New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-09-24
FRENCH AIR SCOUTS
HJRL DEATH DARTS
Showers of Tiny Steel Ar
rows Kill Many of
German Foe.
SIMPLE WEAPONS
RIVAL FIELD GUNS
Auto Importer Tells How Avis-
tors Use Ancient Device in
Modern Warfare.

That the aeroplane division Of the
French army has developed and is
using steel arrows as weapons Of de-
ssruetion a report cabled to this eoun'
try a few days ago and received with
considerable degree Of incredulity) is
practically proved by the statement
made yesterday By Emanuel Lascaris'
an automobile importer Of this city
who returned from France few days
ago.
Mr.. Lascaris is the American repre-
sentative of the De Dion Bouton, one
Of the oldest and largest Of French
motor car factories. He was on a bust
ness visit to the Bilancourt plant when
declarations Of war began to shoot
across Europe, and at the request OF
Count De Dion remained for some
weeks to give his help in restoring or
der out of the chaos into which the
business was thrown by the sudden out
break Of hostilities.
"Our factory is in the military dis
triet of Vincennes--a part OF 1t, IN
fact" Mr.. Lascaris said, land it passed
automatically into the control Of the
government. Because of their skill IN
the use Of the machinery majority OF
the workmen, while they enlisted. were
kent on duty right in the plant under
the direction Of several Of the eNecu"
tive force who were commissioned ON
GERS. The only difference was that they
shed their overalls and replaced them
with their military uniforms.
"Part of the work that has been done
bv De Dion-Bouton since the outbreak
Of the war has been the production OF
steel arrows for use by aeroplanlsts
against the enemy, and | have no doubt
that they have already been put to
GOOD use, as the cables have told.
"The steel arrow is tiny missile ana
so light that il is hard to believe that
il could kill a man, much less a horse
II is six inches in length, rounded at
one end and brought to needle point
The other end for about four inches IS
deeply grooved, 50 that, looking at the
top, II has the shepe of four-leaved
clover. | do not believe that the I'm
ished arrow weighs more than ok
TESTS made with the little thing
showed that. dropped from a distance
Of 1000 feet. one Of them would go
through the body Of a horse. Their
deadly effect on man may easily be
imagined.
"Lightness. of course. is an essential
since every pound Of weight in an aero
plane is q factor The deep grooves
not only helped in this way, but in
sured the spreading apart of the ar
rows when dropped in compact mass.
"The matter Of launching the arrows
vas solved by the use of boxes large
enough TO hold I 900 Of them. fitted
with bottoms that opened by the re.
lease of n spring. One or more Of
these boxes, depending on the power or
the motor, are placed between the
struts Of an aeroplane, and the con-
tents can be dropped when the oper-
ator finds himself in proper position
over the enemy"
OF the area covered when the arrows
reached the ground after falling 1900
feet or more, Mr.. Lascarls was unable
to say, but he believes it would be con-
siderabla. He considers the device
nearly as effective as would be a ma
chine gun used from the same position.