The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-12-15
WILL REPORT
ON SKY WORK
Italian Army Found DlrisIbies to be
More serviceable Than Aero
planes During War With
Turkey.
! ONLY TWO ACCIDENTS
seventy-flvc Ascenslons Were Made.
Most OF Them Being Over the
Territory of the
Enemy.

by Henry Wood, Rome Correspond
ent of the United Press.l
ROME. Dec. 14.-Commander Denti.
head of Italy's dirigible and aeroplane
squadron, has just returned from Trip
oil to make his official report on the
years service rendered by these
two new adjuncts of modern warfare
during Italy's war with Turkey.
According to Commander Denti,
the conclusion of this report-a con-
clusion shared by all of the foreign
military experts attached to the Ital-
ian army throughout the conflict
will be that his first year of actusl
warfare service has demonstrated the
over the aeroplanes. While the use
of the latter extended to very little
| beyond scouting, the former not only
/ served equally well for that purpose.
but were of even more value in the
discharge of bombs, and in the col.
lection of information and photo
graphs for maps of the enemy's
country.
Commander Denti's report will be
based upon the results of rs ascen-
sions made by the dirigibles during
which they flew some 10000 kilomet-
ers, most of this being over the ter
ritory of the enemy These flights
compared with about an equal
amount Of service on the part of the
aeroplanes, showed the dirigibles to
be much safer, much more manage
able and more reliable in every re-
i spect
i During the year of war, the aero
4 plane squadron had two serious mis-
haps, resulting in the death of one
aviator, who fell into the sea and in
\ the capture of another who by reason
!, of engine trouble was forced to de-
scend within the enemy's lines
4 The nearest approach to anything
lof this kind which befell the dirigi-
bles occurred on June 20, the details
of which have just been told The
/; dirigible Up. O. was returning from
Suano Beniden and the engine went
dead The balloon fell instantly
|, from 1000 meters to 500 meters, and
the enemy opened fire with rifles The
!, engine was finally repaired. but only
partly adjusted.
, The aircraft sailed out of range of
the enemy's fire but in the meantime
, heavy wind had come up and
, against this the crew with their Grip
pied engine could barely make head
way After as minutes, in which the
, dirigible covered only seven kiIo-
, meters, it was near enough to the
| Italian lines to permit of a descent
, and was rescued by battalion of in
fantry before the Arabs could get to
, it.
The only other mishap that over.
J took the dirigibe service occurred at
the very moment of its Inauguration.
I A huge steel hangar had been erect
! ed for Tripoli for housing the two
t dirigibles that served throughout the
: war, when violent storm reduced
) the structure to scrap iron.
/ The report of Commander Dent
: will contain interesting details on the
possibility of photographing from
) dirigibles and Of securing the most
| minute information relative to the
t enemy's territory, for the making Oh
, army maps and the planning OF cam.
) paigns. The instantaneous photo
) graphs showed every palm of an oasis
2 every small hut or tent, that part OF
the ground which was merely sand
and that part which was covered with
heritage. 1t was even possible to dis
tinguish just which tents were occu
pied by Turks and which by this
I Arabs and in this manner to ludg,
almost accurately the force of the
enemy