River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1914-01-01

SlOIe IJr all damages SUFFERED IN
this state by any > son from injuries
caused by any voyage in an airship
directed by such aeronaut; and if
he be the agent or employee of an
other in making such voyage his
principal or employer shall be re-
sponsible for such damage"
The states of Massachusetts and
New York are considering similar
legislation and before many years
it seems probable that every state
will have acted on this subject.
The question of fixing the respon
sibility for damages, which has
been cared for in the Connecticut
act, is one that is likely to be Of
immediate Importance. The dan
gers of airships passing oyer prop
erty are considerable. Parts, bag
gage, or ballast might be dropped,
causing injury to persons or pro-
perty beneath The fall of an aero
plane upon city might occasion
severe damage to those on land, as
we'll as to the unfortunate aeronaut
But fancy the damage resulting
from the collision between two
giant airships of the Zepplin type
With the present interest in avia-
tion and the popular encourage
ment which it is receiving, the atti
tude of the lawmakers is likely to
be favorable to them as far as
granting to them the right to freely
use the air is concerned Landown
ers are not likely to endeavor to de-
mand fee from aeronauts passing
over their property. The legisla-
tors are likely to grant great free
dom of passage and the courts are
likely to sustain the legislation. OF
course, a property owner might OBJ
ject that when the Legislature grants
che right to navigate the air freely
it gives a right to pass over his
land and thus takes away from him
a portion of his property Such
contention, if made, will raise some
interesting cases, the result of
which no one can foresee.
But as to fixing the responsibility
for injury resulting from the opera
.tion of airShipS, the law seems in
clined to hold the aerona ut to strict
account. If the aeronaut wishes to
take the risk of riding in the air, he
must further take all the risk of
causing injury to persons or prop
erty over which he passes. AS mat
tiers stand now, even in the absence
of statute fixing the responsible
ties, as in Connecticut, person in
jured by an airship may almost GER
tainly recover damages from the
aeronaut. If passing airship lets
fall any object which Injuries your
property you may sue the person
who is responsible for the operation
of the airship.
A few cases have already arisen
in England. A British aeronaut
was driving his aeroplane and at
tempted to descend into field The
field was occupied by COW and the
COW apparently resented the appear
ance of this strange object from
above. AS the aeroplane descended
the cow rushed toward it, making
hostile demonstrations. The aero
naut endeavored to avoid the infur-
lated bovine, but was unsuccessful
and her cowship succeeded in plung-
ing beneath the machine just as it
reached the earth. The results
were disastrous to the COW, and
the sequel came when the farmer
who owned the cow sued the aero
naut and recovered damages for
the loss of the COW.
The aeroplane has found its way
into the classified ad columns as
well as into the courts, as witness
he following interesting ad which
appeared in a German newspaper:
Lost from an aeroplane, a gold
watch and chain. Last seen disap-
pearing in large stack of rye on a
field near Ulzen."
Copyright, 1918, by Walter k Towers)