The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-07
FLYING MACHINE
TAKEN SERIOUSLY
BY the Higher Officials of the
French Army
A PERSISTENT SUICIDE
Frenchman After Being Saved From
SeIf-murder Six Times Finally
Succeeds in Seventh At
tempt by Unique Method


army takes the flying machine very Sc
riously. Among the higher officers of
the military establishment it is firmly
believed that the aeroplane will play an
important, if not a decisive part in the
next war.
An instance of how closely the art of
aviation is being studied from the view
point of the soldier was furnished after
the recent meeting at Rheims, when what
was perhaps the first aerial battle was
| fought.
The idea of the first aerial skrmish
occurred to Lieutenant Colonel Estenne,
director of the military aviation estab-
lishment at Vincennes. He knew that
several aviators who had taken part in
the Betheny meeting intended to fly back
with their machines to Mourmelon. Col
onel Estienne took the opportunity to
carry out an interesting aerial maneuver.
He telegraphed to the military officers
at Mourmelon to the effect that some
aviators were to return to their sheds.
They were to suppose that they had re-
ceived orders to intercept their passage
The telegram was addressed to Lieu
tenants Cleveland and Gronier, two ex-
pert flyers. They at once drew up a
scheme of attack. The superstition was
that hostile army from the north had
pushed its advance guards as far as
| L.aon, while a French army was march
ing northwards and had reached the
neighborhood of Rheims, between 4 and
1870 o'clock. They were at such a height
that they could not be destroyed by the
French army marching north. Two more
aeroplanes were seen at Garonne at $50.
They are to be stopped.
| The two officers, in biplane set out
at 6 o'clock. One of them was armed
with a light magazine rifle such as will
be used hereafter by the aviation corps.
| During their excursion they came across
q biplane and a monoplane returning to
Mourmelon. The pilots of these ma
chimes did not perceive them, and knew
nothing of the military maneuver of
which they were the object. They were
attacked according to the orders re-
ceived. The first to be perceived was a
monoplane returning to Mourmelon. The
pilots of these machines did not perceive
them. The first, however, to be per-
ceived was a monoplane flying towards
the southeast at a height of 900 feet
Lieutenant Cleveland. in his report,
states that With our field glass we
could see that the enemys monoplane
was mounted by a single pilot We
Unanswered so that the pilot could not
fire at us without risking the ripping
open of the canvas of his right wing or
smashing blade of his propeller. The
officer then calmly fired four or five
shots at a range of 200 to 400 yards.
which would infallbly have smashed
something in the enemy's monoplane or
disabled the pilot.
AS soon as this was achieved the OBJ
serving officer, perceived a biplane to
the left, also going southeast, but at
height of more than 1900 feet. He was
going very fast, with the wind in his
favor.
Not having sufficient time to rise above
him. we simply avoided letting him pass
over us at a vertical line and dropping
shell on us. We then approached him
under his right wing. We could see with
our glasses that there was only one
pilot, and his firing would not be dan
gerous. Our observing officer fired a
shot or two at him, but hampered by the
upper wing we missed the enemy. It
was useless to try to pursue him with
our machine We therefore steered for
Betheny, where we knew that a fast
monoplane was ready. We plunged down
rapidly from height of 900 feet and
found M. Labouchere, with his Antoinette
monoplane, just ready to start. We asked
him to go in pursuit. and we started again
with him. The monoplane was the first
to RISE to a great height and to locate
the enemy, whilst we could fly lower.
The Antoinette scared aloft rapidly, but
after a short distance our biplane's mo-
tor broke down and we had to land. The
Antoinette monoplane, however, over
/ too he of
This sham combat and exciting pur-
suit shows that the military aviators are
already making excellent use of the fly
ing machines at their disposal.
After no fewer than six unsuccessful
attempts to kill himself, sailor named
Leon Weiss has finally committed sui
eide in an original fashion. A month
ago he threw himself into a canal at
Rheims, but was rescued few days
later he hanged himself by his braces
on tree in a public square, but his
braces broke. He did not despair. how
ever, and drawing a revolver shot him
self twice. He was taken to the hospital
where he was cured of his wounds.
A few days later at Loan railway sta
ton he shot himself just as a train was
coming in, hoping to fall beneath the
wheels, but again his life was saved and
|
| He managed to tear off his bandages
and swallowed them. Then he obtained
some water and drank 1t, and this, with
the cottonwood he had swallowed suf-
located him. Thus his seventh attempt
was successful.
| The Paris dancing masters have evolved
new dance which they believe will be-
come popular 1t is called the Marse-
| lase dance and Is set to the music of
the great battle hymn. The technique of
the new dance seems too complicated to
be described in detail. The dance begins
with six steps forward as in a march,
beginning with one foot, and then re-
peating the same, starting out with the
other foot After this follow numerous
figures adapting themselves to the music.
The partners frequently changed hands;
there are swings to the right and to the
left and repetitions of the march. The
figures seem to be easily learned, and
with the help of the dancing masters 1t
was executed with great enthusiasm in
several quarters in Paris. 1t is now pro-
posed to teach the school children this
dance, and by next year the young gen.
GRAFTON should be able to teach their
elders how to swing about the times Of
the great national song.
Eighteen years of age and belonging
to one of the oldest families in the
French nobility, a girl found herself re-
Gently arraigned on the capital charge
To conceal her shame she had murdered
her newly-born infant, and though public
opinion demanded an acquittal, the case
having aroused unexampled sympathy In
France, sentence Of two years impris-