The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-26


torpedo's course unerrlngly by watch
ing 1t from above and the price Of one
aeroplane is only a fraction Of that of
a torpedo.
Then, again. water-comparativel
opaque from point near its surface
becomes transparent to an observer in
he air. Experts say that mines can be
easily located by aerial scouts. One
mine may wreck a $4,000, 900 battle
ship. An aeroplane, costing but a frac-
ton OF this sum, would mean the ships
safety.
I'm my opinion. the newly developed
art of aviation will not only tend to
limit the duration and scope OF hostile
operations but will also aid in the con-
troll of the seas. one of the elements
| contributing materially to the power
and prosperity Of a nation.
with the Panama Canal, as we'll a.
our coast forttications to guard. not
only from land and water, but also from
| the air, steps must and should be taken
to muster an air fleet absolutely second
to none on either hemisphere"
| The reason for the selection in the
| Hay bill Of the army for the first en-
pertinent is because the army is at
present far behind the navy in atten-
ton to aviation and in the success
attained by its corps. This Is due to the
fact that the army has been very much
hampered by lack of sufficient funds
and by the failure of Congress to desig-
nate any single branch Of the service
as an aviation corps. placing the burden
of the air work on the Signal Corps,
The navy, on the contrary. has for
some time possessed an aviation corps
which has done splendid work. The
recent movement II the base of this
corps from Annapolis, Md, to Pensa-
cola. Fla, has given the navy addi-
tional opportunity for excellent work.
When the fleet was ordered To Vera
Cruz the battleship Mississippi, which
acted as the home station IF the hydros,
was sent south with the other fighting
units of the navy. and the work Of
the naVys aeroplanes in the neighbor-
hood of Vera Cruz was the subject of
IN re than one complimentary message
from Rear Admiral Fletcher.
The army sent no aeroplanes to
Mexico for very good reason-it had
none to send that could do the work
demanded of them.
The army's fleet of aeroplanes IS
divided into four sections, one at Gal
weston, Tex: one at San Diego, Cal, (:
one in the Hawaiian Islands and one in
the Philippines. These military aero
planes are out of date in the sense that
they are capable Of being used only for
scouting purposes and are not fitted
for either defensive or offensive pur-
poses
In the event If an invasion Of Mexico
the army aeropIancs at present in use
would he invaluable for use in deter
mining the position and number of the
cnemy's forces. But when it came Il
active participation in battle they
would he practically useless, while the
majority Of the European air rps are
fitted up with special rifle rests, am
munition carriers and munitions Of wal
in order to repulse attack from above
n to offer fight to forces on the ground
we must start by pcrfecting our
scouting system" is the opinion of
Col Samuel Rcber, who Is in charge OF
the present aviation squad, "as "A child
first learns to crawl. After that he may
take up walking and then running
In the case of aviation running means
we will have fully equipped fleet OF
offensive aiIShips-our actions Will prob
ably consist If anything but running
in the literal meaning of the word.
"The advantage of the aeroplane fol
scouting purposes can hardly he over
es.; mated. The military pilot seated nv,
hundred or a thousand feet in the air il
able to see points of vantage and to catct
glimpses OF men on the ground which
would be entirely invisible either to thu
: commander or to his scouts ON the level
, The number in any one detachmen