Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-01-07
WARFARE n !I|;|. A IN THE | HI SKY *
Captain LoveIace Describes the
Value of Airships.
CAN DROP LIGHTED BOMBS.

CAN DROP LIGHTED BOMBS.
Aeronaut Has Government Approval
to Practice Destroying Abandoned
Forts-Has Taken Pictures of Forti-
fications While Traversing the Air.
"There will not be a standing army /
In any nation Of the world in ten
years, and from two to five years ev-
cry big nation will have war airships |
and airship destroyers just as they
now have torpedo boats and torpedo
boat destroyers."
This prediction was made the other
night to a New York Times reporter
by Captain Thomas T. Lovelace, aero
naut, who recently took photographs
of the Notifications within the walls
of Fort Wadsworth from the German
| balloon Pommern, which won the re-
cent international race.
| Captain Lovelace has shown the pho
tographs to army and navy officers
| ~,
of the batteship Missouri was in the
basket of the airship when the pictures
were made. A birdseye view of an i'm
| portant coast defense in the hands Of
person not commissioned in the army
or navy made the Washington authori-
ties "sit up and take notice" and also
realize the value of an air feet in time
of war. Captain Lovelace destroyed
the plate from which the pictures were
made and gave the pictures to the
government. He has obtained author
ity to proceed with his experiments in
the air, he says, strong intimation
that he would receive commission in
the United States army balloon corps.
The aeronaut is now making reports
Of his experiments to Major George Q.
Squires, chief signal officer of the de-
partment Of the east. He is preparing
to utilize abandoned forts and old
sites of forts to show just what he can
do with destructive material dropped
from the air. He has, the full approval
of the government and Of the war de-
partment, and from now until appro-
priations are asked of congress for
feet Of airships for war use he will
work in the air with the United States
defenses as an objective. f!8ts se
France and England already realize
what part the airship is going to play
In future wars" said Captain Lovelace.
I with a.. war between this country and
any other nation within two years this
would be the procedure in the event of
an attack on the coast defenses of this
country: ffjf @
1.-THE enemy's ships would send up q
feet of airships from their decks. Al
1000 feet in the air we can get visual
range Of sixty-five miles with the max
ed eye. Their appearance in the sky
would mean the rising Of the air feet
Of the United States. Our airships
arising from land, would be larger and
with greater carrying capacity than
those the enemy would send up.
''From the shore our airships would
make their way to the airshfps of the
enemy. Having greater gas capacity
the airships from the land could gel
above the ships Of the war vessels out
4 at sea. l have already perfected ar
arrangement by which lighted bombs
can be dropped from the baskets Of
airships without danger to those drop
ping them. Destroying the airships Of
the enemy, the pursuit Of the sea yes
sells of war would begin.
4 ut has been admitted by experts a
y Washington that in the event Of air
ships of war being sent across oul
Notifications the Notifications couli
be readily destroyed. There are al
ready several secret formulas in tn
possession of the government which
would suffocate every man within 5O(
feet Of the spot where acid bombs
were dropped.
"An airship of the type Of La Patrie
the great French war balloon, coul6
drop fifty tons of dynamite day in {
battle and from height that would
make it safe against anything excep
an airship destroyer. This class o
airship can now carry from eight t
ten tons of dynamite on trip, and
have report from military attache
which, of course. is secret, to the efec
that practice has already perfected tn
airshfp handlers so that these bomb
may be dropped without disturbing tn
ballast of the ship or sending it aloft t
= meet adverse air currents. I have my
self tried target practice from airships
and better hits can be made from
b balloon basket than can be made fror
the EARTH"
E Captain Lovelace has dirigible all
s ship slowed in New York city and
second in another city.
Il have one of my airships equippe
with wireless telegraphy outfit" b
said. with this or with the soma
phore could send reports from alof
as to the lines Of the enemy, their fort
fcations. their avenues Of retreat, tn
i bridges, lines Of communication, an
so on. But all of that is now counte
on. The attack from above must b
4 met by fighting with airship destroy
ers. The next war will be fought o
the sea, under the sea. on the cart