The Washington herald., 1911-10-01
HOW THE MODERN CAMERA
AIDS THE AEROPLANE SCOUT
Aerial Map-making of the "Enemy's Country" Per-
fected by the Signal Corps

To the student Of military aerOnautical
science there Is no subject at present
more interesting than the development
Of the method of making photographs
from aircraft. From a small beginning.
such as making pencil sketches from
balloons. several years ago, IN" science
of aerial map-makinE has grown with
giant strides until. in these days. army
officers have even taken aIoft moving
picture apparatus in acroplanes ard have
succeeded in making satisfactory pictures
Of the ground over which they flew.
Many military scientists on duty in
Washington. notably Brig. Gen w W
WOtherSpOn. president Of the Army War
College. where lectures on aeroplane war
scouting are n part of the curriculum. are
inclined 70 doubt The present usefulness
Of the aeroHlane as machine OF Offense.
mb-dropp!nS as an act OF offense has
not Vet been brought to a high degree of
efficiency. judging from tn tests with
dummies that have been made, in view
OF the fact that there We're no accom-
panying tests OF aerial guns 10 tre at
the aeroplancs making the test Of dummy
bombs For this reason military Soien-
lists are watching with the keenest in
terest the tests which have been recently
made at College Park. Md, Of sketching
from moving aeroplanes. and picture
making hy means Of moving pictur" ap-
paratus installed in moving a"ronlanes.
Map-makinG on High.
This interest in the accomplishment Of
a"rOplan"s fo- war purposes, aside from
construction problems. is likely to con-
tinue TO b@ conferred upon aerial ma p
making, at least until after the aerial
gun tests shortly to be held at Sandy
Hook. y. Y. ar" made. and until aerial
Eun-firinG tests can be carried on at the
same tim" a. aerial hhmh-droppinS tests.
InasmuCh as it SENS likely that there
never will be a real test OF this kind. he
cause Of the danger to the aviator in the
machine until actual war comes. II seems
equally certain that almost all that can
be done with the aeroplane. in practice.
short Of actual war, is to Use it for
scouting and map-making and in that
field it has already proven a success he
yOnd the first dreams OF Its most "p-
timistiC and friendly critic
For this reason. if for no other. one i
attracted by the practical results already
obtained by signal corps officers in max
ing photographs from aircraft.
To member of the United States Army
Signal Corps, and an American maga-
zinist and newspaper man. working to-
getheT, belongs the credit for having
taken the first photographs ever made in
any country. from an aerOplane in flight,
under actual war conditions. 1t is proper
that credit should be given then for this
epOCh-maK!ng event in this description Of
American aerial military map-making.
The scene of the feat was the Mexican
border during the recent civil war in
that country. and the men were Lieut..
BENJAMIN d. Foulois. who has been Il
WashingtOnian for several years. and
James II. Hare, representative of a
Nov York weekly. whose photographs OF
the Russo-Japanese and other wars have
brought him international fame.
Sketches frOm-AerOPlnne.
Their exploit throws far into the shade
recent attempts made at the army avi-
alton field outside of Washington, College
Park, Nd, to sketch from an aeroplane in
flight maps of the surrounding country.
Also, although the attempt to take mOv-
ing pictures from the government aero
planes at College Park recently is the
first Of its kind ever made, il is certain
when experiments are concluded and