Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1914-02-27

drop life belts, ropes, food, medicine or stimulants
according to the urgency of the needs.
With all the navies working to develop means
for launching aeroplanes from battleships and
receiving them back, it is safe to say that the
problems connected Herewith will be solved very
soon. Then liners will carry aeroplanes to use for
carrying dispatches and for general pilot duties.
Just as the water, a%eroplane is a wonderful aux
iiary of the navy, 1t is a wonderful auxiliary for
ocean liners, promising to afford to passenger.
carrying ships services Of the highest kind.
The water a%eroplane is wonderfully adapted for
preventing disasters of the kind which overcame
the steamship Titanic, and, in case such disasters
take place, minimize the loss of life. A flying
boat on a steamer can rise to investigate unseen
dangers ahead. 1t can do so at night as well as by
using the ships searchlights as the aeroplane's
searchlights. In case of the vessel becoming dis.
abled the aeroplane can fly to notify other vessels,
utilizing the wireless apparatus, with which every
flying boat is being equipped in the foreign ma
vies, to notify the other steamships of the need or
of it's APPROACH.
The most appalling thing in the Titanic disaster
was that there were a number of steamships with
in call distance-Some not as much as &c EHt!c2
away-which the wireless telegraph did not reach
in some cases because it became disabled as the
ship sank. A flying boat could have covered the
40 miles in less than an hour, while it's wireless
plant would have notified the other vessels as 1t
proceeded onward.
A flying boat on the vessels that came to the
rescue after the Titanic had sunk could have
searched the surface of the sea for survivors, its
altitude giving 1t a range Of vision of miles, and
could have found the survivors where the vessels
did not see them. 1t would thus practically have
superintendent the work of life saving.
Each year there is a long list Of people who are
drowned from falling overheard from large vessels
and who cannot be rescued In time to save their
lives, the boat sent to save them reaching them
too late to be of avail. A flying boat can be
launched and can search for the person that has
fallen overheard and can drop a safety belt or land
by and pick him up much faster than the fastest
life saving boat.
The sea is an unknown quantity in many re-
spects, and the biggest of steamships is very
much at its mercy, and assistance of the kind
which the flying boat affords is a necessity. A YES
sci at sea often meets signs of wrecks or it is
signalled by craft in distress. At the present time
there is no way to investigate such things without
involving a great delay or putting the craft itself
in danger through taking it out of its marked
route, which is the safety zone. A flying boat can
do all these things for the vessel. 1t can be launch.
ed with two men, one OF whom searches the sur
face of tibet sea with powerful glasses. The ves-
sci can proceed on its course; the flying boat viii
overtake it after having discharged it's mission.
AS even a special machine and the equipment
cannot cost more than $4,000, it is evident that
it is an absurdly cheap factor Of efficiency which
every craft can afford and should have.