The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1910-12-02

Will owe ILLS SoIobAASA
ment to the efforts of a young million
Rire, John Harry Ryan, son Of Thorn
rs F. Ryan, the southern financier,
who made millions by consolidating
the street railway and lighting sys-
TENS Of New York city. Young Mr..
Ryan's scheme to consolidate all OF
the available aeroplanes and airships
of the country in potential fleet,
similar to the naval militia, and which
will be given uniform schooling by
the Army Signal corps, has been ap-
proved by both the secretary OF war
and the secretary of the navy.
The organization of this great aerial
fleet will cost the government moth
ing save the time Of the instructing
officers. The army and navy war col
leges will draw plans Of campaign and
programs of drill to be carried out at
Joint maneuvers between land and air
forces of defense and offense.
The officers of the new aerial militia
will bear naval rather than military
ranks and titles, despite the fact that
the small aeronautical establishment
of the regular service is Differed by
generals, colonies, majors and other
men of army rank.
The commodore of the air fleet will
be Mr.. Ryan, and his chief of staff
will be Clifford M. Harmon, our noted
bird-man Other prominent American
aviators who have been prompt in en-
rolling themselves and who will re-
ceive commissions are Glenn H. Cur
tiss, who recently made his famous
flight down the Hudson, from Albany
to New York; Walter r. Brookins,
who lately broke the worlds distance
record at Asbury Park; Greedy 8. Cur
tiss, Charles F. Willard and Ralph
tombstone. The roll will ultimately in
clude as active members practically
all the other great aviators Of our
country such as Hamilton, who lately
made the sensational flight from New
York to Philadelphia and return; the
Wrights, who have just designed a
new biplane without front horizontal
rudders, and our young millionaire
aviators now making progress.
Recruiting work is already in prog
ress and headquarters have been es-
tablished in New York city.
Function of New Fleet.
The air fleets monoplanes and BIZ
planes are intended chiefly for scout
ing, signaling, accommodating and serv-
ice in conjunction with dirigible bal
looms, where exceedingly rapid move
ments are needed. They will be not
only more difficult to hit than mill
tary balloons, but more difficult to
destroy when hit, as they can be
practically riddled with missiles with
out being disabled until struck in
some vital part of the machinery,
which in comparison to the wings and
planes presents very small target sur
face. They can also breast high
winds in which dirigible balloons will
not attempt to fly.
The aeropiane fleet will be divided
into squadrons, it is proposed, which
will be divided among our chief har-
bors and dockyards, for history shows
that all great naval battles of the
past have been fought near such
points. They will probably not be
used either to drop bombs on fleets
or Notifications, or to attack the
aerial craft of an enemy, despite the
fact that these two functions are the
principal ones attributed to aerial
warships of the future by fiction
writer's, among whom warfare in the
air is now a favorite theme. Military
men who have studied aeroplanes in
action realize that 1t will always be
suicidal for one such craft to attempt
to ram another, while the lombard
ment of such vehicle in fight will
be as difficult a matter as cunning
for birds on the wing with an unwieldy
cannon.
Bomb-Dropping ImpracticabIe.
AS to the dropping Of bombs from
aeroplanes, the recent experiments OF
Curtiss along this line are regarded
by military men as having been OF
negative character. Curtiss
marked out an area representing the
deck of a battleship, and then at
tempted to drop imitation bombs
within 1t. But observers with the Rus
sian fleet during its engagement with
the Japanese can assure the command