The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-05

What effect will the perfected air-
 ship have on warfare?
 Ever since the creation of the world
 attack and defense have kept an even
 balance. No invention has ever yet
 been perfected by the aggressor, but
 that the one attacked has been able
 to Invent some resisting device. The
 shield and coat of mail met the arrow
 and javelin. The stone walls of the
 fortress met the battering ram. Earth
 works met the armor-pierctng bullet.
 The ironclad battleship resisted the
 solid shot. And so progress marked
 the history of warfare. But the air
 will offer attacking facilities that will
 find no power big enough to resist
 them, and bring reign of terror that
 has no equal in history.
 Because of it's great possibilities In
 war, the nations of the earth are talk
 ing the keenest interest in the per-
 fecting of the aerial craft, and drift
 ing balloons. dirigible balloons and
 aeroplanes of varying types have had
 their try-out and have proved their
 peace-compelling factors. Prizes have
 been offered. bids received and other
 manifestations of great interest shown
 by the enlightened nations.
 The United States Government has
 named these requisites for the airship
 which must stand the tests at Fort
 Myer:e It must make forty miles an
 hour. It must be easily dismantled,
 carried about and assembled, ready
 for use. in one hours time. It must
 be of sufflcoent capacity to carry two
 persons with an aggregate weight of
 $50 pounds, and fuel enough for
 125-miIe trip. It must stand speed tests over a set five-mile course, taking a flying start and going both with and against the wind. It must stand an
 endurance test of one-hour's flight, in all directions in this flight, being at all times stable and under control. In case of the failure of the propelling machinery, 1t must have a safety de- vice by which the occupants may be lowered without injury. It must be capable of ascent in any country where military operations are in progress. without special preparation.
 It is believed that the Navy De- partment will soon name specifications and advertise for bids on a similar craft. It will ask that the ship be able to arise from and alight on the water and make q speed of forty miles an hour while carrying weight of $50 pounds.
 The ships that stand these tests will have broken down world-old bar TIGTSs 1H6 new WdTIdE0 VIII D0 SCEEl- ble and wonderful. Coast defenses that have cost billions of dollars will be set at naught; fort and castle will be as so much picturesque pasteboard scenery on q playhouse stage; the ar mics of the world will be useless; the ironclads will lie powerless at an- chor in easy range of pitiless aerial One completely equip ped aerial battleship could wipe out q Al, stitute the navies of the world powers, and destroy their armies by powerful explosives dropped from above. Were such a destroyer to attack Great Britain, for example, the protection of insularity which that country has so long enjoyed, would be of no avail. and the annual army budget of $1SS,- 100000 and navy budget of $160, 1000 ,000. would have been as utterly wasted as so many cupsfur of water.
 In the warfare. aeroplanes as swift as swallows would act as scouts in the skies. sailing at from forty to sixty miles an hour. and mapping the coun- try at will from a height of 1000 or perhaps 4.000 feet. sharp sh ooters on lookout towers on the land, armed with guns especially made for sight ing and firing skyward will have some difficulty winging such strange birds. On sea the object to be hit moves at about fifteen miles an hour, on land 1t goes slower, in the air 1t would be going four or five times as fast. On land or sea the object would be following the same plane The skipper of the skies may change at will the plane on which he moves, and the sharpshooter would find his range ever changing. his shots going wild of their mark. A war balloon of ordinary dimensions would present to the land batteries about the same sur face as that offered by a platoon of cavalry. while an ,airship would be
 very difficult to hit because the planes would be tangential to the curve of the flight of the projectile.
 When actual military operations have been begun, with the maps as guides, armed cruisers will invade the skies of their enemy's country. New instruments which must be a combi- nation of plumb line range finder and telescope will be used to get the range of city or fortress, and then on these defenseless places the ship will drop high explosives with terrible effect l The explosives would possible be towS l ed behind the airship on inexpensive | barge-like floats. and these be cut | loose and sunk one by one on the 1 beseiged country below. so as not to | endanger the aerial battleship itself. | High explosives of small bulk might | be dropped through rifled barrels of | new type guns.
 Secrecy. the one great need for | armies in wartime, will no longer be | possible with an earial navy. Every | movement will be known to the keen | eyed watchers above. and every move | In, land fighting there | has been little change for centuries. It Is even said that Ceasar might re- | turn and manoeuVre an army Of to- day. and that he would find the physl- 1 gal endurance and the fighting strength | of man no greater than when he cross | luer the known world. What civiliza- l ton and art have done is to invent l that will increase mans | lighting efficiency. The greatest | changes have been in sea-fighting. a | evolution from the days of | tho Roman trireme to those of the i Dreadnaught. To perfect the airship | would be to transfer the navy to the | skies and so leave the land at its | mercy. From point 5000 feet high | missiles can be discharged. and from | this height not only can the sea-hght- | ing craft be seen, but because of | their altitude, the men on the aIrships | Will be able to discover the subma- -ines the mines and the harbor ob- structions laid deep in the water.
 There will be a gallant attempt to | make defense keep the balance with | attack. The principle that makes | wireless telegraphy possible may be | utilized to set the air with dangerous | currents that will shock the attacking | oarty's ship and explode the ammu- lition as 1t goes by. Or the old sum- | glass will be brought into play, and, ]