The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1910-12-10


Biz Progress in Aerial Work While
United States Has Stood StIll-The
Army's Strength, Etc.
Washington, Dec. 10. M Dickin- |
son, secretary of war, in his annual |
report recommends that the govern |
ment provide the army with both diri- |
gible airships and with aeroplanes for |
instruction purposes and for field |
work. He says in part:
Aerial navigation is attracting |
worldwide attention Marked progress
has been made in this art during the |
past year Its possible influence upon
the art of war is much discussed
among military authorities the world |
over. Recently in Berlin and Paris |
opportunity was afforded me to wit
ness aviation tests that were being
| made there by the military and | was
| impressed with the interest and activ-
| ity displayed in the development of
| this new art with special reference to
| it's possibilities for use in the military
| service.
information from abroad indicates
| that at the present time Germany pos
sesses fourteen military dirigible air
| ships and number Of aeroplanes and
| France seven military dirigible air
ships and thirty aeroplanes.
France Orders DirioibIes.
Late information received from
France indicates that the French gov
| ernment has recently ordered eleven
new dirigibles of different dimensions
"The following is an extract from
a report OF an officer of the United
States army on the autumn maneuyers
of the French army from Sept. 15 to
Sept. 49, 1910:
| But the most striking thing was
the aeroplane. The French have made
wonderful progress in this respect. /
saw Lieutenant Bellenger in his mono
| plane rise right out of wheat stubble
| field. The biplanes and monoplanes
were everywhere. They travelled with
| great speed and must have seen every
thing except where the troops could
be concealed in the woods. An eff
cient aeroplane corps Is certainly in
dispensable to an army
"The United. States. which was the
first nation officially to recognize the
aeroplane for military purposes and
which conducted at Fort Myer in 1908
| the first public flight OF heavier than
air machine, has since that date made
no addition to its aeronautical equip
ment, which at present consists of one
small practice dirigible balloon, one
Wright aeroplane and three small cap
tive balloons.
Must Keep Pace With Others.
"It is contended by some that dirig-
ible balloons and airships will at best
prove to be of doubtful utility in war
fare, The fact remains that all Eu-
ropean first class powers are devoting
a great deal of attention to the sub
ject of military aeronautics and are
displaying marked activity in the de
velopment and supply of both the
dirigible and the aeroplane for war
purposes, while the United States is
practically at standstill in this mat
L
ter.
"In my judgment the time has come
when it would be wise to make ap
preparations adequate for providing
the signal corps with a reasonable
number of the better type Of machines
for instruction purposes and for field
, work.
J "The total excavation of the Pan
ANA canal during the fiscal year
amounted to 31,858,122 cubic yards,
against 37,966,926 cubic yards exca-
waited during the preceding year. OF
the amount eXcavated during the last
year 19,903, ,4s0 cubic yards were taken
out by steam shovels and 11,954,642
cubic yards by dredges. against 22,670,-
955 cubic yards by steam shovels and
15,295,971 cubic yards by dredges re-
spectively in the preceding fiscal year.
Strength of the Army.
, 'At the date of the last reports re
: ceived from the military departments
(Oct Is, 1910) the actual strength of
J the regular army was 4,310 officers
and 67,459 enlisted men, total of
: T1,769. AS compared with the strength
reported last year this shows an in
! crease of 101 officers and a decrease
) of 1881 enlisted men, making a net
D decrease OF the regular army during
the year of 4,280. These figures do
not include the 1886 men of the hospi-
tai corps excluded by the act of March
1, 1887, from classification as part OF
the enlisted force of the army. There
were also in the service 166 officers
!. and 6,100 enlisted men Of the Philip
: pine scouts.
"The total number OF enlistments In