The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-06-22
sio sham Battle Planned on the
ocean With Aeroplanes In At
tack Upon The Bat
tleshIp.
TO USE SAND BAGS
Bag VIII Represent Bomb to be
Dropped From the Sky
Upon the Ship
Below.

ATLANTIC CITY, N. j., June "a
Atlantic City will furnish a sham bat.
tie of airships during "over-the-ocean
aviation week between the dates OF
July and July II, inclusive. The
Atlantic City Aero club sent an ap-
pcation to Washington. asking for a
battleship to shoot up an airship fleet,
which the club hopes, will be directed
by Aviators Curtis, Hamilton and
Brookins.
The Atlantic City people want the
navy department. to place warship
off Youngs Pier during the airship
week. and they have made rules
whereby each airship pilot will be sup
piled with three bags of sand stamped
with mark assigned to each aviator.
The attack Is to consist of an at,
tempt to drop one of the sand bags.
supposing it to be a high power bunch
Of explosives, upon the battleship deck
from an aeroplane.
A prize of $1,000 will be awarded to
the first aeronaut who succeeds in
dropping one of the land bags on the
battle ship deck.
John j. White, who is president of
the Atlantic CITY Aero club, got up the
communication sent to Washington
and therein he suggested method of
defense. Three inch rapid fire guns
fitted with telescope cameras fasten-
ed to the barrel Of the guns and ad
justed so that he firing of the gun
will snap the shutter of the camera
and take a picture showing that the
exact center of the picture Is the
spot where the shell would have
struck had not blank cartridges been
used on the battle ship, is the Aero
clubs idea Of counting the score OF
hits.
The Aero club suggested to the
navy department that the guns begin
to fire only when the aeroplanes come
within half mile of the battle ship,
because an attack of this unusual
kind would be made only in thick fog
gy weather. when an aeroplane could
not he picked out from ships deck
until WttnlH udll d lIllC VI tuC WdCOi
vessel One gun, the aerial strategists
figure, can be used on each taking
part in the attack. The cameras or
the battle ship also are supposed to
settle the question whether or moi
the aeroplane was hit and wrecked
before the sand bags sunk the battle
ship.
Supposing the score shows that the
battle ship wrecks the aeroplane fee
first. the $1,000 prize is to go to tAt
crew Of the battle ships, or, if the
navy department does not like thi!
idea, the money will be devoted t.
some sort of benefit arrangement fol
the crew, the. manner of dispcstn2 o
It being left to the ranking officer o
the warshlps or the prize rules of thu
department.
The rules as now outlined permi
each airship to pass over a seashll
but once to drop bomb. Ii 1t 81
happens that the airships do no
wreck the battle ship or ships or tn
battle ships do not destroy the air
SHIPS, the Aero club asks tnat
repetition of the sea and air figh
happen daily throughout the aviatio
week if necessary until the sham ba
tie is decided
More than $4,000 has been sui
scribed for the contest, officers of tn
club say, and the club now is maxim
progress in raising $4,000 in all.
Brookins has signed a contract t
take part in the tournament. Glen
Curtiss and Hamilton will siet UP
few days, as may Wilbur Wrigh
The Aero club is now in negotiatio
with number of other aviators an
expects big entry list before th
week is ended. The biggest featui
Of the program will be the fifty-mi
speed race along the beach front.