosives more deadly than any prev.
ionsly known, will, 1t Is expected.
soon be in the service OF the. United
States.
This new weapon Of destruction is
the discovery of the governments. ex.
perts. Gen. Crozier says 1t issthe
most powerful explosive the world has
ever known. far SURPRISING lyddite
jovite, dynamite. and other high power
destroyers. The new destroyer.is es.
pecially adapted for use in coniunc-
ton with aerial war engines. ~
When the Hague conference next
meets 1t is expected that Gen. Crozier
Will be able to say, that such progress
has been made that 1t will be practi-
cable for explosives to be dropped on
Nv In such way as will obviate the
churches. seminarles. and all the es-
Establishments usually Immune in time
of bombardment.
Wrght's Great Progresu.
/ The Bureau OF Ordnance and Forti.
ffcation, the most powerful board in
the War Department, has been In
touch with the Wright brothers, in
Dayton. whose experiments with aero.
planes have caused much speculation.
The government Ia convinced that the
Wrights have made great progress.
The government is not fully cosnizant
of all the Wrights have done, but be.
lieves progress enough has been made
to warrant overtures, and steps have
heen taken in that direction. While
Gen. Crozier will not discuss the nego.
tiations with the Wrights, he said to-
day:
"You may simply say that 1t is now
up to the Wright brothers to say
whether the government shall take
their invention. They know the gov.
ernments attitude, and nave its of.
fer"
Accuracy Of Aim Required.
According to the officials of the
War Department, the balloon. dirigible
or non-dirigible. will. neyer become
useless, no matter what progress may
be made with the aeropiane machine.
1T is obvionsYas these experts put It.
that In ordeFito preeipilate dynamite
or melanite orsany OF the high explo-
sives accurately on fortress or army
or fleet. there MUST be such condi.
ton rs absolute "poise."
According to present information,
this is more easily obtained with a
balloon than with flying machine;
which must he kept In motion, and
Will always be true. Until some
means have been discovered OF max.
ing the aim from flying machine in
motion as accurate as would he drop
ming shell from balloon In the per.
llpendicular line of gravity
Accuracy Of aim has. however, been
practically accomplished on naval
ship in motion. 80 that the ultimate
perfection of the FLYING machine need
not be despaired Of
Two things appear to be essential,
IN the use Of the flying machine as a.
ldeath'dealing and terrible engine by
lany nation. One Is that It shall not
J." barred bv The HaP1,e conferences;
the other, that 1t shall be able to he
at a safe distance from attack. while
sending Its projectiles with unerring
aim from the aerial heights
No Hague Prohibition.
AS to an International prohibition.
Gen. Crozier said today:
I'm 1909 I was a delegate to The
Hague conference. There was adopt
ed resolution to the effect that ma.
tons should be prohibited from drop
lOing explosives from balloons or fly.
Ing machines. The opinion appeared
tn he that explosives ahbu!d be pro.
hibited In this way 10 rthe reason that
there was great uncertainty as to the
use of the explosives. 1t was not
known whether with the art unper-
fected, projectiles should not hit the
wrong places-churches, hospitals.
seminaries, &c.
II believe that because this uncer.
tainty might be removed the resoIt,.
ton was reconsidered, and It was
made operative only for five years.
That time has expired. An effort Ia
now being made to have it made on.
erative again for similar period. ?" j
IT would thus appear that the right
OF dropping explosives from flying
machines or balloons exists, and that
1t any attempt Is made at the nett
convention to restrict the use Of ex.
piosiyes In this way 1t will be beaten.
England. France. Germany and ia.
pan Will be great factors in the con.
States. -, =
It is not known positively what at
tttude the United States will main.
tain. but 1t is said that the War De.
partment has already REPLIED TO s,,p.
gestions. through the State DEPART.
ment, from foreign nations in favor Of
future prohibitions, and that the AN.
sWer indicates that the United States
VIII be against any restriction as to
Tying machines and their Uses.
inc way will thus be cleared. It IA
expected. for free use by the United
States of balloons as engines of leglti.
!; mate warefare -
There is no question that the War
Department's Board OF Ordnance AMI,
notifications end its war college pro:
tessors have taken new and decided
Interest In the flyinp machine ana An