The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-09-03
Admiral IVAN. on the AeropIanc


General J,Mrs ALtF~. Chief OF the
signal Corp- Of the army. will recon-
mend IN his next report that the Gov ern-
ment pToyii" nm with aeroplanes and
dlrlgible balloons for re-, onnoi=sa nee and
other field PURPOSES Rear Admiral
| RoBIIY u. tVNNS. retired. admits thai,
/ the aeroplane ~ Indispensable to land
forces. but h" dos not consider II a
desirable acquisition 20 the navy He
saws somewhat airilv.
| few orsngss W confr'u bor-bs have been
dropped from height ~ . hundred ~ bundred
sad sf'y feet urnn Arsst r,pre-nurs natu.
snip much n ~ arpss-1.nt % ne n1rs.ry raids
,nd children Tbs Is -v'nsn~s mat me day
~ hs'ns>h.us 'orr~in rn-'s A. VS. ps,sed
Nor was n evidence that their day had
passed when an exploding mine blow up
the Russian hattleship Petropay lovsk at
| Port Arthur and Admiral MAKAROFF and
several hundred mon diri At their POSTS
Whether II will ever he feasible to drop
on the decks of warshirs explosives pow
erful enough 70 DESTROY them IL a 1ucs-
| ton that cannot h.. answered ofhand
, At this stage Of the development Of the
aeroplane Admiral Evans scouts the
! idea
Nh~n approach NJ mp NJ MN her %
ships no operator ~ m. acceptance vii ~ ~
20, -rrd vh~u aboui n vH ysrdsssay ktabo4t
s0on ysris q: i7rh shells snf shrspn.l viii begin
~ rrA~s sbnY' 30 rseh'r~ ''sGn ysrfs ne
'nrh ard lr~r guns vii 10 ssndInE her .h,u,
- him - 'hs ra'- ~ ten or tvsI,-a minute ana
when uItr.1 '"' vs-f, me in,h E4ns ufii add
th-r muse % ne tu7s ~ rft-~n NJ twenty each
= p 'nu'r ruE no scrr ~ -Hss sighted ~ ,uln
vsr's. vii usse hs s-A' ,er,'snle hornets.
nest
Has admiral EvANs over saen an
anropann m the skv inG0 wards or
more than Eve and a half miles away?
Has he seen one at a distance Of eight
or ak thousand vards7 The aeroplana
looks like an insect when u inst svims
into ken. and the idea NJ aiming a
Il inch gun AZ n. II the thing could
h" done. IL grotrsOUa Mighty little
heavy artillery will ever he trained from
a warShip'. d"ck upon IN" artificial
dragonnv "" call the aeroplano. Per
hap. IN" three pound guns could no
u-Nd. and certainly the magazine rife
would he practicahl" for tumhInG an
operator from his scat or for disabling
tho engine and wrccking hl- machIne
But admiral EvANs assumes tina, tho
acroplan" would be available only in
broad daylight Now. there Is M req
son why n should not b" used AZ nigh,
IN n still ar. and we contend that i,
might nv l"w over a war~hip nj TENN,
its destruction. Moreover. the Admiral
f"rGetS that human life Is chean IN war
fare. \ complement of en- mon goes
10 gloIy AZ the impact 81 mine with
IN" hull ri great ship worth So. 600 .OID.
Surely an active ami rcsourccful enemy
could AFFORD ~ sacrifice a hundred men
IN hftv a"roplancs costing $50 on IN
all. They might collect over q warship
IN n starl,t night. or az the first sign of
day. and drop their explosives a. they
passed. The experiment would be well
worth while. and there would be plenty
II volunteer IL seems 10 ne rather
amusing for a veteran naval officer To
suppose that the pOtentiality ~ the
HfT'plhNf l'T Hll-fnlfl NAV ne judged
from an exhibition ~ orange dropping
on an aviation field
The truth IL "" now see only the be- |
ginnings of III" aeroplane. One may as
sumo, without SUSPICION of intellectual
decay, that improvements will be mad.
in the heavier than air machine such |
~ are not now dreamed Of n Il can
be used for recommending by the army. !
certainly the navy can ind the sar1e
employment for u. The HyiatorS have |
passed over wide straits and held their
way steadily ~ great heights over sea /
and lake. They have sailed the AR IN I
twilight. tven nov they ask only that /
the wind does not blow ton strong !
Their flights become longer and longer. .
higher and higher. -wifter and swifier. /
and No referring man ran ST q bound N |
them. The heavier than air hyine ma |
chine IA one Of the most prodigious and |