Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-12

EIFTY-FOUR years ago General in the United
States army watched conversation between two
men who deaf and durnb-and their system
of signaling to each other inspired him to great con-
tribution to military tactics That the beginning
of the signal corps in the armies of the world.
In 1862, during the Yorktown campaign of the Civil
War Confederate officers determined to get view of
all the Federal troops in the neghborhood by sending
up a man in a captive balloon. Although the plan
halted for few days by lack of proper material for
constructing the balloon, it carried out when
Southern women, approaching the value of the idea,
contributed their best and loveest silk gowns for the
big gasbag And that the beginning of military
reconnaissance from the clouds.
Northern officers Immediately took it up, and before
the close of the struggle among the States most nations
had become convinced of the necessity of employing
up in the air. methods for detecting the movements,
strength, and intentions of hostile forces Conse-
quently American genius gave to military science the
idea and the plan for long and air scouting and
created new arm in time of
Today just ffty-one years since the silk skirts of
women became weapons in battle, the United States
falls far behind all other great powers in military avia
on and is aggard in the science created Since the
Wright brothers made their first trial flights in
plane at Fort Myer Washington few years ago,
Europe and Japan have sprung into the forefront of the
art of campaigning In the air.
For aeronautics military tactics France spent last
year s. 5OO,OOO; Germany S5OOO,OOO: Great Britain,
S. 100000; and Japan, trlfe more than 81 OOO,OOO.
For the purpose the United States spent last year
exactly one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars
Today England has for the of her army and navy
hundred and eighty-six aeroplanes and other air
craft-and this country hrty So far has been
impossible for the American army to enough vol
unteers from its ranks to man its aeroplanes; but
France has six hundred officers on such duty, with
waiting list of more than six hundred.
These are some of the reasons why the next session
of Congress will be asked by the army appropriate
five hundred thousand dollars for the purchase and
construction Of aeroplanes; while the navy will try to
get similar amount for hydroplanes. The army will
also ask for legislation creating aviation division,
for which sxty-two officers will be needed In the end
such an establishment if made reality, will cost the
country at least million dollars year.
AS this is written, the newspapers crowded with
speculation whether the United States will invade
Mexico now or at later date. And, the factions of
the troubetorn Republic rise and fall of the most
spectacular stories about Mexico is the description of
how Mason the lone aviator of all that country oper
ates his aeroplane in the Sonora district sails height
of thousand feet spies upon the enemy and carries
back to his commanders the he gathers. He has
contributed to the debate whether not the
aeroplane become direct weapon of offense
in battle; for when flying Guaymas Harbor he
dropped powerful bomb that missed warship by not
than thirty feet.
This gives some point to the contention of American
officers that a6ropanes in the event of trouble with
Mexico would be of inestmable value. That country
of great distances and its people fight in small and
scattered groups These two facts make scout and
reconnaissance duty tremendous factor in any cam
paign that might be mapped out by the leaders of
invading force Aeroplanes, they say, would be the
eyes to discomfort guerrilla warriors.
WHILE interest is centered on the southern terri
tory of this continent, the future of the Panama
Canal becomes topic of absorbing interest. This is
particularly in view of the testimony of Lieutenant
Riley E. Scott, an expert in dropping highpowered