The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-08-06
UNCLE SAM To Be
An AERIAL POWER
ITO Lead Other Nations by
Building a Fleet of
Twenty Airships.
~ ROOERIck CLIFFORD

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5.-W1thln an
other year the United States will take
the lead In aerial defense among the
nations of the world. There is now
in the military budget for the next
appropriation bill an iteLN for $4,000
with which to purchase twenty or
more heavier.than-air machinese, and
with its fleet the country will be in
more formidable positions, so far as
the air is concerned, than any nation
In the world.
Every modern military expert now
agrees that much of the fighting OF
the future is to take place in the air,
That is, war will be carried on above
the earth, just as 1t is now carried on
beneath the seas. That ia why the
United States army wants more aer-
oDlanes and more men trained to oper-
ate them.
Not only will aeroplanese be val
liable for scout and observation work,
but they will be used to drop projec-
tiles and explosives on hostile armies
and ships of war. The fact is, the
uses to which aeroplanes may be put
are not fully calculated yet. 1t may be
that they will revolutioniZe modern
warfare.
Army 10 Preparing.
preparing to keep ahead of the times
II possible in the employm ent of air
ships for both offensive and defens-
i've purposes. Congress will be asked
to cooperate, and there is every reas-
on to believe that the lawmakers will
vote all the money needed.
General James Allen, chief OF the
army signal corps, is quoted as saying
! that within year the army will have
a fleet of twenty airships, manned by
forty officers, giving the United
States a distinct lead in aero strength.
At the present rate of progress this
prediction will undoubtedly be borne
/, out, for the aviation work of the army
lis progressing by leaps and bounds.
Since April four aeroplanes have
been purchased by the signal corps,
two Wrights one Burgess-Wright and
one Curtis machine. Two of these
are now at College Park, Md. the air
ship school of the army, one is at San
antonio. Texas, supplementing the
1909 Wright model which has just
been presented to the National Mu-
scum; and one Burgess Wright ma
chine Is now on it's way to College
Park.
It Is the scartciy of airmen, and not
aeroplanes that is bothering the Army
Just now. The number of graduate
aviators OF the Signal Corps can still
be counted on the fingers. Lieutenant
Foulois. Beck. Milling, Arnold. Kirt-
land, and Kennedy as student, COM
prise the entire list.
Ohicers are being trained fast. and
It Ia likely that the army will have
from forty to fifty expert aviators by
the time the appropriation for the
purchase of more machines is availa-
BILE. .+E
There is a sharp bidding among the
various aeroplane manufacturers for
the governments business. Each man.
ufacturer understands that 1T is big
Recommendation for his factory to
have the government as patron.
Therefore all the companies are work
ing hard to get the government con-
tracts.
The Wright company has the advan-
tage in army circles. These brothers
were the first successful flyers of this
type of machine. and their demonstra-
ton tests at Fort Meyer two years ago
have given them position that is
hard to compete with.
Has Big Following.
The Curtis machine has strong
following in the Signal corps because
of the brilliant exploits Of Curtis and
lhis aviators in the past, and on &C
count of the results they have gained
in their experiments with the hydro
.aeroplanes at,Hammondsport. N. Y.
1t has already been agreed among
aviators that the hydro-aeroplane is
more useful in the navy than in the
army. Professor A. +. Zahem, the avia-
ton expert of this city, recently went
to Hammondsport to watch the work
of the hydro-aeroplane and was de-
lighted with it. We insisted along with
other experts, however, that this type
of machine will do better work on ma
val vessels than on land.
The control system of the Burgess
Wright machines has gained many