The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-06-09
THE AEROPLANE IN WAR.

! The possibilities OF the aeroplanc In
war arc now so generally discussed that
even the financial papers have taken up
| the question. We find IN tho CONNER
cial and Financial Chronicle of New
is rather deprecating. The Chronicle
does not quite see its way 70 agree to
the commonly expressed idea that the
aeroplane is likely to cut great figure
in war, especially in naval warfare. Its
idea is that the flying machine cannot
aim with precision in dropping bombs
or any sort of explosive on "A given
point on land, or on the deck of a ship,
for if the machine flies high enough to
keep out of danger its aim must be
wild. With machine flying iow, of
course. the difficulty would be solved;
precision in placing the bomb would be
secured. But ON the other hand the fly
ing machine would be in imminent peril
because the batteries of the army or of
the ship could be turned directly against
IL, so that IL would be necessary for
the fying machine to keep high above
the range of the guns. AS stated by
the Chronicle, ''the question is whether
the mere fact that an aeroplane had
arisen beyond the range of field guns
would not in itself render impossible
efficient work Of destruction by the ma
chine itself. - and this observation ap.
plies both TO operation upon sea and
on land.
Sc far as the United States is con.
cerued. the chief interest In what might
be called the race between the aero.
plane and the battleship, attaches al
most altogether TO what mignt be done
by the aeroplane TO the battleship. 1t
is quite true that there would be liza
bility TO error in the aim OF the aero
plane in dropping bombs on the deck
of battleship. The most obvious an
swer TO this would be that the aero
plane should have a sufficient supply OF
bombs, and in dropping them, correc-
tion could bc successvely applied to the
ann as the acroplane swept above the
ship, Another proposition might be TO
connect the bomb to the aeroplane by
n wire and fire It by electricity lust
as the bomb was seen to be directly
over tho ship. The length or the wire
could be regulated so as To Drlny the |
bomb in correct position and close
enough TO the ship before the explosion. |
to destroy it. The mere matter of in
accuracy of aim could be adjusted in |
various ways Thprn would bo Grs; 90 |
all the experiment and correction by |
the dropping of successive bombs. There |
could be, as suggested, the trailing of !
the bomb at the end of wire. Then
there could be the guiding directlv |
through tube. Doubtless the ingenu
lty of military aeronauts will be found |
sufficient TO solve this problem For At |
the hnaI analysis. this is a mere matter
OF detail. The main thing Is already
mastered That is, the aeroplane is de.
velopcd to such a point thar It can go
out TO sea, meet an incoming battleship
and get safe TO land, this while the bat.
ileshlp Is SO far away that no firing upon
the coast would he possible. With that
prime factor solved as it is, the matter
1f planting the bombs whore tney will |
be the most effective may safely be left
10 the ingenuity Of military men who
have done so much to render war dif
1cult by the invention of high. power
guns, intensive explosives. and fighting !
machines beyond all possibility OF i'm
lglnation hundred years ago.