Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-11-21
Fighting Graft Of the Air More
Dangerous Than Fleet
Of Ballleships
Invaluable for Scouting Or in
BalteHing Down Enemies
Qualifications
Praises Daring Invcn Who
Made Great Innovation
Practicable

st. LOUIS, NOV. W. III my opinion
the newly developed art OF aviation
will not only tend to limit the dura-
ton and scope of hostile operations,
but also aid in the control of the
seas, enc Of the elements contributing
materially to the power and prospect
ty Of Il nation"
Secretary Daniels made this state
mem here tonight in the course Of u
public address upon, aeronautics In
which he discussed the conquest OF
The air by the United States army and
navy and the part aerial navigation
will take in future wars.
THE potentialities OF the aeroplane,
when applied to the art of war, are
extremely great and its proper use
will undoubtedly be a dominating fac
tor in the success OF future cam
paigns," said he. "The principal roles
Of the aeroplane in. naval warfare
will be for scouting and reconnaissance
&c work and for offensive destructive
operations against hostile fleets and
Notifications Rash indeed will be the
commander of an opposing fleet who
would head his vessels against the
fleet or coast of an enemy possessing
number of these vicious wasps of
war, and unfortunate indeed would be
q commander who did not have ready
at his call this means of obtaining
supremacy in the air..
"A torpedo costs $4,000 and fire.
quently is lost in practice, through
DETECTION in direction that makes it
impossible to follow it from the crows
nest Of ship. But an aerial scout
can follow a torpedO's course unerring-
ly by watching it from above. The
price of one torpedo will pay for
several flying machines. Experts say
mines are easily picked up or To-
Gated by aerial scouts. One little
mine may wreck a $4,000, 900 battle
ship. A flying notwithstanding, but
a small sum, would mean the ship
safety. The dirigible balloon likewise
will play as important part in nav
al warfare as the aeroplane, and pos
naval strategy and tactics.
''The United States army has II
machines, with total personnel CT "a
officers. Seven more machines are
in sight. THERE'S at present no de-
finite organization. and no plan Of
cooperation between the army and
navy. The latter possesses only four
and three flying boats,
Though it is proposed to buy three
more.
THE war aeropane and war air.
ship are today recognized and proven
engines of war by the. leading ma
lions Of the earth. In practice, our
recognition is little more than theore-
tical. Scouting and information in
land operations is being given over to
the aeroplane and the lighter dirigi-
BILE and scouting, information and
mining in sea operations is being Civ
Ell over to the hydroplane and larger
dlirigibles; While. the large and arm
ed rigid dirigibIe, capable OF carrying
several tons OF explosive and making
long sustained flights is designed both
for scouting and Tor making offensive
attacks on ships, arsenals, docks, etc
An army or fleet Of The present day
operating in war without an efficient
air service against one with such ser
vice, it has been aptly said, would be
like a blind man fighting another of
equal power with all his faculties
1T is true that the United STATES
occupies a position differing mater
tally from European nations bordering
on each other or separated by narrow
waters easily patrolled by air craft.
And therefore we have not been fore.
ed by the pressure OF IN immediate
danger to meet the progress OF pos
sible enemies. This is no doubt the
reason we have Jagged behind other
nations in developing and utilizing
our own gift to the world. Our scru-
Dulous efforts to avoid all entanglng
alliances, makes it less probable that
we will be involved in the wars of
The future, if there be any; neverthe-