The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1913-03-09
DARING A|RMEN
ALARM ENGLAND
NOCTURNAL VISITS or CONT.
MENTAL AvlATORS CAUSE
S7lTONS DRASTIC ACTION.

London, March s-A popular pas
time nowadays with Continental ayi-
atoTs would seem 10 be flying trips
6y night over England. Daring air
plots u Germany or France leave
their mOorings a. dusk, speed over
/ the Channel and then circle oye-
British cities and forts, flashing their
lights 10 mystify and alarm the peo-
/ I!e below them. With the first in
Clcations OF dawn the adventure
comes TO an end. The proving biru.
nan heads for home, houses his ma
chine before the sun is well up, AMI
leaves The officials OF England 70 re-
port MS incursion to the War Office
il London.
Reports OF these night visits be-
came 50 general, and were at the
same time so disconcerting. that the
government finally took official ac-
tion and passed a bill prohibiting the
passage Of aircraft over certain spe-
Gifted areas Aircraft violating this
regulation will be fired on and other
wise warned away The bill was in
trOduCed int the house OF commons
by Colonel Seeley, secretary OF war,
and il passed through all its stages
at one sitting. without dissension. Il
wen- 70 the Lords the day before
recess and passed that House lust
hurriedly. How the measure is TO be
enforced has aroused considerable in
terested speculation. The bill auth
orizes the proper officers. after Civ
ing a prescribed warning, TO fire al
any aircraft infringing on this law.
q md 70 H.
vent infractiOns. The government +
providing Sky guns" TO repel these
aerial trespassers, and it will also
have the services of the naval aero
planes and hydroplanes and the flying
fleet OF the army, which consists of
about a dozen aeroplanes and three
small airships.
Experts have very grave doubts
whether these precautions will be
sufficient 10 prevent the midnight
visits. Colonel Seeley, in introduc
ing the bill, said it was not aircraft |
belonging to foreign governments |
that were aimed at, but mischieyou5
private persons. possibly from over |
seas, who might hover over places /
where there are combustible stores, /
TO the great inconvenience OF the peo- |
lie Of the country
What gave rise to the action OF !
government were reliable reports. in
some cases from army officers, that
aircraft had been seen over Dover. /
Sheerness, Portsmouth and Liverpool.
and on at least two occasions as far
west as Cardiff, always at night Tne
first visits were paid in October and
they have continued up to the pres
ent time. At first there was an in
10 make light of them. or 10 !
ascribe the moving lights and the
noise OF the propeller TO some air
ship privately owned in England. Bu
showed that this could
not be, and now the government
places the blame on privately owned
.oreign airships
Some people, however, discard this
assumption, and declare that at least
me Of the aerial visitors came from
3Ortum. the German fortress nearest
he English coast. From Borkum il
would be a very simple matter for
/ modern airship tC PASS over tho
North Sea and even right across Eng
and, as in The case of the ship that
lew over Cardiff, and be back at
Ter base before morning. Those who
laim 70 have evidence that this
light was made from Borkum go fur
her aud say that the German gov
mas several airships at EN-
len, and that when a flight over
England is projected one of these
rafts is taken to Borkum and the
tart made from there.
According to official returns Ger ,
many had u airships of large dimen-
,ions at the end of 1912. and it is
relieved that she has added to this
lumbe" since. There are also ten
rivately owned airships in Germany.
against these England has three air
hips Of vary small dimensions, and
me large airship row under con.
tructicn in Germany. England has
greater number of aeroplanes than
Germany, however and when
battle in the air is dis
ussed British officers argue that an
eroDlane, acting as a destroyer,
ould very easily put night-prowl-
no afr l. S,T hue