Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1908-07-11

miles an nOur ana RaVe the aeTiai
fleets Of Europe far behind.
Major George o. squisf, chief OF
the aerial division Of the army, told
the Aldine Association at Ito balloon
dinner that he believes the problem
has been reduced to one Of straight
engineering, and that America has
engineers who can and soon will &C.
complish the feat. He said that he
thought Congress made q mistake N
cutting out Of the appropriation Dill
the 100000 wanted for building a
big alrship and that in this day mid.
air fighting craft were as necessary
a. new battleships.
The Aldine Association, composed
Of New York publishers, arranged for
Its balloon night" dinner in the club.
rooms, No. III Fifth avenue. a feast
appropriate In every course for the
occasion. II began with balloon cock.
tails" with little gasbag anchored
to the cherry, and ended with moving
pictures Of Farman's flight and scenes
above the clouds.
Alexander Graham Bell, Hudson
Maxim and Major Squier supplied
the trimmings, picturing the wars
\ and dictionaries Of the near future
revolutionized by fleets Of cloud.pierc.
ing cruisers and torpedo boats and
lew words in the language to express
new things which development Of
aeronautics will bring to pass.
First Of all, 'aeronautics,' said
DR.. Bell, must 90. It doesn't ex.
press properly the act Of aerial flight"
He admonished the men who publish
books and magazines to consider
thoughtfully and carefully the com.
pounding OF words that will At. "Bal.
loon" originally came from a round
leather ball. inhated-the football Of
three centuries ago. But now the
balloon Is cigar shaped and besides
said DR.. Bell, you can't we'll make .
verb ito balloon" And then there
Is the probability OF abbreviatioh.
':Aerodronle." the name invented by
Prof. Langley for his self.driven air.
ship. Is good word In DR.. Bells
opinion, and when aerodromes are az
common as automobiles people will
be speaking for going "droming'' for
short Of "aerodroming."
DR.. Bell gave an exhaustive history
Of mans efforts to ny. He said tina,
looking into the future for success
full flight was q thing OF the past
that the time Is here. He criticised
the Wright brothers. OF Dayton, O..
for their secretiveness. He said their
refusal to let the world have an ocu'
lar demonstration Of their success re-
acted upon themselves as a foreign
government would not be likely to pay
them for what would necessarily be-
come public property as soon % II
was demonstrated.
Hudson Maxim said:
I'm the not distant future. We
shall have our automobiles Of the ali
and In the wars OF the future. we shall
have our aerial ba,tleships. oul
cruisers, our torpedo boats and tor
pedo boat destroyers. But they'll be
airy frail and fairy craft indeed com
pared with the grim steel monsters Of
the sea.
"The more highly scientific wal
enginery becomes the more the game
OF war will be one that can be played
only by the most scientific and en-
lightened nations. Nose and more
will homo and country be defended
by machinery and less by blood. The
aerial navy will be great bulwarh
OF peace and a very great step toward
the permanence OF peace"
Major Squier contrasted the United
States army's aerial corps Of three
officers and ten men with Germany's
fourteen officers and 800 men. The
United States has contracted for three
heavier-than-air ships. there beinG
three out OF forty-three bidders VINO
came within the specifications.
The Wright brothers, A. NJ. Her
ring and Scot, OF Chicago, are I,
deliver their machines to the govern
ment for tests early In August, Bidl
also have been received for one ligh
dirigiblc balloon, Baldwin, the aerOn
aut, being the successful bidder.
Major Squier said the army needs
in order to keep pace with other ma
lions, to build at once big machine
to match the 30O-foot airship ordered
for France and the 400.foot monster
which Germany is to construct. II
costs" he said, about 100000 for .
frst-class battleship.while an airshil
of this type can be built for abou
$1,000
Heavierthan-air ships - the aeri
plane type-will be the fighting ma
chimes. Major squier predicted. an,
the burdenbearing vessels OF the aeria
seas will be the dirigible balloons. Ill
said he believed It to be possible Il
attain a speed OF fifty miles an hou
instead Of thirty miles. now the maxi
mum. and to this end the War DE-
partment will work-New York World