Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1911-12-08
Device May Make Aeroplane
Deadly Machine.
Il Has Been Predicted That II Would
Make the Miehtlest Destructive
Force Known to Modern
Warfare.

New York.-Ever since the aero
plare has been developed into prac-
teal flying machine It has been pre-
dicted that 1t would be the mightiest
destructive force known to modern
warfare. But not until a practical
gun for use on aeropianes had been
built, IT was realized, would the power
OF the aeroplane as an aggressive lac
tor In war be recognized.
This gun has now been invented
and is at present being tested by It's
designer. Lieut.. Riley Y. Scott. West
Pointer and expert mathematician
who has spent years OF time in trying
to solve the problems that would pro
duce a perfectly accurate bomb huri-
Ing apparatus.
As soon as men learned how to OBJ
crate a flying machine they began to
practice. throwing imitation bombs at
objects hundreds OF feet below them
on earth. Batleships. drawn TO the ex-
act scale Of dreadnaught. have been
whitewashed on aviation fields and
the ayiators have thrown oranges at
these targets to see how nearly they
could come to hitting the make be-
iieve warships in a vital spot.
Glenn H. Curtiss. in July year ago.
made some OF the first bomb throwing
tests. A floating target In the shape
OF a battleship was constructed on
Lake Keuka. Hammondsport. N. \. In
the presence OF a number Of army and
navy ofhcers who had been assigned
20 watch the experiment. mar. Curtiss
few his bipIane over the lake and
more than a score OF times hit the tar
get with small bags of sand represent
ting bombs. The military authorities
present took accurate measurements
and carefully examined the targets
after the tests, with the result that
they proclaimed the test highly sue
cessful
With Lieutenant Scott's new aerial
gun. the shooting of highly explosive
projectiles from the heavens on TO
cities. forts OF warships at sea. be-
comes a simple matter The accuracy
q gunner acquires In the navy or
army can now also be put into opera
ton from an aeroplane Heretofore
aviators have been laughed at because
they either aimed BADLY OF their aim
was spoiled by the speed at which the
aeroplane was travelling through the
afr. OF he falling bomb would be de-
nected by strong wind current
To obviate these difficulties. Lieu
tenant Scott has constructed his aero
plane gun In such way that the
speed OF the machine. the velocity OF
the wind and the distance from the
earth are all calculated automatically
and with reasonable accuracy In ap-
pearance the Scott gun resembles
somewhat a ships compass.
The aviator must first sight the OBJ
1ect at which he intends to fire
through a telescope that is attached
TO the gun In orde- 10 attain the nee.
sary accuracy when dropping the
bombs II is OF FIRST Importance for the
gunner to know the speed at which he
Is travelling and the height from the
ground The speed is determined by
the use Of a stop watch attached to
the gun IN conjunction with the tele-
scope. In addition tables have been
prepared to be used By the aviator IN
making his measurements.
The gun is to be tested from riot
monoplane.- which has been built by
Alfred Moisant. brother OF the late
John Moisant The monoplane will
have room for a passenger and the
gun One Of the interesting features
OF the gun is that no conclusion will
be felt by the shooting OF the projec-
tile II Is simply dropped at the
proper instant and finds its way to
earth by itself.