The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-12-10

However, as far as 1t goes, the gov
eminent work is worthy of commenda.
tion Its school is flourinshing. 1t
consists OF six officers as follows:
Captain Chas. de F. Chandler COM
manding, of the signal corps; Cay
tain Paul Beck, 18th Infantry, recent
ly relieved from duty with the signal
corps; Lieut.. Roy Kirkland, 14th 1nfan-
try; Lieut. Henry H. Arnold, goth In
fantry; Lieut.. Frank NJ. Kennedy,
10th Infantry; Lieut. Milling, 18th
cavalry; Dr. Kelly, medical corps, and
twenty men.
The presence of doctor is explain
ed by the fact that an army surgeon
! is always on hand at the camp, as
well as a sergeant from the hospital
corps Moreover, as further precau-
| ton in case of accidents, each man
carries, when he goes up in plane,
little emergency or first aid packet
about the size of cigarette case, con-
! tanning some gauze, salve for burns,
aromatic ammonia, smelling salts, an
open wove bandage, boric gauze, car
ron oil for burns, court plaster, adhes-
i've plaster, saftey pins to fasten band
lagos and paconet water and oil
proof)
The army is not especially commit
ed to any particular type of aeroplane,
i but it is not disposed % do much ex-
perimenting with any that has not
been thoroughly demonstrated by the
inventor 1t is using the Wright, Cur
tiss and Wright-Burgess biplanes, the
later manufactured under permit
from the Wright company. There are
three or more other types of machines
at the College Park grounds, all of
which fly and have meritorious points,
but as far as the army aviators are
concerned, they have not yet shown
any superiority over the models in
use by the army which would warrant
discarding the latter to use the new
machines. "Of course said one
aviator. 'if you hear the inventors
talk, you will believe that their ma
chimes are very wonderful affairs
These here fly, but have not seen
| lH4lu pCllIlS vi Su
periority over the machines We are
using -"
Suits to determine the validity oil
the Wright Bros. claims may be de
lcided now at any time Decisions
have been looked for during the pres
ent month. When the courts shall
have spoken on this subject inventors
and aviators will be better able to tel
!, where they stand.
: Captain Chandler uses the Wrigh
machine Captain Beck has a fast.
$ cylinder, onepassenger Curtiss which
; must make 45 miles an hour before /
h will leave the ground. 1t has but on
g speed and that is So miles an hour
/ which is "going some The captain
y occasionally races a passenger train
a as the latter runs alongside the avia
!. tion field The Wright machine i
d CAPABLE of making 45 miles an hour
@ with either one or two persons. Pee
pie on trains have learned to look 70
;. aeroplanes and heads are all out of tn
i. windows at College Park. Sometime
8 they see four and five machines in tn
t air at once.
!. Although they are not allowed t
S indulge in much spectular work
t the army filters are among the mos
S slSillful in the country, as is evidene
e ed when they are given permission t
r take part in aviation meets. The
n they easily bring away their share o
g the prize money which the government
= permits them to retain. This makes
e better worth while to dare the danger
It of aerial flight and tends to lesser
p the discomfort which might cree
d into the ranks Of the army fl
e ers who see civilians" rear
IL ing rewards for their skill and daring
y At that, however, there is not so nue.
r, wealth in flying as many may think
y To hear of an occasional big winnin
y by an airman it might seem that all @
them were growing rapidly rich; bu
e there are so many of them now tina
+ almost every county fair can have a
e aeroplane as an attraction, and tn
t, aviators who do not have to give tn
p lions share of their earnings to thei
e managers are likely to bid agains
p each other and cut the price for e,
hibition flights. Most of the aviator
f. whose names are well known, are III
q der contract to the aeroplane con
h panies, and get flat salary with
r. bonus perhaps of $50 day, whe
they actually make a flight.
e There is not so much need of dai
IS gerous work in the air as one migf
n suppose. Exhibition operators al
d seemingly forced to do stunts whic
le are even more dangerous than the
S. seem, but the conservative manner
ID which the army work is done and tn
lie very small number of accidents, mos
d, ly of trivial character prove thu
1t good judgment and carefulness cour
ID in this as in other things.
ct The enlisted man has no chance
II, become pilot of an air ship. AT til
st aviation camp is detail of twent
ir men of the Signal Corps, from Ne