The Washington herald., 1913-01-26

self when attention is called to the fact
that a large part Of our army is, as one
might say, web-footed- Twenty-odd thou.
sand men are required to garrison our
seacoast fortresses. which guard bar.
bors. Every such fortress eventually
will have at least three or four flying
boats for scouting work. By such means
the movements Of a hostile feet of shore
may be watched: and these winged boats
may even engage In actual fight with
similar craft let loose in the air from
the ships Of an enemy approaching by
sea
Chief Signal Officer Allen. In a report
Just issued, says that aeroplanes for
military purposes require greater power,
speed. and carrying capacity. High-speed
lying machines are safer IN a high wind.
On the other hand. II has to be consider.
ed that they do not make a landing so
safeiy In unfavorable spots. As a result
OF much experimentation, the War De.
partment has decided In favor OF two
olsunct types. which are TO be known.
respectively, as scouts" and speed
scouts"
Ine latter are designed especially for
strategic reconnaissance. carrying onlyI
, one man. with a travelling radius of 1nD,
miles and a speed not less than sixty
nve miles an hour. Their principal duty
VIII De to report the movements OF large
1 nj
tended chiefly for observation work whsn
hostile armies are approaching one an
| lsion.
Carries Two Men.
Ths scout" fyins machine Will carry
Two men. who will relieve each oth.-
as observers. It will be able to a,csnd
Zoo feet (more than two nflen m ,an
minutes, and Its "chassis' is SO de,Ipnsd
as 10 enable Ii to rise from or to land
upon soft ground. such as a harrowad
neld- 1t will be equipped for wireless,
teiegraphy, and will be capabls a, re-
naming in the air three hours, to allow
the aviators to locate small bodies OF
men accurately on a map, to make
sketches, and to take photoRrapbs
Speed viii be not less than foTtv-svs
miles an hour.
At the present time we are far he
mind the nations of Europe in respect
TO military aviation. Congress has
SHOWN stubborn reluctance to provide
money for what Is called in Europe the
NTH arm" and which undoubtedly il
destined to play a very important part
IN future warfare Russia has already
nfty-fve aeroplanes. and has provided
Tor the building OF 15S more-al but
eight OF them ''monoplanes" Germany
has 10. The Royal Flying Corps, in
England. representing both army and
navy, Possesses $50 machines.
France has 40. but has planned TO in
crease the number to 1000 AT Villa
coublay. September q, 1872, was made the
first exhibition OF a complete aeroplane
armada Seventy-two military flying ma
chimes, with their pilots, observers, and
motor trucks carrying supplies. passed in
review before Minister of War Miller
Trua af "a
flock, hovered a few minutes over the
parade ground, and sped or eastward
to resume their stations on the German
frontier. The remaining fifty-two scat
tered during the afternoon to various
military posts.
Would Buy 1:0 Boats.
As for ourselves we have not as vet
got even an organized aviation CORDS
The plan proposed by the Secretary OF
War to Congress at its last session con-
templates the purchase Of a total of 10
flying boats and other winged machines,
at a cost OF $4,000, and the establish
ment OF "centers OF aviation" Ctrainfng
stationsl on the Atlantic, Pacific, and
Gulf coasts. on the Great Lakes, and
at certain other points. the idea being
that eventually there shall be a school
OF the kind in each State of the Union
While waiting hopefully for the rnoney.
the Signal Corps of the army Is busy
with experiments in the use OF wireless
telegraphy and photography IN connec-
ton with military aeroplanes Incl
dentally, one OF its officers has invented
gun, to be carried on board flying
machine for fighting purposes-the first
weapon of its kind thus far developed.
II was tried successfully a short time
ago at College Park, Md, where the War
Department is now maintaining a school
of aviation Much more than ordinary
interest attaches to this gun, pointing
as the invention does to a day in tho
not distant future when battles viii be
fought in the air by fleets Of flying ma
chimes.
Another contrivance developed by the
Signal Corps is for the dropping of ex-
pIosives from aeroplanes. Exhibited in a
conducted by the military
authorities in France, IL won the first
prize Twelve out OF fifteen projectiles
Cweighing fifteen pounds each) hit a
target sixty feet IN diameter. from an
elevation OF SIS feet From an altitude
of 2,6S4 feet. eight projectiles out Of nf-
teen struck a target S75 feet by Is feet
in size RENE BACHN