Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1912-06-11

part Of foreigners in a presidential
campaign as is the case this year.
The members of the national com
mittee of each party have been asked
to set aside seats for several foreign
ambassadors and ministers and for
many OF the subordinates of the en-
Daisies and legations 1t is known that
foreign governments take a great in
terest in American political affairs
and while the thing is not done pub
ilciy, they are kept Informed by their
representatives in this country of the
various impending political changes
ana OF the probable chances of the
candidates, coupled probably with
statements as to just what changes in
the administration are likely to mean
In connection with treaty matters or
With the attitude of this government
toward foreign governments general
ly.
A bill has just passed the senate of
the United States appropriating $751;
OO9, 900 to be used by the government
for the purchase of all the land lying
on the south side of Pennsylvania ave
nue. between the treasury building and
the capitol. The bill was introduced
by Senator Hepburn and it went
through the senate quickly What its
fate in the house will be at this ses-
sion no one can tell yet. but eventual
ly probably it will pass.
The government owns already a
10 - -
Pennsylvania avenue and the Potomac
river. but there is a big section of it
bordering on the avenue and extend
ing to the park in which the agricul-
tural buildings are situated, which is
given over to business, stores, mar
kets, small hotels and lumber yards.
1t is for this section that Mr.. Hey
burns bill provides the money for pur
chase
Aviators of Signal Corps.
The signal corps of the army
is studying and practicing avia-
ton daily and in dead earnest. The
corps has not been given as much
money by congress for the purpose OF
perfecting its men in the art of flying
as was wished for, and not nearly
enough, perhaps. to keep this country
in equipment abreast of other great
countries of the world, but with their
small appropriation the signal corps
men are doing all that they can, and
even if they have not all the necessary
machinery they intend apparently to
be ready to use it when they do get 1t.
Out on reaching meadow near
Hyattsville, Md, every afternoon Of
ficers and enlisted laen Of the signal
service go soaring skyward in their BIZ
planes. They not only fly, but they
engage in the practice Of trying to
drop missiles so that they will hit the
mark, and in addition to this they
drop weighted envelopes, supposedly
containing messages. IN war time
these envelopes would be dropped from
aloft into outlying posts of an army
which could not readily be reached
by the couriers of the commanding
general.
Scores Of visitors go to the aviation
ground every day from the city of
Everybody remembers
that it was an American officer who
sacrificed his life as a volunteer for
the service In the first attempted trial
of biplane under government au-
spices with two passengers in the ma
chine. 1t seems almost incredible
to some people that the officers and en-
listed men of the signal corps should
go to their flying work daily in the
face CT the record of the years casual
ties, and do it with such perfect non
chalsnce, seemingly giving no more
thought 10 a flight way up into the |
clouds than they would give to foot
drill on the parade ground.
Testing New Machine.
On the aviation field hangers have |
been built in which to house the BIZ
planes, of which there are several, two
models being represented. |
When a visit was paid to the field an
officer and an enlisted man were seat
ed in an absolutely new machine, and |
were going to test it for the first time.
They took a running start over the |
meadow and then went up, neither one
Of them knowing definitely whether or
not the machine was to develop some
weak spot which might make flying
fatal. They made time test of it, |
staying aloft two hours. most of the |
time being from 900 to 1000 feet above
the heads of the spectators.
A detachment of enlisted men took |
a MIC of nh
out to the center of the meadow and |
there spread it on the ground, the |
white Of the canvas doubtless showing |
forth from aloft distinctly from the |
green The hiplane cir
cled on the field, which is a huge one
hen gradually narrowed the circle and
than rather a sharp turn was made
and the aviators passed directly over
he white canvas. dropping weight
which landed within two or three feet /
Of the target.
1t must be said that the machine in
which the soldiers were riding was
travelling at the rate of nearly so miles
IN hour when the weight was dropped.
Il may seem that it would be easy to
irop something from aloft on mark
I'd space, but when moving at rap
d rate it is much more difficult to
gauge the target properly than it is to
lit flying mark with rifle ball, and
every sportsman knows that this is
of job.
OF course the white canvas which
vas spread on the grass was IN reality
Intended only as the bulls eye of tar
ret, for l. one takes into consideration
he space covered by battleship, or
~ the ordinary land fertilization, it
viii be seen at once that missile
dropped from the clouds striking only
few feet away from the canvas would
lave done the damage duty to any
,hip or fertilization which 1t was in