The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-07-13
SHOWS USE OF
! AlRSH|P IN War
Curtiss Drops Bombs on
Yacht Mehere II.
dLIDEs OUT OF RANGE

Closing Feature Of Aviation Meet at
Atlantic City Arouses Enthusiasm,
Of Retired Army officer VINO Says
Day Of Attack on Coast Cries by
Warshlps Is Past--Would Be I'm
possible to Hit Retreatlng Aviator
From Deck of Vessel.
Atlantic City, July 13. - Crossing
the sailing line of the yacht John e.
Mehere II, used as target IN pIace
of battleship, Glenn Curtiss, using
oranges as bombs gave thrilling
exhibition of his ability .to drop high
explosives on the deck of the craft
Fearing harm to the interested Off
cials and ladies ON the deck of the
yacht, Curtiss placed his missiles so
accurately alongside that spray was
thrown over the gowns of the women
on her decks. Then whirling away
amid the cheers of the big crowd of
spectators, Curtiss shot his plane far
out to sea and beyond the range Of
anything but a l2.inch gun.
The test arranged by officials Of
the meet as the closing event of the
weeks aviation drew an enormous
crowd to the board walk and beach.
Refusal of government officials to as.
sign a battleship or gunboat to the
waters of this city to arrange for a
real mimic battle, with return fire
from the war vessel. resulted in the
enlistment of the Mehere as he tar.
get. The first trial made by Curtiss
after he arose in the air had a life
boat as a mark, and even at 300 feet
high the orange bombs" bursted on
the water with smash that prom.
ised serious injury to persons aboard
q yacht who might be In the line OF
fire. Curtiss signalled that he would
drop his bombs only close enough to
show his ability to land them ON the
decks had he so desired and swept
out to sea-, rising until he was nearly
800 feet above the decks of the craft.
The crowd cheered as the first bomb
whiZzed through the air and struck
the water, throwing up small gey-
machine out over the ocean and the
supposed range of fire of small arms.
The trial shows absolutely that
the day of the battleship for attack
on foreign cities Is nearing its end"
declared Colonel William Allen Jones,
retired, formerly Of the United States
engineer corps and probably the
most interested spectator.
"Curtiss could have dropped a
bomb on the deck of even that small
craft with just as much ease and GER
tainty as that with which he spun
them close enough to the vessel to
show his ability without endangering
the people on board.
CAS- for hitting that swooping aero
plane from the deck of battleship,
1t would be practically impossible ex.
cept with rifle balls, and both engine
and driver could be protected with
the lightest sort of armor or bullet.
proof cloth that would absolutely pro.
tect them at that height" concluded
the army official, who is here in a
semioficial capacity, and who has
expressed his opinion that feet Of
airships could sink the most power
full battleship afloat without serious
loss.
Lack of fuel-carrying capacity
would bar the aeroplane for use for
anything but coast defense" contin-
ued General Jones. 81 believe, how.
ever. that fleet OF say a score of
aeroplanes able to slip through the
air at night would not only lave a
chance TO annihilate ship Of any
size or armor but would also disor.
ganize crew and drive them into a
panic that would make them useless.
The Curtiss plane can carry At least
800 pounds, and this amount in the
most powerful of modern high explo-
sive would be enough to sink an en-
tire feet OF cruisers unless they sue
ceeded In hitting the plane or its
driver with a shell from deck gun,
which is unlikely"