Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1909-08-11
Fighting In the Skies

"Napoleon's dictum that God Fights
ON the side of the strongest artillery
will not longer hold true. In the very
next war between civilized countries
the world will see that God fights on
the side that has the strongest flying
machines and the most of them -
This was part of q striking wor6fpic-
tEre of what the NEXT war will be- like
which Hudson Maxim, inventor and
scientist, painted for his hearers the
other night at the '+aeronautlc even
ing of the Automobile club of Ameri-
ca in its cIubrooms in New York says
the Yorkville, S. G., Enquirer.
He predicted, among other things,
that every village after awhile will
have TO have its brigade of batteries
of field guns for the destruction OF air
ships. just as it now has it's volunteer
fire department. War, he said, will
become once again as horrible as it
was in the days Of hand to hand hght-
ing.
"In war the frontier is the line of
BATTLE" Mr.. Maxim said. IAN invad-
ing army carries its frontiers with it.
| The flying machine will obliterate all
frontiers, and there will be no city or
village that may not be possible bat
tlefeld.
Further vans will not be decided as
heretofore, by artillery laundering
from hill to hiI. Artillery. however,
will not by any means be done away
with. The field gun will stili eat up
schrapnel. ard the big navy cannon
will still shake the shores. But every
thing will no longer depend upon the
conquering Of position with artillery
! fire.
Although flying machines will not
be able to carry any artillery, yet an
army of raiders with the raiders outfit
will be able to recOnnoiter and alight
IN defenseless places, destroy bridges,
rip up railroads, cut communications,
burn towns and blow up magazines
stores and powder mills.
AS IN future wars these visitations
may come any night to any inland
town. no home will be safe. The flare
of the torch and the CLINT of the sword
may be the first visions of an awaken
ing. Death and rapine may any mo-
ment come laundering at the door.
mo longer will war be confined to
restricted areas, when women and chill.
dren may be removed to places of safe
ty. There will be no refuge whittier
they can fly from the Huns and van
dals of war. Gunpowder can no longe I
effectually bar the invader.
1.-The aeronaut can laugh at forts,
coast Notifications and battleships.
The flying machine opens human his.
tory again to the page when there
; were no forts along the frontiers and
Drawn alone stood between home, loved
ones and the fierce barbarian; when
wolves of rapine, murder and slavery
howled beyond the wall; when love
and death were victory's reward and
death or worse. the forfeit for defeat
we must have our air fleets numer.
Gus enough and strong enough to NEE,
, and repel any invasion of our sky, ano
in time of war around our entire ma
: tional horizon aerial scouts and aero
, plane destroyers by night and day must
, stand ready perched to fly to the at
tack.
cit may come that every country
, town must have it's battery of fielc
guns supplied with schrapnel and CAMS
, , ter, as it now has it's fire brigade, while
: possibly every able bodied man, invalie
and cripple will be provided with side
= arms and rifle, as in the old pionee1
: days they were armed to meet the
: menace of the red Indian devils.
. "a bill calling for an appropriation
of 100000 for aeronautical work ha
;, just failed to pass Congress The bill
J ought to have been for SIS, 900, 600, ant
q should have been passed by unanimous
> vote. Five million dollars is less thar
: half the cost of battleship.'
At the end of the meeting me
) mortal was passed to be sent to the ap
preparations committee of Congress
asking it to place the aeronautic bill
again on the calendar. Many member
of the Automobile club and the Aero
If nautic society pledged themselves t
n start an ''endless chain" in behalf O
!, the bill.